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Beowulf
Author Unknown

The Lay of Sir Launfal
Marie De France

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"In the land of the giants, when the Lord and Creator
Had banned him and branded. For that bitter murder,
The killing of Abel, all-ruling Father
The kindred of Cain crushed with His vengeance;
In the feud He rejoiced not, but far away drove him
From kindred and kind, that crime to atone for,
Meter of Justice. Thence ill-favored creatures,
Elves and giants, monsters of ocean,
Came into being, and the giants that longtime
Grappled with God; He gave them requital."

In many works from Middle Ages, such as Beowulf, we see the hero's fighting demonic biblical forces. Christianity dominated the religious landscape and converted many cultures in its wake. In this epic tale we see many biblical references. Grendel is said to be evil and a direct descendent of Cain. Biblical lines and and lies have been used in the name of God to excuse violent actions to prosper and conquer. I've always wondered what if Grendel wasn't evil? How do we know the truth of Grendel and his mother when history is always written by the victor, and carnage is often executed in the name of God.  What if Grendel was but of victim to the Kings own desires or power or land?

*Photo chosen because of Gaston, a selfish character, is holding a book

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What if Grendel was not he beast that he was made out to be?

*Photo chosen because the Beast wasn't a beast after all.

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"Launfal—she said— had shamed her, since he required her love. When she had put him by, very foully had he reviled her, boasting that his love was already set on a lady, so proud and noble, that her meanest wench went more richly, and smiled more sweetly, than the Queen. Thereat the King waxed marvellously wrathful, and swore a great oath that he would set Launfal within a fire, or hang him from a tree, if he could not deny this thing, before his peers."

Vengeance can become the desired route when the ego is crushed and a ruler doesn't get their way. Adoration and the longing eye of a wanted lover could be just as coveted as a lot of land, a pagan culture, or an opposing kingdom. And sometimes ones affections can be much harder to conquer.

*Photo chosen because of Ursala's revenge on King Triton.

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Everyman
Author Unknown

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EVERYMAN.
"O Death, thou comest when I had thee least in mind!
In thy power it lieth to save me yet; —
Thereto of my goods will I give thee, if thou wilt be kind, —
Yea, a thousand pounds shalt thou get! —
And defer this matter till another day."

There’s a belief that treasures can get you anything in life. In Everyman we see that money does NOT afford you everything as you cannot buy your way out death. It is a non avoidable, a non negotiable. We saw our protagonist try a few ways to talk his way out of death.  Everyman learns there is one thing man cannot bend to his will. As hard as one may try, you can never conquer death.

*Snow White doesn't really die but she's laid out like a dead body for viewing

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The Passionate Shepherd to His Love
Christopher Marlowe

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"And I will make thee beds of Roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of Myrtle;"

Man often uses flowery words to convince even woo. Wether it's great leaders or longing lovers, people like the Shepard try to spin facts into fictional fantasy get what they want. The Shepards life is hard and he tried to paint a picture that just wasn't true, something the Nymph will eventually see through.

*Photo chosen because Pinocchio was a liar and everyone could see it, just like the Nymph was able to see the Shepards untruths.

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Hunting of the Hare
Margret Cavendish

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"Yet Man doth think himselfe so gentle, mild,
When he of Creatures is most cruell wild.
And is so Proud, thinks onely he shall live,
That God a God-like Nature did him give.
And that all Creatures for his sake alone,
Was made for him, to Tyramize upon."

Man has been making animals an nature succumb to their will to further their own existence since their inception. The truest form of their selfishness was when hunting became a sport and and no longer for survival.

*Photo used because of how Bambi and his friends had to survive being hunted

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Gulliver’s Travels
Jonathan Swift

Oroonoko

Aphra Behn

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"His Face was not of that brown, rusty Black which most of that Nation are, but a perfect Ebony, or polish’d Jett. His Eyes were the most awful that cou’d be seen, and very piercing; the White of ’em being like Snow, as were his Teeth. His Nose was rising and Roman, instead of African and flat. His Mouth, the finest shap’d that cou’d be seen; far from those great turn’d Lips, which are so natural to the rest of the Negroes. The whole Proportion and Air of his Face was so noble, and exactly form’d, that, bating his Colour, there cou’d be nothing in Nature more beautiful, agreeable and handsome. "

One of the most disturbing things the white man has done as  been to bend the definition of beauty and filtering it through a European standard.

