In praise of Scotsmen

I was reminded of the glory of the Scots this week, first as I watched "Mrs. Brown" on TV, then as I picked up a long-neglected copy of Phantastes by George MacDonald for my lunch-hour reading.

Billy Connolly's John Brown may or may not be biographically accurate (I always suspect period films), but his sketch of a Scotsman certainly strikes me as such. So we see the admixture of passion and propriety, a man of letters and a man of the wilds, of being tender with horses and women or brawling when called for, and of a bedrock of common sense that might be called a "bullshit meter." When the film's Benjamin Disraeli says he intends to go out to the hunt to shoot but not to kill, Brown replies gruffly, "If you go out to hunt, you go to kill."

I read of George Macdonald this week that when he learned about the doctrines of Calvinism as a young man, it made him cry. That endears me to the man without knowing anything else about him. G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien praise him to the stars, although on my first attempt at reading Phantastes, I began to wonder why. Lewis is even candid in the preface that MacDonald's writing may fail at some technical points. MacDonald apparently disputed that he was a writer, calling himself instead a storyteller. That also endears me to him. Storytelling is one of the highest arts, by my lights.

As for his theology, he apparently got some wind of the Greek fathers, and though it took him into universalism, I can't help but wonder if he would have become Orthodox if there had been any Orthodox presence in Scotland at the time. He seems to have had the soul, just not the particulars. C.S. Lewis gives high praise to his Unspoken Sermons, noting both his literary merits and his spiritual ones:

"My own debt to this book is almost as great as one man can owe to another: and nearly all serious inquirers to whom I have introduced it acknowledge that it has given them great help-sometimes indispensable help toward the very acceptance of the Christian faith. . . . I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself. Hence his Christ-like union of tenderness and severity. Nowhere else outside the New Testament have I found terror and comfort so intertwined. . . . In making this collection I was discharging a debt of justice. I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him. But it has not seemed to me that those who have received my books kindly take even now sufficient notice of the affiliation. Honesty drives me to emphasize it." (quoted from Wikipedia)

I may or may not read the sermons, but I intend to take a deeper look into the faerie books. This time I'll also read them with the atmosphere of Scotland in mind. Maybe there are even audio books out there, with the story told by some no-BS Scotsman with that lovely, crazy accent.

Medieval Russia

Why is it that historians make such poor writers? Janet Martin's Medieval Russia falls into that category of books you read for any other reason than because you want to. But a book I got as a "freebie," not on the book list of the MIT course, has been a revelation. It's Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles and Tales edited by Serge A. Zenkovsky, a collection of early Russian writings.

Listen to the Song of Igor. Even in translation, which is like listening to someone talk underwater, you can hear the beauty and power.

...my men of Kursk are famed as warriors.
They were swaddled under trumpets.
They were brought up under helmets.
They were fed at lance point.
The roads are known to them.
The ravines are familiar to them.
Their bows are taut,
their quivers are open,
their sabers have been sharpened.
They race into the prairie like grey wolves,
seeking honor for themselves
and glory for their prince.

Then Prince Igor set his foot in the golden stirrup
and rode into the open prairie.
The sun barred his way with darkness
and night, moaning with tempest, awoke the birds.
The whistling of the beasts arose...

Igor leads his warriors to the river Don.
The birds in the forests of oak portend his misfortune.
The wolves conjure the tempest in the ravines.
The screeching eagles call the beasts to the feast of bones.
Foxes bark at scarlet shields.
O Russian land! You are already far beyond the hills...

This isn't your mama's epic poem. I'm intrigued to find out if there is anything in Russian literature like the courtly love poetry in western medieval literature. Scanning the table of contents, I don't see any. Lots of saints' biographies and manly tales of Viking derring-do; this is a style I can sink my teeth into. I appreciate the Romance of deep forests, wide steppes, mythical creatures, and brave and selfless deeds more than the conventional kind.

It's also been interesting to discover that Russia's heritage is not just Slavic but Germanic. I hadn't realized that the kingdom of Rus, the very name, stems from an alliance of local Slavic tribes and imported Scandinavian rulers. This may be one reason why the poetry resonates so much with me- it's familiar.

