Myriah Williams
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myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Myriah Williams
@myriahwilliams.bsky.social
330 followers 190 following 160 posts
Celticist and erstwhile cake baker
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Myriah Williams @myriahwilliams.bsky.social · Mar 20
In the 16th-17th c. the Black Book of Carmarthen was shared widely among poets & scholars. They made annotations & copies (& occasionally complaints!) before passing the book on.

Celebrating my work on this hasn’t felt right, but books & learning enrich our lives, then as now. Protect education.
Image of an open book in front of a book shelf. The book is Studia Celtica 58 (2024) and it is open to the title page of the article “The Black Book of Carmarthen and its Owners” with an abstract below the title and attribution.
Reposted by Myriah Williams
downham.bsky.social
New article by Liverpool PhD Dr Eddie Meehan "Identity, exemplarity and the ideal king in early medieval Ireland" open access academic.oup.com/histres/adva... #history #leadership #ireland #medievalsky
Identity, exemplarity and the ideal king in early medieval Ireland*
Abstract. This article examines some early medieval Insular texts on the ideal king: three examples of Old Irish tecosca (wisdom) texts and the ninth secti
academic.oup.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:06 PM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Title for worst typo this semester goes to:

“The Three Prostate [read: prostrate] Chieftains of the Island of Britain”

Really changes the vibe of the Third Branch of the Mabinogi…
November 14, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
britishacademy.bsky.social
The British Academy invite applications for the Neil Ker Memorial Fund 2026. The scheme aims to promote the study of Western medieval manuscripts, particularly those of British interest: https://bit.ly/4hO0Oo1
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
weratedogs.com
This is Goose. His stick didn't fit through the door at first. But Goose believed in himself, and more importantly, so did his doorman. 13/10 (TT: bigstickgoose)
November 12, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
yganolfangeltaidd.bsky.social
📢Seminar Hybrid
🗓13 Tachwedd🕔5.00yh
🗣 Simon Rodway
‘Gwlithod Blewog a Mygydau Barddol: Golwg Newydd ar Garchariad Aneirin yn y Tŷ Deyerin’
📍Yn Ystafell Seminar y Ganolfan ac ar lein drwy Zoom
📧E-bostiwch canolfan@cymru.ac.uk i gofrestru.
Croeso cynnes i bawb!
November 4, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
finnlongman.com
He keeps doing it. Every time somebody gets beheaded in this text, the word "head" is replaced with a little hand-drawn emoticon. And considering how many people get beheaded in this story, that's a lot of lil face drawings.
A manuscript in which two instances of the word "head" have been replaced by small faces
November 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
A+ abbreviation technique
finnlongman.com Finn Longman @finnlongman.com · 9d
Yeah you know what, the description of Lugaid beheading Cú Chulainn was really missing hand-drawn emoticons, that's absolutely what we needed in this specific moment
a few lines of a manuscript of Oidheadh Con Culainn, describing the moment in which Lugaid beheads Cú Chulainn (who is already dead). towards the end of a line is a doodle of a person's face/head, a little bigger than the letters around it but not much. it might actually be standing in for the word 'face' or 'head' here, I'd have to check another MS to be sure
November 8, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
carinr.bsky.social
The November page has a marginal autobiographical note in Willibrord's hand! See this ELMSS entry for Lowe's description of the manuscript's script and a transcription of the autograph note: elmss.nuigalway.ie/catalogue/975
BNF lat 10837, fol. 39v
November 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
“Some English reference books describe cynghanedd as ‘the ancient Welsh strict metres’. In so doing, they confine this most beautiful code to a prison with doors double-locked by bygone times and inflexible rules.”

A lovely introduction to cynghanedd & the Eisteddfod by Mererid Hopwood from January
The greatest poetic metre you’ve probably never heard of
Cynghanedd, the ancient Welsh art of poetic harmony, weaves rhythm, rhyme and alliteration into intricate patterns.
theconversation.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
libankerdc.bsky.social
The #1 lesson from yesterday’s blowout:
Humanities majors killed on the job market
1) Mamdani- Africana Studies
2) Spanberger -French
3) Sherill - Global History
libankerdc.bsky.social Elisabeth R. Anker @libankerdc.bsky.social · 10d
Humanities where the cool jobs at
November 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
weratedogs.com
We only rate dogs. This is spaghetti con salsiccia. Obviously has the noodles and the sausage, but is notably missing sauce. Please only send dogs. Thank you… 13/10 (IG: futrinka_tacsko)
a person in a white shirt and blue striped boxers holds a black and tan dachshund under the armpit with one arm and under the chin with the other. the dog has a massive mouthful of cooked spaghetti chomped in his mouth, with noodles sticking out in all directions, and a single long strand dangling down the length of his skinny body. we know the position isn’t ideal, but the dog was recently fished out of the garbage where he found this treasure, so it’s a temporary solution. the dog’s eyes are wide: likely a combination of joy at the feast, surprise as the swift removal, and shock at having been caught.
November 5, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
adapalmer.bsky.social
Great example. I’ve often heard people say they believe medieval people discouraged or punished female literacy, whereas Mary is usually shown reading during the Annunciation, so every medieval person constantly saw images of the #1 female role model reading. The anti-learning Middle Ages is a myth.
jdmccafferty.bsky.social John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 10d
St Anne teaching the Virgin to read, carved stone, France, Troyes, ca. 1500-1530

