Satan’s Honor Roll: can Satanism be ethical? Oh yes! I’m finding very little here to argue with, and surprisingly (or not) very little of it has to do with actually worshipping a devil. Thoughts?
“Head Over Heels,” Reviewed: A Trans-Positive Spin on a Sixteenth-Century Romance, with Help From the Go-Gos: it’s Philip Sidney’s “The Arcadia” with early 80s pop! I’ve actually been hearing about this for a long time but this is one of the first reviews I’ve found with photos. Personally I’m tickled by all the Elizabethan clothing in day-glo lamé, but then, I love a good mashup.
Mary, Queen of Scots film ‘problematic’ says historian: how much fiction do you want in your historical fiction? The author’s argument is accurate (Mary Queen of Scots likely had a French accent, and Mary and Elizabeth I never met) but I also understand the director when he claims that letters back and forth don’t translate to a visual medium. Not sure where I stand on this. I love Cate Blanchett’s “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth the Golden Age” but both are veer so far from true that they’re historical fantasy at best. But the acting is so good! I may see this because Saoirse Ronan has been fantastic in everything I’ve ever seen her in.
Project Blue Book trailer goes all-in on UFOs for History: sure to piss off anyone who laments that the History Channel hasn’t had much to do with history for a long time! This new series about the 1950s Air Force UFO research project dramatizes J. Allen Hynek‘s investigations for Project Blue Book. While I expect they’re going to get a lot wrong I’m still eagerly anticipating “X-files 1950” (no, this isn’t a spinoff or continuation of the X-files franchise but the overall mood is similar).
As someone who does historical European medieval and renaissance martial arts (and who occasionally dabbles in reenactment), there are a lot of assumptions out there that began with the Victorians. From what swords were called (almost all our reference terms were essentially invented by the Victorians in their passion to classify everything) to ideas about the period (and what part of the period?– we’re talking about a thousand years here) and behavior therein. And then there’s the whole coopting of symbolism and history by racists, fascists and other ists with sociopolitical agendas. …..it makes me want to go out and hit things. With a sword. 🙂
In my past as a HEMA fencer I well remember the interpretations by Burton and Egerton Castle, and my coaches efforts to suss out what was Victorian speculation, actual historical methods, and information that might not have come down to us from historical fechtbuchs at all. It’s been about ten years since I was involved – how is the modern scholarship developing?
The alt right’s attempts to use history as a weapon to further their agendas is a depressing, horrifying trend. How long has it been going on? I remember us discussing this elsewhere and you told me that HEMA is pretty good about policing their ranks and kicking out trouble makers. Other venues are having more problems – I found this article on white supremacists infiltrating Renaissance faires (https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-alt-right-is-taking-over-renaissance-fairs) and it sounds like it’s hard to tell when someone is using a symbol as a racist dog whistle or innocent mistake 🙁