This article, originally published over at author Joshua Gillingham's website, is based on Peter Hallberg’s 1975 publication ‘Old Icelandic Poetry: Eddic Lay and Skaldic Verse’ as well as Haukur Þorgeirsson and Óskar Guðlaugsson’s ‘Old Norse for Beginners’
May Day is known as the day when people riot and protest. This began in Victorian times, when May 1st was chosen as international workers' day, beginning a long tradition of resistance to unfair treatment. But I'm talking about an altogether very different May Day riot: 'Evil May Day,' as it was known at the… Continue reading A Modern-Style Riot in 1517
Language has played a crucial role in the history of our world, but in most fantasy, it is often mentioned only in passing. It’s easy to see why: writing fictional languages is hard, and making them seem realistic is even harder. But it’s a topic worth thinking about, especially for those writers who like to… Continue reading Language in Fantasy
Damien Concordel is a French-born author, blogger and language coach, fluent in 5 languages and communicating in a 6th. In this post he shares what he's discovered are the very practical aspects of how best to learn and practice a language. Original post In my previous post on this topic I laid out my credentials… Continue reading The Practicalities of Learning Languages
Today, Iceland is a massively literate country, the most literate in the world, and authors and writers are celebrities. Almost everyone in Iceland is a writer, and many Icelanders will publish a book at some point in their lives. It’s something in the blood, I think, as well as something in the culture, and in the spring water.
Before we go spelunking into history, a little background: I have a middle grade time travel adventure book called The Eye of Ra, in which the main characters, John and Sarah, find themselves in ancient Egypt. For the next book we’re scheming, my boys and I did some brainstorming around a story “with swords.” I… Continue reading Stuck in the Middle with Romans
Kristyn J. Miller 