If you ever find yourself in need of carrying a book in a medieval-fashion way, consider turning it into a girdle book! Girdle books were small portable books worn by medieval European monks, clergymen and aristocratic nobles as a popular accessory to medieval costume, between the 13th and 16th centuries. They consisted of a book whose leather binding continued loose below the cover of the book in a long tapered tail with a large knot at the end which could be tucked into one's girdle or belt. The knot was usually strips of leather woven together for durability. The book hung upside down and backwards so that when swung upwards it was ready for reading (classy!). The books were normally religious: a cleric's daily Office, or for lay persons (especially women) a Book of Hours. One of the most well known texts to become a girdle book is Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, although it is the only surviving philosophical/theological girdle book. Women especially wore the girdle book out of convenience since it was already fashionable, at least in the 15th century, to wear a girdle belt above the waistline. A book secured on the girdle belt served both the utilitarian function of enabling hands-free carrying and protecting valuable books from theft and the elements. It also made a visible statement of social position wealth and learning (or at least literacy). Artistic depictions of authoritative figures, saints or apostles like St. Jerome book confirm their popularity as an accessory.
     They first appeared in the late 13th century and gained popularity through the 15th sometimes becoming ostentatious jewel-encrusted presentation books and falling out of favour late in the 16th century, when printed books had become much more common. Another possible reason for their decline was the relatively small number of specialized girdle-protected texts becoming outdated with little need to replace them. In an environment of increasingly cheap printing it was simpler to replicate texts than spend time preserving individual manuscripts. The intricately constructed girdle bindings were simply impractical after a certain point.
     There are hundreds of artistic representations of girdle books. Their popularity in art indicates a much wider distribution and adoption of the girdle book as a binding than surviving copies suggest. A list of 150 examples “shows the proportion of representation in painting and in sculpture [as] almost equal.” However, only 23 medieval girdle books have survived in their original binding, the oldest datable example being from Kastl, Germany (ca. 1453). At least part of the reason for the small number of surviving examples stems from the fact that the use of the girdle book was largely confined to a narrow area from the Netherlands to the Upper Rhine Valley.
      Although not strictly girdle books, several other types of portable books were in use during the same time period. Some larger books had rings attached to the standard binding so a cord could be slipped through them and wrapped around the waist. Other books were small enough that they could be worn around the neck. A small chain looped through a ring or two at the top of the binding was all that was necessary to make it portable. Finally, a fourth type of portable book was the vade mecum (go with me), consisting of a booklet or folded sheets that contained an almanac or medical information and could be suspended from a belt. The text on a vade mecum would be arranged in such a way as to be legible as someone unfolded the parchment, rather than having to constantly reorient the sheets.

