Life in Medieval Times

There are many creatures and monsters in folklore, especially in various mythological pantheons. Here, we look at six of the scariest monsters from different myths and folklore. They are some of the most fearsome and well-known creatures or characters in their respective myths.
Siren
Mythology: Greek
Description: Sirens are human-like with alluring voices. While today they are often […]

When it comes to the medieval and Renaissance world, there were many love stories that people enjoyed and lived through. Some of them are still famous to this day and continually reappear in pop culture. Here’s a snapshot of 7 of those famous or infamous medieval and Renaissance romances, from Romeo to Robin Hood. Some

Have you ever wondered what Christmas looked like for the Tudors? Maybe you would like to celebrate Christmas like Shakespeare or Henry VIII. In this post, we describe how the Tudors would have celebrated Christmas. Let’s start with the general Christmas season.
What did the Christmas season look like for the Tudors?
For the Tudors, actually celebrating

Have you ever wondered how someone became a knight in the medieval world or what it was like? In this article, we give an overview of how someone became a knight and a bit about the medieval history of knighthood. We look at the military role and evolution of a knight.
What was the main purpose

Halloween is a popular time of year for telling stories of werewolves and vampires. Of course, you can tell such tales at any time of year, but they are especially fun at Samhain. While most people think of these creatures coming from pop culture, they have roots and equivalents in the medieval world. We will

Has it occurred to you that in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, everything is in relation to Aegon the Conqueror? In medieval history, there was a near equivalent with William the Conqueror. So where would the timeline of Westeros be if we used the real-world dates of medieval England? Well, let’s look

When it comes to Celtic mythology, especially Irish myth, one of the most well-known figures is the Morrigan. This Celtic queen is popular in fiction and neo-pagan worship. Here, Medieval Collectibles hopes to introduce you to the mythology of the Irish Goddess, the Morrigan.
Etymology of Morrigan
The Morrigan is the ‘Great Queen’ or the ‘Phantom Queen’

Witchcraft has a long and varied history. In this article, we focus in on the history of witchcraft in Europe during the medieval period and into the Renaissance. Even within this narrower focus, there is a lot involved with witchcraft and the practicing of magic in Europe to cover. This article splits the investigation of

The fall season is very much a season for harvest festivals. This was especially true for the medieval world. For example, a play from 1600 mentions a harvest celebration that involves singing. End of harvest festivals had the name of Horkey in Eastern England and Ireland. As it didn’t have a standard spelling, it could

Have you ever wondered what weapons and armor would a medieval soldier have carried? The arms and armor of a European warrior would have changed over the centuries. From the Romans to the Renaissance, we will give you a quick idea of the history of European arms and armor.
Roman Arms and Armor
Let’s start with the

Have you ever wondered how European swords evolved from the time of the Romans to late-medieval mercenaries? In this post, we briefly cover a quick history of the different sword designs and styles of the Middle Ages.
Let’s begin with the most popular swords of the Romans. Their swords are important for context surrounding medieval swords.

Have you ever been confused about the general order of when things happened in the Middle Ages? In this post, Medieval Collectibles hopes to give you a quick timeline of the span of European history known as the Middle Ages.
What were the Middle Ages?
The Middle Ages were a period of time that spanned from the

The Arthurian legends are perhaps the most famous part of English folklore. These legends have traveled across the centuries and the world. In this post, we look at a bit of the legends of King Arthur and his court.
What is the medieval history of Arthurian legend?
King Arthur featured in stories before the 11th century. However,

Ever wondered what kind of armour a knight would wear? In this post, we look at the different pieces of a knight’s armour that might have been worn during the height of plate armor. We will cover what the pieces were used for as well as what a full suit looks like.
Before the height of

In honor of Talk like Shakespeare Day, we have written a few fun facts about the famous English playwright William Shakespeare.

The believed date for his birthday and death are both April 23.
His gravestone has a curse on anyone who wants to disturb his grave.
He is the world’s best-selling playwright with over 4 billion copies sold.
In

Easter is a holiday alive and well in today’s world. It was equally as important if not more so for the medieval European. How do today’s traditions relate to medieval Europe’s view of Easter? In this post, we look at Easter traditions and their medieval connections.
Easter’s Name and Date
In English, Easter is called exactly that.

