Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]

Improve your reading experience

Logged in users get linked directly to articles resulting in a better reading experience. Please login for free, it takes less than 1 minute.

More from weird medieval guys

My favourite etymologies: "to curry favour"

Or, the unfathomably dark depths of the equine soul

3 days ago 7 votes
The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars

A history of the monastic high life

a year ago 64 votes
An 800 year prayer book that's decorated with puns

Plus a little history of manuscript illustration

a year ago 66 votes
Why is medieval art so weird?

Listen now (73 min) | In this inaugural episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, Olivia and Aran discuss why medieval art is so intriguing to modern viewers and what makes so much of it so weird. Also discussed are Galaxy Quest, Mel Gibson's crimes against the Middle Ages, and the future historic legacy of explicit images of Garfield the cat.

a year ago 60 votes

More in history

Project Mercury

Project Mercury was America’s entry into the Space Race and was intended to put a human into space before the Soviet Union did. The Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite in October 1957 caused a near-panic in the United States and led to desperate calls to “catch up”. President Eisenhower responded by establishing the National … Continue reading Project Mercury →

7 hours ago 2 votes
Andrei Tarkovsky’s Message to Young People: “Learn to Be Alone,” Enjoy Solitude

I remember the first time I sat down and watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s lyrical, meandering sci-fi epic Stalker. It was a long time ago, before the advent of smartphones and tablets. I watched a beat-up VHS copy on a non-“smart” TV, and had no ability to pause every few minutes and swing by Facebook, Twitter, or […]

14 hours ago 2 votes
Pompey’s Greatest Show on Earth

Pompey’s Greatest Show on Earth JamesHoare Tue, 03/04/2025 - 09:08

12 hours ago 2 votes
The Stroop Effect: Can Your Brain Glitch?

undefined

11 hours ago 2 votes
How the Nazis Waged War on Modern Art: Inside the “Degenerate Art” Exhibition of 1937

Before his fateful entry into politics, Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist. Even to the most neutral imaginable observer, the known examples of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 paintings and other works of art he produced in his early adulthood would hardly evidence astonishing genius. They do show a certain technical competence, especially where […]

11 hours ago 2 votes