March wind is a jolly fellow;
He likes to joke and play.
He turns umbrellas inside out
And blows men's hats away.
He calls the pussy willows
And whisper in each ear,
'Wake up you lazy little seeds
Don't you know that spring is here'?
photo: gb
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Liselund Slot at Møn and The White Lady
Liselund Slot.
The owner of Marienborg Manor on the western part of Møn, Antoine de Bosc de la Calmette, created around 1790 a lovely white summerhouse (Lystslot) for his beloved wife, Lise Iselin. The house was situated at the high part of Møn and surrounded by a piece of land, meant for an English garden, but the couple died both in a very young age and could not see, how the place grew into a beautiful park. It is said that Lise Calmette still walks around in the park as The White Lady and keeps an eye on the caretaking of the park and the buildings on it.
The Swiss Hut.
Hans Christian Andersen was often a guest at different manors , and he had also been a guest at Liselund, where he overnighted in the Swiss Hut. It is said that he from his window could see a big hollow stump of tree , which gave him the idea to his Fairy Tale: 'The Tinderbox'.
photo: grethe bachmann
Liselund Slot.
The owner of Marienborg Manor on the western part of Møn, Antoine de Bosc de la Calmette, created around 1790 a lovely white summerhouse (Lystslot) for his beloved wife, Lise Iselin. The house was situated at the high part of Møn and surrounded by a piece of land, meant for an English garden, but the couple died both in a very young age and could not see, how the place grew into a beautiful park. It is said that Lise Calmette still walks around in the park as The White Lady and keeps an eye on the caretaking of the park and the buildings on it.
The Swiss Hut.
Hans Christian Andersen was often a guest at different manors , and he had also been a guest at Liselund, where he overnighted in the Swiss Hut. It is said that he from his window could see a big hollow stump of tree , which gave him the idea to his Fairy Tale: 'The Tinderbox'.
photo: grethe bachmann
Monday, January 30, 2006
Kyndelmisse/Candlemas/Missa Candelarum
If Candlemas day be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
But if Candlemas day be clouds and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.
Danish: Kyndelmisse, English: Candlemas,
Latin: Missa Candelarum.
Denmark:
Kyndelmisse was in the Catholic period a celebration of Mary’s purification 40 days after the birth of Christ. Before the reformation the day was used for candle light processions and consecration of those wax candles, which had to be used in the church the following year. In 1770 the Secretary of the Danish Cabinet, minister J.F. Struensee abolished Kyndelmisse as Holy Day together with a couple of other Holy days in Denmark. Even though February 2. for over 200 years has had no official status in Denmark, there are still today several churches marking Kyndelmisse with special candle services and musical services.
The word "KANDELABRIS" carved in runes in chorus.
Mosbjerg Church, North Jutland (try to enlarge picture)
Candle celebrations can be traced back to the 6th century. It was a Christian feast, and the feast of lighted candles is mentioned by Bede, but like so many other holy days the candle celebrations have their roots in folklore. The celebration of Kyndelmisse is the celebration of Midwinter , and February 2. was often seen as the turning point of winter, from where we go towards brighter times – towards spring and summer. In the Catholic church are still Candlemass celebrations with consecration of wax candles and candle light processions in the honour of Virgin Mary.
Newly ploughed field.
Folklore:February 2. was an important day. People reckoned that winter had now half gone. In western Europe this was the time for preparing the fields for the first plant. There was a tradition for a ritual midwinter ploughing , where a young girl went behind the horses and a young guy worked the plough. This was supposed to give good crops. The fields were purified and offerings were made. In England a medieval Anglo Saxon plough charm was said by the farmer while cutting the first furrow:
Whole be thou Earth
Mother of men
In the lap of god
Be thou as growing
Be filled with fodder
For fare –need of men.
When it snows on Kyndelmisse spring will arrive early.
Weather signs were read for February 2., some are similar in various European countries:
A green Kyndelmisse gives a cold Easter.
A dark Kyndelmisse makes the farmer a squire.
If it snows on Kyndelmisse spring will arrive early.
As long as the lark sings before Kyndelmisse, as long she has to cry after Voldermisse (May 1.)
If the lark is heard for the first time on Kyndelmisse-day spring will arrive early.
If a hedgehog can see his own shadow on Kyndelmisse winter will last still 6 weeks.(This is a sign of high pressure, which will take some time to disappear.)
Kyndelmisse-thaw is as good as 100 loads of hay.
In former times people in Jutland said that if the wind on February 2. was so strong that 18 bitches could not hold on to the 19th bitch, then spring would arrive early. On Zealand they said the quite opposite. If it was possible on Kyndelmisse-day to put a wisp of straw outside without it blowing away, then spring was just around the corner.
Kjørmes is an old Danish expression for Kyndelmisse, and the day is often called "Kjørmes-Knud", which refers to that February 2. was considered the coldest day of the year. "Kjørmes-Knud" means hard frost, as if the winter has turned into a knot of frost = a chilblain.
In folklore are descriptions of “Kjørmes-Feast” on February 2., a feast like many others in the peasantry, where everyone brought food and drink. On this day they had pancakes and drank beer or snaps. Other dishes were cabbage in white sauce with pork, brawn and sausages.
People had to eat pork in order to prevent hunger, and it was furthermore good for back pain. It was also a good advice to eat some of the Christmas bread, since it was said to ease the pain from a headache or a viper bite. The tradition of eating pancakes might originate from a pagan tradition of worshipping the sun and the light in spring; the pancake being round and yellow like the sun.
Huldremose (Moor of the Wood Nymph) , DjurslandCeltic:February 2. is halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and signals the beginning of spring in the Celtic calendar. It was called Imbolc in pre-Christian times, meaning “in the belly” of the mother, because seed were starting to germinate and the sheep were pregnant. This time was sacred to Brigid the Earth Mother and goddess of fire, water, healing, poetry and fertility.
Imbolc was a fire festival celebrated with hilltop bonfires. It was also the day when people stopped using candles indoors because the days were getting longer. The fields were purified and blessed with candle light processions, and offerings were made to the goddess. Yuletide greens were burned and people cleaned and purified their homes. This custom lingers on as Spring cleaning.
Brigid was transformed into the Christian St. Brigit, who supposedly was converted from Druidism by St. Patrick. She remained associated with miracles and fertility. Originally Imbolc was celebrated on February 1., but the Catholic church transformed it into Candlemas on February 2.
photo: grethe bachmann
If Candlemas day be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
But if Candlemas day be clouds and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.
Danish: Kyndelmisse, English: Candlemas,
Latin: Missa Candelarum.
Denmark:
Kyndelmisse was in the Catholic period a celebration of Mary’s purification 40 days after the birth of Christ. Before the reformation the day was used for candle light processions and consecration of those wax candles, which had to be used in the church the following year. In 1770 the Secretary of the Danish Cabinet, minister J.F. Struensee abolished Kyndelmisse as Holy Day together with a couple of other Holy days in Denmark. Even though February 2. for over 200 years has had no official status in Denmark, there are still today several churches marking Kyndelmisse with special candle services and musical services.
The word "KANDELABRIS" carved in runes in chorus.
Mosbjerg Church, North Jutland (try to enlarge picture)
Candle celebrations can be traced back to the 6th century. It was a Christian feast, and the feast of lighted candles is mentioned by Bede, but like so many other holy days the candle celebrations have their roots in folklore. The celebration of Kyndelmisse is the celebration of Midwinter , and February 2. was often seen as the turning point of winter, from where we go towards brighter times – towards spring and summer. In the Catholic church are still Candlemass celebrations with consecration of wax candles and candle light processions in the honour of Virgin Mary.
Newly ploughed field.
Folklore:February 2. was an important day. People reckoned that winter had now half gone. In western Europe this was the time for preparing the fields for the first plant. There was a tradition for a ritual midwinter ploughing , where a young girl went behind the horses and a young guy worked the plough. This was supposed to give good crops. The fields were purified and offerings were made. In England a medieval Anglo Saxon plough charm was said by the farmer while cutting the first furrow:
Whole be thou Earth
Mother of men
In the lap of god
Be thou as growing
Be filled with fodder
For fare –need of men.
When it snows on Kyndelmisse spring will arrive early.
Weather signs were read for February 2., some are similar in various European countries:
A green Kyndelmisse gives a cold Easter.
A dark Kyndelmisse makes the farmer a squire.
