Bøker av Matthew Leigh Embleton

Old English (Ænglisc) is the earliest recorded form of the English language. It was brought to Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th century. The first literary works in Old English date from the mid 7th century. Spelling was not standardised but varied by region and dialect over time. Contained in this book: - Metrical Charms (Charm 2 The Nine Herbs Charm)- Other Poems (The Rune Poem)- The Exeter Book (Vainglory, The Rhyming Poem, The Fortunes of Men) The texts are presented in their original Old English, with a literal word-for-word line-by-line translation, and a Modern English translation, all side-by-side. In this way, it is possible to see and feel how Old English worked and how it has evolved. Also included are individual word lists for each text, and an overall word list with 1,506 Old English words translated into English, and 1,248 English words translated into Old English. This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for the Old English language, Anglo-Saxon history, or languages and history in general. Matthew Leigh Embleton is a language and history enthusiast, musician, composer, and producer living in London.www.matthewleighembleton.co.uk

COLOUR EDITION How many times have you heard someone say 'Latin is a dead language'? More often than not they are referring to Classical Latin, a formal and literary style of Latin that existed at a finite period of time, accounting for about 30% of the language's timeline as a whole. A dead language is one that no longer has any native speakers, even if the language is still in use. However, Latin is not dead because it lives on in the Romance Languages, which are its continuation. In previous centuries, education traditionally focused heavily on Classical Latin because of what was written in that time, building on what the Romans had achieved in the same way that the Romans had built on the achievements of the Ancient Greeks. In the midst of this focus, some Latin teachers even went so far as to tell their students 'There is no such thing as Medieval Latin, there is only Classical Latin, and mistakes'. Is someone speaking Latin incorrectly if they are not following the style of its golden age like one of Cicero's speeches? Transposing that same question to English, is someone speaking English incorrectly because they are not following the style of Charles Dickens? or William Shakespeare? or Chaucer? or Beowulf? Of course not. These so-called 'mistakes' or 'vulgarisms' are a reflection of how people actually spoke across the Roman world in their day to day lives, and how that changed over time. It was Vulgar Latin that evolved into the Romance Languages, which are spoken around the world to this day. This book explores the history of Latin, both in literature and in every day speech, from the Roman Empire to its collapse, linguistic and political reinvention, and the flourishing of literature in the vernacular during the Medieval Period. With texts along the way fully translated with word lists for easy reference. This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for Latin, Romance Languages, or languages and history in general.

Old English (Ænglisc) is the earliest recorded form of the English language. It was brought to Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th century. The first literary works in Old English date from the mid 7th century. Spelling was not standardised but varied by region and dialect over time. Contained in this DOUBLE EDITION: Chronicle Poems (The Capture of the Five Boroughs, The Coronation of Edgar, The Death of Edward, The Death of Alfred, The Death of Edgar, The Battle of Brunanburh)Metrical Charms (Charm 8 For a Swarm of Bees, Charm 12 Against a Wen, Charm 10 For Loss of Cattle, Charm 7 For the Water-Elf Disease, Charm 5 For Loss of Cattle, Charm 9 For Loss of Cattle, Charm 3 Against a Dwarf, Charm 4 For a Sudden Stitch, Charm 6 For Delayed Birth, Charm 11 A Journey Charm)Other Poems (A Proverb from Winfrid's Time, The Gloria II, Bede's Death Song (Northumbrian Version), Bede's Death Song (The Hague Version), Bede's Death Song (West Saxon Version), Latin-English Proverbs, The Brussels Cross, Caedmon's Hymn (Northumbrian Version), Caedmon's Hymn (West Saxon Version), Thureth, Aldhelm, Durham, A Summons to Prayer, Waldere B, Waldere A, The Kentish Hymn, The Battle of Finnsburh, The Creed, The Gloria I, Maxims II, A Prayer)The Exeter Book (Pharaoh, Alms-Giving, The Lord's Prayer I, The Partridge, Homiletic Fragment II, Wulf and Eadwacer, Deor, The Ruin, The Husband's Message, The Wife's Lament, The Panther, The Whale)The Vercelli Book (Homiletic Fragment I)The texts are presented in their original Old English, with a literal word-for-word line-by-line translation, and a Modern English translation, all side-by-side. In this way, it is possible to see and feel how Old English worked and how it has evolved. Also included are individual word lists for each text, and an overall word list with 4,223 Old English words translated into English, and 3,208 English words translated into Old English. This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for the Old English language, Anglo-Saxon history, or languages and history in general.

