Medieval Myths & Mysteries

By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong

Was King Arthur a real person? What about Robin Hood? Is the Holy Grail a cup, or something else, altogether? Did Europeans really burn millions of people at the stake for witchcraft, in the past? These are just a few of the questions you will explore with the help of medieval scholar Dorsey Armstrong as she reveals the truth about the stories we continue to tell about the medieval period. Some contain nuggets of truth, others are wholly fabricated, but all of them can tell us something about the past.

From films like Braveheart and Excalibur to literature such as Ivanhoe and Morte d’Arthur, the years between 500 and 1500 have generated amazing stories of knights and damsels, superstitions and magic; some of these stories even made it into our grade school history curriculum. But what were those years really like? Known, somewhat inaccurately, as the “Middle Ages,” this period was not merely a transition from Roman antiquity to the Renaissance, but a vibrant time full of people just as curious, innovative, malicious, joyful, confused, ambitious, complex - in other words, just as human - as in any other period of history.

The 10 enlightening (and often humorous) lectures of Medieval Myths and Mysteries will show you how far from the “dark” times of legend these centuries were. Uncover the facts about the Knights Templar. Reveal the truth behind the tales of legendary creatures like the Questing Beast and the unicorn. Trace the events of the Black Death and the ways it altered the world in its wake, and much more.

With Professor Armstrong, you will dig deep into the ways that later generations reshaped the narrative of the medieval years and perpetuated the myths of a simpler and less civilized age, which was, in fact, much richer and more complex than many of us have been led to believe.

©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Greatest hits told with enthusiasm

This is kind of Dorsey Armstrong’s Greatest Hits, which is fine by me. I’ve loved her work ever since I stumbled across her translation of Le Morte D’Arthur in a bookshop many years ago. What some people have written off as condescension in reviews here comes across to me as infectious enthusiasm. Here she gives a birds eye view of Arthur, Robin Hood, the Black Death, and other medieval topics. She never fails to enlighten, although I have to admit that her conclusion that Robin Hood was not a real person broke my heart. (Richard Greene! alas! my childhood hero!) A wonderful break for me from a fraught politics-and-pandemic autumn.

Some of the reviews of the course have mentioned a disdainful attitude toward Christianity. I can see where this is coming from, but I think it’s a misunderstanding. In one of the lessons, Armstrong discusses many of the different forms that Christianity took in the early days, forms like Nestorianism. Most of these “alternative” forms of Christianity were ruled to be heretical as the religion evolved toward a consensus. Armstrong rattles off many of these alternatives in a jocular tone, which may have created the impression that she was mocking the religion itself. I may be wrong, but I don’t think she was. It’s just a way she has of speaking sometimes when going through a long list.

The course ends with an insightful look at Game of Thrones and how books and TV series have made use of medieval myths and history. I recommend Armstrong’s other Great Courses entries on the Middle Ages, where she goes into great detail on a lot of these topics. This one is a good place to start.

such a cool book

I learned so much.

the narration, the topics uncovered, the stories told and examples used....all of it was great. It unfolded and was communicated in a style for maximum learning. it is always special when learning is fun.

Loved this!!

Revelation after revelation. I’d love to be a student of Dorsey’s!!! Well done and she does a great narrative keeping me engaged! Enjoy!

Real Truth behind the myths is more interesting!

Love the choices the authoress made regarding topics.
Dragons, unicorns, crusades and Knights Templar all included, a great read.

Great way to be involved into the Middle Ages

A colorful, entertaining and well documented summary to many of the most famous medieval myths. The reading is really enjoyable. I hardly stopped the listening for doing other things.