If it snows on Kyndelmisse spring will arrive early.
As long as the lark sings before Kyndelmisse, as long she has to cry after Voldermisse (May 1.)
If the lark is heard for the first time on Kyndelmisse-day spring will arrive early.
If a hedgehog can see his own shadow on Kyndelmisse winter will last still 6 weeks.(This is a sign of high pressure, which will take some time to disappear.)
Kyndelmisse-thaw is as good as 100 loads of hay.
In former times people in Jutland said that if the wind on February 2. was so strong that 18 bitches could not hold on to the 19th bitch, then spring would arrive early. On Zealand they said the quite opposite. If it was possible on Kyndelmisse-day to put a wisp of straw outside without it blowing away, then spring was just around the corner.
Kjørmes is an old Danish expression for Kyndelmisse, and the day is often called "Kjørmes-Knud", which refers to that February 2. was considered the coldest day of the year. "Kjørmes-Knud" means hard frost, as if the winter has turned into a knot of frost = a chilblain.
In folklore are descriptions of “Kjørmes-Feast” on February 2., a feast like many others in the peasantry, where everyone brought food and drink. On this day they had pancakes and drank beer or snaps. Other dishes were cabbage in white sauce with pork, brawn and sausages.
People had to eat pork in order to prevent hunger, and it was furthermore good for back pain. It was also a good advice to eat some of the Christmas bread, since it was said to ease the pain from a headache or a viper bite. The tradition of eating pancakes might originate from a pagan tradition of worshipping the sun and the light in spring; the pancake being round and yellow like the sun.
Huldremose (Moor of the Wood Nymph) , DjurslandCeltic:February 2. is halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and signals the beginning of spring in the Celtic calendar. It was called Imbolc in pre-Christian times, meaning “in the belly” of the mother, because seed were starting to germinate and the sheep were pregnant. This time was sacred to Brigid the Earth Mother and goddess of fire, water, healing, poetry and fertility.
Imbolc was a fire festival celebrated with hilltop bonfires. It was also the day when people stopped using candles indoors because the days were getting longer. The fields were purified and blessed with candle light processions, and offerings were made to the goddess. Yuletide greens were burned and people cleaned and purified their homes. This custom lingers on as Spring cleaning.
Brigid was transformed into the Christian St. Brigit, who supposedly was converted from Druidism by St. Patrick. She remained associated with miracles and fertility. Originally Imbolc was celebrated on February 1., but the Catholic church transformed it into Candlemas on February 2.
photo: grethe bachmann
February
The Latin word februare means purification, referring to the purification feast dedicated to Februus of the Underworld, an Etruscan god. The Lupercalia-feast was held in his honour in ancient Rome.
An old Norse name “gøje”-month is known in parts of the North. This might refer to the legendary Goa, who is a daughter of “Snow the Old”. People sacrificed to him at Midwinter-Blot.
The Latin word februare means purification, referring to the purification feast dedicated to Februus of the Underworld, an Etruscan god. The Lupercalia-feast was held in his honour in ancient Rome.
An old Norse name “gøje”-month is known in parts of the North. This might refer to the legendary Goa, who is a daughter of “Snow the Old”. People sacrificed to him at Midwinter-Blot.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Knud Eriksson Lavard
* March 12. 1096 + January 7. 1131
Sct.Bendts Church, Ringsted, Zealand
Knud was a son of Erik 1. Ejegod and Bodil Thrugotsdatter. After his parents' death on a pilgrimage the seven year old Knud was first brought up by the legendary Zealand chief Skjalm Hvide and later by Herzog Lothar of Saxony, who became German king in 1125. Knud was married to Ingeborg of Russia in 1116; she was a daughter of Grossfürst Mstislav 1. of Kiev and Christina of Sweden, and about the same time , when he was about 20 years old, he became Jarl of the border and Hertug of Schleswig. His mission was to protect the merchants and the trade routes against the Wends, which he did so successfully that the merchants appointed him their patron protector. His byname Lavard was a name of honour; the word originated from Old English hlaford = Lord. It meant Lord(Herre) in Saxon and other Germanic languages - the original meaning was bread giver.
In the beginning of the 1100s Henrik Gottskalkssøn, a son of the Abodrit knés Gottskalk, threatened the Danish south border, since king Niels, his mother's brother, would not pay the inheritance after his mother Sigrid, a daughter of Svend Estridssen. Knud Lavard fought for some years several times against Henrik, until a peace was contracted between Danes and Abodrits. After Henrik Gottskalkssøn's death Knud became - with the assistance from king Lothar - Henrik's successor as knés over the Abodrits under Saxon superiority. Knud Lavard was in this way both the Danish and German king's vassal.
As a son of king Erik 1. Ejegod Knud Lavard was an obvious candidate to the Danish throne, also because he had important and friendly contacts to king Lothar and the Wends, but others were more than interested in the royal power. Among those were his cousin Magnus, a son of king Niels - and another cousin, Henrik Skadelaar, a son of Svend, who like Niels and Erik Ejegod was a son of Svend Estridssen. Svend had been desperate for gaining the Danish crown, but he died on 1104 on his way to Viborg Thing. Henrik had inherited his father's dream; he conspired with Magnus against Knud Lavard for years.
Roskilde Cathedral, Zealand
It all started seemingly peaceful Christmas 1130 in a cosy get-together of the royal family. King Niels, who was about 66 years old, had gathered some of his family in Roskilde. At that point his queen, Margrethe Fredkulla had been gone long ago, it is said she died about 1117. The family members assembled that Christmas might have been Magnus and his wife, Richiza of Poland and their children; Henrik Skadelaar was probably alone, since his wife Ingerid, who was a brother's daughter of Margrethe Fredkulla, had run away with her lover - unless he had brought her back again. The story says he found her in Aalborg. They had three sons.The special Christmas guests were Knud Lavard and his pregnant wife, Ingeborg, and possibly their three daughters, Margrethe, Christina and Cathrine, the eldest was about 13-14 years old. Ingeborg's mother, Christina,was a sister of Margrethe Fredkulla - everyone in these Christmas days were closely related - and yet something sinister went on underneath the surface.
Margrethe was known to be a peacemaker. Her byname Fredkulla meant "The Peace Girl", and while she lived, she had probably enough to do keeping peace among Svend Estridssen's strong willed sons and grandsons. A source says that she had made bad blood between Magnus and Knud Lavard, but it was more plausible Henrik Skadelaar, who intrigued with Magnus against Knud. Henrik was often mentioned as a bitter person, filled with envy and hate against Knud Lavard.Knud was blamed for his royal behaviour and luxurious "foreign" clothes; it was not suitable to outshine the king himself. Maybe it was on this Christmas holiday that Henrik exclaimed that Scarlet clothes would never secure Knud against a sword, to which Knud replied that Henrik was not at all safer in his sheepskins.
After the visit in Roskilde Knud Lavard and his wife and daughters went to visit another kinsman, a daughter of Knud the Holy, Cæcilia and her husband Erik Jarl on their manor house near Haraldsted Church north of Ringsted. Cæcilia and Erik had strong family ties to the powerful Hvide family, since their daughter Inge was married to Skjalm Hvide's son Asser Rig (Ryg). Inge and Asser had two little sons, Absalon was two and Esbern(Snare) three years old. They didn't know yet, but they would soon become the sworn brothers of Knud and Ingeborg's son Valdemar.
While Knud Lavard and Ingeborg were guests by Cæcilia and Erik Jarl, Magnus summoned Knud for a friendly meeting in Haraldsted Forest on January 7th. Ingeborg was suspicious and tried to persuade her husband not to go, but Knud suspected no foul play. He went off with only a few men and straight into an ambush, in which he was murdered by Magnus and his men on the day after Twelfth Night.
Haraldsted Church, Zealand
It is easy to imagine the horror and grief in Knud Lavard's family. Cæcilia asked - probably on behalf of the shocked Ingeborg - that Knud's body should be brought to Haraldsted Church and buried there, but some days later his coffin was carried to Ringsted. On January 14th, seven days after her husband's murder, Ingeborg gave birth to a son, who was named Valdemar after her grandfather, Grand Prince Vladimir Monomachos of Kijev.
