Charlene M. Eska presents in this book a critical edition and translation of a newly discovered early Irish legal text on lost and stolen property, Aidbred. Although the Old Irish text itself is fragmentary, the copious accompanying commentaries provide a wealth of legal, historical, and linguistic information, thus presenting us with a complete picture of the legal procedures involved in reclaiming missing property. This book also includes editions of two other texts concerning property found on land, Heptad 64, and at sea, Muirbretha. The three texts edited together provide a complete picture of this aspect of the early Irish legal system.

In A Raven's Battle-cry Charlene M. Eska presents a critical edition and translation of the previously unpublished medieval Irish legal tract Anfuigell. Although the Old Irish text itself is fragmentary, the copious accompanying commentaries provide a wealth of legal, historical, and linguistic information not found elsewhere in the medieval Irish legal corpus. Anfuigell contains a wide range of topics relating to the role of the judge in deciding difficult cases, including kingship, raiding, poets, shipwreck, marriage, fosterage, divorce, and contracts relating to land and livestock.

Bringing the advances of theoretical linguistics to the study of language change in a systematic way, this innovative textbook demonstrates the mutual relevance of historical linguistics and contemporary linguistics. Numerous case studies throughout the book show both that theoretical linguistics can be used to solve problems where traditional approaches to historical linguistics have failed to produce satisfying results, and that the results of historical research can have an impact on theory. The book first explains the nature of human language and the sources of language change in broad terms. It then focuses on different types of language change from contemporary viewpoints, before exploring comparative reconstruction - the most spectacular success of traditional historical linguistics - and the problems inherent in trying to devise new methods for linguistic comparison. Positioned at the cutting edge of the field, the book argues that this approach can and should lead to the re-integration of historical linguistics as one of the core areas in the study of language.

Significant contributions on Celtic history, law, archaeology and literature. Thomas Charles-Edwards, the distinguished scholar of medieval Britain and Ireland, has made important contributions to a number of fields, but is particularly renowned for his studies in Celtic history and law. In this volume, colleagues pay tribute to his work with essays that range across the medieval Celtic world, including medieval Wales, Ireland and Scotland. In the first part of the volume, they cover historical aspects (and, as is fitting, often reflect the honorand's interest in archaeology and epigraphy); in the second, they focus on medieval Irish and Welsh legal institutions and texts, which are used by some to inform new readings of literary texts. Contributors: Susan Youngs, Clare Stancliffe, Catherine Swift, David N. Dumville, Elizabeth O'Brien, Edel Bhreathnach, Oliver Padel, Nancy Edwards, Thomas Owen Clancy, Marie Therese Flanagan, Huw Pryce, Roy Flechner, Robin Chapman Stacey,Wendy Davies, Sara Elin Roberts, Fergus Kelly, Bronagh Ni Chonaill, Charlene Eska, Elva Johnston, Maire Ni Mhaonaigh, Maredudd ap Huw.

Essays exploring medieval castration, as reflected in archaeology, law, historical record, and literary motifs. Castration and castrati have always been facets of western culture, from myth and legend to law and theology, from eunuchs guarding harems to the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century castrati singers. Metaphoric castration pervadesa number of medieval literary genres, particularly the Old French fabliaux - exchanges of power predicated upon the exchange or absence of sexual desire signified by genitalia - but the plain, literal act of castration and its implications are often overlooked. This collection explores this often taboo subject and its implications for cultural mores and custom in Western Europe, seeking to demystify and demythologize castration. Its subjects includearchaeological studies of eunuchs; historical accounts of castration in trials of combat; the mutilation of political rivals in medieval Wales; Anglo-Saxon and Frisian legal and literary examples of castration as punishment; castration as comedy in the Old French fabliaux; the prohibition against genital mutilation in hagiography; and early-modern anxieties about punitive castration enacted on the Elizabethan stage. The introduction reflects on these topics in the context of arguably the most well-known victim of castration in the middle ages, Abelard. LARISSA TRACY is Associate Professor of Medieval Literature at Longwood University. Contributors: Larissa Tracy, Kathryn Reusch, Shaun Tougher, Jack Collins, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Jay Paul Gates, Charlene M. Eska, Mary A. Valante, Anthony Adams, Mary E. Leech, Jed Chandler, Ellen Lorraine Friedrich, Robert L.A. Clark, Karin Sellberg, LenaWanggren

Essays exploring medieval castration, as reflected in archaeology, law, historical record, and literary motifs. Castration and castrati have always been facets of western culture, from myth and legend to law and theology, from eunuchs guarding harems to the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century castrati singers. Metaphoric castration pervadesa number of medieval literary genres, particularly the Old French fabliaux - exchanges of power predicated upon the exchange or absence of sexual desire signified by genitalia - but the plain, literal act of castration and its implications are often overlooked. This collection explores this often taboo subject and its implications for cultural mores and custom in Western Europe, seeking to demystify and demythologize castration. Its subjects includearchaeological studies of eunuchs; historical accounts of castration in trials of combat; the mutilation of political rivals in medieval Wales; Anglo-Saxon and Frisian legal and literary examples of castration as punishment; castration as comedy in the Old French fabliaux; the prohibition against genital mutilation in hagiography; and early-modern anxieties about punitive castration enacted on the Elizabethan stage. The introduction reflects on these topics in the context of arguably the most well-known victim of castration in the middle ages, Abelard. Larissa Tracy is Associate Professor of Medieval Literature at Longwood University. Contributors: Larissa Tracy, Kathryn Reusch, Shaun Tougher, Jack Collins, Rolf H. Bremmer Jr, Jay Paul Gates, Charlene M. Eska, Mary A. Valante, Anthony Adams, Mary E. Leech, Jed Chandler, Ellen Lorraine Friedrich, Robert L.A. Clark, Karin Sellberg, LenaWÃ¥nggren

