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~ Outtakes of a Historical Novelist

Kim Rendfeld

Tag Archives: religion

Medieval Easter Was Not Joyous for Everyone

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in Writing

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Historical Fiction, Medieval Easter, Middle Ages, religion, Saxons, The Ashes of Heaven's Pillar

What would Easter mean to an 8th century Saxon peasant who converted to Christianity with no education whatsoever? Especially if she was a slave in a foreign land and still learning the language? These are among the questions I explore in The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar as my heroine, Leova, experiences the holy day for the first time.

Her children are the only thing she has left. During Charlemagne’s first war in Saxony the previous summer, she lost everything—her husband, her home, her faith, her freedom.

At this point in the story, Leova and her children have wound up in Nevers, where her master, Ragenard the merchant, lives. In that time, the folk spoke Roman, a form of Latin but not the language of the Church and very different from the Germanic Saxon language.

I chose to call the holiday Pasch for a couple of reasons. The word Easter is close to Eostre, a pagan goddess of spring. Pasch is similar to the French name for the holiday, and it comes to us from Anglo-French and Latin.

Johannes Gehrts' 1901

Johannes Gehrts’ 1901 “Ostara,” another name for Eostre (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

With all this in mind, here is my imagining of how a new Christian and foreigner would perceive the Feast of the Resurrection:

The Christian rites continued to puzzle her. The week before a holy day called Pasch, which Sunwynn explained was the day Jesu rose from the dead, chanting monks and priests led a procession through the city and received long, thin leaves. Leova and her children followed with the rest of the faithful holding yew and willow twigs.

Two days later, a priest visited the house, and for the next few mornings, Ragenard managed to dress and come to the hall. Yet it seemed as if even that small effort exhausted him. He spoke only a few pleasantries to Leova before returning to bed.

Will he ever show fondness for me again?

On the feast day, Ragenard attended Mass along with everyone else in the city, and the crowd overflowed down the steps. As the priests gave altar bread and wine to the faithful, Ragenard seemed barely able to stand. Another procession with priests holding crosses, censers, and several golden jeweled boxes followed. Ragenard looked like he would collapse.

In the procession, the Roman buzz of gossip deepened Leova’s loneliness. On the temperate days like this in Eresburg, she and other wives had talked about their husbands and children and the upcoming Feast of Erda. The return of spring was empty here without the goddess. Leova longed for Derwine. He would have comforted her. Even if she and Ragenard were speaking to each other, Ragenard would not have understood.

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Walburga and Her Family Ties

25 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in Medieval History

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

8th Century, Benedictine Nuns, medieval, Medieval nuns, Middle Ages, religion, Saint Boniface, Saint Walburga

By early medieval standards, Saint Walburga had a cushy lifestyle at the double monastery of Wimbourne.

Well, strictly following the Rule of Saint Benedict is hardly a life of luxury, but this daughter of a West Saxon under-king was in a safe place and could be reasonably certain of when she would eat. She would pray at the bells, pursue her studies, and do chores assigned to her.

But when she was in her late 30s, far from young by the standards of her time, her maternal uncle Saint Boniface asked her and other nuns to uproot their lives for the sake of Christianity in today’s Germany.

For more about Walburga, read my post on English Historical Fiction Authors.

Saint Walburga

A 19th century painting of St. Walburga (public domain image via Wikimedia Commons).

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5 Surprising Facts about Christianity in the Dark Ages

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in Medieval History

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Christianity, medieval, Middle Ages, religion

Religion plays a central role in the lives of my early medieval characters, but portraying Christianity in the days of Charlemagne takes more than having prayers in Latin. Visit Novel PASTimes for 5 Surprising Facts about Christianity in the Dark Ages.

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Religion and Magic: Two Ways Medieval Franks Manipulated Their World

15 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in History, Medieval History

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Charlemagne, magic, medieval, Middle Ages, religion

A mix of religion and belief in magic was widespread in the days of Charlemagne, so an author of fiction set in that period has no choice but to give those beliefs a prominent role.