*Photo chosen because of the colonization in Pocahontas and how she was forced to adapt to the puritan life.

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"It is to be observed, that these ambassadors spoke to me, by an interpreter, the languages of both empires differing as much from each other as any two in Europe, and each nation priding itself upon the antiquity, beauty, and energy of their own tongue, with an avowed contempt for that of their neighbour".

I think this quote says it all, cultures have tried to mold one another to make them more like them because they believe themselves to be superior

*Photo chosen because Alice is so much bigger More Raths like Gulliver and the little people.

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I chose to use Disney pictures to keep it light hearted, but also to be slightly satirical. Walt Disney has been rumored to have been an anti-Semite. The Holocaust was one of the greatest examples of how selfish humans can be when trying to bend the world around them as they deem fit.

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I had originally intended to create this Padlet with a perspective focused on the Anglo-Saxons and their pervasive nature throughout history. Ultimately I chose a broader stance and focused on mankind as a whole. I have chosen to keep this link because I find them to be the most guilty of bending the world around them to fit into their mold.

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National Geographic takes on "conquering"

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National Geographic takes on "conquering"

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I'm a huge fan of National Geographic and was very excited when I found this article. Its an easy read and gives some great information as to why we as humans had, and have this need to conquer. It seems that we have an insatiable desire to do so. We have conquered almost there is here on earth. We have done it to each other and the planet itself.

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Throughout history, many different kingdoms have risen and fallen; many empires have been born out of nothing and then collapsed to ruin. Many have led large armies to the brink of death in order to wrestle power away from mighty rulers, while others have relied on their ability to rally the masses behind their cause, noble or otherwise. What is clear throughout history, from Julius Caesar to Genghis Khan, is that it takes a distinct personality to embark on a conquest and an even stronger desire to achieve some goal in order to overcome the difficult challenges that await.

While there is no handbook to guide one in a conquest, there are similar motivations connecting some of history's greatest conquerors. For example, the reason empires may expand is so they can grow both physically, culturally, or both. From 336-323 B.C.E., Alexander of Macedonia (also known as Alexander the Great) not only conquered most of the known world, he also spread Greek culture from Egypt to India. He encouraged cultural exchange in his empire, remaining tolerant of the different lifestyles in his new territories. During the second century B.C.E., the Roman Empire conquered Macedonia and incorporated that kingdom and Greek culture into its empire. Over the course of the reign of the Gupta Empire between 320 C.E. and 550 C.E., its lands grew from a small portion of northern India to eventually stretch from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. This physical expansion coincided with cultural growth for the Gupta Empire as well, and education and art flourished.

The spoils of war can be a significant motivation for conquest. In the 13th century C.E., when Genghis Khan led the Mongols into battle, many of the soldiers were motivated to win the riches they usually lacked, being a nomadic people. Julius Caesar was motivated by wealth as well, and in fact, it was this motivation specifically that led to his conquest of Gaul (a region of Western Europe) in 58 B.C.E. But perhaps a more sustainable motivation than plunder is control over trade. For the Mongols, controlling the Silk Road-a network of trade routes stretching across Asia, East Africa, and into Europe-was another attractive motivator for expansion. Early on, attacks by Mongols targeted states that controlled parts of the Silk Road. Chandragupta I of the Gupta Empire strategically married the Licchavi princess in order to incorporate mines of iron ore, a valuable trade commodity, into his kingdom.