Helmet photo from Hammered Wombat

MIT Open Courseware

An Oozer pointed out this site where MIT puts syllabi, lecture notes and assignments up for free use by the public. What a goldmine! I love and am committed to self-study, particularly in the area where I've decided my concentrations is best put to use, medieval studies. The hardest thing is putting a structure on it. Such a resource allows you to do that, and with some birthday money in hand I've started ordering books to go through "The Making of Russia in the Worlds of Byzantium, Mongolia, and Europe." Of the medieval history courses, it seemed the most intriguing.

Also drawing my eye are the urban planning courses, which I consider something of a hobby interest, too. If I had to choose a second course, it would be "The Ancient City."

Of course, given a full-time job, husband, evenings taken up by the gym, and an aging brain, I realize the pace at which I can undertake serious study will be agonizingly slow and subject to distraction. Not exactly up to MIT standards. Yet maybe it will help to chase the cobwebs away.

New Martyr Hieromonk Nestor

The venerable Jo (see Sonnetstitches link at left) put me on to the Orthodox "punk" magazine Death To The World. There I came across an article on Hieromonk Nestor Savchuk, a priest-monk who was murdered after suffering opposition both from the Soviet government and Mafia who were robbing churches.

Both in the spiritual sense and because of his sufferings, he seemed to be aware that he awaited martyrdom. His life story beats with both the melancholy and the spiritual intensity of many such Russian tales. It reminds me of what the Scriptures tell us, that "precious to God is the death of His saints," and that the world is not worthy of such men. I am not worthy to share holy space with them, either. I feel the smallness and meanness of my life in reading this account.

From the article: "Nestor had broken through the wall that separates God and man, and God had become a living force within him. A close friend remembers one of his last conversations with Priest-Monk Nestor: 'We talked about the enemies of the Church. He said to me, "Why should we be afraid?" I said, "But those wicked thieves are everywhere!" He spoke calmly, "To all is God’s will. To suffer for Christ – this is a great joy." He talked about the spiritual war going on in the world today… He was already prepared for death.'

On December 31, 1993, Priest-Monk Nestor was found dead outside the window of his house, with his throat slit and with multiple stab wounds. The people believe that is was not a simple case of revenge, but was a strategic move in a spiritual war that is taking place today throughout the world. As the forces of darkness increase, the light becomes more visible. The life and death of Priest-Monk Nestor do not represent defeat, but the triumph of God’s righteousness. This is the height of the human experience – martyrdom for the Truth. Hieromonk Nestor passed from this life at the age of thirty-three – the same age at which Jesus Christ was crucified."

Pray for us.

Sci-Fi Catholic

Hat-tip to this interesting blog by a couple of science fiction writers who are, obviously, Catholic. What has one to do with the other, you ask? Consider the Inklings or Dorothy Sayers and their idea that putting the laws of faith to the test in "Faerie Land" or in the future can produce thought-provoking results.

For other commentary on this theme, check out this review of a Catholic sci-fi anthology. There is also the intriguing site Where the Map Ends, a clearinghouse for Christian fans and writers of "speculative fiction."

Makes me want to start writing fiction again...

Graphic is eveningsky by Markus Gann, who is not Catholic (so far as I know), but does interesting artwork and photography.

CV: The other infection

Women: Have you ever tried to treat a yeast infection... and treat it... and treat it... and symptoms not only do not get better, they get worse?

You may have the yeast infection's evil twin, a lactobacilli overgrowth or cytolitic vaginosis. It mimics the symptoms of a yeast infection and can be caused by overtreating for yeast. Rarely do you ever hear about it, however, and even gynecologists can miss it if they don't do a microbial scan. Thus my post.

While I'm at it, I'll put a plug in for treating both of these gently and with the most minimal of invasions, including all the creative natural remedies there are out there. Reaching for a box of Monistat every time you feel an itch is not a good idea, and neither is going too crazy with the yogurt or acidophilus tablets.

This article gives an introduction to CV.