Ingeborg spent probably some time by the family in Haraldsted, and she decided that it would be safest for her son to be brought up in the strong and loyal Hvide family like his father before him. Years later she made another important decision for her son. On September 18th in 1137 king Erik 2. Emune was murdered, and the chief Kristiern Svendsen, a cousin of Knud Lavard and one of the mightiest men in the country, wanted the six year old Valdemar pronounced king of Denmark, but Ingeborg opposed strongly and did not give her consent.
Sct. Bendts Church, Ringsted, Zealand
After Knud Lavard's murder the Zealand chiefs held a thing and forced king Niels to send Magnus in exile. Knud's half brother Erik Emune acted as Knud's avenger and was pronounced king in Skaane. Henrik Skadelaar still worked behind scenes and persuaded king Niels to send for his son again, and it was actually Magnus' return, which started several years of bloody civil war between Niels and Magnus on one side and Erik Emune on the other.
Down south the situation was also tense. The German-Roman emperor Lothar (crowned emperor 1133) wanted revenge for the murder of his vassal. In 1134, during the civil wars, the new pope, Innocens, abolished the independence of the Danish Church and placed it under Hamburg-Bremen again. This caused archbishop Asser to join Erik Emune - and so did the migthy Hvide family.
After years of violent civil wars and various victories and defeats it ended on June 4th 1134 in a battle by Fodevig near Lund in Skaane. The battle was a total defeat for Niels and Magnus. Magnus and Henrik Skadelaar were killed, and Niels fled to Schleswig,where he was recognized and killed by the citizens who wanted to revenge Knud Lavard. Erik Emune came on the throne and started at once the efforts to strenghten his legality by having Knud Lavard sainted.
Knud Lavard's chapel, Haraldsted, Zealand
According to tradition a spring welled up where Knud Lavard was murdered - and another spring where the bearers stopped on their way to Ringsted. Soon miracles happened by his grave, and an abbey was founded in 1135 to take care of the grave and help the pious pilgrims, who came to visit. Upon the scene of the murder a chapel was built, which gave good income by pilgrimages.
Finally the Holy See had to acknowledge Knud Lavard as a saint, and in a great ceremony his bones were moved into a glorious shrine upon the high altar of the big - not yet finished abbey church, which later was given the name Sct. Bendts Church. This happened on June 25. 1170, which became Knud Lavard's official Saint's day. At this point Knud's son had gained power long ago. He was crowned sole king in 1157 by the name Valdemar the Great.
photos: grethe bachmann
* March 12. 1096 + January 7. 1131
Sct.Bendts Church, Ringsted, Zealand
Knud was a son of Erik 1. Ejegod and Bodil Thrugotsdatter. After his parents' death on a pilgrimage the seven year old Knud was first brought up by the legendary Zealand chief Skjalm Hvide and later by Herzog Lothar of Saxony, who became German king in 1125. Knud was married to Ingeborg of Russia in 1116; she was a daughter of Grossfürst Mstislav 1. of Kiev and Christina of Sweden, and about the same time , when he was about 20 years old, he became Jarl of the border and Hertug of Schleswig. His mission was to protect the merchants and the trade routes against the Wends, which he did so successfully that the merchants appointed him their patron protector. His byname Lavard was a name of honour; the word originated from Old English hlaford = Lord. It meant Lord(Herre) in Saxon and other Germanic languages - the original meaning was bread giver.
In the beginning of the 1100s Henrik Gottskalkssøn, a son of the Abodrit knés Gottskalk, threatened the Danish south border, since king Niels, his mother's brother, would not pay the inheritance after his mother Sigrid, a daughter of Svend Estridssen. Knud Lavard fought for some years several times against Henrik, until a peace was contracted between Danes and Abodrits. After Henrik Gottskalkssøn's death Knud became - with the assistance from king Lothar - Henrik's successor as knés over the Abodrits under Saxon superiority. Knud Lavard was in this way both the Danish and German king's vassal.
As a son of king Erik 1. Ejegod Knud Lavard was an obvious candidate to the Danish throne, also because he had important and friendly contacts to king Lothar and the Wends, but others were more than interested in the royal power. Among those were his cousin Magnus, a son of king Niels - and another cousin, Henrik Skadelaar, a son of Svend, who like Niels and Erik Ejegod was a son of Svend Estridssen. Svend had been desperate for gaining the Danish crown, but he died on 1104 on his way to Viborg Thing. Henrik had inherited his father's dream; he conspired with Magnus against Knud Lavard for years.
Roskilde Cathedral, Zealand
It all started seemingly peaceful Christmas 1130 in a cosy get-together of the royal family. King Niels, who was about 66 years old, had gathered some of his family in Roskilde. At that point his queen, Margrethe Fredkulla had been gone long ago, it is said she died about 1117. The family members assembled that Christmas might have been Magnus and his wife, Richiza of Poland and their children; Henrik Skadelaar was probably alone, since his wife Ingerid, who was a brother's daughter of Margrethe Fredkulla, had run away with her lover - unless he had brought her back again. The story says he found her in Aalborg. They had three sons.The special Christmas guests were Knud Lavard and his pregnant wife, Ingeborg, and possibly their three daughters, Margrethe, Christina and Cathrine, the eldest was about 13-14 years old. Ingeborg's mother, Christina,was a sister of Margrethe Fredkulla - everyone in these Christmas days were closely related - and yet something sinister went on underneath the surface.
Margrethe was known to be a peacemaker. Her byname Fredkulla meant "The Peace Girl", and while she lived, she had probably enough to do keeping peace among Svend Estridssen's strong willed sons and grandsons. A source says that she had made bad blood between Magnus and Knud Lavard, but it was more plausible Henrik Skadelaar, who intrigued with Magnus against Knud. Henrik was often mentioned as a bitter person, filled with envy and hate against Knud Lavard.Knud was blamed for his royal behaviour and luxurious "foreign" clothes; it was not suitable to outshine the king himself. Maybe it was on this Christmas holiday that Henrik exclaimed that Scarlet clothes would never secure Knud against a sword, to which Knud replied that Henrik was not at all safer in his sheepskins.
After the visit in Roskilde Knud Lavard and his wife and daughters went to visit another kinsman, a daughter of Knud the Holy, Cæcilia and her husband Erik Jarl on their manor house near Haraldsted Church north of Ringsted. Cæcilia and Erik had strong family ties to the powerful Hvide family, since their daughter Inge was married to Skjalm Hvide's son Asser Rig (Ryg). Inge and Asser had two little sons, Absalon was two and Esbern(Snare) three years old. They didn't know yet, but they would soon become the sworn brothers of Knud and Ingeborg's son Valdemar.
While Knud Lavard and Ingeborg were guests by Cæcilia and Erik Jarl, Magnus summoned Knud for a friendly meeting in Haraldsted Forest on January 7th. Ingeborg was suspicious and tried to persuade her husband not to go, but Knud suspected no foul play. He went off with only a few men and straight into an ambush, in which he was murdered by Magnus and his men on the day after Twelfth Night.
Haraldsted Church, Zealand
It is easy to imagine the horror and grief in Knud Lavard's family. Cæcilia asked - probably on behalf of the shocked Ingeborg - that Knud's body should be brought to Haraldsted Church and buried there, but some days later his coffin was carried to Ringsted. On January 14th, seven days after her husband's murder, Ingeborg gave birth to a son, who was named Valdemar after her grandfather, Grand Prince Vladimir Monomachos of Kijev.
Ingeborg spent probably some time by the family in Haraldsted, and she decided that it would be safest for her son to be brought up in the strong and loyal Hvide family like his father before him. Years later she made another important decision for her son. On September 18th in 1137 king Erik 2. Emune was murdered, and the chief Kristiern Svendsen, a cousin of Knud Lavard and one of the mightiest men in the country, wanted the six year old Valdemar pronounced king of Denmark, but Ingeborg opposed strongly and did not give her consent.
Sct. Bendts Church, Ringsted, Zealand
After Knud Lavard's murder the Zealand chiefs held a thing and forced king Niels to send Magnus in exile. Knud's half brother Erik Emune acted as Knud's avenger and was pronounced king in Skaane. Henrik Skadelaar still worked behind scenes and persuaded king Niels to send for his son again, and it was actually Magnus' return, which started several years of bloody civil war between Niels and Magnus on one side and Erik Emune on the other.