Legendary conquerors, such as Alexander, Julius Caesar, and William the Conqueror, created and then expanded their lands because of a desire to rule, combined with great personal ambition. This ambition pushed them to continue to expand their influence and spread their empires to include more land, more people, and, by way of taxes and tribute, more wealth. Alexander became king of Macedonia at just 20 years old, killing his enemies before they could challenge him and crushing rebellions. He led his conquests with an unparalleled military acumen. Julius Caesar held different titles in Rome, ranging from military tribune to praetor to member of the First Triumvirate. In these positions, he consolidated his own power and expanded Rome's influence and wealth through military conquest. William the Conqueror harnessed a similar resolve as Alexander and Caesar, establishing the power of the state of Normandy and drastically altering English society in his conquest. As king of England, he redistributed the state's wealth, transferring power to his people, the Normans. Each of these leaders' charisma helped them to gain military support that was crucial in their conquests while also protecting their positions as rulers.

One's perceived right to rule, not just desire, has also motivated history's ancient conquests. Alexander believed himself to be the half-human son of of the god Zeus, and thus entitled to his success. William led the Norman Conquest in 1066 because he believed he was the rightful heir to the English throne. King Edward had promised that William would be his successor, but he had also made this promise to several others, causing several nearly simultaneous battles for the crown after his death. William eventually prevailed, assuming what he believed to be his rightful position, and changed England forever in his conquest. Some historians theorize that Genghis Khan also believed that his fate was to rule, although the foundations for this idea are unclear.

The draw of power, which can come in many forms, is difficult to quantify but overwhelms those that desire conquest. Conquerors face overwhelming dangers for a chance to rule but believe the reward outweighs the risk.

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Why Conquer? | National Geographic Society

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Throughout history, many different kingdoms have risen and fallen; many empires have been born out of nothing and then collapsed to ruin. Many have led large armies to the brink of death in order to wrestle power away from mighty rulers, while others have relied on their ability to rally the masses behind their cause, noble or otherwise.

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I tried to use some "historically accurate" images for the blocks representing the era's of this semesters works. I thought this might be a fun read for Disney fans or anyone wanting to dive a little deeper into the choices for the images chosen for the eras.

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We didn't know we'd grow up to be medievalists and curators of manuscripts when we saw our first Disney films, but their portrayal of castles, cathedrals, and chivalric ideals―all stereotypical elements of the Middle Ages―were spellbinding.

In the opening credits of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, we saw our first illuminated manuscripts (albeit imaginary and animated). These introductions included jeweled covers called treasure bindings, ornate calligraphy, and vibrant miniatures with lavish borders.

We recently went deep into Disney+ to revisit some childhood favorites, as well as a few others to figure out which movies are the most "medieval."

Beginning in the 1920s with Silly Symphony and Mickey Mouse shorts, Disney has been deeply interested in exploring the European Middle Ages in all its permutations. Disney's Middle Ages takes on tales and events set roughly between 500-1500, and remixes them for today's audiences.

Disney's Middle Ages is also deeply tied to the tradition of 19th-century fairy tales, most notably those of the Brothers Grimm (first published in 1812). These "Once upon a time" stories adopt "medieval" European characters, creatures, and the overall aesthetic: princesses wearing flowing gowns, knights in shining armor, castles that dominate idyllic landscapes, dragons and fairies, witches and wizards, forbidden forests, and all the rest. If you happened to catch Onward earlier this year, you'll notice the classic Disney combination of magic and fantasy with a touch of historical accuracy.

However, as curators, we work to nuance and deepen audiences' understanding and appreciation of the breadth of medieval art in a global context. While Disney's vision of the Middle Ages spans continents and features compelling characters including Mulan, Merida, Moana, and Jasmine, the company has rightly been called out for cultural stereotyping.

As we plunged through Disney+, we wanted to look at a selection of films that present a global Middle Ages, a chronologically flexible period from 500-1500 that encompasses sites and stories from England to China and from an anachronistic "Arabia" to the temporally ambiguous world of the Pacific islands.

