We’re finally going to talk about Dante Alighieri. We won’t be covering the Divine Comedy, there’s a million people who’ve done that, but we’re going to cover a story he wrote in his earlier career where he first mentions Beatrice. This story, The New Life or perhaps The Youthful life, mixes both prose and poetry together and provides a fascinating look at how you can view history, including your own personal life, through a deeply allegorical lense.The translation I’m using the translation from Dante Gabriel Rossetti which can be found here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41085/41085-h/41085-h.htm

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Part 2! In this episode we finishing looking at Ulrich von Zatzikhoven’s Lanzelet. It’s an early German language Arthurian poem (c. 1200) centering on the figure of Lanzelet (AKA Lancelot), however it’s not the adulterous Lancelot we’re most familiar with. Instead Lanzelet is a naive knight raised on an island of Fairy women trying to figure out his name. In this podcast we finish up the story. The translation I’m using is a prose translation by Thomas Kerth titled Lanzelet published in 2005 by Columbia UP.

The translation I’m using is a prose translation by Thomas Kerth titled Lanzelet published in 2005 by Columbia UP.

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In this episode we look at Ulrich von Zatzikhoven’s Lanzelet. It’s an early German language Arthurian poem (c. 1200) centering on the figure of Lanzelet (AKA Lancelot), however it’s not the adulterous Lancelot we’re most familiar with. Instead Lanzelet is a naive knight raised on an island of Fairy women trying to figure out his name. In this podcast we get through about half of the story and we’ll finish in the next episode.

The translation I’m using is a prose translation by Thomas Kerth titled Lanzelet published in 2005 by Columbia UP.

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Today we go to Bohemia, modern day Czechia, to look at two texts. The first is a German language text written in about 1401 by Johannes von Tepl (also known as von Saaz) called The Ploughman from Bohemia or sometimes known as The Husbandman and Death. The second text is a short Pastiche written just a couple years after by an unknown author in the Czech language called The Little Weaver (Tkadleček).

In The Ploughman the personification of Death debates a Widower mourning his wife, where God presides as the final judge. In The Little Weaver, the personification of Misfortune gives a monologue to a widower mourning his wife.

Michael Haldane’s Translation of the Husbandman and Death (aka the Ploughman from Bohemia) - https://www.michaelhaldane.com/HusbandmanandDeath.htm

The Little Weaver can be found in “The Czech Reader” (Duke University Press, edited by Jan Bažant, Nina Bažantová, and Frances Starn) under the chapter called “Tkadleček”

The Gospel of Nicodemus (aka the Acts of Pilate) can be found here - https://sacred-texts.com/bib/lbob/lbob10.htm

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At the end of the 6th century Gregory the Great / Gregory the Dialogist wrote his 4 famous Dialogues during a very tumultuous time in Italy: depopulation, disease, famine, foreign invasion, the collapse of trade, and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. In the Dialogues he shows that despite the tumult God is still active in history and has not forsaken Italy as evidenced by the numerous lives of Italian saints that he recalls.

The translation I used is the Odo John Zimmerman translation (Catholic University of America - Fathers of the Church - Volume 39)

Older translation of the text can be found here: https://www.saintsbooks.net/books/Pope%20St.%20Gregory%20the%20Great%20-%20Dialogues.pdf

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9/10th century hagiography written in Georgian: The Balavariani. This story covers the lives of Sts. Iodasaph king of India and his monastic guide, Balahvar. In Greek these saints are known as Ioasaph and Barlaam, and in the West they’re generally known as Josaphat and Barlaam.

I’m using David Marshall Long’s translation of the story called The Balavariani (Barlaam and Josaphat), a Buddhist Tale from the Christian East published by University of California Press. You can find a link to it on archive.org: https://archive.org/details/LangBalavariani/

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We finish our mini-series on the Mabinogi covering the 4th branch regarding Math, Lleu, and the magical women he has to deal with. We concludes with some comments on all the branches as a whole offering a Christian perspective as opposed to the mainstream academic view.

Will Parker’s translation of the fourth branch with extensive footnote commentary from his own website: https://mabinogi.net/math.htm. I strongly disagree with some of his commentary, but some has been invaluable to me in my research.

For Fr. Paul (Alfred) Siewers Article mentioned see: https://thegreenworld2015.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/iconofland-3-15.pdf

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On the third branch of the Mabinogi we pick up just where the 2nd branch left us off with the burying of Bran’s head. This branch primarily focuses on Manawydan, and a curse/enchantment placed over Wales in the cantrefs of Dyfed.

Will Parker’s translation of the third branch with extensive footnote commentary from his own website: https://mabinogi.net/manawydan.htm. I strongly disagree with some of his commentary, but some has been invaluable to me in my research.

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We continue with the Welsh Mabinogi. This time we look at the 2nd branch and look into a war between the Irish and Welsh, involving a giant king, and a magic cauldron.

Will Parker’s translation of the second branch with extensive footnote commentary from his own website: https://mabinogi.net/branwen.htm. I strongly disagree with some of his commentary, but some has been invaluable to me in my research.

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For the next few episodes we’re going to be spending time in Wales looking at a Universal History work from Wales: The Four Branches of the Mabinogi. I hope to release one podcast a week to get through all 4 parts instead of the normal 3 week waiting period.

Will Parker’s translation of the first branch with extensive footnote commentary from his own website: https://mabinogi.net/pwyll.htm. I strongly disagree with some of his commentary, but some has been invaluable to me in my research.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chroniclesofchirstendom.substack.com