Down south the situation was also tense. The German-Roman emperor Lothar (crowned emperor 1133) wanted revenge for the murder of his vassal. In 1134, during the civil wars, the new pope, Innocens, abolished the independence of the Danish Church and placed it under Hamburg-Bremen again. This caused archbishop Asser to join Erik Emune - and so did the migthy Hvide family.
After years of violent civil wars and various victories and defeats it ended on June 4th 1134 in a battle by Fodevig near Lund in Skaane. The battle was a total defeat for Niels and Magnus. Magnus and Henrik Skadelaar were killed, and Niels fled to Schleswig,where he was recognized and killed by the citizens who wanted to revenge Knud Lavard. Erik Emune came on the throne and started at once the efforts to strenghten his legality by having Knud Lavard sainted.
Knud Lavard's chapel, Haraldsted, Zealand
According to tradition a spring welled up where Knud Lavard was murdered - and another spring where the bearers stopped on their way to Ringsted. Soon miracles happened by his grave, and an abbey was founded in 1135 to take care of the grave and help the pious pilgrims, who came to visit. Upon the scene of the murder a chapel was built, which gave good income by pilgrimages.
Finally the Holy See had to acknowledge Knud Lavard as a saint, and in a great ceremony his bones were moved into a glorious shrine upon the high altar of the big - not yet finished abbey church, which later was given the name Sct. Bendts Church. This happened on June 25. 1170, which became Knud Lavard's official Saint's day. At this point Knud's son had gained power long ago. He was crowned sole king in 1157 by the name Valdemar the Great.
photos: grethe bachmann
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
JANUARY
Skovridervej, photo: gb
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginning and endings. He was represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of harvest time, planting, marriage, birth and other types of beginnings, especially the beginning of important events in a person's life. The double faced head appears on many Roman coins.
Skovridervej, photo: gb
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginning and endings. He was represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of harvest time, planting, marriage, birth and other types of beginnings, especially the beginning of important events in a person's life. The double faced head appears on many Roman coins.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Sønder Vissing Church, Middle Jutland
The big runic stone inside the church.
photo:grethe bachmann
The inscription from the second half of the 10th century on the big runic stone inside
the church says:
TOVE,MISTIVES DATTER,
HARALD DEN GODES,
GORMS SØNS KONE,
LOD GØRE DETTE MINDE
EFTER SIN MODER.
Tove, Mistives daughter,
Harald the Goods,
Gorms sons wife,
let do this memory
after her mother.
Gorm and Harald must be Gorm the Old(died ab. 940) and Harald Bluetooth, who reigned
Denmark from ab. 940 to 985. Tove was the daughter of the Obotritterfürst Mistive/Mistivoj.
The big runic stone inside the church.
photo:grethe bachmann
The inscription from the second half of the 10th century on the big runic stone inside
the church says:
TOVE,MISTIVES DATTER,
HARALD DEN GODES,
GORMS SØNS KONE,
LOD GØRE DETTE MINDE
EFTER SIN MODER.
Tove, Mistives daughter,
Harald the Goods,
Gorms sons wife,
let do this memory
after her mother.
Gorm and Harald must be Gorm the Old(died ab. 940) and Harald Bluetooth, who reigned
Denmark from ab. 940 to 985. Tove was the daughter of the Obotritterfürst Mistive/Mistivoj.
"Tørskindmanden"
by Robert Jacobsen
Modern art not far away from the ancient Viking Bridge in Ravning. A sculpture park in Tørskind with a fine view across Vejle River Valley was opened here in 1991. Sculptures by Robert Jacobsen ("Great Robert") from Denmark and Jean Clareboudt from France. Materials: iron, concrete, stone, granite and 400 year old bog oak. The theme is the sun's movement upon the sky and the change of light and shades during the day.
photo: grethe bachmann
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Queen Berengaria of Denmark
Skt. Bendts Church, Ringsted
When queen Berengaria's grave was opened in 1885, they found her thick plait of hair, her finely formed skull and finely built body bones. A portrait drawing was made to show how she might have looked. Berengaria was a daughter of king Sancho I of Portugal and queen Aldonca and a descendant of Robert Capet. She was married on May 3rd 1214 to king Valdemar II Sejr of Denmark. She became the mother of three kings, but she died already on March 27th 1221 and was buried in Sankt Bendts Church in Ringsted, the burial place for the early Danish kings and queens.
Her three sons and a daughter with Valdemar:
Erik IV Plovpenning, born 1216 , king from 1241-1250; he was murdered by his brother Albert at Slien August 9th 1250. Erik was married to Jutta of Saxony.
Albert, born ab. 1218, king from 1250-1252, was killed in a battle against the Frisians at the peninsula Eiderstedt June 29th 1252. Married to Mechtilde of Holstein.
Christopher I, born 1219, king 1252-1259, died in Ribe May 29th 1259, possibly poisoned by alter wine. Married to Margrethe Sambiria of Pommern.
Sophie, who was married to Johan 1. of Brandenburg in 1236. She died November 2nd 1247.
Eleonora of Portugal, Berengaria's niece, was a daughter of Berengaria's brother, king Alfonso II el Pancudo and Urraca of Castile, she was married in 1231 to Valdemar the Young, Valdemar's son with his first queen, Dagmar of Bohemia. Eleonora was born in 1211 and died in childbirth August 28th 1231, her child died the same year. Valdemar the Young was killed by an accidental shot at Refsnæs November 28th 1231. Buried in Ringsted with Eleonora.
photo: grethe bachmann
Der er ingenting i verden så stille som sne
Skovridervej ved Marselisborg
photo: grethe bachmann
Der er ingenting i verden så stille som sne
når den sagte gennem luften daler
dæmper dine skridt, tysser, tysser blidt
på de stemmer, som for höjlydt taler
der er ingenting i verden af en renhed som sne
svanedun fra himlens hvide vinger
på din haand et fnug, er som taaredug
hvide tanker tyst i dans sig svinger
der er ingenting i verden der kan mildne som sne
tys, du lytter til det tavse klinger
aah saa fin en klang, sölverklokkesang
inderst inde i dit hjerte ringer.
Helge Rode 1896
Skovridervej ved Marselisborg
photo: grethe bachmann
Der er ingenting i verden så stille som sne
når den sagte gennem luften daler
dæmper dine skridt, tysser, tysser blidt
på de stemmer, som for höjlydt taler
der er ingenting i verden af en renhed som sne
svanedun fra himlens hvide vinger
på din haand et fnug, er som taaredug
hvide tanker tyst i dans sig svinger
der er ingenting i verden der kan mildne som sne
tys, du lytter til det tavse klinger
aah saa fin en klang, sölverklokkesang
inderst inde i dit hjerte ringer.
Helge Rode 1896
Falconry in the Middle Ages
- especially in Medieval England
Gurre Castle Ruin, Zealand
by Grethe Bachmann
Falcons social history medieval
Historically, no bird of prey has shared as close a relationship with humans as the falcon did during the Middle Ages, when the sport of falconry and hawking were an important part of life. It reigned as the most popular sport in England for more than four centuries. So important were falcons in England that the first laws aimed at protecting birds of prey were treated here. Perhaps no such stringent laws have ever been passed to protect a wild bird or animal.
Somehow wildlife conservation was born during the age of falconry.No one knows exactly where or when humans started using trained raptors to hunt for food, but a theory says that it probably came into existence by the nomads on the Asian steppes around 2000-1600 B.C., from where it spread east to China and west to Arabia, Persia and Europe.The first record of humans using birds of prey for hunting comes from an Assyrian bas-relief dated in the early part of the seventh century B.C. References to falconry in China are as early as 680 B.C., but one Japanese work states that falcons were used as gifts to Chinese princes during the Hsia dynasty, 206-220 B.C.
With the increasing trade falconry reached the Mediterranean about 400 A.D. Germanic tribes acquired the sport around the sixth century A.D., and by 875 A.D. it was practiced through western Europe and Saxon England.The first documented English falconer was the Saxon king of Kent, Ethelbert II (died 762), followed by Alfred the Great and Athelstan in the ninth century.
After the Norman conquest in 1066, new raptor species were introduced in England. The Normans restricted falconry to the upper classes, and peasants could be hanged for keeping hawks. Yeomen were allowed to use the short-winged hawks, like goshawks and sparrowhawks, to hunt for food, but only king and nobility were allowed to have the more noble long-winged falcons, like gyrfalcon, peregrine and merlin.