~Ally

     Due to a big problem in my internet server and a holiday issue, the blog has been quite still for these last few days. But don't worry dear follower - whoever you may be -, we're back in action!
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    Today I'll tell you somethings I learned about the Book of Hours, a Christian devotional book very popular in the Middle Ages. It is the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript (the ones the monks did, you know?). Like every manuscript, each book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and psalms, often with appropriate decorations, for Christian devotion. Illumination or decoration is minimal in many examples, often restricted to decorated capital letters at the start of psalms and other prayers, but books made for wealthy patrons may be extremely lavish, with full-page miniatures.
     Books of hours were usually written in Latin (the Latin name for them is horae), although there are many entirely or partially written in vernacular European languages, especially Dutch. The English term primer is usually now reserved for those books written in English. Tens of thousands of books of hours have survived to the present day, in libraries and private collections throughout the world.
     The typical book of hours is an abbreviated form of the breviary which contained the Divine Office recited in monasteries. It was developed for lay people who wished to incorporate elements of monasticism into their devotional life. Reciting the hours typically centered upon the reading of a number of psalms and other prayers. A typical book of hours contains: a Calendar of Church feasts; an excerpt from each of the four gospels; the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the fifteen Psalms of Degrees; the seven Penitential Psalms; a Litany of Saints; an Office for the Dead; the Hours of the Cross and various other prayers.
     The book of hours has its ultimate origin in the Psalter, which monks and nuns were required to recite. By the 12th century this had developed into the breviary, with weekly cycles of psalms, prayers, hymns, antiphons, and readings which changed with the liturgical season. Eventually a selection of texts was produced in much shorter volumes and came to be called a book of hours. Many books of hours were made for women. There is some evidence that they were sometimes given as a wedding present from a husband to his bride. Frequently they were passed down through the family, as recorded in wills.
     Although the most heavily illuminated books of hours were enormously expensive, a small book with little or no illumination was affordable much more widely, and increasingly so during the 15th century. By the 15th century, there are also examples of servants owning their own Books of Hours.
     Very rarely the books included prayers specifically composed for their owners, but more often the texts are adapted to their tastes or sex, including the inclusion of their names in prayers. Some include images depicting their owners, and some their coats of arms. These, together with the choice of saints commemorated in the calendar and suffrages, are the main clues for the identity of the first owner.
     By the 15th century, various stationer's shops mass-produced books of hours in the Netherlands and France. By the end of the 15th century, the advance of printing made books more affordable and much of the emerging middle-class could afford to buy a printed book of hours.
     As many books of hours are richly illuminated, they form an important record of life in the 15th and 16th centuries as well as the iconography of medieval Christianity. Some of them were also decorated with jewelled covers, portraits, and heraldic emblems. Some were bound as girdle books for easy carrying, though few of these or other medieval bindings have survived. Luxury books could include a portrait of the owner. From the 14th century decorated borders round the edges of at least important pages were common in heavily illuminated books, including books of hours. At the beginning of the 15th century these were still usually based on foliage designs, and painted on a plain background, but by the second half of the century coloured or patterned backgrounds with images of all sorts of objects, were used in luxury books. Second-hand books of hours were often modified for new owners, even among royalty. It was often the only book in a house, and were commonly used to teach children to read, sometimes having a page with the alphabet to assist this. Towards the end of the 15th century, printers produced books of hours with woodcut illustrations. Stationers could mass-produce manuscript books on vellum with only plain artwork and later "personalize" the volumes.

~Ally

      I believe many of you are, as well as I am, very excited and anxious to know what will happen in Westeros on the sixth book from George R. R. Martin series. The problem is... Nobody knows yet when it will be published! And since my beloved Mr.Martin doens't take inquiries about his books very well (each time someone asks who will be the king/queen, he kills a Stark family member - and there aren't many left of them already!), we have to enjoy every little piece of information we get.
     Soooooo, I have a little surprise for my Brazilian and Portuguese friends - I know you're out there, don't be shy! If you click here you'll be able to read the first chapters of "The Winds of Winter", the next book of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. Enjoy and remember: "In the Game of Thrones, you win or you die"!

~Ally

     And before you can say "damn, there goes more talk about Vlad Tepes", no, I'm not talking about our favorite impaler. In fact, as I learned today, there is no official register in Bram Stoker's writings that he even knew Vlad was an impaler - he knew some things about Romenian history and Vlad, but didn't mention in his writings that this historical figure was his inspiration for Bela Lugosi's alter ego.
    Historians now claim that Stoker might have based his vampire in a Irish floklore character, the Abhartach. Also referred to as Avartagh (Irish word for dwarf), he is part of an early Irish legend, which was first collected in Patrick Weston Joyce's The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places (1875). Check out the legend below:

"There is a place in the parish of Errigal in Derry, called Slaghtaverty, but it ought to have been called Laghtaverty, the laght or sepulchral monument of the abhartach [avartagh] or dwarf (see p. 61, supra). This dwarf was a magician, and a dreadful tyrant, and after having perpetrated great cruelties on the people he was at last vanquished and slain by a neighbouring chieftain; some say by Fionn Mac Cumhail. He was buried in a standing posture, but the very next day he appeared in his old haunts, more cruel and vigorous than ever. And the chief slew him a second time and buried him as before, but again he escaped from the grave, and spread terror through the whole country. The chief then consulted a druid, and according to his directions, he slew the dwarf a third time, and buried him in the same place, with his head downwards; which subdued his magical power, so that he never again appeared on earth. The laght raised over the dwarf is still there, and you may hear the legend with much detail from the natives of the place, one of whom told it to me."