The 10 Most Medieval Disney Animated Films

We followed some rules. We only looked at animated films (no sequels) and based our ranking on five categories:

1. Historical references

2. Evidence of source material for the plot and cues in the dialogue

3. Art, architecture, and music from the period

4. Authentic costumes

5. Mythical or fantasy elements, supernatural beings, and magic seen in medieval stories and mythology

10. Snow White (1937)

A surprisingly dark (casual assassination attempt, anyone?) film that's pretty true to the Brothers Grimm original, with misogyny straight out of 1937.

Plot: The story begins with the turning of book pages that look a little medieval, but the rest is pure Grimm.

History: No medieval history here! The story is based on the 19th-century version by the Brothers Grimm.

Aesthetic: Beyond the queen's Gothic castle, the denizens of the magical forest don't seem too interested in the arts.

Costumes: The visage of the queen is based on a real medieval person: Uta von Ballenstedt (about 1000-1046), whose likeness can be seen in a 13th-century sculpture in Nuremberg Cathedral (shown above).

Fantasy: The evil queen is of course a witch, and she has "medieval" tomes in her library such as Disguises (convenient!) written in a style that evokes Gothic manuscripts. We can't say there were many poisoned apples and princesses in glass coffins hanging around waiting for princes during the Middle Ages, though.

Overall ranking: 🏰

9. Black Cauldron (1985)

Every character is somehow the worst character in this extremely bizarre attempt at medieval worlding.

Plot: A young boy who dreams of becoming a knight must hide an oracular pig... This visionary swine holds the secret to the location of a magic cooking pot that could unleash a terrible evil upon the legendary world of Prydain. The Fair Folk protect the piglet from the devilish Horned King. The movie is an adaptation of The Chronicles of Prydain, a series written in the 1960s by Lloyd Alexander, based on Welsh mythology.

History: Nope, nothing. Not really. We kept thinking about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, especially the far more entertaining 1977 and 1978 animated versions of those epic adventures. The creature Gurgi sounds like Gollum, but wait, we're in the history section. We've got nothing.

Aesthetic: Swords and shields, balladeers and witches, princesses, and demons just don't cut it as authentically medieval in this film. The interlaced lettering of the title and similar designs in the opening and end credits feel the most like medieval calligraphy, as in the Book of Kells.

Costumes: Maybe some reference to the armor of early Greenlanders, Icelanders, or those on the British Isles?

Fantasy: Dragons, fairies, an army of the dead, goblins, a spooky Forbidden Forest, a wild man-beast, and a sword that turns out to be magical (obviously)... The story has plenty of medieval fantasy elements, but their combination is just so weird.

Overall ranking: 🏰½

8. Aladdin (1992)

Set anywhere from the 4th to the 18th century, Disney's culturally problematic retelling of a tale about a guy who gets the girl thanks to magical intervention.

Plot: Based on a story called Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, added in the 18th century to the collection of Arabic folktales known as the One Thousand and One Nights (dating as early as the 9th century).

History: When does Aladdin actually take place? One clue might come from the Genie, who remarks that Aladdin's "fez and vest combo" is "much too 3rd century." More fairytale than history, this film combines elements from a huge variety of geographies and time periods from Muslim Spain to Arabia to the wider Middle East to India, problematically lumping them all into the same category.

Aesthetic: While the palace gardens are reminiscent of the Alhambra Palace (located in Granada, Spain), the sultan's giant elephant-head-shaped throne and the Taj-Mahal-esque domes of the palace exterior all evoke the art of India. The magic lamp itself bears a passing resemblance to oil lamps made in Central Asia.

Costumes: Maybe that fez and vest combo is much too 3rd century? Plenty of turbans, dhoti, and shalwar, and exposed skin, but Princess Jasmine's outfit is more I Dream of Jeannie than anything else.

Fantasy: Sure, there are the usual animal sidekicks, a flying carpet, and Genie's magical powers, but many of the smaller details―the harem women, sword swallower, fire walker, snake charmer, scimitars, the costuming and accents, and the bazaar, all set in the fictional Agrabah, conjure a "city of mystery" that is really an Orientalist fantasy.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰

7. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

The Inca sovereign, but make him a llama. Hear us out on this one...