There are few written sources about falconry in the period before the Middle Ages, but already around year 1000 big amounts of art and literature began to emerge. Beyond being hunting birds the falcons were symbols of power, strength and superiority and found their place in coat of arms, banners and tapestries. The famous Bayeux tapestry is one of the best preserved contemporary sources. The first 10-15 meters of the embroidery is about a falcon hunt of Harold Godwinson's.
In the thirteenth century Frederick II of Hohenstaufen brought the sport to its highest state of respectability, when he wrote "The Art of Falconry". The book took over thirty years to complete, and as one of the first scientific works about birds placed him as one of the founders of ornithology. He introduced the Arabic practice of hooding falcons to keep them tranquil during training. His work also holds several pages of interesting instructions for dog trainers. The falcons often worked in conjunction with special trained hunting dogs, raised with the falcons since puppy hood. Frederick II's book is available for modern readers, newly edited and reprinted in 1969.
The position of falconer was usually handed down from father to son. In a royal household he was called Lord Falconer, sitting fourth from the king at table. He was responsible for capturing, training and caring for the hawks. He was a key number of the hunt, planning with the lord which birds to fly at which prey. He also rode to war with the lord, bringing the birds along to hunt for food.During the Hundred Year's War falcons accompanied their masters across the Channel to the battles of Grecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. When Edward III invaded France, he had thirty falconers with him. John of Gaunt often brought hunting parties to the Test Valley, and since it was due to the practice of ringing these birds, the huntings are documented in the Domesday Book.
Neither hawks or falcons are suitable house-pets because they have spectacular mode of excretion, they are tradionally kept on special perches standing in sand, the mews. Richard II let build the Royal Mews at Charing Cross in London, and the office of Master of the Mews is still extant.Falconry remained popular among royalty until the reign of George III. The Stuarts were particularly fond of the sport. Henry VIII was perhaps the most important falcon advocate since Frederick II. Mary, Queen of Scots, was an ardent fan of the merlins("milady's falcon"), and Elizabeth, who liked the sport herself, occassionally let Mary out of the dungeon for short hawking excursions.
Falcons were so highly valued that they were worth more than their weight in gold. During one bloody crusade in the late fourteenth century, the Ottoman Sultan Beyazid captured the son of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and turned down Philip's offer of 200.000 gold ducats for ransom. Instead Beyazid wanted and was given something even more precious, twelve white gyrfalcons.
Falconry's popularity became a status symbol in medieval society, but it was a rather expensive pleasure. The birds required intricate housing and all kinds of accessories- and falconers were required to feed the birds a balanced diet on a daily basis. The average citizen kept more common birds like sparrowhawks and goshawks. According to the Boke of St. Albans of 1486, written by Dame Juliana Barnes, the prioress of Sopwell nunnery, there was a type of bird of prey for each class of feudal society. To keep a falcon that was above one's station was a felony, and the typical punishment was cutting off hands of people, who committed that crime.
People brought their pet falcon everywhere, perched on hand or wrist. Falcons were very popular among the clergy and were taken into religious services, especially nuns were rarely seen without their falcon on their wrist. Knights took their favourite birds to church so often that eventually rules were made to bar them. A few couples even got married with falcons on their fists. A lady was advised by her husband to take her bird everywhere with her so that it would become accustomed to people. Elements of the sport were found nearly everywhere. The Lisle Letters, published in six volumes by Muriel St. Claire Bryne, reveals how thoroughly falconry permeated various realities of life in the household of Lord and Lady Lisle.
In Shakespeare's works the reader will probably get a more distinct vision of falconry and the sporting pastimes of the aristocracy of that day than in any other way. To understand falconry and the falconer's words was an important part of the upbringing of young men and women, and it was often a necessity in order to understand the expressions in art and in some of Shakespeare's plays. In Shapespeare's time it was usual to go hunting in the afternoon, and when the falcon went up for the heron in a North Western wind, the falconer couldn't know the falcon from the heron, because he had the sun in his eyes. Therefore the words in Hamlet: " I am but mad north northwest, when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."
The Golden Age of falconry ended several centuries ago, due to the discovery of the firearms, but also because the feudal systems changed, and the forests were cleared for farmland.
Borrowed words:
The word codger, used today to describe an elderly person, can be traced back to the falconry term, cadger, who carried a portable perch called a cadge for a falconer. Most cadgers were old falconers.
Callow, which is a nestling raptor whose feathers are still in the blood-quill stage, is now used to describe someone who is young or untested.
When raptors drink , it is called bowsing. A bird that drinks heavily is called a boozer, the term used to describe the same tendency in humans.
The falcon's maximum speed:
Speed is the falcon's forte. If birds of prey were airplanes, then the eagles, the buzzards, the kites would be the gliders, and the falcons would be the jets. Estimates of the maximum speed of a falcon dive are as fast as 273 miles an hour (440 km/h) based on analysis of motion-picture footage of a falcon in full vertical dive taken by the Naval Research Laboratory in England in WWII. Most biologists, however, estimate the falcon's maximum velocity at 150 to 200 miles an hour ( 240 to 320 km/h), which is still faster than any other animal on earth.
Koldinghus Castle, East Jutland
Falconry in the Middle Ages II
by grethe bachmann
"Their haufdu Hauka sina a oxlom" (They had hawks on their shoulders) Rolf Krakes Saga Chapter XL
Rolf Krake (6th century) and his men went on a visit to his hostile stepfather king Adils in Uppsala, and the saga says: "They had hawks on their shoulders, and this was considered a great splendour, and king Rolf owned the hawk named Höjbrog."
Hakon Jarl had to pay a yearly tax to Harald Bluetooth (d.985) of 10 mark in gold and 60 hunting falcons for that part of Norway that was transferred to him, and on account of this tax Harald Bluetooth used to call Norway his Haukei (hawk- or falcon island.)
Canute the Holy had in 1085 a seal made, showing him on horseback with a falcon upon his hand, and after his death in 1086 his mortal remains were swept in a Byzantine silken carpet with motifs of birds of prey.
Hakon the Old of Norway (1204-1263) was the first northern king, who made present of falcons to foreign sovereigns, thus a considerable amount of goshawks, and later Icelandic falcons were sent from Norway and Iceland to England. In 1276 Edward I received eight grey and three white gyrfalcons from the king of Norway as a sign of peace.
In the 14th century at least five shipments of falcons were sent to the Emperor of Morocco, and negotations concerning similar shipments to Tripoli were conducted by the Danish king.The Renaissance king Christian IV gave his brother in law, James the First of England and Scotland 24 falcons every year.
Finding new birds was an important endeavour in the Middle Ages. Falcons from Scandinavia were considered especially good birds. The gyrfalcon came in colours from grey in Scandinavia, especially Norway, to a lighter shade in Iceland and to and almost white with black markings in Greenland. Falcons from Iceland and Greenland were sent to the Royal mews in Norway and Denmark, and from here they were sold to a medieval company in Lübeck in northern Germany and then shipped across the Alps to Venice and thence to Alexandria, Baghdad and Constantinople.
The Icelandic gyrfalcon was already in 1100-1220 years exported to the courts in Europe. The resources for bringing falcons home from Iceland were rather troublesome, and the men had to travel several hundred kilometres along primitive roads. Many falcons died during these long travels in spite of the best care. Furthermore there had to be enough food for the falcons upon the ships on the way home. An account shows that 10 falcons for a period of 3 months eat 200 kilo meat, which had to be of the finest and leanest quality. Some falcons (ab.12-20%) were rejected in the end ot the journey, if they did not please the royal falconer. Most Icelandic falcons were given to foreign courts, only a few were kept by the Danish and Norwegian falconry.
Falcons were also captured in the open moors of Valkenswaard, Holland, where each year millions of migrant birds would stop on their way south, followed by the falcons. All during the Middle Ages falcons were trapped and trained here for the nobility of Europe. In the fall, knights and falconers from the courts of every feudal lord and king would gather for lively medieval auctions, bidding against one another for the best of the birds captured that year.
There are two main categories of birds used in falconry, long winged falcons, which hunt birds, and short winged hawks, (accipiters), which hunt a range of prey, often focusing on rabbits. In falconry the birds were divided by the type of bird and by the way they were flown at the prey. While short wings could be flown in wooded country, the long winged falcons required large open tracts, where the falconer could follow the flight with ease. The general rule was that true falcons were "hawks of the lure" and accipiters were "hawks of the fist".
