Kim Rendfeld will serve on a panel about midwifery at the 2015 Historical Novel Society Conference, June 26-28, and talk specifically about the practice in early medieval times. Childbirth was so risky in early medieval times the expectant mother confessed her sins as her time drew near. If her baby was in jeopardy, the fate …
Giving up something for Lent? A dessert? TV? Facebook? The 8th-century characters in my novels would envy you. Early medieval Christians took Lent seriously. No meat. No eggs. No dairy. Only one meal a day around 3 p.m., and that was a relaxation of not eating until evening. Pretzels, made with water, flour, and salt, …
When we shop for toys for the loved ones on our list, we like to think the kids are learning something. Books help children associate those squiggles with objects. Puzzles help them solve problems. Dolls engage the imagination. In eighth century Francia, the setting for my novels, the nobility had their own version of age …
Religion plays a central role in the lives of my early medieval characters, but portraying Christianity in the days of Charlemagne takes more than having prayers in Latin. Here are a five aspects of Christianity in this period that might surprise you. Midwives could baptize newborns if they feared the child would die. Childbirth was …
When I decided to write fiction set in the days of Charlemagne, I knew very little about the Middle Ages but was certain of one thing: medieval people didn’t bathe. I recall being told by teachers that the folk thought it was unhealthy. As an author, all I needed to decide was whether the characters …
Early medieval women were far from passive damsels waiting for a knight to rescue them. Of course, this time period is hardly an ideal time for women: childbirth so risky expectant mothers were urged to confess their sins before they went into labor, fathers choosing whom a girl would marry, age 13 considered marriageable, wife …
First published Sept. 8, 2014, on Spann of Time http://www.susanspann.com Who’s Guilty? God Knows. By Kim Rendfeld Delve into the justice system of early medieval Francia and you might find yourself grateful for what we have today, imperfect as it is. And I’m not only talking about the punishments for the guilty: slit nostrils, the …
“As a novelist, I don’t judge the marriage traditions of another society. My responsibility is to accurately depict my characters’ reality and their reactions to it. But examining customs in another time teaches us that the definition of marriage–who is eligible, who gets to decide, why one gets married–has indeed changed.” EDITOR’S NOTE: Kim Rendfeld …