Plot: "Long ago, somewhere deep in the jungle..." a self-centered emperor rules a mountainous kingdom but is transformed into a llama by a sorceress-vizier. This story is about him, Kuzco. Although the film is arguably meant to evoke the Inca Empire, the plot doesn't connect strongly to history.

History: The Inca ruled the Andean world, which included parts of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile, from about the 1100s until the Spanish conquest of 1572. Machu Pichu is their most famous architectural accomplishment. As a llama, the film's protagonist embodies the most important animal to the Inca. The original concept for a film called Kingdom of the Sun was apparently going to center on a character called Manco―named after the ancestral founder of the Inca Empire―and would address Andean creation myths. That story would have been way more period-appropriate.

Aesthetic: Nearly every one of the architectural spaces in the palace evokes the art of the Inca and neighboring communities. Consider this gold with silver inlay mask. The checkered floor is reminiscent of a feather tunic that featured in the Getty exhibition Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas. Even the hokey restaurant and domestic scenes include drinking vessels that seem inspired by Chimú and Moche ceramics. But the music doesn't tick any boxes for us. In fact, the line "an enigma and a mystery, in Mesoamerican history..." from the song "Perfect World" nearly made us stop the film entirely because the Andes are in South America. But it's Disney and this story is pure fiction.

Costumes: The animators emphasized patterned tunics (woven or incorporating feathers), as well as jewelry made of gold, jade, and turquoise. For a more in-depth look at Inca fashion, the Getty has an early illustrated history of the Inca that provides biographies of each of the emperors, complete with portraits.

Fantasy: We're willing to think about the potions for shapeshifting in relation to South American myths, although these more often involve jaguar-human transformations.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰½

6b. Moana (2016)

The line where the sky meets the sea calls a courageous medieval voyager across the Pacific Ocean.

Plot: The story centers on a young leader's quest to find a new island to inhabit due to climate and ecological changes threatening her home.

History: An archaeological look at the film suggests a date range of between 1000-1500, the period when Pacific voyagers began actively sailing to Central and Eastern Polynesia after the so-called "Long Pause" consisting of centuries of traveling within the major Western island network (closest to Australia and New Guinea). The word "Moana" means "ocean" and the island that she seeks, Te Fiti, could be based on the Polynesian word "Tafiti," meaning a faraway place.

Aesthetic: The movie includes stunning visualizations of Polynesian art, architecture, and culture: Maori amulets, tattooing, and stone/wood carving among them. However, the film presents a vision rife with cultural appropriation and cinematic colonization (read Smithsonian geographer Doug Herman's review for more).

Costumes: As with the aesthetic, some aspects of the costuming pass as Polynesian (primarily the patterns and materials).

Fantasy: The demigod Maui exists as a heroic figure across Polynesia, often accompanied by his companion, the goddess Hina (left out of the Disney version).

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰

Note: As a protagonist, Moana ranks with Mulan as our favorite Disney medieval heroines―they are brilliant strategists, compelling leaders, and they resist harmful histories of heterosexism.

6a. Mulan (1998)

Secretly taking her father's place in the Chinese imperial army, Mulan is Disney's most formidable medieval heroine.

Plot: The story of Hua Mulan, who disguises herself as a soldier in her father's stead, can be read in the 31-couplet Ballad of Mulan. Given the brevity of the text, Disney took liberties to expand the content, often veering into cultural parody.

History: The tale dates to the 5th/6th century during the Northern Wei period of Chinese history.

Aesthetic: The Great Wall of China, seen in the movie, was built over centuries beginning as early as the 7th century BCE―so its inclusion is historically appropriate. In the film, we see jade mirrors, carved limestone ancestral tombstones (the tombstones also include names of the film's animators in Chinese), sculptures of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, and individuals playing the war strategy game xiàngqí.

Costumes: Mulan's gown appears similar to the one in the painting above, and the inclusion of jade jewelry is also period-appropriate.

