Brandon W. Hawk
@brandonwhawk.bsky.social
Professor of English at Rhode Island College (views my own). I’m a nerd for medieval things, biblical apocrypha, Star Wars, LotR, & Magic (TCG). He/him.
“Read some fucking apocrypha.”
https://linktr.ee/brandonwhawk
“Read some fucking apocrypha.”
https://linktr.ee/brandonwhawk
This is probably a total shot in the dark, but does anyone happen to have a digital facsimile (or even digitized microfilm) of London, British Library, Royal 6.B.xiv? #MedievalSky #Manuscripts
February 13, 2026 at 4:06 PM
This is probably a total shot in the dark, but does anyone happen to have a digital facsimile (or even digitized microfilm) of London, British Library, Royal 6.B.xiv? #MedievalSky #Manuscripts
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
Here's a question--is there a good online explainer for the medieval Divine Office? Order of psalms, something about antiphons, etc? Seems like there should be--it'd be so easy to link to the text of psalms, even facing Latin/English, and also even to choirs singing them. Have I missed a good site?
February 12, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Here's a question--is there a good online explainer for the medieval Divine Office? Order of psalms, something about antiphons, etc? Seems like there should be--it'd be so easy to link to the text of psalms, even facing Latin/English, and also even to choirs singing them. Have I missed a good site?
Folks into #Latin, I'm stuggling to understand a usage of the verb "colliduntur," which others seem to take as meaning "composed" (3rd pl pres pass ind--I get all that), even though I don't understand how they get that meaning of the verb. More details down thread. #MedievalSky #ClassicsSky
February 12, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Folks into #Latin, I'm stuggling to understand a usage of the verb "colliduntur," which others seem to take as meaning "composed" (3rd pl pres pass ind--I get all that), even though I don't understand how they get that meaning of the verb. More details down thread. #MedievalSky #ClassicsSky
Like, for example, this evening I've been down a rabbithole considering the difference between the Latin terms domus & insula, & how they meant different types of buildings & dwellings in late antiquity.
I know I've said it before, but I really love preparing translations of biblical #apocrypha & commentary notes about the strange minutiae to be found in these works.
February 12, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Like, for example, this evening I've been down a rabbithole considering the difference between the Latin terms domus & insula, & how they meant different types of buildings & dwellings in late antiquity.
I know I've said it before, but I really love preparing translations of biblical #apocrypha & commentary notes about the strange minutiae to be found in these works.
February 12, 2026 at 12:29 AM
I know I've said it before, but I really love preparing translations of biblical #apocrypha & commentary notes about the strange minutiae to be found in these works.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
fwiw Americans are very bad at understanding that the 2 things you're not supposed to discuss - politics and religion - infuse literally everything that the country has done, is doing, and will do
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
February 9, 2026 at 5:55 PM
fwiw Americans are very bad at understanding that the 2 things you're not supposed to discuss - politics and religion - infuse literally everything that the country has done, is doing, and will do
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
February 9, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
February 9, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
Digital Philology Vol. 14, No. 2 (2025) muse.jhu.edu/issue/56242 #openaccess @projectmuse.bsky.social @hopkinspress.bsky.social Unlikening Translation: Words, Sounds, Events, Things @lauramorreale.bsky.social @byzcapp.bsky.social @electricarchaeo.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy
February 9, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Digital Philology Vol. 14, No. 2 (2025) muse.jhu.edu/issue/56242 #openaccess @projectmuse.bsky.social @hopkinspress.bsky.social Unlikening Translation: Words, Sounds, Events, Things @lauramorreale.bsky.social @byzcapp.bsky.social @electricarchaeo.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy
We need more D.A.R.E: Doing AI Resistance Education.
February 9, 2026 at 3:01 PM
We need more D.A.R.E: Doing AI Resistance Education.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
Have to bring a "super bowl" to a thing tonight. After seeing @joelhs.bsky.social's post, I decided to make a modern-day incantation bowl to ward off the bad team tonight.