(V&A Museum, London)
November 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
lisafdavis.bsky.social
What a great find! As a paleographer, I can't help but observe that if this were French I would have dated the not-yet-Gothic script to the mid-12th century. In Norway, the transition from Romanesque to Gothic happens later, hence the tentative 13th-c. date. www.sciencenorway.no/cultural-his...
Eight pages bound in furry seal skin may be Norway's oldest book
The little book is so rare that the National Library of Norway is bringing in experts from around the world to learn more.
www.sciencenorway.no
November 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
ascolotl.bsky.social
Start sending your abstracts in! We are currently in want of Celtic studies abstracts in particular, don’t let the side down
ccasnc.bsky.social CCASNC @ccasnc.bsky.social · 12d
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!
Just one week remaining to submit an abstract for CCASNC 2026!
November 3, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
weratedogs.com
This is Herman. He is a firm believer in keeping a consistent morning routine. No one said anything about efficient. 13/10 #SeniorPupSaturday (TT: rav_drift)
November 1, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Turn-ip the spooky… 🎃👻
#Halloween #Samhain
A lit carved turnip (rutabaga) with a crooked smile showing teeth looks at a pile of books to the right, while sitting on a large volume with gilt binding. More books are on the left.
October 31, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
joshuabyronsmith.bsky.social
Join us in Spring 26 for the Celtic Studies Association of North America's annual meeting in Nova Scotia!
October 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
davidstifter.bsky.social
Samhain night is upon us, and yours truly has been interviewed about it (as if I were an expert) for an article in the Austrian newspaper @derstandard.at. The article even mentions samoni, the Gaulish cognate of Samhain.

www.derstandard.at/story/310000...

Herzlichen Dank, Reinhard Kleindl.
October 31, 2025 at 6:03 AM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Turn-ip the spooky… 🎃👻
#Halloween #Samhain
A lit carved turnip (rutabaga) with a crooked smile showing teeth looks at a pile of books to the right, while sitting on a large volume with gilt binding. More books are on the left.
October 31, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
enniusredloeb.bsky.social
These terrifying bats are looking forward to #Halloween 🦇🦇🦇😱
Bodl. Library MS. Ashmole 304; 13th century; England, St. Albans; f.47v @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
October 29, 2025 at 10:06 PM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Turnips - roots of Halloween 🎃
A carved turnip (rutabaga) sits on top of a large book with gilt binding, between other books. It has a crooked smile with teeth showing.
October 30, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
elenaparina.bsky.social
Join us for another term of the Bonn+Marburg Celtic Seminar online! The first lecture will be on 03.11.2025 (18:00 CET): Michiel de Vaan (Universität Basel): "Gaulish and its role in the rise of complex yes/no-answers in Gallo-Romance and West Germanic." Email celtic@uni-bonn.de to receive the link
October 29, 2025 at 7:47 AM
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
Quietly waiting for Wales/Welsh to start trending…
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 16d
Someone just sent me this asking if it was real. I was skeptical but checked my phone notifications. It's been deleted, but it was real.
Trump post on Truth Social: South Carerdddd
October 29, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
northages.bsky.social
Oct 28: Feast of Dorbéne mac Altaíni (†713), abbot of Iona. Scribe of the earliest surviving copy of Adomnán’s Life of Columba. Fáelchú mac Dorbéni succeeded him. 📸Stadtbibliothek Schaffhausen #medievalsky
Dorbéne's copy of Adomnán's Life of Columba.
October 28, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Myriah Williams
myriahwilliams.bsky.social
the “dark” ages vs the “information age”
A rectangle sub-divided into four rectangles in a meme format. The upper left says “medieval” opposite the upper right which consists of a manuscript opening (The Lichfield Gospels, pp. 140-141); the lower left says “‘mid’ evil” opposite the lower right which is a screenshot of the ‘AI Overview’ that appears at the top of many Google searches.
October 6, 2025 at 8:35 PM