Winter Wisdom (Wintrum frod)

Send us Fan MailFollowing the epic weather of the past few weeks, we go back in time to a period that best celebrated this type of weather. In this episode we explore why the enigmatic appeal of Anglo-Saxon poetry and its fascination (or even obsession) with winter casts such an enduring influence on our culture. It is the perfect type of literature for cold winter nights, but there are also other deeper traits that remain deeply rooted in our shared cultural memories that inform our attitudes to winter.    Journal entry:“8th December, WednesdayStorm Barra is barrelling around the boat    Harrying and jostling us,     So that the roaring world tips and sways.The darkness is flecked silver with rain      As Penny and I walk into a howling dawn. “ Episode InformationIn this episode I mention the following books:Michael Alexander’s (2006) The Earliest English Poems Penguin Classics series, published by Penguin Books.Alexandra Harris’ (2015) Weatherland: Writers and artists under English skies published by Thames and Hudson. I read excerpts from the following poems (Michael Alexander’s translations):The Ruin (alternative translation)The SeafarerExeter riddle 73 (other texts count it as 74) For those wanting to explore the world of Anglo Saxon and Old English literature, you might find this website, created by Dr Aaron Hostetter from Rutgers University, very helpful: An Old English Poetry Project.A digital version of the Exeter Book produced c.970 (in which the above are featured) can be viewed here: Exeter BookI also mentioned Andy Grifee’s narrowboat-based crime series featuring Johnson and Wilde which are published by Orphans Publishing. General DetailsIn the intro and the outro, Saint-Saen's The Swan is performed by Karr and Bernstein (1961) and available on CC at archive.org. Two-stroke narrowboat engine recorded by 'James2nd' on the River Weaver, Cheshire. Uploaded to Freesound.org on 23rd June 2018. Creative Commons Licence. Piano and keyboard interludes composed and performed by Helen Ingram.All other audio recorded on site. ContactFor pictures of Erica and images related to the podcasts or to contact me, follow me on:Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoswPodI would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] the showBecome a 'Lock-Wheeler'Would you like to support this podcast by becoming a 'lock-wheeler' for Nighttime on Still Waters? Find out more: 'Lock-wheeling' for Nighttime on Still Waters.ContactFacebook at https://www.facebook.com/noswpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nighttimeonstillwaters/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/noswpod.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.world/@nosw  I would love to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected] or drop me a line by going to the nowspod website and using either the contact form or, if you prefer, record your message by clicking on the microphone icon. For more information about Nighttime on Still WatersYou can find more information and photographs about the podcasts and life aboard the Erica on our website at noswpod.com.