history , RDNE Stock project Report
getty edu , wikipedia , michael kogan Report
ekaterina shishina , science howstuffworks , loxwoodjoust Report
And so, to talk about it, Bored Panda got in touch with Tim Eveland, who has been studying the medieval ages on his own and in university for over 10 years. He also has a blog, “The Medieverse,” related to the subject.
Speaking of studying the Middle Ages in university, our interviewee said that many people aren’t aware that it’s a whole separate field from history. Many universities around the world have a medieval studies department. Typically, students in these programs study medieval historical events more closely than general history students.
Sadly, in many universities, these departments are underfunded. For instance, at the University of Victoria, where Tim studied, this department might be shut down soon as it’s deemed not important enough.
history , Herman Pijpers Report
history , Pixabay Report
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Generally, people tend to imagine the Middle Ages quite inaccurately. Typically, the images of knights, swords, horses, and other similar things come to mind.
Our interviewee Tim pointed out that the media people consume shapes how they understand the medieval period: “Unless someone is taking the time to study the real Middle Ages on their own, it’s really easy to assume the stuff you’re reading in fiction, the stuff you’re seeing on TV, and the stuff you’re doing in video games might have some historical sense to it.”
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Nowadays, due to textual and archaeological evidence, we know that Vikings never wore horns on their helmets. So, we have Vikings in TV shows wearing mascara and raw leather armbands instead. Yet, the situation isn’t inherently better. “While we no longer see horned helmets, the problem doesn’t seem to be getting any better, and every time someone working in media invents a new misconception, it has the chance to lead their viewers astray.”
The Vikings’ helmets aren’t the only misconception about the Middle Ages. Here, Tim also gave some examples. This time, it’s fire arrows and sword-fighting techniques used in movies: “Fire arrows did exist in the medieval period; however, they acted and looked much differently than fire arrows in movies.”
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Then, with the swords and their techniques, the situation is even worse. Tim revealed that he hasn’t seen a movie where sword fighting has been presented accurately! “Actors use choreography, which is based on Olympic fencing and looks more akin to ballerina dancing than real medieval sword fighting.”
If a person wants to see a realistic sword fight, they can go see events of a sport called historical European martial arts (HEMA). If you watch any of their events, for instance, the Swordfish Tournament, and compare it to sword fights in Hollywood movies, the difference is clear as day.
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Thankfully, due to online discussions nowadays, many medieval misconceptions get debunked pretty quickly. Yet, Tim identified a bad side of this, too – the debunked theories are being replaced by even weirder ones. Well, the internet being a weird place isn’t a new thing, is it?
Well, if it weren’t for the internet, our ability to find fascinating facts about the Middle Ages, like the ones in this list, would be limited. So, let’s enjoy this privilege, and let’s upvote the most interesting ones!
historyextra , Pixabay Report
atlasobscure , Daniel Torobekov Report
history , Evelyn Chong Report
history , Dr. Alexey Yakovlev Report
livescience , Paul Bill Report
ghostsfreaks , pubmed , JF Martin Report
historicengland , Gerd Altmann , britannica Report
allthatsinteresting , Thomas Quine Report
historyforkids , Anna Gru Report
wikipedia , wikipedia , Kafeel Ahmed Report
history , Tuva Mathilde Løland Report
thecollector , Jon Tyson Report
medeltiden kalmarlansmuseum , wikipedia , earlydancecircle Report
history , Tammy Young Heck Report
historyextra , Allef Vinicius Report
historyextra , Chelsea shapouri Report
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