This knocker on the door of Durham Cathedral offers entrance to the world of Otter's Ransom; the original, now housed in the cathedral museum, offered Sanctuary to those fleeing the arm of secular law (Image Credit: Fee, Hannon, and Zoller 1999)

English 401: The Battle for Britain
Ancient Mythologies in Medieval British Literature

This knocker on the door of Durham Cathedral offers entrance to the world of Otter's Ransom; the original, now housed in the cathedral museum, offered Sanctuary to those fleeing the arm of secular law (Image Credit: Fee, Hannon, and Zoller 1999)

 
 
A Norse Boar's Head Carving from Maughold Churchyard on the Isle of Man (Image Credit: Fee and Zoller 2000)

The Secret of Otter's Ransom: An Electronic, Interactive, Interdisciplinary Introduction to the Medieval North Atlantic
The Secret of Otter's Ransom allows users to visit and to learn about some of the most spectacular archaeological and cultural sites of Britain. Utilizing hundreds of QTVR panoramas, documentary-style digital video clips, and interactive digital images, visitors can use this project to navigate oceans of time and space. The ancient cultures of the British Isles revered the boar for his boldness and ferocity; follow their example! Click on the boar's head at left to begin your journey!

The Sanctuary Knocker at Durham Cathedral (Image Credit: Fee, Hannon and Zoller 1999) English 401: The Battle for Britain Course Syllabus
In this course we will discuss representative samples from the various mythic traditions preserved in Medieval British and Irish literature. It will be our object to place the myths in their historical and cultural contexts, discussing the points of contrast and confluence between the Celtic, Roman, Saxon, Norse, and Christian traditions, and examining the myths comparatively according to type. We will conclude by examining a number of well-known and popular medieval texts that illustrate how ancient mythic traditions continued to be a cultural force in Britain centuries after the conversion to Christianity. Moreover, students in this course work as my colleagues in constructing an interactive, multimedia virtual tour of the Medieval North Atlantic. Even St. Cuthbert's bones sought sanctuary from the Vikings! Grasp the Sanctuary Knocker at left to seek the protection of a complete printable syllabus.
The altar of the Temple of Mithras near Carrawburgh on Hadrian's Wall (Image Credit: Fee, Hannon, and Zoller 1999) Course Requirements
In this course we engage a number of disciplines; one of these is literature, but others include history, archaeology, religion, anthropology and law; be thinking about how these various fields intersect, and think about how your own academic and personal interests might help to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on this material. Mithras was a Near Eastern god of a Mystery cult worshipped in underground temples near Hadrian's Wall in Britain. Approach the altar of Mithras at left to be initiated into the secrets of General and Specific Requirements, along with Project Guidelines, Caveats, and important Disclaimers!		 The Priory Church at Lindisfarne was sacked during a Viking Raid in AD 793; this Raid is often said to mark the opening of the Viking Age (Image Credit: Fee, Hannon and Zoller 1999) Required Texts and Reading Schedule
What books do I need? Where can I find them? What do they cost? What do I have to read each week? I like to buy my books a few at a time; which should I buy first? What books would I steal if I were a Viking raiding a monastery on a tidal island? Some would mark the start of the beginning of the conflation of British Christian and Norse Pagan mythologies with the raid at Lindisfarne Priory. Click on the ruins of the Rainbow Arch at Lindisfarne at left to keep up with the tide of reading!
The Broch on the Isle of Mousa, just off the coast of Mainland Shetland (Image Credit: Fee and Zoller 2001)

Useful Course Materials
Get a taste for Interactive Fiction by stepping into a sample adventure, or open the magic door to the ongoing Otter's Ransom portal to the Medieval North Atlantic. Even download the software needed to begin to create your own Interactive Fiction! Brochs are ancient Iron Age fortifications reused by subsequent waves of invaders. Enter the Broch of Mousa at left to open the door to a world of multimedia possibilities!

 Fenrir the Wolf, Who will Swallow Odin at Ragnarok; from a Cross-slab at Andreas on the Isle of Man (Image Credit: Fee and Zoller 2000) Assignment Schedule
When is what due? Assignment? What Assignment? Homework? Exams? You must be joking!?!?! The Norse gods met their Doom at Ragnarok; don't follow their example: Click on Fenrir swallowing Odin at left to see if you bit off more than you can chew!
   
Copyright 1999-2009 Gettysburg College and Christopher R. Fee