Bringing the advances of theoretical linguistics to the study of language change in a systematic way, this innovative textbook demonstrates the mutual relevance of historical linguistics and contemporary linguistics. Numerous case studies throughout the book show both that theoretical linguistics can be used to solve problems where traditional approaches to historical linguistics have failed to produce satisfying results, and that the results of historical research can have an impact on theory. The book first explains the nature of human language and the sources of language change in broad terms. It then focuses on different types of language change from contemporary viewpoints, before exploring comparative reconstruction - the most spectacular success of traditional historical linguistics - and the problems inherent in trying to devise new methods for linguistic comparison. Positioned at the cutting edge of the field, the book argues that this approach can and should lead to the re-integration of historical linguistics as one of the core areas in the study of language.

Collection of 18 films and documentaries from acclaimed German director Werner Herzog, famed for his blending of documentary realism with heightened stylisation. In 'Aguirre, Wrath of God' (1972), a Spanish expedition led by Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) aims to cross the Peruvian Sierras in search of the legendary Inca city of El Dorado. 'The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser' (1974) stars Bruno Schleinstein as the title character, telling the true story of the German boy who spent the first two decades of his life chained up in a cellar. Set in 18th Century Bolivia, 'Heart of Glass' (1976) stars Josef Bierbichler as Hias, a man with supernatural foresight who predicts a fire that will destroy the town's glassblowing factory. 'Stroszek' (1977) stars Schleinstein as a Berlin street performer recently released from prison who tries to get his life back on track with the help of his prostitute friend Eva (Eva Mattes). 'Nosferatu, the Vampyre' (1979) stars Kinski as the infamous Count Dracula, a peculiarly pale man with a penchant for vampirism. 'Woyzeck' (1979) is a film adaptation of the play by George Büchner telling the story of a lowly soldier who works all the hours he can to provide for his illegitimate child. In 'Fitzcarraldo' (1982), a budding rubber baron sets about trying to transport a steamship over a hill that hides access to an area rich in rubber. The film is based on true events. 'Cobra Verde' (1987) is a drama based on the novel 'The Viceroy of Ouidah' by Bruce Chatwin which sees a dissolute Brazilian rancher who has resulted to working on a gold mine after his land was destroyed by a drought. Short films and documentaries also featured in this collection include 'The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz' (1967), 'Last Words' (1968), 'Precautions Against Fanatics' (1969), 'Handicapped Future' (1970), 'Fata Morgana' (1971), 'Land of Silence and Darkness' (1971), 'The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner' (1975), 'How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck' (1976), 'Huie's Sermon' (1980) and 'God's Angry Man' (1980).

Collection of 18 films and documentaries from acclaimed German director Werner Herzog, famed for his blending of documentary realism with heightened stylisation. In 'Aguirre, Wrath of God' (1972), a Spanish expedition led by Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) aims to cross the Peruvian Sierras in search of the legendary Inca city of El Dorado. 'The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser' (1974) stars Bruno Schleinstein as the title character, telling the true story of the German boy who spent the first two decades of his life chained up in a cellar. Set in 18th Century Bolivia, 'Heart of Glass' (1976) stars Josef Bierbichler as Hias, a man with supernatural foresight who predicts a fire that will destroy the town's glassblowing factory. 'Stroszek' (1977) stars Schleinstein as a Berlin street performer recently released from prison who tries to get his life back on track with the help of his prostitute friend Eva (Eva Mattes). 'Nosferatu, the Vampyre' (1979) stars Kinski as the infamous Count Dracula, a peculiarly pale man with a penchant for vampirism. 'Woyzeck' (1979) is a film adaptation of the play by George Büchner telling the story of a lowly soldier who works all the hours he can to provide for his illegitimate child. In 'Fitzcarraldo' (1982), a budding rubber baron sets about trying to transport a steamship over a hill that hides access to an area rich in rubber. The film is based on true events. 'Cobra Verde' (1987) is a drama based on the novel 'The Viceroy of Ouidah' by Bruce Chatwin which sees a dissolute Brazilian rancher who has resulted to working on a gold mine after his land was destroyed by a drought. Short films and documentaries also featured in this collection include 'The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz' (1967), 'Last Words' (1968), 'Precautions Against Fanatics' (1969), 'Handicapped Future' (1970), 'Fata Morgana' (1971), 'Land of Silence and Darkness' (1971), 'The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner' (1975), 'How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck' (1976), 'Huie's Sermon' (1980) and 'God's Angry Man' (1980).