Fantasy: Cringey. Some of the ancestors and guardian figures are cast as Grant Wood's American Gothic and another has an abacus, decisions that reveal cultural insensitivity and the pan-Asian problem with this film.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰

5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Inspired by a 19th-century vision of medieval Paris, but with plenty of visual texture that evokes places and art of the city of lights, this story is about true medieval outcasts.

Plot: Events taking place around the church of Notre-Dame de Paris are filtered through the lens of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, on which the story is based. Overall the film is pretty true to Hugo's dark neomedieval tale of murder, social outcasts, sin, and damnation, but with fewer dead protagonists by the end and a gentler Quasimodo (meaning "half-formed," aka Hunchback).

History: Set in late 15th-century Paris, there are plenty of medieval places, attitudes, and hierarchy. The Feast of Fools (January 6), around which the tale turns, was observed in France by clergy and laypeople alike before the 16th century.

Aesthetic: The true star of this movie is the cathedral of Notre-Dame itself―we get animated gargoyles, exterior sculptures, stained glass rose windows, the famous interior Virgin and Child, and sculpture fragments in the belltower. For eagle-eyed viewers, there's a brief view of the medieval Palace of Justice and the Sainte Chapelle, King Louis IX's Gothic masterpiece.

The music here uses plenty of Latin prayers recited in medieval Masses―Frollo's "Hellfire" song (in which he confesses to desiring the beautiful Esmerelda) contains several: "Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti (I confess to God almighty) // Beatae Mariae semper Virgini (To blessed Mary ever Virgin)."

Costumes: At the festival, the crowd is dressed in generic tunics, evoking the stereotypical idea of the medieval lower classes, but let's just say that Esmerelda's outfits, in particular, wouldn't have passed medieval muster.

Fantasy: Gargoyles and goat sidekicks aside, this movie remains pretty firmly planted in reality. The ideas of divine retribution and faith were central to the lives of medieval Christians.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰½

4. Brave (2012)

A skilled archer and rider must mend her bond with her mother, who has been transformed into a bear and risks remaining that way forever.

Plot: Merida does not want to be forced into marriage, especially to the dolts from the neighboring clans, and she is fed up with the princess-prep regimen from her mother, Queen Elinor. A woodland witch gives Merida a curse that transforms the queen into a bear. Major problem? Her father (King Fergus) has been feuding with a seemingly wild bear for years and thus goes on a hunt after... his wife.

History: Online sources tell us the film is set in 10th-century Scotland, which seems about right from some of the aesthetics. But the story is an original work by Brenda Chapman, who is one of the best storytellers and world-makers on our list. Her inspirations come from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.

Aesthetic: Runic inscriptions, petroglyphs, and a stonehenge connect this fantasy medieval world with art and architecture that one can still explore today in Scotland, England, and elsewhere. The film also features a chess set, reminiscent of the famous chessmen from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland (from around 1150 to 1200). The wood carving evocation of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam is, alas, not medieval (but it was made by a witch, so...).

Costumes: We love the outfits and the jewelry, which draws from the visual aesthetic that developed from trade and travel between Celtic and Scandinavian cultures.

Fantasy: The Will O' the Wisps, the witch, and curses that transform people into bears are pretty incredible imaginings for the medieval past.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰🏰

3. Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Sure, it's a fairytale, but it feels pretty medieval to us.

Plot: Sleeping Beauty is based on a tale that finds its early origins in a 14th-century romance text, filtered through the 17th-century French author Charles Perrault and, of course, the Brothers Grimm.

History: OK, we'll admit that Sleeping Beauty doesn't have much to do with any real medieval history, but it is one of the most detailed and developed visual impressions of the European Gothic that Disney produced. Elements of arranged marriage as diplomacy, the royal hierarchy, courtly procession and ceremony, and Maleficent's goons engaging in castle warfare to stop Prince Philip's escape certainly have parallels in medieval history. After all, as Philip reminds us, "Now father, you're living in the past. This is the 14th century!"

