Mythical Britain
is the home of
Michael Smith 
author, printmaker, translator and performer of medieval romances
Buy original works or hire Michael
for events, lectures, readings and consultancy

Active between ca. 1050 and 1450, the great mounds and palisaded settlement at Moundville, Alabama, offer a remarkable contrast to contemporary life in medieval Europe.

The church of St Mary the Virgin at Dodford in Northamptonshire has a rich collection of medieval effigies and monuments spanning three centuries. A visit is highly recommended.

Monumental brasses in English churches provide a fascinating insight into society, fashion and aesthetics. In this post we look at a variety of brasses from Essex, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire, dating from between 1350 and 1580.

Medieval graffiti provides a fascinating insight into life six centuries ago. Here, we look at six churches to learn about their secrets

A review of the British Library's recent and brilliant exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. An exhibition well worth seeing!

Michael Smith reviews an astonishing graphic novel version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by John Reppion and Mark Penman.

An explanation of how the challenges in translating a fourteenth Middle English text into modern English are overcome.

An explanation of the translation approach undertaken to create the first ever alliterative edition of William of Palerne in modern English.

The message of Christmas which emerges from an alternative reading of the Middle English masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

How a fourteenth-century alliterative romance has come alive once more, richly illustrated with linocut prints.

Michael Smith reveals the processes involved in the making his latest linocut of Sir Gawain as he ventures in search of the Green Knight.

A visit to the historic church of St Wystan at Repton, Derbyshire, home to a magnificent Anglo-Saxon crypt and a rich Viking heritage.

Northsey Island near Maldon in Essex is the site of a famous battle between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons and celebrated in an epic poem.

A visit to the Grade 1-listed church of All Saints at Brixworth, Northamptonshire, the largest Anglo-Saxon building standing in England.

The Stones of Stenness on Orkney provided inspiration for a new linocut print by author and printmaker, Michael Smith.

Jim Leary's Footmarks uncovers how our ancestors were always on the move, leaving behind traces of an exposure to a much broader world.

An article about the creation of a linocut print featuring Wayland's Smithy, a neolithic chambered cairn near the White Horse of Uffington.

A review of Northerners - A History, by Brian Groom. Published by Harper North.

The effigy of Sir William Boydell at Grappenhall, Cheshire sheds a remarkable light on how, against the odds, ancient monuments can survive.

Michael Smith discusses the Gawain-poet's castle Hautdesert, showing how its place in the landscape reflected the zeitgeist of his time.