Reference: Mesopotamian Incantation Bowls
Inspiration:
More: Sledge.
Reference: Mesopotamian Incantation Bowls
Inspiration:
More: Sledge.
February 8, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Have to bring a "super bowl" to a thing tonight. After seeing @joelhs.bsky.social's post, I decided to make a modern-day incantation bowl to ward off the bad team tonight.
Reference: Mesopotamian Incantation Bowls
Inspiration:
More: Sledge.
Reference: Mesopotamian Incantation Bowls
Inspiration:
More: Sledge.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
My contribution to Super Bowl Sunday is this Jewish Aramaic incantation bowl with a demon on it. From Nippur, Mesopotamia, circa 6th-7th century CE.
Truly a super bowl.
Truly a super bowl.
February 8, 2026 at 5:03 PM
My contribution to Super Bowl Sunday is this Jewish Aramaic incantation bowl with a demon on it. From Nippur, Mesopotamia, circa 6th-7th century CE.
Truly a super bowl.
Truly a super bowl.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
Bad bunnies from long ago
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
February 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Bad bunnies from long ago
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
www.bl.uk/stories/blog...
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
More of a super-plate than a bowl?... "Mudejar" pottery made in Paterna (Toledo) in the 14-15th c. National Archeological Museum, Madrid. I have a Toledo-made modern imitation of this plate hanging in my kitchen.
February 8, 2026 at 5:49 PM
More of a super-plate than a bowl?... "Mudejar" pottery made in Paterna (Toledo) in the 14-15th c. National Archeological Museum, Madrid. I have a Toledo-made modern imitation of this plate hanging in my kitchen.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
Okay, Dr Schine, you're on.
Here's my #MedievalMedicine entry: a detail of a bowl with human body parts. The "master" seen lecturing here is describing the anatomy of the body. From a mid-13thC copy of the Latin translation of Rhazes' (d. 925 or 35) "Book for al-Mansur", made in Paris.
Here's my #MedievalMedicine entry: a detail of a bowl with human body parts. The "master" seen lecturing here is describing the anatomy of the body. From a mid-13thC copy of the Latin translation of Rhazes' (d. 925 or 35) "Book for al-Mansur", made in Paris.
February 8, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Okay, Dr Schine, you're on.
Here's my #MedievalMedicine entry: a detail of a bowl with human body parts. The "master" seen lecturing here is describing the anatomy of the body. From a mid-13thC copy of the Latin translation of Rhazes' (d. 925 or 35) "Book for al-Mansur", made in Paris.
Here's my #MedievalMedicine entry: a detail of a bowl with human body parts. The "master" seen lecturing here is describing the anatomy of the body. From a mid-13thC copy of the Latin translation of Rhazes' (d. 925 or 35) "Book for al-Mansur", made in Paris.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
So I heard we’re posting super bowls. Here’s a Fatimid lusterware bunny. Islamic lusterwares originate in Iraq to emulate the sheen of Chinese porcelain, but the combo with highly animated-looking Fatimid animal motifs is my favorite. He even has a little snack.
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Bowl Depicting a Running Hare - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bowl with Eagle (63.178.1) and Bowl with Hare (64.261)The tenth and eleventh centuries under the Fatimid caliphate were times of prosperity in Egypt and the neighboring lands, when a burgeoning class ...
www.metmuseum.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:46 PM
So I heard we’re posting super bowls. Here’s a Fatimid lusterware bunny. Islamic lusterwares originate in Iraq to emulate the sheen of Chinese porcelain, but the combo with highly animated-looking Fatimid animal motifs is my favorite. He even has a little snack.
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Here's an object not unlike a super bowl: I present this 6th-century pyxis with scenes from the infancy of Christ, derived from biblical #apocrypha.
More info at www.nasscal.com/materiae-apo...
More info at www.nasscal.com/materiae-apo...
February 8, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Here's an object not unlike a super bowl: I present this 6th-century pyxis with scenes from the infancy of Christ, derived from biblical #apocrypha.