COLOUR EDITION NOW WITH AN EXPANDED INTRODUCTION In recent decades popular culture has rediscovered the Viking Age and North Germanic Paganism with fresh eyes. From the pirates and sea raiders known as Vikings, to the fierce warriors called Berserkers, and the wider Norse or Nordic people as a whole, symbols played an important role in daily life and spirituality. Today we find these symbols visually eye catching and their meanings fascinating. People all over the world are finding meaning in these symbols that resonate with their personality, identity, and spiritual beliefs. They are a representation of a thought or an idea, from a single line to an ever increasingly complex symmetry of lines, circles, intersecting lines, and bold striking angles. Perhaps one of the most popular of these symbols is the Vegvísir, one of the many Galdrastafir (praying or chanting staves) that appeared in Iceland after its settlement by Norse people in the late 9th century, but there are many more. Preserved manuscripts contain a wealth of these magical symbols drawn by hand in personal hand books. In some cases there are accompanying sentences explaining their meanings and instruction on their use, and in many cases the very name of the symbol told them all they needed to know, with their uses open to interpretation. For the last 120 years, runes have been misused, misrepresented, and misinterpreted to fit into systems of propaganda for extreme and objectionable political agendas. This form of cultural appropriation has done great damage in obscuring and twisting the original and true meanings of the runes. This second edition includes an extra chapter that explains this history and sets the record straight for the reader to make informed choices. The magic of the Norse people worked because they believed that it worked. They believed in the process of signalling and communicating their intentions and desirable outcomes to the forces around them, projecting them into the universe, and having the confidence and belief to make things happen. This book explores these symbols and presents them to the reader for their consideration as ideas for tattoos or symbols for personal talismanic magic.

Old English (Ænglisc) is the earliest recorded form of the English language. It was brought to Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th century. The first literary works in Old English date from the mid 7th century. Spelling was not standardised but varied by region and dialect over time. Contained in this book: Chronicle Poems (The Death of Alfred, The Death of Edgar, The Battle of Brunanburh)Metrical Charms (Charm 4 For a Sudden Stitch, Charm 6 For Delayed Birth, Charm 11 A Journey Charm)Other Poems (Waldere A, The Kentish Hymn, The Battle of Finnsburh, The Creed, The Gloria I, Maxims II, A Prayer)The Exeter Book (Deor, The Ruin, The Husband's Message, The Wife's Lament, The Panther, The Whale)The Vercelli Book (Homiletic Fragment I)The texts are presented in their original Old English, with a literal word-for-word line-by-line translation, and a Modern English translation, all side-by-side. In this way, it is possible to see and feel how Old English worked and how it has evolved. Also included are individual word lists for each text, and an overall word list with 2,814 Old English words translated into English, and 2,094 English words translated into Old English. This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for the Old English language, Anglo-Saxon history, or languages and history in general.

GLOBAL EDITION The origin of humankind's relationship with the opium poppy is complex, and the further back in time we look, the more speculation we find filling in the gaps. This strange and mysterious plant has the power to inspire the imagination, as much in the study of its history, as when the Romantic Poets used its extracts to stimulate their imagination to write their poetry. From ancient civilisations to the present day, the opium poppy (Papaver Somniferum) has a fascinating history, from the dark symbolism of trance, sleep, dreams, and death in Greco-Roman mythology, to the search for ever stronger pain relief. Since its discovery as a powerful painkiller in ancient medical texts, to the battlefields of the American Civil War, 'God's Own Medicine' has been both a blessing and a curse. The growth of the opium trade has caused and funded wars. It has both relieved pain, and been the cause of pain and suffering. Its illicit use, addiction, and surrounding war and politics have plagued humankind to this day. There is no more effective painkiller than that which has its origins in this beautiful plant. There is also little in the way of medicine which carries with it such dangers of addiction, ruin, misery and death. Attempts by scientists to isolate and refine opium to safely regulate its dosage and reduce addiction, have unwittingly opened a Pandora's box of consequences which have gone on to shape the modern world. In ancient mythology, this opium giving plant could be seen as a gift from the gods. But like those cautionary tales revealing the flaws in human nature, such a gift comes at a great price. This book is a brief introduction to the history of opium from its earliest beginnings to modern times. Its chapters break this history down into periods of historical significance. Each chapter carries its own different themes and episodes in the overall story of civilisation, humankind, and its relationship with nature.