“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.” – Meister Eckhart
“Don’t depend too much on anyone in this world because even your own shadow leaves you when you are in darkness.”– Taqî ad-Dîn Aḥmad ibn Taymiyyah
“When I investigate and when I discover that the forces of the heavens and the planets are within ourselves, then truly I seem to be living among the gods.” – Leon Battista Alberti
“The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost a maidenlike, guest in hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man. He is not a compromise or happy mean between ferocity and meekness; he is fierce to the nth and meek to the nth.” – C.S. Lewis
The Middle Ages occupy a curious place in our collective cultural imagination. On the one hand, they are the Dark Ages, an unfathomable vale between the glories and horrors of Rome and the glamorous revival of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. They are often seen as a period of stagnation, or, in certain secular imaginations, of hidebound religious tyranny. Many film and television productions reinforce these ideas with gritty, semi-dystopian imagery, creating a dirty and drab atmosphere to match the despairing story trajectory.
On the other hand, we cannot escape the cultural power of the Middle Ages, however hard we try. Those relics that survive from this era – the glorious stained glass of the medieval European cathedrals, the lavish illustrated Bibles such as the Book of Kells – attest to a world brighter, not darker, than our own, a world where men felt that they walked side by side with the divine all their days. The work of Master Masons and the poetry of nameless Anglo-Saxon bards have been celebrated by countless generations as masterpieces, and in some cases have long outlived the memory of their creators. The myths and legends of the Middle Ages, such as the tales of King Arthur and Camelot, the stories of Robin Hood and his struggle against injustice, resonate with themes deep within the human psyche. Additionally, elements of Europe’s complex tapestry of pagan spirituality and lore enriched these tales.
It was this larger-than-life culture that gave birth to the idealized codes of chivalry that have made their way into countless myths and fairy-stories and that still typify heroism in literature today. The archetypal knight is one who, as C.S. Lewis notes, manages to bridge the gap of seeming dichotomies, tempering his ferocity with gentleness so that he might become a true hero in the realms of both love and war. The evolving chivalric codes of the Middle Ages reflected a culture deeply bound up with the transcendent.
In this anthology, we are pleased to feature a collection of stories and poems dealing with the historical and legendary ethos of the Middle Ages. We are so appreciative to all those who have made our first print copy of Fellowship & Fairydust magazine a reality, from the many talented writers and artists to those who took care of the technical end of production. We hope all our readers enjoy coming along on this medieval journey with us!
Avellina Balestri, Editor-in-Chief
Table of Contents
Editor’s Note – Avellina Balestri
06. A Hilt of Mercy – David Glenn
12. Bravery – Martina Juričková
14. Sir Caledon and the Unicorn – Ray Lipinski
23. The Curse of Rhiannon – Rhiannon Dracurin
26. The Fencing Partner – Isabella Summitt
35. The Princess and the Paladin – Michael Haldas
47. This is Not a Test – Hannah Skipper
50. A Robin Hood Poem – Zach Oaks-White
52. Penelope and the Seven Spiders – Amanda Pizzolatto
59. The Apple Tree – Noor Yusuf
65. Deus Vult – Avellina Balestri
71. George and the Dragon – Adeel Ahmed
80. A Canticle to a Ladder – Nathan Stone
82. Reynard the Fox – Sean Earner
90. Sir Pithlewick of Monotreme – Gabriel Connor Salter
95. They Who Swore His Vows – Sophia Helmkamp
105. The Bog Dwerch – Kat Clements
109. To See the End of Those Tears – Giovanni Carmine Costabile
114. In the Beginning – Robert Rosenwald
116. Two Andaluses – Mohamed Abdelbari
118. Never Enough – Leah Fisher
126. Francis: A Medieval Man of Timeless Transcendence – The Traveling Troubadour
128. Credits, Disclaimer, and Website
129. Next Issue