In the United States, National Beer Day is April 7th. In celebration, we explore a bit of the medieval world of beer and brewing. What would a medieval person drink? Let’s take a look.
Two of the most popular drinks in the medieval world were beer and ale. While wine was drunk, it was usually limited

Every April 1st, people across the world celebrate April Fool’s Day. This is a day of jokes, pranks, and a general sense of humor. But what sense of humor did medieval and Renaissance people have? What did they find funny, and what kind of value did they put on funny people? In this post, we

There are many figures in Celtic myth. Celtic myth includes Irish mythology and Welsh mythology as well as others whose mythology did not survive the Roman empire. Within Irish mythology, again there are many gods and goddesses. We will look at one of those gods of Irish myth in this article: the Dagda, the Great

Every March, people celebrate St. Patricks Day. What do you know about the life of this Romano-British missionary? What is the history of this legendary figure? In this article, we look at Saint Patrick and his life in Ireland.
Source of Information
To begin with, history is not able to pinpoint the exact dates that he was

While modern people head off on holidays and vacations, medieval people also did their own share of traveling. While traveling during the Middle Ages does not come up very often in pop culture, it was rather common for people to head off on journeys. This post looks at who was traveling in the medieval world

Ever wonder what is gothic armour? In this post, we look at the background and design of medieval gothic armour. We focus on the history of this style of armour and compare it to its contemporaries. Let’s head back to the 15th century and look at this distinctive style of armor.
Background
Gothic armour comes from the

While cookbooks are commonplace today, they weren’t always so in the past. Few cookbooks survive today from classical Europe. Apicius de re coquinaria is the most well-known example of such classical cookbooks. It wasn’t until the 14th century that we begin to have a greater variety of surviving texts about cooking and food in Europe.

The image of the alchemist has an interesting and long history that runs from antiquity to the modern day in various forms. In this post, we take a look at the history of alchemy in medieval and Renaissance Europe. We will also give ideas on how to dress as an alchemist inspired by this history.
Medieval

While the current interpretation of St. Valentine’s Day seems rather modern and commercial, the early timeline of the holiday begins with the Romans and continues through the French Revolution. In this post, we look at the beginnings of Saint Valentines Day and some of its traditions.
Roman Origins
The establishment of Saint Valentine’s Day began in 496.

Wizards are easily the most recognizable characters in fiction. In this post, we will explore the archetype of the wizard and how it is expressed in fiction, especially pop culture. From their interpretations in media to how you can look like one, we take a quick look at the portrayal of the fictional wizard.
Types of

When it comes to fighting as a Roman, what armor you wear will depend upon the era that you are in. There were varying changes to the armor of a Roman soldier across the centuries. Their armor changed with their circumstances. In this post, we look at a few of the major turning points in

If you want to become a mighty warrior princess, you will need to don some armour for battle. In this post, we take a short look at medieval female armour, not just its history but also the practicalities and sizing issues involved. We also mention a couple of our most popular pieces of female armour.
Historical

We are going to take a quick look at one of the most famous groups during the Late Middle Ages, the Landsknecht. This group influenced both military and fashion history. Who were they? The Landsknecht were German-speaking mercenaries organized in mostly pikemen formations.
History
Taking a quick look at the history of the Landsknecht, this influential military

Coats of arms are an icon of the world of the Middle Ages and Medieval Collectibles brings you a short introduction into the world of medieval heraldry. We hope to help you get a better understanding of what is shown on a medieval coat of arms.
History of Heraldry and Coats of Arms
Since ancient times, warriors

A Giving of Thanks
Thanksgiving is one time of the year when feasting is common. After all, almost everyone has memories of getting together and stuffing themselves with turkey and ham as well as all manner of side dishes composed of corn, potatoes, yams, and cranberries. These meals usually end with grand desserts like cakes, pies,

Thanksgiving did not exist in medieval times, but medieval nobles and royals were definitely no strangers to fine feasts with lots of food! Feasting was a grand social occasion often filled with an unimaginable amount of food in great variety, all for the enjoyment of a royal or well-off lord and a few hundred of