     In some versions Abhartach rises from his grave to drink the blood of his subjects, while the chieftain who slays the revenant is named as Cathrain. The hero variously consults an early Christian saint instead of a druid, and is told that Abhartach is one of the "neamh-mairbh", or walking dead, and that he can only be restrained by killing him with a sword made of yew wood, burying him upside down, surrounding his grave with thorns, and placing a large stone on top of the grave. I bet Van Helsing didn't have that much of trouble!
     According to recent folklore, Abhartach's grave is now known as Slaghtaverty Dolmen, and is locally referred to as "The Giant’s Grave". It comprises a large rock and two smaller rocks under a hawthorn.

~Ally

   Cad Goddeu (translated in English as: The Battle of the Trees) is a medieval Welsh poem preserved in the 14th-century manuscript known as the Book of Taliesin. The poem refers to a traditional story in which the legendary enchanter Gwydion animates the trees of the forest to fight as his army. The poem is especially notable for its striking and enigmatic symbolism and the wide variety of interpretations this has occasioned. Check it out!
     ~ Oh, and before you ask: Tori Amos' song above was inspired by the story of Cad Goddeu. ~

" I was in many forms
before I was set free
I was a narrow blood-spotted sword
I believe, when I was formed
I was teardrops in the air
I was a star-woven star
I was the truth of a letter
I was the tale of origins
I was illuminated lanterns
         for a year and a half
I was a bridge that spanned
         three-score estuaries
I was a journey, I was an eagle
I was a coracle on the sea
I was the froth on the beer
I was a droplet in a shower [of rain]
I was a sword in hand
I was a shield in battle
I was a string in a harp
         a phantom for nine years
foam on the waters
I was a spark in the fire
I was a log in the blaze
I naughty but my song
         since I was a little child
I sang in the van at the Battle of the Trees
         before the Defender of Britain
There passed me by, fleet-hoofed steeds
         treasure-laded fleets
There passed me by a wide-mawed beast
bearing a hundred heads
one mighty host
'neath the root of its tongue
and another host dwells
in the napes of its neck
A black-groined toad
bearing a hundred claws
a mottled, ridged, serpent
with a hundred souls, by their sin
tortured in the folds of its flesh
I was at the fortress of Nefenhir
where trees and grass rushed into battle
minstrels sang
warriors clashed
the war-like hosts
that Gwydion made
Neifion was invoked
as was Christ of the inception
until the time of redemption
by the Lord of all he made
The Lord responded
'through words of reconciliation
conjure noble trees
together as a host
and resist the mob,
unused as they are to battle.'
When trees were conjured
their hope in tree-form
that brought before them trees
plucked from four harp-strings
they cast-down in battle
three war-weary chieftains
sadness tortured the maiden
cut through by the battle cry
Flaxen-tipped the maiden's hair
the spoils of the restless cow.
They did nos manage to disperse us
with the blood of men up to our thighs
the greatest of three bloodsheds
known to the world
and one that happened
was in the form of a flood
and Christ was crucified
with the day of judgement near at hand
The alder at the front line
that foraged first
the willow and rowan trees
were late to join the army
The spiky blackthorn
was eager for slaughter
beloved and powerful
resisted all they saw
rose-trees ventured forth
against a venomous host
the raspberry-tree formed
they made an enclosure
box and honeysuckle,
and ivy in its prime
the surge of giant gorse
cherry trees raised the alarm
Birch-tree, in its great beauty
was delayed by donning his armour,
though not out of cowardice,
but rather from its greatness
Almond trees of valuable nature
foreign wood with exotic form
pine trees in the hall's place of honour
in the great throne of battle
oak, the best, was exalted
before the other rulers
the lime-tree in all its fury
flinched not a single foot
slew in the centre,
then on the left and the right
hazels were adjudged
worthy of the fray
the privet, blessed are they
battle-bull, king of the world
on sea and estuary
the beech excelled
the holly, greened anew
was in the battle
