It is Sunday, Funday.....Medieval Style....It is story time and there be Dragons

Today's post is going to be more geared towards some fantasy images and fun base pictures and links in the Medieval style.

I saw this picture of this castle in the clouds and could just imagine this could perhaps be the castle of the Dragon lords?  That learn the way of the Dragon, and help protect the ancient ones from the Dark powers of the Evil ones.

These Brave knights do not rule the Dragons as no one can ever truly rule a Dragon but fight to uphold the Knights Code taught to them by the wise Dragons.  And protect the secret of the Dragon Fire that cannot be loosed upon the world.

They hope one day there will be peace so they can finally go home and lay down their Swords to be with the fair Maidens they love.  But alas this is not the time as there must be an Epic Battle of good Vs.Evil.

Their loves patiently wait for them.

Always looking towards the skies to see if their Brave Knights are returning to them upon the back of a Dragon.  Once again there is no sign.

To be continued next week..........


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And now I wanted to share a totally epic series by author Michael J. Sullivan who is a fan's best friend.  I have personally always got a personal reply from Michael when ever asking him questions  about his novels and upcoming work.  When I found this series I could not put it down, it is now in my favorites series.....I shared this from Good reads where you can go to learn more and how to get the series. Also note if you add the author as a friend he has always emailed me a free copy of his work (usually a short story but well worth it)!

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Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations #1-2)  

(click the link for the original source)

by Michael J. Sullivan (Goodreads Author)

4.2 of 5 stars 4.20  ·   rating details  ·  20,466 ratings  ·  1,526 reviews

THEY KILLED THE KING. THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN. THEY CHOSE POORLY.

There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are two enterprising rogues who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the murder of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unraveling ancient mystery before it's too late. (less)

Note there are more books in the series and Michael is currently working on more that will be hopefully available this year!

                         

Got Kids? Get Medieval

Sharing some great info to keep the spark of learning alive with some great books for kids to learn about Medieval life.  Sharing from Medievalist.net which is a totally great site!

Got Kids? Get Medieval

BY

MEDIEVALISTS.NET

 – JUNE 26, 2014POSTED IN: BOOKS, FEATURES, TEACHING RESOURCES

By Danièle Cybulskie

Once upon a time, I had a discussion with some medievalists about what it was initially that brought us to study the field. For me, it was childhood exposure to things like the fourteenth-century style of art in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, the stories of Robin Hood, and the legends of King Arthur. I think that looking at history and old stories as a child stirs an early curiosity and kinship with the people who lived before us. If you have kids or know kids who you’d like to expose to the Middle Ages, here are a few books you might like to explore over the summer holiday.

Castle: How It Works by David MacCaulay (with Sheila Keenan)

This is a non-fiction book for kids who can manage reading short paragraphs, but it can easily be read to smaller kids, provided they can handle the idea of violence (injured people, no blood). I like this one because it talks about the ways in which castles were built (and used) for defence, while also showing you how everyday people would have lived in them. Littler kids will love the fact that there is a garderobe, a mention of using hay for toilet paper, and a page with dead pigs being catapulted over the walls with the words, “Pigs away!”

Explore Within a Medieval Castle by Justine Ciovacco and Ryan Hobson

This book is a bit harder to find, but I mention it because it’s for the tactile learner (as so few books are!). Every page is a layer of the castle with information surrounding it, so that turning pages pulls off layers until you’ve got a full cross-section of the castle. Naturally, things are a bit more compressed than they would be in a real castle, but it’s a great introduction for kids who learn better with interactive, physical objects.

Medieval Life by Andrew Langley

One thing I love about DK kids’ books is that they have amazing pictures. While this book is aimed at kids around eleven or twelve and up, I bought it for myself because the pictures are so stunning! Almost every aspect of medieval life is examined with accompanying pictures of clothes, food, objects, and architecture. It also comes with a CD of clip art and a poster. Who could ask for anything more?

Knight: The Medieval Warrior’s (Unofficial) Manualby Michael Prestwich

This is a book for early teens to adults, and it does just what it says: explains how to be a fourteenth-century knight. It’s very detailed, but not stuffy, and Prestwich has picked and chosen information from a variety of sources to make this enjoyable, entertaining, and enlightening. His method of speaking directly to the reader will help engage teen readers who may be interested in history, but wary of academia. (It’s also a fun way for adults to learn more about knighthood!)

Medieval Games and Pasttimes

**Shared from this great site**  Castle Life ***

Medieval Games & Pastimes

Chess was widely popular and often a source of gambling entertainment; both in the traditional format and in a simpler version played with dice. Dice were easy to carry and were played in all ranks of society, including the clergy.

Some games played during the Middle Ages are still played today, including bowling, prisoner's base, blind man's bluff (also called hoodman's blind), and simple "horseplay". Draughts (checkers) were a popular pastime, as was backgammon. Children wrestled, swam, fished and played a game that was a cross between tennis and handball.

Medieval knights would incorporate training in recreation, performing gymnastics, running foot races, and tilting at quintains - devices designed so that unless the knight hit it squarely with his lance a heavy sack of sand would hit him in the back.

Spectators in the Middle Ages went to cockfights and bullbaiting.

At harvest time, villagers would bob for apples and go on hunts in the surrounding forests. Hawks were trained to hunt game birds and every medieval castle had a falconer, assigned to train young birds for this sport.

Medieval Christmas games included "King of the Bean," where a small bean would be baked inside bread or cake, and the one who found it in their portion would be crowned king of the holiday feast - a tradition that survives in some parts of Europe to this day.

http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/VirtualExhibits/Brueghel/imgmap.html

Activity / Sports Games

• Bocce: a form of boules. A Bocce set is composed of 9 balls. One small "target ball" called a Pallino and eight Bocce balls (four each of two different colors). In period, the Bocce balls were usually wooden, and about the size of a coconut. The Pallino was about the size of a modern golfball. The modern official size Bocce ball has a diameter of 4 1/5", a circumference of 13 1/2", a weight of 2 lbs. 2oz., and is usually made of phenolic resin. The Pallino, also made of phenolic resin, is still about the size and weight of a modern golfball.
• Bowling.
• Curling
• Pall-Mall

Dice games - knuckle-bones

Board Games

• Alquerque
• Fierges
• Fox & Geese
• Game of the Goose
• Merels
• Nyout
• Parchisi
• Senet
• Tablut
• Wari

Card Games

• All Fours
• Alouette (2 or 4 players)
• As Nas
• Basset
• Karnoffel
• Tarok

More King Arthur....Artwork

The wedding of Arthur and Guinivere

Doomed Lovers....Lancelot and Guinivere perhaps

With Lancelot's Armor

The Training of Morgan Le Fay

Young Arthur

Great medieval, Rennaissance, history, SCA, and Rennaissance Festival websites

Great medieval, Renaissance, history, SCA, and Renaissance Festival websites http://www.sca.org/ -The Society for Creative Anachronism http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-history/ http://www.medievaltymes.com/courtyard/ http://www.castlesandmanorhouses.com/life.htm http://besthistorysites.net/early-modern-europe/renaissance/ http://besthistorysites.net/medieval-history/ http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_timeline.php -Great for kids

King Arthur

Arthur the boy King who was the only one who could remove the Sword from the stone

The knights of the Round Table

Arthur being Knighted

The lady in the lake giving Excalibur to Arthur

True Love Medieval

Great sites for Medieval learning

The above link is a wonderful website that gives you all sorts of information on castles. It explains the every day life of living in a castle and so much more.

Below are some great Ren Fest, SCA outfits and warriors.

Here is another wonderful site: http://medieval.stormthecastle.com/  All kinds of learning