Isabelle VALADE, Luciana CORDO RUSSO, Lee RAYE

Published in Ramon Llull. Seventh centenary

Keywords: Arthurian, Chrétien de Troyes, Medieval Welsh, Owein, Supernatural.

This paper examines supernatural episodes in the story of the Knight of the Lion. The story has closely related versions in French (Yvain, ou le Chevalier au Lion) and in Welsh (Owein: Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynnawn), which allow for analysis and comparison. Even without assuming which author wrote first, we can still study how each text was adapted differently for audiences in Wales and France. This essay finds eleven episodes across both texts (eight in Yvain and nine in Owein). We categorise the supernatural in these episodes as mirabilia, magicus or miraculosus, after Le Goff, Kieckhefer and Sweeney. Our final analysis shows that miraculosus dominates in the French version, presumably due to a Christianising urge of Chrétien de Troyes which emphasises the agency of God in the text. This is not the case in the Welsh version where mirabilis episodes dominate, and the supernatural elements are kept separate from the religious aspects of the text. This analysis suggests that Welsh audiences were more comfortable with secular episodes of the supernatural than French audiences.

Cristian Ioan POPA

Published in Music in Antiquity, Middle Ages & Renaissance

Keywords: Aquila symbol, Gothic Kabbalistic Inscription, Middle Ages, Silver Becker.

In the middle of the last century, a medieval treasure, made of gold and silver objects, was accidentally discovered in Transylvania on Vinerea (Cugir town). The hoard contained several precious metal objects and several hundred coins, out of which 396 are still preserved today, after a small part was stolen upon discovery. An extremely interesting item is the gold plated silver becker. On its surface was incised a ribbon that contains a text written in Gothic characters – nceirmoiahedrpma // indecmhpeoirsli. The text is most likely encrypted, making the message difficult to interpret. Towards the centre the ribbon is interrupted by the presence of a carefully incised aquila. The becker has analogies with similar items from Central Europe, datable around the year 1500. The aquila could be considered as a Christian symbol, in relation with Saint John’s (?) iconography.

Adriana ZIERER, Solange Pereira OLIVEIRA

Original title: A Visão de Túndalo. Harmonia, Paraíso e Salvação no Além Medieval

Published in Monastic and Scholastic Philosophy in the Middle Ages

Keywords: Christianism., Imaginary Journey, Paradise, Salvation, Vision of Tnugdal.

Medieval Church spread various narratives of imaginary journeys which describe the environment reserved to the elected souls in post-mortem in the space of Heaven. Vision of Tnugdal, example of those narratives, from anonymous authorship, produced in the 12 th century, was translated to Portuguese in the 15th century and give us the symbolic description of Heaven in Medieval Beyond. In this text, the knight Tnugdal, guided by an angel, runs through the various the paths of Celestial Kingdom, divided in the Walls of Silver, Gold and Precious Stones, where are placed the faire souls who possess Christian virtues. To earn and enjoy the things that those spaces offered, the Catholic Church spread ideal models of behavior, since its conception, for the faithful ones achieve eternal salvation in Celestial Paradise.

Sheila ADÁN LLEDÍN

Original title: Artistas en la Edad Media: constantemente autorrepresentadas, conscientemente ignoradas

Published in Mirabilia Journal 34

Keywords: Artist, Illuminating, Middle Ages, Misogyny, Sculptress, Woman.

Women in the medieval society were taught good manners in taking care of their homes, their children, pregnancy, or marriage. However, not a few of them made it to get rid of it and become writers, mystics, medics, doctors, sculptors, painters, powerful queens, and even crusaders and war soldiers. Despite many of them being silenced, many others left the anonymity behind. Courageous women who never meant to be forgotten and will be remembered in this work. It’s key to consider that due to the patriarchal system, as well as the medieval misogyny, only a few women were able to study and learn to read and write. The ones who succeeded belonged to wealthy families with high social standards, or to the Church, like the abbesses. The Renaissance will bring more women testimonies, signatures, and self-portraits. However, there are many relevant female artists before this period, and this work will focus on them. The article goes through the different Middle Ages artistic periods: from the Early (5th-10th century) to the High (11th-13th century) and finally the Late Middle Ages (14th-15th century).