superlative in his cry,
terror dealt from its hand
briony burst forth
breaking the battle ranks
bracken destroyed
broom headed for battle
in the furrows of wounding.
Gorse was not denied
though it be the peasant's bane
Heather, fine and victorious
bewitched your warriors
even pursued your men
The oak rushed
before him heaven and earth trembled
Borage, valiant warrior
his name on the courtry floor
the congress of elms
causing terror
rebuffing all onslaughts
when their defences were breached
Pear, superlative in oppression
on the field of battle.
Their aim to rush into the fray
the awesome thorn-apple
The chestnuts shamed
the pine with its thrust
Jet's nature is black
The mountain's nature is to be bent-backed
The tree's nature is slim at daybreak
Powerful is the nature of the high seas
Ever since I sensed the time [of year]
when leaflets adorn the tips of the birch trees
our revival removing the enchantment [of winter]
The crowns of the oaks have ensnared us
by the incantations of Maeldderw
laughing on the cliff-side
the lord in battle-array
Not from mother or father
Was I engendered
My blood, my creation
from the nine elemental forms
from fruit from fruition
from the first fruit-formation of god
from primroses and highland flowers
from the flowers of trees and shrubs
from soil and earth
was I made
from the flowers of nettles
from the water of the ninth wave
was I charmed [into being] by Math
before I became the gifted one
I was charmed [into being] by Gwydion,
great king of the Brython
as did Eurwys and Euron
and Euron and Modron
and a hundred and fifty mages
learned men, descendants of Math
they fashioned me
the Protector enchanted me
when he was partly burnt
The ways of the mages
conjoured me before the world [was formed]
before its peoples were mine
before the world's extent was set
the beauteous gifts of the finest bard made us all
in verse do I abide by what the tongue tells
I spent my time at daybreak,
I slept in the purple
I was arrayed for battle
by Dylan, scion of the sea
In the circle at the heart of things
between the knees of rulers
like two eager spears
from the heavens they came
flooding into Annwfn
to battle did they come
eight-score hundred
and I pierced them all, despite their aggression
they are not older, they are not younger
than I in their spear-thrusts
the power of a hundred men was mine
each and nine hundred
they were mine
upon my mottled sword the blood
of nobles flows towards me
from god, from the burial where he lay
he came to where the boar was slain
he formed things, he unmade them
he formed languages
Radiant his name, the strong-handed one
Lluch leads a host:
'The might of my sparks
fly high at my approach.'
I was a varicoloured serpent on a hill
I was a viper in a lake
I was mad a star by danger
I was a spit, thus
these are my cloak and my cauldron
I am well prepared
four-score puffs of smoke
for all is brought
five battalions of arms
are equal to my knife
six tawny steeds
are a hundred times better
my chestnut mount
is fleet as a seagull
myself, I was not astonished
between the sea and shore
For I have caused carnage
Upon me a hundred parts
My shield is studded with ruddy gems
my shield-strap is of gold
He was not born in the doorway
who was so dear to me
namely Goronwy
from the meadows of Edrywy
My fingers are long and white
It is a long time since I was a herdsman
I dwelt upon the floor
before I became literate
I dwelt I went around them
I slept on a hundred isles
I took a hundred forts
Wise druids
foretell to Arthur
that which is and that which once was
to be perceived
from the meaning of the flood
With Christ crucified
and Judgement Day at hand
extolled in honeyed tones
I would conjure shrubs
for I am wanton
with the prophecy of Alchemists."

~Ally

      Although I'm a big fan of Arthur and his knights, I wasn't familiar with this story. In this late 14th-century Middle English alliterative romance, one of the better-known Arthurian stories, there's sort of a "beheading game". Written in bob and wheel stanzas, it emerges from Welsh, Irish and English tradition and highlights the importance of honour and chivalry. It is an important poem in the romance genre, which typically involves a hero who goes on a quest that tests his prowess, and it remains popular to this day in modern English renderings from J. R. R. Tolkien, for example. So here it is!