The term hawking was used when a hawk was used for the hunting, and even the broader term austringer was used for a falconer, who hunted with hawks. The term falconry was used strictly for hunting with falcons. Short wings (goshawk, sparrow hawk) were not flown to the lure, but encouraged to make long flights at a rabbit lure pulled along the ground and encouraged to fly from tree to tree as the falconer walked along. If the hunt was not successful the bird returned to its place on the falconer's glove and waited for a new opportunity.
One of the characteristics of a true falcon is to prey on birds in the open air. They circle hundreds of feet into the air, waiting for the prey to be flushed out by beaters or dogs. In falconry only the larger female bird was properly called the falcon. The male, which is up to one third smaller than the female, was the tiercel. A male hawk is also one third smaller than the female, but never called tiercel.
The long winged falcons were restricted to nobility, and the gyrfalcon was considered the ultimate status symbol of the medieval potentates. It makes its home in the Arctic, and it prefers to take its prey in a low ground hugging attack. The gyrfalcon is the largest and noblest of the falcons, it's similar to the peregrine, but heavier and harder to train.
The most highly evolved of the falcons is the peregrine. It is a large falcon, but unlike the gyrfalcon the peregrine takes almost all of its prey out of the sky. The peregrine was a favourite of falconers and the most frequently bird used for falconry. It was not only easily trained, but provided the most daring spectacle. It circles high overhead, waiting for the quarry to be flushed, then dive for it at high speeds. In locations where the main quarry was wild fowl, it was sometimes called "hawk of the river". The peregrine was found all over Europe.
The saker was the banner bird of Attila the Hun, it feeds only on small mammals, usually taking its prey near the ground. Sakers were trained in Arabia to go after gazelles. They were the bird of choice of Arab falconers. Their breeding grounds were in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The lanners were used predominantly in France and Spain during the Middle Ages.
The hobby was considered the easiest falcon to train, it was mostly used for hunting larks. The merlin was "Milady's Falcon". It was considered the best flyer among the birds of prey and was sent after high flying skylarks. It circles up on a higher flying bird, until it is exhaused - and it doesn't mind chasing it through a tight flock of birds. Falconers recommended the kestrel for beginners, it was easy to train and handle and was used for hunting small birds like sparrows and larks.
Accipiters, (goshawks, sparrow hwawks) take birds too, but they do so in forests, where their short wings and long tails give them the ability to swerve through the branches, taking their prey by stealth and surprise. They waited upon the falconer's wrist or fist until the game was flushed, then were flown straight at the prey. They cannot fly as fast as the true falcons, but they can turn instantly and locate their quarry in dense vegetation.
The goshawk was considered the classic hunting bird, it was used for hunting pheasant, partridge, wild duck, hare and rabbit. Goshawk was everyman's hawk, as handy to the poacher as to the squire and required less skill than the peregrine. The austringer was not on horseback when hunting with goshawk. Its virtues were summed up in a nickname: kitchen-hawk. The French came to refer to goshawks as cuisiniers.
The female sparrow hawk was used for quail hunting.
The only difference between a trained and a wild falcon was that the falconer's bird had learned to accept the falconer as its helper. Falcons were taken from their nests as young birds and kept in mews or hawk houses. The falcon required much human contact and careful attention on daily basis, or else it would quickly grow wild an unreliable.
The falconer would feed the bird secretly, so it would not be aware that the food came from humans. The falcon was fed with its hood still on, until it ate without hesitation. Then gradually the hood was removed and the bird allowed to eat by candle light, as it slowly became accustomed to men, women, children and dogs.
Special devices aided the falconer. The falcons had small bells tied around their necks to help the falconer locate them, and they wore jesses, small leathered straps that hung loose, though they could later be attached to a leash. A leather hood covered the eyes of the bird to keep it calm.
Later the bird would be making long flights, and if it was absent at the regular feeding time, the falconer captured it back with nets. Training falcons required extreme patience and persistence, and the falconer was morally committed to keep his bird in good condition and to fly it regularly. Basically a hunting bird had to be tamed, or "manned". Raptors were not tamed in training, even birds bred for several generations in captivity were not tame in the way that social animals are.
The falconer was responsible for finding proper terrain with right wind conditions, plantations and proper quarry. When this was taken care of he was responsible for positioning himself, and if he had a dog, also the dog, in a way that left the bird in a position with the best chances possible of catching the quarry. Eventually the bird was taken into the field, where it was introduced to the lure, a padded weight with wings and with a long string attached. Food was tied to the lure and the falcon allowed to eat from it, until the bird associated the lure with food.
Birds were flown according to their weight and hunger. A fat bird might refuse to fly at all. The daily weighing of the bird was vital, and to ignore a bird's weight and condition was to lose it or kill it. The falconer manipulated the falcon's diet, so that the bird was in peak health, but just hungry enough to come to the falconer and the lure when called. A falconer must never take food away from the falcon. Once the bird killed its prey, the bird was taken from it with more food on the glove.
Before the hunting the bird was equipped with a hood, often decorated with tuft of feathers in the colours of the royal house. Hunting with falcons was usually done on horseback. The falconer wore his bird on his left glove hand. During the ride the falcon's breast had to be turned against the wind to prevent it from being restless. When the falconer saw the quarry, he threw the falcon up in the air, and if the bird caught eye of the game, it pursued it and went down on it in a vertical dive.
The horse was necessary for the falconer in order to move fast, and he had help from his dogs, who came to the falcon and its catch early. It all depended on the falcon itself, whether or not there would be any hunting. The falconer hurried to the spot and offered the falcon a piece of lean meat of partridge or something he knew his bird liked in change. It was essential that the falcon didn't feel cheated by the trade. If the bird found it was cheated it would fly away. Occassionally the falcon didn't start to eat the quarry, but awaited the approach of the falconer and the treasured morsel of lean meat.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen said in his work about falconry that hunting for food put too great a burden on the falcon. He believed falconry was best practiced as an art, and he cautioned that a successful falconer could not be "indolent or careless, for this art requires much labor and much study". He advised the falconer to quiet a restless falcon with mouthfuls of pure cold water - after thouroughly having cleansed his mouth before the operation. Before Frederick II introduced the falcon hood, the birds' lower eyelids were stitched together with a fine silken thread, which was loosened gradually in the progress of the training.
The original purpose of falconry, using birds to capture quarry, was slowly replaced among the nobility by another purpose. The use of falconry was not a primary means of obtaining food for medieval citizens. Not even among nobility did falcons and hawks provide other than a small percent of meat. Falconry provided an opportunity for kings and lords to host other nobles for grand hunting parties. The kings of England and France, the Russian czars and the Holy Roman emperor all maintained extravagant falconry establishments. For the nobility falconry practiced on a magnificent scale became an essential element in establishing and maintaining personal and national prestige.
The patron of falconers St. Bavon is celebrated on October 1st. According to legend he was accused of stealing a white gyrfalcon, tried for the offence, and condemned to be executed. On the day and place of his execution the missing falcon suddenly appeared in the air and came down to land. St. Bavon's innocence, established by sign from heaven, caused him to be released immediately. He subsequently came to be regarded as the patron saint for falconers. He died in 659 and is buried in the cathedral in Gent.
Sources:Michael Tennesen: Flight of the Falcon, Edith Wenzel: Kunsten at jage med rovfugl, Bettina Buhl: Falkoneren og hans jagtfugl, Shawn E.Carroll: Ancient and Medieval Falconry
photo: grethe bachmann
Gurre Castle Ruin, Zealand
by Grethe Bachmann
Falcons social history medieval
Historically, no bird of prey has shared as close a relationship with humans as the falcon did during the Middle Ages, when the sport of falconry and hawking were an important part of life. It reigned as the most popular sport in England for more than four centuries. So important were falcons in England that the first laws aimed at protecting birds of prey were treated here. Perhaps no such stringent laws have ever been passed to protect a wild bird or animal.
Somehow wildlife conservation was born during the age of falconry.No one knows exactly where or when humans started using trained raptors to hunt for food, but a theory says that it probably came into existence by the nomads on the Asian steppes around 2000-1600 B.C., from where it spread east to China and west to Arabia, Persia and Europe.The first record of humans using birds of prey for hunting comes from an Assyrian bas-relief dated in the early part of the seventh century B.C. References to falconry in China are as early as 680 B.C., but one Japanese work states that falcons were used as gifts to Chinese princes during the Hsia dynasty, 206-220 B.C.
