Celtic Connections and More?

This afternoon I opened my email  to see a blog from the British Library (a great place to look for medieval images, btw, especially as you can zoom in) on twelfth-century Bibles. Computers have greatly enhanced my ability to make the Middle Ages visual and having access to entire pages of illuminated Bibles allows us to attempt to see the past in the same way as a man or woman from the twelfth century would have. So there was much surprise when I saw that one of the featured bibles was from a monastery that I have researched and from a monastic order that I have published a few articles on: the Premonstratensian order, and the monastery of Arnstein. The British library today holds the Bible, although it originated in the Rhineland of Germany.  The images that I have included link directly to class because I found their use of Celtic knotwork interesting. We discussed The Book of Kells, which was known for its intricate knot work (see also Bennett 48-49). But I was fascinated to see a monk from Germany--which by the twelfth century was a very different world than that which created The Book of Kells--use space in a similar way.

Take a look at the images of the illuminated Bible below which date from the twelfth century. In the first image every inch of space is used, but if you look more closely find the words, In precipio, meaning "In the beginning. . ." (IN is very large and takes the left two-thirds of the page; principio runs down the right hand side). Scattered among these interwoven visuals is Jesus at the top and John the Evangelist at the bottom (thanks to the British library site for helping me out with who was at the bottom).  In the following image, note the tight use of imagery and the fairly easy to read script on the right. Now thank Charlemagne, his advisors, and monastics for implementing the clear easy to read script (Bennett 97) which was unlike anything used before.

For a direct look at more Bibles and for info related to these images, see: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/

If you're interested in an article on the Premonstratensian order that I wrote,  you can read start here (caveat: not light reading): https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/catholic_historical_review/v089/89.3wolbrink.html

.

Secret of The Kells Review

             The Secret of the Kells was produced in 2009 and has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The movie is based off of the creation of the Book of Kells, one of Ireland’s national treasures. It starts out in the Abby of Kells where a young boy named Brendan is in the process of learning the monastic trade of illumination, or the art of decorating texts with illustrations of the highest degree. Brendan’s world is forever changed when a monk from a monetary on the island of Iona arrives with the Book of Iona in his possession. The monk, known as Brother Aidan, requests that Brendan help him complete the Book of Iona by gathering gall nuts from the local forest so that he can make some ink. Brendan accepts the challenge and ventures off in to the forest. While looking for the gall nuts, Brendan ends up meeting a forest spirit named Aisling who he befriends and convinces to help him find the gall nuts. After returning to Kells, Brendan is confronted by his uncle, the abbot of Kells, who demands he never leave the walls of the abbey again. Brendan ends up escaping the city again when he is tasked with finding a crystal in order to “see the unseen.” After defeating a deity and finding a crystal Brendan beings working on finishing the Book but is interrupted by a Viking attack. Brendan ends up escaping with Brother Aidan and they complete the Book before returning to Kells so that the Book of Kells can be safe from now on.

            I did some research on the origin of the Book of Kells and found out that the movie was accurate in many ways. The Abbey of Kells was a real place that existed in medieval times as a refuge for monks who were raiding on the island of Iona. There are theories that the Book of Kells was started on Iona and finished in Kells as the movie depicts, but there are also theories that say it was entirely written in Iona and some that say it wasn’t even written in Ireland. The most widely accepted theory is the one portrayed in the movie. Some other ideas that wree historically accurate was the Viking raid on Kells where the Book of Kells was stolen and its pages ripped from its covers. Some of the story told in the movie about the starting of the Book of Kells were also accurate. Some things that were not as accurate were the ideas of a child writing the Book of Kells, specifically the Chi Ro page. Another idea that was not accurate was Aisling, the forest spirit, who helps Brendan find the ink ingredients.

            The animation of the film is very beautifully done. Celtic ideas are represented throughout the whole movie through backgrounds, small details, and hidden images in common images. The presence of Celtic knot work is very apparent as well as the idea of forest spirits and other Irish mythology. One part of the animation that I found very well done was the way that the Vikings were animated so that they were very foreign looking in the Irish land. All of the animation and artwork for the Irish people and wilderness was smooth while the Viking animation and art was very choppy and bulky, just as it would feel in a real life invasion. The artwork in the movie may also have been inspired by the Book of Kells itself because of all the minute details and vibrant colors, much like the Book of Kells.

             The overall effectiveness of the movie is very high in my opinion. I could not stop watching the movie because of the beautiful Celtic inspired artwork. The film helps give an understanding to the origins of the Book of Kells by giving an easy to follow story that gives some historically accurate information along with fantasy so that the artwork imbued in to the scenery is believable. I could see this movie being played in a classroom because it is meant for children so there is no worry about adult themes. It also depicts a historically accurate setting for the story to happen in as well as giving enough information to explain the history behind the Book of Kells.