Aesthetic: There's at least one inclusion of real medieval art: the famous Unicorn Tapestries (which appear behind the lectern in the end credits). There are lots of imaginary Gothic creations that are based on medieval artistic traditions: the treasure binding of the storybook that contains the tale (and inside, its illuminated pages with elaborately decorated borders), the heraldry decorating the royal reception room, the lute played by the court minstrel, and the gargoyles of Maleficent's ruined Gothic castle. Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty is part of the musical score, which we love despite not being medieval.

Costumes: Aurora's hourglass, off-the-shoulder number is straight out of the 1950s, yet elements of Philip's armor and weaponry seem more medieval.

Fantasy: Maleficent's dragon form is a classic that's true to the western medieval perception of dragons as symbols of the devil (after all, she calls on "all the powers of Hell" before transforming). We can't really speak to the cursed spindle, fairies, or enchanted sleep, though.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰🏰½

2. The Sword in the Stone (1963)

Before becoming King Arthur, he was just a boy called Wart who learned everything about the world from the wizard Merlin and the owl Archimedes.

Plot: In this telling, the centuries-old tale of King Arthur is a coming-of-age story concerned with the theme of progress (knowledge, technology, geography, etc).

History: The legendary British ruler is said to have lived between the 5th and 6th centuries. In the film, Merlin references the London Times (founded 1785), saying it "won't be out for another twelve-hundred years." Doing the math sets the film around 585, so that sorta adds up. But the aesthetic evokes the High Middle Ages (about 1000-1300).

Aesthetic: Disney's story of the legendary sword in the stone begins with a ballad: "This was a Dark Age, without law and without order. Men lived in fear of one another, for the strong preyed upon the weak." Ugh. There never was a "Dark Age" but rather an Illuminated Age of remarkable manuscript production. And Merlin wants viewers to know that the film is set during the Middle Ages, with phrases that include "one big medieval mess," "a medieval muddle," and charming Latin-esque spells such as "Aquarius, aquaticus, aqualitus!" Notwithstanding this insistence of periodization, the turreted castle together with a robust culture of book production, a fully-formed system of chivalry, and many of the magico-religious elements date to much later in history. The blending of legend, history, and myth was a central element of medieval storytelling, as glimpsed through the pages of illuminated manuscripts. In the image above, the illuminator outfitted the 5th/6th-century Arthur in 14th-century kingly attire.

Costumes: There's not much here. The tunics and armor in the film are not early medieval period specific.

Fantasy: Merlin and the various forms of magic or fantasy (alchemical recipes, herbal remedies, and the animals of the bestiary) are definitely medieval.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰🏰1/2

1. Robin Hood (1973)

Medieval history, both real and legendary, all set to some catchy tunes-what more could you ask for?

Plot: Robin Hood is one of the most enduring and famous figures from medieval English folklore. He has origins in many different medieval texts, with the earliest references coming from the late-14th-century poem Piers Plowman. Narratives detailing his prowess as an archer, his rivalry with the Sheriff of Nottingham, and his friendship with the steadfast Little John exist from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Robin Hood legend grew and changed from there, gaining Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, and the connection to King Richard.

History: While the existence of Robin Hood is debatable, the history of the rivalry between Prince John and his brother King Richard of England is right out of the 12th century. While Richard, known as "the Lionheart," was on the Third Crusade (1189-1192), he left control of England in the hands of several trusted advisors, though they proved unpopular. John positioned himself as an alternative king, of sorts. In Richard's absence, John built his own court and government (you'll recall the Phony King of England song from the film: "While bonny good King Richard leads the great crusade he's on//We'll all have to slave away//For that good-for-nothin' John"). Their mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine, advocated on John's behalf when relations between the two brothers broke down. Neither of the brothers had a snake as an advisor, as far as we know, though Hiss's ability to hypnotize may be a subtle reference to the idea of weak leaders being overly controlled by their councilors.

Aesthetic: The story begins with an opening book with certain medieval qualities: Alan-a-dale, the rooster troubadour, is certainly evocative of the bard of the Middle Ages (he's even named after the minstrel of Robin's band of outlaws, the Merry Men, in the medieval sources), there are stone castle and church interiors, and of course, there's archery.

