Heorot this way

A highly enjoyable bit of cultural convergent evolution is that His Dark Materials has the same narrative structure as a 90s JRPG: First level: you, your childhood friend who will ultimately die have childish hijinks! Final level: you, your love interest and a motley crew fight God

Archbishop Jænberht in my emails today

BBC responds to interest in Cornish with new language podcast

Hey look it’s me! Thanks so much to SSMLL & Cardiff for this amazing conference — just a ton of really good thoughtful research and impeccable vibes

Session 1 featured three further fantastic papers from Natalia Petrovskaia, @ascolotl.bsky.social, and Jessica Shales. After a break for a convivial lunch (with more Welsh cakes) we return for Session 2.

Seeing this post immediately after winning the local pub quiz, dressed as my alter-ego Mr. Tuesday Night. Guess you’re gonna need this guy

Léacht - Lecture Ben Guy @department-asnc.bsky.social How to write a history of Britain in the ninth century: Historia Brittonum and its sources DIAS 10 Burlington Road 5pm 30 Aibreán/April @dias.ie

This reminded me of a stupid thing I did years ago: what if we sci-fi’d Beowulf?

Enjoying this not least because I think I am occupying the “new band the festival organiser drafted in from the pub for Sunday 9am” slot on the poster here 😉💜

The transcription software we've been using really wants to call St Columba "St Columbo"

As usual excellent ! I’ve always been curious about the prominence of apples in medieval Welsh — not just in Avalon but also in the lovely Myrddin poem Yr Afallennau (www.merlinpoetry.wales/poem/003/). Were they a symbol of romanitas? Or the older British crabapple? I’d love to know!

Finally got author’s proofs back, so delighted to announce my new article: 🚨NOMENCLATURE OF ARTHUR🚨 After analysis of over 100 manuscripts, I’ve discovered that we’ve been misreading “King Arthur”. What we read as an ‘ng’ ligature was actually an insular ‘t’; he should be called “KIT ARTHUR”. 1/?

Asked by some prospective students as I was walking home what Cambridge was like. Once they found out what I do they asked if I could say “the really long name of that place”. Nailed Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. I am the coolest man alive

Testament of Ann Lee: the second best film about Shakers of the last 12 months

Three consecutive weeks of pub quiz where I have identified an obscure bird fact. I am officially a bore

A real treat for me to chat to Imad Ahmed about his work making the Moon meaningful for Muslims 🌙

after exhaustive research I present to you the most Dickensian name on almost every MLB roster (*indicates non-roster)

Registration for the conference I have organised is now open! Message me for the link and check out this amazing programme!

Closest a Montrealer has got to it in the 21st century mais je me souviens

If anyone at #MLA2026 would like to hear about an obscure medieval Welsh poem, I’m presenting in session 141 tonight! Come along for a good time (but possibly not better than the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, happening across the street)

Opinions wanted: is it funny to sneak as many Hip song titles as possible into my first academic presentation in Canada

Watching THE GREEN KNIGHT again

For those who want a short, sharp shock of early medieval coinage and what it can tell the historian: youtube.com/shorts/6iOzs...

Learned today that “Galápagos” comes from a Spanish word for tortoise, meaning that “Galápagos Tortoise” is, in fact, a tortology

"You seem happier" Thanks, I deleted all my emails and went to look at birds instead.

This is very good and also my new response every time my family ask what I do

BBC really burying the lede there

Struck by the genius of this observation from David Jones (in his preface to In Parentheses)

my name is Oz and wen the stone is broke to bits and all alone i lie in sand it stretches bare you read my words you pls despair

Trey Yesavage more like Loads of Ks Yesavage am I right

This is my finest hour. My masterpiece. My greatest work

WHOOP LOOK AT OUR CONFERENCE COME ALONG SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACTS WHOOP

Blue Jays beat the Yanks? Time for the Oh Canada trap beat remix hype video, I think

Trey Yesavage more like Loads of Ks Yesavage am I right

“Doctor, Doctor! I’m in need of someone to explain to me the complex interrelated identities projected onto the figure of King Arthur between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries!”

Justine Pelletier, je me souviens TABARNAK

#WorldSuicidePreventionDay: Catz is proud to be a pioneer in student wellbeing in Cambridge & recognises that it can be difficult to know who to reach out to during a mental health crisis, prompting our Wellbeing team to put together helpful advice at caths.cam.ac.uk/welf...#WorldSuicidePreventionDay: @iaspinfo.bsky.social

Immediate repost for Rory 🫡

so in NYC “bagel” means an NY-style bagel in Montreal “bagel” means a Montreal-style bagel outside NYC and Montreal, “Montreal-style bagel” means a more or less decent impression of an NY-style bagel and “NY-style bagel” means an English muffin with a hole in it

An anecdotal but entirely true thing: as someone who studies medieval romance, I spend a lot of time retelling medieval romances. I have never yet failed to get the reaction I/the plot am/is seeking.

From traders to magicians and allies, the Saami appear across medieval Nordic sagas. Solveig Marie Wang explores how these stories reveal an Indigenous presence at the centre of the Middle Ages — and why remembering it matters today.

Big night tonight boys I'm rolling up with my

343) Vikingbot. Weirdly obsessed with the historical accuracy of novelty items related to Early Middle Ages Scandinavian sea raiders. #SmallRobotsRemastered

Really enjoying @danielsawyer.bsky.social’s How To Read Middle English Poetry! I bought a copy to supplement my knowledge of ME (working on only limited romances, I don’t come across lots of the potential forms) and it is doing an amazing job of recolouring poems familiar and new!

A lil bit of digital art of my favourite bird!

Wondering about the politics of @hydetimothy.bsky.social entering their cat. Would the people of Somerville reject a parachute candidate from Cambridge?

So this note sent me on a bit of an etymology spiral and I learned some really fun things so it’s time to bring back my favourite trend: the gosh darn etymology thread

Love this trend because it makes me look much better travelled than I am! N: Thingvellir, Iceland too E: Wellington, Aotearoa/NZ S: Lake Tekapo, Aotearoa/NZ W: Nootka, Vancouver Island, Canada