Five Medieval Myths : Busted.

Of all the bookish eras, the medieval period gets the worst rap. Hollywood, Enlightenment snobs, and the Victorians dragged them… and they can’t even defend themselves. 😅 I’m here to bust some myths and prove medievals are actually the coolest—and that books set in this time period are criminally underrated. 🏰🔥

I’ve put together a blog post covering the five things my readers say keep them from enjoying medieval-set books. Let me take your hand and tell you the truth: the medievals were actually some of the most forward-thinking, faith-filled people who ever lived.

Nevertheless, “I don’t normally read medieval BUT” is one of the most common comments I get on my Hebridean Shield books, and then I see the same readers will read Regency & Victorian (which is a head scratcher, because the Victorians were lowkey kinda crazy—I kid I kid).

Anyway, I saw this comment over and over—so I finally asked my readers why they don’t read medieval.

Here’s what they told me:

Myth 1 : I don’t read Medieval because… “Medieval People Were Unhygienic”

Imagine my relief, because actually, that’s mostly a Victorian myth. Victorians had rigid, image-obsessed ideas of “respectability” and painted medieval life as dirty. In reality, medieval people:

• Took bathing seriously (sometimes up to an hour a day)

• Used public bathhouses and private tubs regularly

• Changed linen undergarments often

• Had healthier teeth than we do (no refined sugar = less rot)

Their morals were rooted more in biblical right and wrong (and grace) than in social image—so Victorians saw them as “loose” and “germy”… and we inherited the “gross medievals” stereotype.

Myth 2 : I don’t read Medieval because… “They didn’t have access to toilets/clean water.”

Not true. Medieval people had:

-Chamber pots

-Latrines

-Private toilets & garderobes

Chamber pots were carefully stored, emptied, and cleaned—not tossed out the window in some gross free-for-all. Waste was usually taken to a manure pile or cesspit. Publicly relieving yourself was not acceptable (in fact there is a record in the 14th century of a young beggar being hit and killed while relieving himself in the middle of the street, and he was labeled “savage.” )

The Victorians on the other hand, yeah, they had urination deflection rails on the sides of buildings because they were corroding the sides of buildings with their public urination. No I’m not joking, a few survive today. (Read it here: The Urine Deflectors of Fleet Street).

As for water, many people (especially in rural areas) had access to clean wells and springs. At Moy Castle, for example, drinking water came from a deep wellspring in the lowest level of the castle.

Myth # 3 - I don’t read Medieval because… “The Medieval times were dark, demonic, & corrupt.”

Mostly this is a Hollywood invention. I get it. It’s a lot less interesting to create a film where it essentially looks like they’re normal people living in normal homes. And that’s what they were! Medieval castles, homes, and chapels were full of color—painted walls, bright fabrics, candles, stained glass.

Their art drew straight from Scripture, making chapels centers of beauty, creativity, and worship.

Did they use gothic elements in their architecture (think gargoyles, eavesdroppers, monsters, etc.) Yes! Does that mean it was demonic, no. Medieval people were incredibly bold in their faith. Medieval Christians weren’t afraid of “dark” themes—they used them to talk about Jesus, sin, and the contrast between human brokenness and God’s goodness.

There are many examples, especially in Celtic Christianity, where pagan holidays and symbols were used as a teaching tool, using things that people knew and were familiar with to explain the mysteries of God. So before you light a torch against “pagan” symbols… remember that these were evangelistic tools - ex. Headstones, wedding rings, the trinity symbol, the triskelion, etc. I think that’s pretty cool. Just as God reclaimed and redeemed, that is what the medievals did for the people and everyday ordinary life around them.

No darkness, no understanding of light. ✨

Myth # 4 - I don’t read Medieval because… “The Medievals were superstitious/pagan/held witch trials.”

Up until the late 15th century (the end of the medieval period), the idea of witches and witchcraft as we think of them now was basically unknown in the medieval world. They had a concept of “magical” things, creatures, and pagan practices, but largely viewed these as misguided superstition. They weren’t afraid of it, because they knew it didn’t hold real power. They trusted in God. And in short, they felt pity for people who placed their faith in such things.

The ideas of “dark magic,” spells, casting, and working with demons come from Malleus Maleficarum, a treatise against witchcraft published in 1486 that did lead to trials in the 16th and 17th centuries. Witches and witchcraft were later romanticized by the Victorians, Hollywood, and the neopagan movement that began in the 1940s (and never really existed). The medievals viewed these things as delusional.

Myth #5 - I don’t read Medieval because… “Women held no power/no rights/were treated so bad.”

You guys are going to LOVE this one. In 19th century America, could a woman independently own land apart from their husband’s authority—no. HOWEVER medieval women inherited, owned, and transmitted property and titles even independently while being married. Women could inherit kingdoms and thrones. Women could stand in as regent for their husbands and sons. Women ran their households—meaning they ran all of it, finances, repairs, courts of law. When lords left it was their wives that assumed their lordship and managed their estates and clans. If their estates were besieged, then they raised armies and constructed defenses, and men were perfectly willing to take orders from her.

Medieval women also commanded a tremendous amount of spiritual respect. They didn’t have to pretend to be men, they were uniquely feminine leaders.

IN CONCLUSION…

Hey, maybe the medieval period is still not for you, but I hope this little blog has served to show you that the medievals lived in a time far more advanced and complex than posterity gives them credit for. When I write in this time period I always try to make them feel like real, normal people because that’s what they were.

Love,

Ashley