October Events! They Happen! Really!

Dear Reader(s), just to let you know we, the MSCU, have a few events planned for this month! I'll probably post reminders when we get closer to the event, but I'll list them all here right now. Isn't that nice of me? I think its pretty nice. I'm a nice guy.

Anyway, here we go:

MSCU MOVIE NIGHT! WOOHOO!

*Ahem.*

This is going to be on the 21st, 7:00, Clearihue A307.

We are watching: King. Arthur. I made posters. They're around somewhere. Look for 'em.

MSCU/GRSCU PUMPKIN CARVING!

October 22nd, 7:00, Clearihue D130.

We are joining up with our Greek and Roman Studies Course Union buddies, slaughter some innocent pumpkins like the tyrannical warriors that we are, and maybe send them to some oh-so-fortunate profs (you get to pick the prof!). C'mon out!

We also have some joint events with other course unions:

Costume party:

Friday the 23rd, 7-9ish, lots of treats (SUGAR DEAR READER(S), SUGAR!), fun games, costume contest, etc.

Its Classically themed, so throw on a toga or something at the very least. Or not. But that's lame. Like, a blind leprous anchorite penitent monk kind of lame. And that's really, really lame.

There is also a writing contest! http://library.uvic.ca/site/writingcontest/

You can read the link yourself. It's pretty straight forward.

Now, time for that awesome thing that everyone seemed to like so much...What Happened Today In The Past?!? (I need a better name for this...)

1066 - the Battle of Hastings/Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror defeats the English army and kills Harold II.

1322 - Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats Kind Edward II at Byland and forces Edward to accept Scotland's independence.

1582 - once again, because of the Gregorian calendar's implementation, this day does not exist in Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

1894 - ee Cummings is born. (Not medieval, but still important. To me.)

Lots of stuff happened on the 14th of October: lots of births, lots of events, lots of deaths. Few are Medieval. Checkit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_14

Farewell dear Reader(s),

Your Minister of Propaganda.

A picture, some news, and more updates to come!

Well, that's certainly one way of being saved from the jaws of death...

And in more exciting news:

So, on September twenty-fifth (yes, last month) an amateur treasure hunter (what this constitutes I do not know - maybe an old guy with a metal detector and a shovel like you find on the beach?) discovered an absolutely enormous horde of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver artefacts as he was rummaging through a farmer's field (doubtful the farmer gave him permission). This discovery has sent archaeologists, historians, curators and Medievalists alike abuzz the world over. Amongst the treasures found we have: a really pretty helmet crest with a frieze of wild animals running along the side; enamel studded sword fittings; a checkerboard piece with gold and garnet inlays (I wouldn't mind having a set of those!); and a gold band with a Latin biblical inscription that calls on God to drive away the bearer's enemies. Nifty! This cash of lovely artefacts was discovered in what was Mercia, one of the five major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and are thought to date between 675 and 725.

The fellow who found the cache says that it was "more fun that winning the lottery." Oh, I bet it was! "I was going to bed and in my sleep I was seeing gold items," he said after notifying the authorities after five days of searching this farmer's field.

Over eleven pounds of gold was found, which included weaponry, crosses, and a giant cross that may have been carried into battle, five long golden snakes, and a strip of gold with a crudely written and horribly misspelled Latin Biblical inscription ("Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face" - Book of Numbers).

The treasure hunter and his farmer "friend" are up for seven figures of cash once the artefacts are sold to museums, apparently. Not bad as there could be as many as 1,500 items in the treasure horde.

One expert has gone so far as to liken this discovery to the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Interestingly enough, the giant processional/battle cross was folded before being buried.

In case you don't know (!!!) who the Anglo-Saxons were, they were a group of Germanic tribes who invaded England when the Romans left it, they made really, really pretty gold ornaments, and their language, Old English, is the great-great-great grandfather (or some such thing) of our beloved Modern English.

I hope you enjoyed this late update!

Sincerely,

Your Minister of Propaganda*

*How's this name? I like it. Do you like it? I like it.

Also, here's the link for the story on this update: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/25/treasure-trove.html

Oh hi, I almost didn't see you there.

As-Salamu Alaykum! Ave! Guten Tag! Greetings! Etc.!

Welcome dear Reader(s) to another eventful year with the MSCU (Medieval Studies Course Union for those of you who don't know that yet). This year we find ourselves with a whole new executive committee and, you may have guessed it by now, a new blogger here on Florilegium. This is the first blog I've ever had so please, bear with me as I try and figure out what I'm doing. (Man, what have I signed up for?!)

I would like to extend my thanks to our previous blogger who is heading off to York University (yeah, the English one) for the awesome work that he's done with this thing. I have some pretty big shoes to fill it would seem.

So, I did some research about bloggers the other day, and this is what I found out:

"Bloggers were invented ca. 300AD, and were originally called 'monks.' Like their distant descendents, monks had shitty haircuts, and never got laid."

OIVÉ!

Man, now I'm really sewered! My hair's not THAT bad, is it? Okay, maybe it's pretty bad.

So, October fifth, some pretty exciting stuff have happened on the fifths of October in medieval history! Check this stuff out:

-610: Coronation of Byzantin Emperor Heraclius

-869: The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened.

-1143: King Alfonso VII of Leon recognizes Portugal as a Kingdom.

-1582: because of the Gregorian calendar...this day doesn't exist in Italy, Poland, Portugal, or Spain!

Okay, that last one is pretty awesome.

Well, I've got a few ideas set up for this blog for this year, but I want you, dear Reader(s), to tell me what you would like to see more of on this blog. Y'know, just post a comment on here or something. That'd be sweet.

Well, it's off to the land of sweet slumber for I, so I wish you, dear Reader(s), the best of sleep and some really interesting dreams of lions, witches, and bears, oh no!

Sincerely,

The New MSCU Florilegium Blogger Guy*

*Yeah, I'll think up a better name later. C'mon, cut me some slack! It's my first post ever!