Costumes: There isn't much in this category, but we'll point out Prince John's elaborate processional carriage, Maid Marian's veil, and King Richard's Crusader's uniform with the red cross as gestures toward the medieval.

Fantasy: The characteristics of the film's talking animals correspond closely with the animal descriptions in a popular medieval text known as the bestiary. Noble lions, tricky foxes, sneaky snakes, and dishonest wolves all appear in both the movie and the medieval source. A fox seems like a natural choice for the character of Robin, since medieval legends of Reynard, a famously cunning fox, were some of the most widely-read in the European Middle Ages.

Overall ranking: 🏰🏰🏰🏰🏰

Honorable Mentions

Don't see your favorite Disney film on the list? Probably because it's not at all medieval, but we do have some others in the "honorable mentions" category. There has been a lot of online conversation about whether or not The Lion King (1994) is based on the 14th-century Epic of Sundiata Keita of Mali or on the 16th-century writings of William Shakespeare (specifically Hamlet). We would prefer the African source material for the African story, connections made clearer in the CGI version of 2019 (the soundtrack references Mansa Musa, Sundiata's descendent). There's Pocahontas (1995), a whitewashed version of history that takes place in colonial Virginia in the early 17th century. The castle and its stained glass in Beauty and the Beast (1991) may feel medieval at first, but this "tale as old as time" has a blend of Baroque and Rococo flair more plausibly set during the late 18th or early 19th century (a dating clarified by the 2017 live-action film). Perhaps taking place around the same time is Tangled (2010), although those outfits could pass at a Renaissance Faire.

And for the record, the only thing medieval about Frozen is the passing reference in a song lyric to Joan of Arc. It doesn't bother us anyway.

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Which Disney Movie Is the Most Medieval?

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We didn't know we'd grow up to be medievalists and curators of manuscripts when we saw our first Disney films, but their portrayal of castles, cathedrals, and chivalric ideals―all stereotypical elements of the Middle Ages―were spellbinding. In the opening credits of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, we saw our first illuminated manuscripts (albeit imaginary and animated).

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This too I just thought may be an interesting read. I found it when searching for my images. I thought I would include it because I discovered that the story of Sleepy Hollow(also a much older Disney movie taken from the story) was written as satire. We went over some satirical pieces at the end of the semester and just found it to be ironic that I stumbled on this.

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Created in the midst of neoclassicism, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is an American classic, and a common tale to tell around the campfire. In a time of reconnection with the roots of Greek and Roman schools, this gothic tale was created and holds up to other more free form stories that of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. How, you may ask, is this possible? How can a time of critical thinking and harsh minds swell under the creepy campfire story that is "After a night with his lady love, Ichabod returns home after the party only to be stopped at the bridge by the Headless Horseman. The whole interaction takes about a paragraph in which Ichabod makes a failed attempt on escaping the horrible Horseman. The narrator tells us exactly how it all went, how Ichabod did not run away and stood proud. How he questioned the Horseman and how he only tried to escape when there was no other choice. How he, in on last ditch attempt to survive, was struck in the back of the head with the Horseman's head. But the story continues after this, explaining to the reader that no one knows what had actually happened. Which begs the question, why include this ending at all, this dramatic conclusions to Ichabod's life? What other reason would there be than to expand on the hilarity of the The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The answer can be found in similar Knickerbocker stories. The narrator has used the fictional story of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to show how ignorant the belief and retelling of urban legends is.

Satire is found in many of Neoclassicism urban legend.

In conclusion, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is nothing more than a satire on the urban legend. The author Washington Irving created this whole legend in order to express to all of America the stupidity and ridiculousness of the urban legend. Why should we be afraid of Bloody Mary if no one can decide who she actually is, what she looks like, and how she died? Irving expresses the exact reasons for the urban legend and why they don't make ...show more content...

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Satire In Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

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Created in the midst of neoclassicism, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is an American classic, and a common tale to tell around the campfire. In a time of reconnection with the roots of Greek and Roman schools, this gothic tale was created and holds up to other more free form stories that of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

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Images
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