     "In Camelot on New Year's Day, King Arthur's court is exchanging gifts and waiting for the feasting to start when the king asks first to see or hear of an exciting adventure. At this a gigantic figure, entirely green in appearance and riding a green horse, rides unexpectedly into the hall. He wears no armour but bears an axe in one hand and a holly bough in the other. Refusing to fight anyone there on the grounds that they are all too weak to take him on, he insists he has come for a friendly "Christmas game": someone is to strike him once with his axe on condition that the Green Knight may return the blow in a year and a day. The splendid axe will belong to whoever takes him on. Arthur himself is prepared to accept the challenge when it appears no other knight will dare, but Sir Gawain, youngest of Arthur's knights and his nephew, quickly begs for the honour instead. The giant bends and bares his neck before him and Gawain neatly beheads him in one stroke. However, the Green Knight neither falls nor falters, but instead reaches out, picks up his severed head and remounts, holding up his bleeding head to Queen Guinevere while its writhing lips remind Gawain that the two must meet again at the Green Chapel. He then rides away. Joking together, Gawain and Arthur admire the axe, hang it up as a trophy and encourage Guinevere to treat the whole matter lightly.

      As the date approaches, Sir Gawain sets off to find the Green Chapel and keep his side of the bargain. Many adventures and battles are alluded to (but not described) until Gawain, on the brink of starvation, comes across a splendid castle where he meets Bertilak de Hautdesert, the lord of the castle, and his beautiful wife, who are pleased to have such a renowned guest. Also present is an old and ugly lady, unnamed but treated with great honour by all. Gawain tells them of his New Year's appointment at the Green Chapel and that he only has a few days remaining. Bertilak laughs, explains that the Green Chapel is less than two miles away and proposes that Gawain rest at the castle till then. Relieved and grateful, Gawain agrees.

      Before going hunting the next day Bertilak proposes a playful bargain: he will give Gawain whatever he catches on the condition that Gawain give him whatever he might gain during the day. Gawain accepts. After Bertilak leaves, Lady Bertilak visits Gawain's bedroom and behaves seductively, but despite her best efforts he yields nothing but a single kiss in his unwillingness to offend her. When Bertilak returns and gives Gawain the deer he has killed, his guest gives a kiss to Bertilak without divulging its source. The next day the lady comes again, Gawain again courteously foils her advances, and later that day there is a similar exchange of a hunted boar for two kisses. She comes once more on the third morning, this time offering Gawain a gold ring as a keepsake. As he gently but steadfastly refuses she pleads that he at least take her belt, a girdle of green and gold silk which, the lady assures him, is charmed and will keep him from all physical harm. Tempted, as he may otherwise die the next day, Gawain accepts it from her and they also exchange three kisses. That evening, Bertilak returns with a fox, which he exchanges with Gawain for the three kisses – but Gawain says nothing of the girdle.

     The next day, Gawain leaves for the Green Chapel with the girdle wound twice round his waist. He finds the Green Knight sharpening an axe and, as promised, Gawain bends his bared neck to receive his blow. At the first swing Gawain flinches slightly and the Green Knight belittles him for it. Ashamed of himself, at the Green Knight's next swing Gawain does not flinch; but again the full force of the blow is withheld. The knight explains he was testing Gawain's nerve. Angrily Gawain tells him to deliver his blow at once and so the knight does, but striking softly and causing only a slight wound on Gawain's neck. The game is over: Gawain is now free to defend himself from further harm. He seizes his sword, helmet and shield, but the Green Knight, laughing, reveals himself to be the lord of the castle, Bertilak de Hautdesert, transformed by magic. He explains that the entire adventure was a trick of the 'elderly lady' Gawain saw at the castle, who is actually the sorceress Morgana le Fay, Arthur's sister, who intended to test Arthur's knights and frighten Guinevere to death. Gawain is ashamed to have behaved deceitfully and cowardly but the Green Knight laughs at his scruples and the two part on cordial terms. Gawain returns to Camelot wearing the girdle in shame as a token of his failure to keep his promise and follow the rules of the game. The Knights of the Round Table, having heard his story, absolve him of blame and decide that henceforth all will wear a green sash in recognition of Gawain's adventure."

