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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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T C Lethbridge and the lost Gogmagog giant of Wandlebury
The excavations by T C Lethbridge at Wandlebury in the mid 1950s revealed a frieze of chalk figures unknown to history but which caused considerable controversy at the time. His book in defence of his arguments met with condemnation but his work continues to attract attention nearly 70 years later.
Michael Smith
Jul 19, 202510 min read
The historic city mounds at Moundville, Alabama
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.
Michael Smith
Jul 12, 20253 min read
The marvellous medieval monuments at St Mary the Virgin church, Dodford, Northamptonshire
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.
Michael Smith
May 15, 20254 min read
Knights and their ladies - some medieval monumental brasses in England
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.
Michael Smith
May 13, 20256 min read
Medieval graffiti in Hertfordshire churches
Medieval graffiti provides a fascinating insight into life six centuries ago. Here, we look at six churches to learn about their secrets
Michael Smith
Mar 14, 20255 min read
Medieval Women exhibition at the British Library
A review of the British Library's recent and brilliant exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. An exhibition well worth seeing!
Michael Smith
Mar 14, 20256 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 24, 20257 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 23, 20257 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 3, 20255 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
St Wystan's church, Repton, Derbyshire and its Anglo-Viking historic landscape
A visit to the historic church of St Wystan at Repton, Derbyshire, home to a magnificent Anglo-Saxon crypt and a rich Viking heritage.
Michael Smith
Nov 26, 20248 min read
The Battle of Maldon, 991 - an epic tale of defiance, folly and communal loyalty
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.
Michael Smith
Oct 20, 20248 min read
All Saints' Church, Brixworth, Northamptonshire – a magnificent Anglo-Saxon survival
A visit to the Grade 1-listed church of All Saints at Brixworth, Northamptonshire, the largest Anglo-Saxon building standing in England.
Michael Smith
Oct 14, 20245 min read
The Stones of Stenness, Orkney - a special linocut print
The Stones of Stenness on Orkney provided inspiration for a new linocut print by author and printmaker, Michael Smith.
Michael Smith
Jul 1, 20243 min read
Book Review: Footmarks - A Journey into Our Restless Past, by Jim Leary
Jim Leary's Footmarks uncovers how our ancestors were always on the move, leaving behind traces of an exposure to a much broader world.
Michael Smith
Jun 17, 20244 min read
Wayland's Smithy, Oxfordshire - the making of an original linocut print
An article about the creation of a linocut print featuring Wayland's Smithy, a neolithic chambered cairn near the White Horse of Uffington.
Michael Smith
Feb 19, 20243 min read
Book Review: Northerners - A History, by Brian Groom
A review of Northerners - A History, by Brian Groom. Published by Harper North.
Michael Smith
Feb 6, 20245 min read
Cheshire survivor - the effigy of Sir William Boydell at St. Wilfred's Church, Grappenhall
The effigy of Sir William Boydell at Grappenhall, Cheshire sheds a remarkable light on how, against the odds, ancient monuments can survive.
Michael Smith
Jan 7, 20246 min read
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