Lady Pendragon logo
Lore
Dreams
Myths
Oracles
Research
Arthurian
Medieval
Christianity
Miscellaneous
Spellbook
Webrings
Links
Contact
image

Medieval Research

Lady Pendragon 1 Remastered

In a world lit only by fire.


Lady Pendragon 1

Beltane

Celts

Saxons, Saxon Law

Dreams

Stonehenge


Lady Pendragon 2

Alban Elved, Fall Equinox


Lady Pendragon 3

The Knights Templar


Lady Pendragon/More than Mortal 1

Beltaine

Armagh

St. Patrick











In a world lit only by fire.

There is no better line to describe the Dark Ages than this. This line comes from a book Matt read called "A World Lit only by Fire : The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance Portrait of an Age" by William Manchester which gives an accurate picture of the Medieval time period. Some of the more interesting tidbits about that time are as follows: the average life span was thirty years (today's over twice that). Everyone believed in religion. A belief in the afterlife was such an overwhelming part of their life that many did not fear death. This is interesting when we consider the "valiant" acts that many of these Knights committed in the face of "mortal danger." Most girls were married by the age of 14. These were generally arranged marriages and these girls were frequently wed to men twice their age. Childbirth was one of the major causes of death of women, especially since most women became pregnant every year-- there was no birth control. With the lack of a sterile environment and no antibiotics, many women died of infection during or shortly after the birth of the child. The mortality rate of these children was staggering, particularly among the poor. Some women would give birth to 14+ children, with only a few of them surviving. Puts a bit of a damper on that romantic Medieval image, doesn't it?

May 1st, a holy day for the Celtic peoples celebrated with a fire festival and lots if sex to ensure the fertility of the land. A symbolic union of the "God" and the "Goddess" was ritually performed throughout the pagan lands.
(for more information click here)

One of the ancient peoples of Europe that were centralized in Briton, Wales and Ireland during the Dark Ages. Said to be the most fearfull warriors of their time going into battle naked, which was said in an Roman rapport.

A West German tribal group that inhabited northern Germany and invaded England in the fifth and sicth centuries.

Saxon Law

Saxon loyalty to their commanders was fierce. if their commander was killed, they would vow to kill whoever killed him. Matt has taken a little liberty with Saxon law and barbarian custom. Although Cheldric was Saxon, he was a barbarian invader at heart and he and his men followed that custom.

The concept of receiving memories from your ancestors in dreams is not new. Ancient civilizations, Native American tribes and the Druids and Priestessess of the Goddess believed that some dreams and visions were communications from the dead. Dreaming is one of the great unsolved mysteries and central to the story of Lady Pendragon and the character of Jennifer Drake.

An astronomical and archaeological mystery, Stonehenge is one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world. The first feature on the site, around 3300 BC, was a wooden building about 100 feet long. From 2300 BC to 2000 BC, the huge lintelled sarsen stones that we see today were erected. How the stones were moved and where they came from is still unknown (although there is plenty of scientific, paranormal and extraterrestal theories). Tradional midsummer festivals and other pagan rituals were held there. Several ley lines intersect on the site wher Stonehenge is built. The two stones standing with the one stone laying across the top is called a trlithon. These were considered gateways to other worlds by the Druids.

September 21st, Alban Elved is the pagan Thanksgiving Day called the "Festival of the Vine". The Pagans believed that the Goddess was responsible for fertility and was worshiped in the Spring and Sumer rights. As the season changes to Fall and Winter they transitioned to worship of the God. Matt choose this date because of a symbolic kind of irony between Lady Pendragon as a representation of the Goddess and the Saxon Cheldric as the God

The Knights Templar were a religious military order founded about 1118 at Jerusalem by the European Crusaders who had invaded and recaptured the Holy Land. There are millions of pages written about the Templars and their ties to Masonic rituals and their connection to the Holy Blood, Holy Grail theory was introduced in the first issue. Matt has used a little creative license to move the founding of their order back a few centuries. The Templars are very important to the story, so more will be revealed as we roll along.

Beltaine fallsin May1st and is also known as May Day. The festival marksthe beginning of the summer and the light half of the Celtic year. Traditionally. all fires were extinguished on the eve of Beltaine, to be relit from the sacred "needfire" kindled at dawn. But the word Beltaine comes from a Gaelic term meaning "Bel-fire," of the Fire of Bel, the Celtic god of light. It was in his honor that the Beltaine fires were lit. In olden times, herds of cattle where driven between two great bonfires as a form of blessing. Beltaine is also seen to mark the Great Marriage between the God and the Goddess. It isbecause of this that Beltaine is the traditional time for marriages. It also from this that Beltaine takes its flavor as a celebration of fertility. The brightly colored maypoles, made of great trees driven into the earth, are an obvious phallic symbol although they has also been held to represent the world center and/or the Tree of Life.

It was forbidden at Beltaine for anyone to light a fire in Ireland before the King's was lit at Tara. It is interesting to note that there is a legend that Patrick did indeed break this law. It is said that the King sent his men to kill Patrick and put out the flame. However, the warriors were unable to find Patrick or his followers, nor were they able to quench the flame.
(for more information click here)

Once the spiritual capital of Ireland, Armagh isthe most venerated of Irish cities. It is also the site where St. Patrick was given permission to build a church by one of the Irish Kings. Eventually, Armagh became one of Ireland's leading ecclesiastical centers. When St. Patrick died, he was also buried here.

The emergence of St. Patrick as oneof the great Christian evangelists to Ireland, and one cannot dispute the profound impact Patrick had on the spread of Christianity in Ireland. Magonus Sucatur Patricius (St. Patrick) was born c. 385 in Kilpatrick, Scotland. when he was about 16 years old raiders from Ireland attackedthe shores of Great Britain. Patrick was taken captive, brought to Ireland, and sold asaslave where he tended sheep. Patrick learned much about the Irish people during his time in captivity, including the Celtic language. eventually, he had a vision in a dream, and it told him toleave the island. So, after six years of slavery, Patrick fled. Following his escape from Ireland, Patrick went to France where he joined the monastery at Lerins. It was there that Patrick became a priest. Through this experience, Patrick became involved in the mission of the Church to combat paganism in Great Britain, and spent several years studying at Auxerre where he eventually became a bishop. During thsi long period of study, Patrick felt a strong calling to return to Ireland, and so returned there, to preach the Gospel. Having been a slave in Ireland, he was familiar with the language and culture of the Irish. However, the primary difficulty he faced was the resistance of the Druid priests. Contrary to what some believe, Patrick's mission was not entirely peaceful. Despite the clear opposition from Druids, Patrick moved through Ireland preaching the Chirstian faith to the Irish, who, for the first time, were hearing it in their own language. He also performed miracles. while Patrick continued to preach the gospel, the Druids continued to oppose him, until Patrick appeared before the high king of Ireland. After a display of miracles anddisproving the Druids in the King's court, many of the King's followers, including hisbrother, became Christians within the next few days. Patrick did not stop there, though. Bolstered by his success at the King's court, he continued to spread the gospels throughout the provinces of Ulster, Munster, Meath, Leinster, performing miracles and planting churches. by the time of Patrick's death in 461 he converted almost the entire island to Christianity. Whether through a unity of language, or through his miracles, Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in a way no one else had done before him. In honor of him, St. Patrick's feast is celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of his death, and it isan Irish national holiday.
Lady Pendragon is trademark and copyright 1998 Matt Hawkins