More info at www.nasscal.com/materiae-apo...
More info at www.nasscal.com/materiae-apo...
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
oooh we are posting super bowls?
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
February 8, 2026 at 5:04 PM
oooh we are posting super bowls?
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
"That cathedral is fucking gorgeous," I think, while watching filler footage of Milan/Cortina before the Olympic opening ceremonies start.
February 7, 2026 at 12:47 AM
"That cathedral is fucking gorgeous," I think, while watching filler footage of Milan/Cortina before the Olympic opening ceremonies start.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
"traditional Eurocentric perspectives .. have tended to focus primarily on empires & imperial agency as the dominant analytical category. [This book argues] instead that environmental factors played a much greater role in influencing the formation of trade routes." link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Long-Distance Trade in the Ancient World
This book presents a novel perspective on long-distance trade in the ancient world that integrates network theory and environmental analysis
link.springer.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:33 PM
"traditional Eurocentric perspectives .. have tended to focus primarily on empires & imperial agency as the dominant analytical category. [This book argues] instead that environmental factors played a much greater role in influencing the formation of trade routes." link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
In praise of Aldus Manutius, who died OTD in 1515. I did not know or had forgotten that he was tutor to two nephews of Pico della Mirandola before he set up shop as a Venetian printer: www.lindahall.org/about/news/s... #MedievalSky #BookHistory
February 6, 2026 at 10:00 PM
In praise of Aldus Manutius, who died OTD in 1515. I did not know or had forgotten that he was tutor to two nephews of Pico della Mirandola before he set up shop as a Venetian printer: www.lindahall.org/about/news/s... #MedievalSky #BookHistory
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
"Many of your fellow students will soon find themselves toiling with résumés, references, and interviews. But a career in bridge trolling removes you from the tedium of the job hunt. You will truly be your own boss."
Your Career Aptitude Tests Results Suggest Bridge Troll
This letter is to inform you that your career aptitude test evaluation is complete. Your recommended career: Bridge Troll. Here at the Career Aptit...
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 2:40 AM
"Many of your fellow students will soon find themselves toiling with résumés, references, and interviews. But a career in bridge trolling removes you from the tedium of the job hunt. You will truly be your own boss."
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
I really want to stress that this is not some form of wishful thinking. It is an understanding of higher education that stands in opposition with the model that brought us graduates in crippling debt, adjuncts being fired for teaching difficult subjects, and a rat race for third party funding.
University is not a business, students are not customers, education is not a product, researchers are not salespeople.
February 4, 2026 at 7:27 PM
I really want to stress that this is not some form of wishful thinking. It is an understanding of higher education that stands in opposition with the model that brought us graduates in crippling debt, adjuncts being fired for teaching difficult subjects, and a rat race for third party funding.
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
ICMS 2026 registration is officially open! Be sure to register early so you secure your spot in limited workshops, concerts, and (limited) Tuesday arrivals. We can't wait to see you there!
icms.confex.com/icms/2026/re...
icms.confex.com/icms/2026/re...
February 3, 2026 at 7:34 PM
ICMS 2026 registration is officially open! Be sure to register early so you secure your spot in limited workshops, concerts, and (limited) Tuesday arrivals. We can't wait to see you there!
icms.confex.com/icms/2026/re...
icms.confex.com/icms/2026/re...
Reposted by Brandon W. Hawk
My review of the new book 'Runes: A Concise History' is out in the latest edition of the @historytoday.com magazine!
The review in brief: runes are great, so is this book, and it does a good job separating runic fact from runic fiction.
The review in brief: runes are great, so is this book, and it does a good job separating runic fact from runic fiction.
February 3, 2026 at 3:59 PM
My review of the new book 'Runes: A Concise History' is out in the latest edition of the @historytoday.com magazine!
The review in brief: runes are great, so is this book, and it does a good job separating runic fact from runic fiction.
The review in brief: runes are great, so is this book, and it does a good job separating runic fact from runic fiction.