With the increasing trade falconry reached the Mediterranean about 400 A.D. Germanic tribes acquired the sport around the sixth century A.D., and by 875 A.D. it was practiced through western Europe and Saxon England.The first documented English falconer was the Saxon king of Kent, Ethelbert II (died 762), followed by Alfred the Great and Athelstan in the ninth century.
After the Norman conquest in 1066, new raptor species were introduced in England. The Normans restricted falconry to the upper classes, and peasants could be hanged for keeping hawks. Yeomen were allowed to use the short-winged hawks, like goshawks and sparrowhawks, to hunt for food, but only king and nobility were allowed to have the more noble long-winged falcons, like gyrfalcon, peregrine and merlin.
There are few written sources about falconry in the period before the Middle Ages, but already around year 1000 big amounts of art and literature began to emerge. Beyond being hunting birds the falcons were symbols of power, strength and superiority and found their place in coat of arms, banners and tapestries. The famous Bayeux tapestry is one of the best preserved contemporary sources. The first 10-15 meters of the embroidery is about a falcon hunt of Harold Godwinson's.
In the thirteenth century Frederick II of Hohenstaufen brought the sport to its highest state of respectability, when he wrote "The Art of Falconry". The book took over thirty years to complete, and as one of the first scientific works about birds placed him as one of the founders of ornithology. He introduced the Arabic practice of hooding falcons to keep them tranquil during training. His work also holds several pages of interesting instructions for dog trainers. The falcons often worked in conjunction with special trained hunting dogs, raised with the falcons since puppy hood. Frederick II's book is available for modern readers, newly edited and reprinted in 1969.
The position of falconer was usually handed down from father to son. In a royal household he was called Lord Falconer, sitting fourth from the king at table. He was responsible for capturing, training and caring for the hawks. He was a key number of the hunt, planning with the lord which birds to fly at which prey. He also rode to war with the lord, bringing the birds along to hunt for food.During the Hundred Year's War falcons accompanied their masters across the Channel to the battles of Grecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. When Edward III invaded France, he had thirty falconers with him. John of Gaunt often brought hunting parties to the Test Valley, and since it was due to the practice of ringing these birds, the huntings are documented in the Domesday Book.
Neither hawks or falcons are suitable house-pets because they have spectacular mode of excretion, they are tradionally kept on special perches standing in sand, the mews. Richard II let build the Royal Mews at Charing Cross in London, and the office of Master of the Mews is still extant.Falconry remained popular among royalty until the reign of George III. The Stuarts were particularly fond of the sport. Henry VIII was perhaps the most important falcon advocate since Frederick II. Mary, Queen of Scots, was an ardent fan of the merlins("milady's falcon"), and Elizabeth, who liked the sport herself, occassionally let Mary out of the dungeon for short hawking excursions.
Falcons were so highly valued that they were worth more than their weight in gold. During one bloody crusade in the late fourteenth century, the Ottoman Sultan Beyazid captured the son of Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, and turned down Philip's offer of 200.000 gold ducats for ransom. Instead Beyazid wanted and was given something even more precious, twelve white gyrfalcons.
Falconry's popularity became a status symbol in medieval society, but it was a rather expensive pleasure. The birds required intricate housing and all kinds of accessories- and falconers were required to feed the birds a balanced diet on a daily basis. The average citizen kept more common birds like sparrowhawks and goshawks. According to the Boke of St. Albans of 1486, written by Dame Juliana Barnes, the prioress of Sopwell nunnery, there was a type of bird of prey for each class of feudal society. To keep a falcon that was above one's station was a felony, and the typical punishment was cutting off hands of people, who committed that crime.
People brought their pet falcon everywhere, perched on hand or wrist. Falcons were very popular among the clergy and were taken into religious services, especially nuns were rarely seen without their falcon on their wrist. Knights took their favourite birds to church so often that eventually rules were made to bar them. A few couples even got married with falcons on their fists. A lady was advised by her husband to take her bird everywhere with her so that it would become accustomed to people. Elements of the sport were found nearly everywhere. The Lisle Letters, published in six volumes by Muriel St. Claire Bryne, reveals how thoroughly falconry permeated various realities of life in the household of Lord and Lady Lisle.
In Shakespeare's works the reader will probably get a more distinct vision of falconry and the sporting pastimes of the aristocracy of that day than in any other way. To understand falconry and the falconer's words was an important part of the upbringing of young men and women, and it was often a necessity in order to understand the expressions in art and in some of Shakespeare's plays. In Shapespeare's time it was usual to go hunting in the afternoon, and when the falcon went up for the heron in a North Western wind, the falconer couldn't know the falcon from the heron, because he had the sun in his eyes. Therefore the words in Hamlet: " I am but mad north northwest, when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."
The Golden Age of falconry ended several centuries ago, due to the discovery of the firearms, but also because the feudal systems changed, and the forests were cleared for farmland.
Borrowed words:
The word codger, used today to describe an elderly person, can be traced back to the falconry term, cadger, who carried a portable perch called a cadge for a falconer. Most cadgers were old falconers.
Callow, which is a nestling raptor whose feathers are still in the blood-quill stage, is now used to describe someone who is young or untested.
When raptors drink , it is called bowsing. A bird that drinks heavily is called a boozer, the term used to describe the same tendency in humans.
The falcon's maximum speed:
Speed is the falcon's forte. If birds of prey were airplanes, then the eagles, the buzzards, the kites would be the gliders, and the falcons would be the jets. Estimates of the maximum speed of a falcon dive are as fast as 273 miles an hour (440 km/h) based on analysis of motion-picture footage of a falcon in full vertical dive taken by the Naval Research Laboratory in England in WWII. Most biologists, however, estimate the falcon's maximum velocity at 150 to 200 miles an hour ( 240 to 320 km/h), which is still faster than any other animal on earth.
Koldinghus Castle, East Jutland
Falconry in the Middle Ages II
by grethe bachmann
"Their haufdu Hauka sina a oxlom" (They had hawks on their shoulders) Rolf Krakes Saga Chapter XL
Rolf Krake (6th century) and his men went on a visit to his hostile stepfather king Adils in Uppsala, and the saga says: "They had hawks on their shoulders, and this was considered a great splendour, and king Rolf owned the hawk named Höjbrog."
Hakon Jarl had to pay a yearly tax to Harald Bluetooth (d.985) of 10 mark in gold and 60 hunting falcons for that part of Norway that was transferred to him, and on account of this tax Harald Bluetooth used to call Norway his Haukei (hawk- or falcon island.)
Canute the Holy had in 1085 a seal made, showing him on horseback with a falcon upon his hand, and after his death in 1086 his mortal remains were swept in a Byzantine silken carpet with motifs of birds of prey.
Hakon the Old of Norway (1204-1263) was the first northern king, who made present of falcons to foreign sovereigns, thus a considerable amount of goshawks, and later Icelandic falcons were sent from Norway and Iceland to England. In 1276 Edward I received eight grey and three white gyrfalcons from the king of Norway as a sign of peace.
In the 14th century at least five shipments of falcons were sent to the Emperor of Morocco, and negotations concerning similar shipments to Tripoli were conducted by the Danish king.The Renaissance king Christian IV gave his brother in law, James the First of England and Scotland 24 falcons every year.
Finding new birds was an important endeavour in the Middle Ages. Falcons from Scandinavia were considered especially good birds. The gyrfalcon came in colours from grey in Scandinavia, especially Norway, to a lighter shade in Iceland and to and almost white with black markings in Greenland. Falcons from Iceland and Greenland were sent to the Royal mews in Norway and Denmark, and from here they were sold to a medieval company in Lübeck in northern Germany and then shipped across the Alps to Venice and thence to Alexandria, Baghdad and Constantinople.
The Icelandic gyrfalcon was already in 1100-1220 years exported to the courts in Europe. The resources for bringing falcons home from Iceland were rather troublesome, and the men had to travel several hundred kilometres along primitive roads. Many falcons died during these long travels in spite of the best care. Furthermore there had to be enough food for the falcons upon the ships on the way home. An account shows that 10 falcons for a period of 3 months eat 200 kilo meat, which had to be of the finest and leanest quality. Some falcons (ab.12-20%) were rejected in the end ot the journey, if they did not please the royal falconer. Most Icelandic falcons were given to foreign courts, only a few were kept by the Danish and Norwegian falconry.
