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Welcome to the Mythical Britain Blog
Written by Michael Smith, the Mythical Britain Blog provides detailed insights into a range of historical and literary topics including Middle English poetry, medieval castles and churches, Arthurian romance, historical geography, prehistoric sites, and historiography. The blog also reviews books, film and theatrical performances of relevance.
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Bisclavret the werewolf
The lais of Bisclavret, a poem by Marie de France about a knight condemned to roam abroad as a werewolf, is remarkable for what it tells us about twelfth century morality and how men and women were treated differently. This articles summarises the story and reflects upon its meaning.
Michael Smith
Nov 118 min read
The haunting literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The literary landscape of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a powerful evocation of a magical possibility existing at the fringes of our known imagination. How does the poet evoke this?
Michael Smith
Nov 38 min read
The Alliterative Revival - lessons from a time of tyranny which still hold true today
The poems of the Alliterative Revival may date from the fourteenth century but their content has much to tell us about the need for good government today - and how to avoid the tyranny of terrible leaders we are starting to see.
Michael Smith
Oct 269 min read
Overal enker-grene – the symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The symbolism of the colour green in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has often been attributed to the supernatural. But is there a simpler reason behind the poet's choice, one based on narrative technique and audience expectation?
Michael Smith
Sep 297 min read
Sir Gawain graphic novel by John Reppion and Mark Penman
Michael Smith reviews an astonishing graphic novel version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by John Reppion and Mark Penman.
Michael Smith
Jan 247 min read
Translation and equivalence in the Romance of William and the Werewolf
An explanation of how the challenges in translating a fourteenth Middle English text into modern English are overcome.
Michael Smith
Jan 237 min read
A new complete English translation of William of Palerne
An explanation of the translation approach undertaken to create the first ever alliterative edition of William of Palerne in modern English.
Michael Smith
Jan 35 min read
Some hidden Christmas messages in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The message of Christmas which emerges from an alternative reading of the Middle English masterpiece, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Dec 2, 202412 min read
The making of a book - the Romance of William and the Werewolf (William of Palerne), its creation and production
How a fourteenth-century alliterative romance has come alive once more, richly illustrated with linocut prints.
Michael Smith
Nov 30, 20244 min read
The Journey of Sir Gawain - a new linocut print inspired by Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith reveals the processes involved in the making his latest linocut of Sir Gawain as he ventures in search of the Green Knight.
Michael Smith
Nov 29, 20244 min read
Castles and Landscapes – Hautdesert Castle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Michael Smith discusses the Gawain-poet's castle Hautdesert, showing how its place in the landscape reflected the zeitgeist of his time.
Michael Smith
Dec 22, 20236 min read
Nobut an old Cave – the power and meaning of the Green Chapel in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The poet in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight calls the Green Chapel 'nobot an olde cave' with huge understatement. It was a house of horror.
Michael Smith
Nov 23, 20235 min read
William of Palerne and the literary legacy of Humphrey de Bohun
I have been working for some time on a new translation of William of Palerne , which Madden in the nineteenth century called the “romance...
Michael Smith
Nov 20, 20204 min read
Review: Green Knight - a mediaeval lady's real thoughts on knighthood and chivalry
A review of Dr Debbie Cannon's magnificent play about Lady Bertilak and her love for Sir Gawain - as seen from the point of view of The
Michael Smith, Author, Translator, Printmaker
Jul 9, 20197 min read
Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire - a wonder in the fens
Bolingbroke Castle is a special castle with a history fundamentally linked to the history of England. Built on an hexagonal plan, the castle
Michael Smith, Author, Translator, Printmaker
Mar 18, 20195 min read
Illustrating my new translation of the Alliterative Morte Arthure (King Arthur's Death)
A new translation of the epic fourteenth century story of King Arthur's Death by Michael Smith will feature over 32 stunning linocut ill
Michael Smith, printmaker, Mythical Britain
Aug 11, 20182 min read
The Mediaeval Graffiti at Anstey, Hertfordshire
Learn about the fabulous mediaeval graffiti at Anstey in Hertfordshire, including shields, helmets, writing and more.
Michael Smith, printmaker, Mythical Britain
May 23, 20183 min read
Creating a linocut print of Sir Hugh Calveley
How I made and printed a four-colour linocut of the Cheshire Knight, Sir Hugh Calveley. Michael Smith, Mythical Britain
Michael Smith, Mythical Britain
Nov 25, 20172 min read
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - recreating in linocut the characters of Cotton Nero A.x
Background In a glass case in the British Library in London can be found one of the true gems of English literature, a book now known...
Michael Smith, Mythical Britain
Mar 30, 20165 min read
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