~Ally

     ... Kind of a bummer. That is, if you're a big fan of the book. Don't get me wrong, the movie is visually amazing and I loved it, but it got me wondering at the end if it was really worth to split Bilbo's story in three movies. If I had only seen this second part, I would say "hell no!" But the first one, "An Unexpected Journey" was so good that it's hard to make my mind about it.

                                                                                            .:.   SPOILER ALERT!!   .:.

     It just gave me the overall impression that the whole plot of this chapter was "sausage filling", as we say here in Brazil. Ok, Mirkwood and its spiders were awesome - though a little problemactic for arachnophobes like me -, and Thranduil is spectacularly... Overwhelming, to be polite. And I adored Tauriel (please don't crucify me for that!): she's a killing machine, flirty, funny and so sure of herself! It was very interesting to see how a younger and not so important - she's not from the "elvish royalty", but she IS the captain of the guard of Mirkwood! - she-elf would behave. I cheer for her and Legolas [gosh, such a fan girl!]!
     But the dwarves took too long to reach Erebor! And what about leaving 4 of the company behind? Soooooo not right, Mr. Peter Jackson! And Beorn's part was too short! And Gandalf... Well, he just felt a little lost after he leaves the dwarves (again) and finds... Well, none other than Sauron. That was too much for me. And where the hell is the Necromancer Radagast spoke so much about?! Is Sauron the Necromancer?! Dude, now I'm confused!
     And poor Bilbo... His expressions and performance with Smaug were awesome, but I thought he was so quiet during the whole movie that it made me sad! Nevertheless, I'll watch it again tomorrow and perhaps I'll change my mind about it!
     Anyway, watch the movie and tell me what you think!

~Ally

     So now you have a pretty great excuse to continue reading that awesome book, even when the sun goes down! And I can't wait to tell that to my mom - she always annoyed me to stop reading when light was low.
    But before you go to you bookshelf and turn the lights off, know this: reading in the dark won't necessarily cause you to have ametropies (such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism), but it can give you a headache because of the effort your eyes will make. If you think it'll be worth it, go ahead! But, just in case, it's nice to have a directional light source - it can be a flashlight, a lamp or even one of those cool little lamps you can attach to your book pages! - to increase the contrast between the words and the paper, preventing eye fatigue.

~Ally

     Let us continue with our digressions on secret messages!
    Cryptology is the scientific discipline that gathers and studies the knowledge and techniques necessary to solve cryptograms (cryptanalysis) and to make cryptography (encrypted writing). Initially, its study was restricted to academic circles, bank security systems and military inteligence due to its application in confidential messages during war periods, State matters and espionage but, lately, it has received special attention because of the generalization of commercial operations through electronic means, where transactions must be processed secretly and safely, preferably with the lowest possible cost, since cryptographic messages consume a lot of processing time and transmission band.
     The oldest register of a work published on cryptanalysis comes from the Arabian philosopher Abu Yusuf Ya 'qub ibn Is-haq ibn as-Sabbah ibn 'omran ibn Ismail al-Kindi, called "A Manuscript about Decryption of Cryptographic Messages", on which he dealt about frequency analysis in encrypted texts.

~Ally

    I became a fan of secret codes after reading Poe's "The Gold Bug", where the main characters discover a treasure by decrypting a message. Little did I know that encryptions have been used since ancient times, in many different ways, and with many purposes! So, let's start with some definitions and, in the next following days, I'll try to learn even more about this science.
     Cryptography is the study of the principles and techniques through which information can be transformed from its original form to another that is unreadable to all, except to its addressee, who must have the "secret key" to decrypt the message. It is also a brunch of Mathmatics and part of Cryptology.
     There are two kinds of cryptographic keys: symmetric and asymmetric. Through them, one can encrypt the "plain text" (the non-ciphered information). The study of cryptography, however, covers much more than only encryption and decryption. It's a specialized field of information theory, with many contributions from other branches of Mathmatics and knowledge, including authors as Sun Tzu and Machiavelli. Modern cryptography is basically formed by the study of cryptographic algorithms that can be implemented in computers.

~Ally