Falcons were also captured in the open moors of Valkenswaard, Holland, where each year millions of migrant birds would stop on their way south, followed by the falcons. All during the Middle Ages falcons were trapped and trained here for the nobility of Europe. In the fall, knights and falconers from the courts of every feudal lord and king would gather for lively medieval auctions, bidding against one another for the best of the birds captured that year.
There are two main categories of birds used in falconry, long winged falcons, which hunt birds, and short winged hawks, (accipiters), which hunt a range of prey, often focusing on rabbits. In falconry the birds were divided by the type of bird and by the way they were flown at the prey. While short wings could be flown in wooded country, the long winged falcons required large open tracts, where the falconer could follow the flight with ease. The general rule was that true falcons were "hawks of the lure" and accipiters were "hawks of the fist".
The term hawking was used when a hawk was used for the hunting, and even the broader term austringer was used for a falconer, who hunted with hawks. The term falconry was used strictly for hunting with falcons. Short wings (goshawk, sparrow hawk) were not flown to the lure, but encouraged to make long flights at a rabbit lure pulled along the ground and encouraged to fly from tree to tree as the falconer walked along. If the hunt was not successful the bird returned to its place on the falconer's glove and waited for a new opportunity.
One of the characteristics of a true falcon is to prey on birds in the open air. They circle hundreds of feet into the air, waiting for the prey to be flushed out by beaters or dogs. In falconry only the larger female bird was properly called the falcon. The male, which is up to one third smaller than the female, was the tiercel. A male hawk is also one third smaller than the female, but never called tiercel.
The long winged falcons were restricted to nobility, and the gyrfalcon was considered the ultimate status symbol of the medieval potentates. It makes its home in the Arctic, and it prefers to take its prey in a low ground hugging attack. The gyrfalcon is the largest and noblest of the falcons, it's similar to the peregrine, but heavier and harder to train.
The most highly evolved of the falcons is the peregrine. It is a large falcon, but unlike the gyrfalcon the peregrine takes almost all of its prey out of the sky. The peregrine was a favourite of falconers and the most frequently bird used for falconry. It was not only easily trained, but provided the most daring spectacle. It circles high overhead, waiting for the quarry to be flushed, then dive for it at high speeds. In locations where the main quarry was wild fowl, it was sometimes called "hawk of the river". The peregrine was found all over Europe.
The saker was the banner bird of Attila the Hun, it feeds only on small mammals, usually taking its prey near the ground. Sakers were trained in Arabia to go after gazelles. They were the bird of choice of Arab falconers. Their breeding grounds were in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The lanners were used predominantly in France and Spain during the Middle Ages.
The hobby was considered the easiest falcon to train, it was mostly used for hunting larks. The merlin was "Milady's Falcon". It was considered the best flyer among the birds of prey and was sent after high flying skylarks. It circles up on a higher flying bird, until it is exhaused - and it doesn't mind chasing it through a tight flock of birds. Falconers recommended the kestrel for beginners, it was easy to train and handle and was used for hunting small birds like sparrows and larks.
Accipiters, (goshawks, sparrow hwawks) take birds too, but they do so in forests, where their short wings and long tails give them the ability to swerve through the branches, taking their prey by stealth and surprise. They waited upon the falconer's wrist or fist until the game was flushed, then were flown straight at the prey. They cannot fly as fast as the true falcons, but they can turn instantly and locate their quarry in dense vegetation.
The goshawk was considered the classic hunting bird, it was used for hunting pheasant, partridge, wild duck, hare and rabbit. Goshawk was everyman's hawk, as handy to the poacher as to the squire and required less skill than the peregrine. The austringer was not on horseback when hunting with goshawk. Its virtues were summed up in a nickname: kitchen-hawk. The French came to refer to goshawks as cuisiniers.
The female sparrow hawk was used for quail hunting.
The only difference between a trained and a wild falcon was that the falconer's bird had learned to accept the falconer as its helper. Falcons were taken from their nests as young birds and kept in mews or hawk houses. The falcon required much human contact and careful attention on daily basis, or else it would quickly grow wild an unreliable.
The falconer would feed the bird secretly, so it would not be aware that the food came from humans. The falcon was fed with its hood still on, until it ate without hesitation. Then gradually the hood was removed and the bird allowed to eat by candle light, as it slowly became accustomed to men, women, children and dogs.
Special devices aided the falconer. The falcons had small bells tied around their necks to help the falconer locate them, and they wore jesses, small leathered straps that hung loose, though they could later be attached to a leash. A leather hood covered the eyes of the bird to keep it calm.
Later the bird would be making long flights, and if it was absent at the regular feeding time, the falconer captured it back with nets. Training falcons required extreme patience and persistence, and the falconer was morally committed to keep his bird in good condition and to fly it regularly. Basically a hunting bird had to be tamed, or "manned". Raptors were not tamed in training, even birds bred for several generations in captivity were not tame in the way that social animals are.
The falconer was responsible for finding proper terrain with right wind conditions, plantations and proper quarry. When this was taken care of he was responsible for positioning himself, and if he had a dog, also the dog, in a way that left the bird in a position with the best chances possible of catching the quarry. Eventually the bird was taken into the field, where it was introduced to the lure, a padded weight with wings and with a long string attached. Food was tied to the lure and the falcon allowed to eat from it, until the bird associated the lure with food.
Birds were flown according to their weight and hunger. A fat bird might refuse to fly at all. The daily weighing of the bird was vital, and to ignore a bird's weight and condition was to lose it or kill it. The falconer manipulated the falcon's diet, so that the bird was in peak health, but just hungry enough to come to the falconer and the lure when called. A falconer must never take food away from the falcon. Once the bird killed its prey, the bird was taken from it with more food on the glove.
Before the hunting the bird was equipped with a hood, often decorated with tuft of feathers in the colours of the royal house. Hunting with falcons was usually done on horseback. The falconer wore his bird on his left glove hand. During the ride the falcon's breast had to be turned against the wind to prevent it from being restless. When the falconer saw the quarry, he threw the falcon up in the air, and if the bird caught eye of the game, it pursued it and went down on it in a vertical dive.
The horse was necessary for the falconer in order to move fast, and he had help from his dogs, who came to the falcon and its catch early. It all depended on the falcon itself, whether or not there would be any hunting. The falconer hurried to the spot and offered the falcon a piece of lean meat of partridge or something he knew his bird liked in change. It was essential that the falcon didn't feel cheated by the trade. If the bird found it was cheated it would fly away. Occassionally the falcon didn't start to eat the quarry, but awaited the approach of the falconer and the treasured morsel of lean meat.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen said in his work about falconry that hunting for food put too great a burden on the falcon. He believed falconry was best practiced as an art, and he cautioned that a successful falconer could not be "indolent or careless, for this art requires much labor and much study". He advised the falconer to quiet a restless falcon with mouthfuls of pure cold water - after thouroughly having cleansed his mouth before the operation. Before Frederick II introduced the falcon hood, the birds' lower eyelids were stitched together with a fine silken thread, which was loosened gradually in the progress of the training.
The original purpose of falconry, using birds to capture quarry, was slowly replaced among the nobility by another purpose. The use of falconry was not a primary means of obtaining food for medieval citizens. Not even among nobility did falcons and hawks provide other than a small percent of meat. Falconry provided an opportunity for kings and lords to host other nobles for grand hunting parties. The kings of England and France, the Russian czars and the Holy Roman emperor all maintained extravagant falconry establishments. For the nobility falconry practiced on a magnificent scale became an essential element in establishing and maintaining personal and national prestige.
The patron of falconers St. Bavon is celebrated on October 1st. According to legend he was accused of stealing a white gyrfalcon, tried for the offence, and condemned to be executed. On the day and place of his execution the missing falcon suddenly appeared in the air and came down to land. St. Bavon's innocence, established by sign from heaven, caused him to be released immediately. He subsequently came to be regarded as the patron saint for falconers. He died in 659 and is buried in the cathedral in Gent.
Sources:Michael Tennesen: Flight of the Falcon, Edith Wenzel: Kunsten at jage med rovfugl, Bettina Buhl: Falkoneren og hans jagtfugl, Shawn E.Carroll: Ancient and Medieval Falconry
photo: grethe bachmann
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