That’s why Alda, the heroine of The Cross and the Dragon, wears an amulet alongside the symbol of her faith. Leova, the heroine of The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar, chants spells of protection, even after her conversion to Christianity.

The Church officially opposed magic and even imposed harsh penalties for sorcery, but it could not stop people from turning to magic – even among the clergy.

Visit Unusual Historicals for more about the role of religion and magic in Carolingian Francia.

Talisman of Charlemagne

A ninth century piece of jewelry called the Talisman of Charlemagne (from Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License)

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Tetta: A Gentle Soul Who Was Important in Her Day

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in History

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Anglo-Saxon, human-rights, medieval, Medieval nuns, Middle Ages, religion, Saint Tetta

A figure of an 1800 Benedictine nun at Museum für Klosterkultur, 2009 photo by Andreas Praefcke, released to public domain via Wikimedia Commons

A figure of an 1800 Benedictine nun at Museum für Klosterkultur, 2009 photo by Andreas Praefcke, released to public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Amid the violence of the Middle Ages, there were gentle souls who practiced and preached mercy. Saint Tetta apparently was one of them.

Yet she is a mystery. The sister of a king, this eighth-century Anglo-Saxon abbess was important in her day. At Saint Boniface’s request, Mother Tetta sent nuns to today’s Germany to solidify Christianity. Some of her disciples also become saints, but little information about her survives. In fact, I’m cheating with this photo because I could not find any image of Tetta.

But we have a few clues. Check out today’s post on English Historical Fiction Authors to learn more.

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Historical Fiction or Historical Fantasy?

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Kim Rendfeld in Fiction, History, Writing

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Tags

fantasy, Historical Fiction, Kim Rendfeld, magic, medieval, Middle Ages, religion

One of the panels I had the privilege of attending at last month’s Historical Novel Society conference focused on the role of magic in historical fiction. Those of us immersed in another period, such as the Middle Ages, find the boundaries between historical fiction and fantasy are indeed blurred.

I could not write about 8th-century Europeans without religion and magic. The official records speak of victories with God’s help, miracles, and liturgies for divine favor. This was an age that believed in visions and the power of saints’ relics, the latter sometimes worth stealing.

In addition, Christians employed charms and tried to bribe kobolds into not wreaking havoc. To ward off demons and ghosts, medieval folk of all classes lit night candles and often did not sleep alone. When someone died, the bereaved most pressing concern was that the dead stayed dead. Wakes, prayers, and alms-giving on behalf of the dead served to keep the dead at peace.

The supernatural is how medieval people explained the unexplainable in their world. Why does the baby who seemed healthy at birth have deformities? Must be changeling or God is punishing me for my sin (such as conceiving the child on a Sunday). Why am I sick? Either the dwarves are mad they weren’t bribed or God is angry. Why did the child drown in the stream? Must have been a water nixie. Why is that teenager hearing voices no one else can? Must be divine vision or demon possession.

These people were not stupid. They simply had no way of knowing about germs, genetics, or brain chemistry. Who knows, they might think us crazy for thinking entities too small for the eye are the cause of disease.

They turned for an explanation where they could. And if you believe in a supernatural cause, it makes sense.

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About Me

I write fiction set in early medieval times, an intersection of faith, family, and power. My latest release is Queen of the Darkest Hour, in which Fastrada must stop a conspiracy before it shatters the realm. For more about me and my fiction, visit kimrendfeld.com or contact me at kim [at] kimrendfeld [dot] com.

Queen of the Darkest Hour

Queen of the Darkest Hour

Short Story: Betrothed to the Red Dragon

Betrothed to the Red Dragon

The Ashes of Heaven’s Pillar

The Ashes of Heaven's Pillar

The Cross and Dragon

The Cross and the Dragon

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