The Rise of Brian Boru: Cennétig mac Lorcáin and Medieval Ireland’s Royal Bloodline

When we think of the medieval period, our minds often go to Camelot: knights in shining armour, long gowns, grand feasts, and stories immortalized by movies and TV shows. But what about Ireland?

The Meaning of “Medieval”

“Medieval” is synonymous with the Middle Ages: a long and complex period in European history that stretches from the 5th century AD (around 476) to the 16th century AD (approximately 1500s). It’s a millennium that continues to inspire artists, writers, and dreamers of all kinds.

The Middle Ages are commonly bracketed between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the dawn of the Renaissance, or more globally, the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It’s a time defined by transformation, fragmentation, and relentless ambition.

OCD VampireJune 3, 2025June 2, 2025Leave a comment

Experts, Middle Ages, OCD Vampire, Paganism

The Strange And Magickal Origin Of Fays

When thinking about fairies, we often lean toward the little, tiny female entities with charming laughs and small dragonfly types of wings. But what is a fairy, really?

What does Fay Mean And Where Does It Come From?

The word fay saw the light of day in the early Dark Ages. Its spelling varies from fae, fay, fey, and fairy, which all mean the same. We can also see lesser-known variations such as faerie, fairie, fayrye, and feirie.

However, the spelling faerie, adopted in Middle English, later became the word fairy. The word means “enchanted” or anything related to charm. The word itself, borrowed from Old French faerie, came from the same meaning, “realm of the fays.”

OCD VampireJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 20241 Comment

Experts, OCD Vampire

The Dancing Plague Of The Middle Ages

We all heard of the Bubonic Plague, Black Plague, the Plague, or the Black Death, all synonyms for the same illness that killed a third of the world’s population. But do you know about the Dancing Plague?

But First, The Black Plague!

Europe in the Middle Ages suffered from many illnesses and diseases as they developed in various societies. The popularity of trading ports expanded the horizons of kingdoms but also had them face new pathogens, bacteria and germs their lives did not accustom them to.

Nothing prepared their immune system for the possibility of contagion. Their limited knowledge of medicine also led them to die in great numbers. The Church spread it was either God punishing them for their sinful ways or Satan spreading its diseases. Either way, the morale was down.

OCD VampireMarch 30, 20232 Comments

Experts, OCD Vampire, Reviews, YouTube

The Last Kingdom Is A Gothic, Historical Story

Sometimes history hides heroes deep in the art and leaves a battlefield without a name. The Last Kingdom is about one of those men.

Where It Came From

The Last Kingdom is a gothic, historical story. But where to begin? History is an infinite source of ideas for authors.

It is becoming a series that has people glued to their small screens. Netflix didn’t waste time and jumped on Bernard Cornwell‘s work of The Saxon Stories and called it The Last Kingdom.

OCD VampireJanuary 30, 20231 Comment

Experts, OCD Vampire, YouTube

The Black Death History Of The Middle Ages

When the words Black Plague come together, we automatically think of the Middle Ages. Most recently, the term Dark Ages turned inappropriate but remained used, as it has another meaning for us goths, the Bubonic Plague.

The Overall Meaning Of The Black Death

The term Black Death resonates with an outburst of bubonic plague turned into a pandemic. It occurred in Western Euroasia and spread down to North Africa. Its period of spread was between 1346 to 1353.

This era was the most brutal and fatal death-spreading pandemic in human history to this day. Nothing has ever come close to the number of deaths related to a disease.

OCD VampireDecember 30, 2022January 13, 20232 Comments

Romania — Transylvania — Fortress Castle

Experts, OCD Vampire

An Epic Wallachian Battle In Most Gothic Times Won By Basarab I of Wallachia

Many battles occurred during the Middle Ages, often due to pride or religion. Some of the epic battles were between Wallachia and Hungary. This is the story of the Battle of Posada.

Wallachia Was Small, But Mighty

Between November 9th and 12th of 1330, the Battle of Posada took place between Basarab I of Wallachia and Charles I of Hungary, who shared the name, Charles Robert. Wallachia, known today as Romania, had a small army with Basarab at the head. The cavalry and archers lived in a land of mountains and would mostly travel on foot.

Historians claim that the Turks’ nomadic people, the Cumans, helped Wallachia in their battle. However, because of the substantial number of Cuman-Hungarian people, there is no proof to back the claim. Charles referred to Basarab as Voivode, a Romanian word and term translating as Warlord, but nothing above it. Charles did so due to Wallachia being a vassal to Hungary in 1324.

OCD VampireDecember 2, 2022January 13, 20231 Comment

Experts, Paula Phillips

The First Witch Trial In The British Isles

In the history of witch trials, we can go as far back as the beginning of Christianity and later on Catholicism. Being part of the church didn’t even ensure your safety among your people. History is cruel to those who dare be just a little different.

Women And Witchcraft

Throughout history, we have read about the various women who, back in the early days, suffered persecution and accusation of witchcraft. When anything wrong seemed to happen, they were the ones to blame.

The women were at fault, and they viewed it as suspicious if it happened more than once. The suspicion turned towards the idea that the female must be at fault and a witch.

NZGeekChicNovember 30, 2022November 30, 20222 Comments

Experts, OCD Vampire

Is Belial A Fallen Angel Or A Simple Demon

When watching the popular Netflix series Lucifer, Belial is one name Lucifer mentions to refer to himself. However, Belial is a character of his own rights. Here’s the story…

The Technicality Of Belial

Belial is not just a name, but a Hebrew word linked to wickedness and worthlessness. If digging deeper into the word’s etymology, we get ‘lacking worth,’ some even go as far as ‘may he have no rising.’

In King James‘ version of the Bible, Belial would be ‘a naughty person.’ However, in the Hebrew version, we see phrases such as ‘sons of Belial’ or simply put as ‘sons of worthlessness.’ When phrases use ‘sons of,’ it is a way to describe a group of people.

OCD VampireNovember 28, 2022January 13, 2023Leave a comment

Experts, OCD Vampire, Reviews, YouTube

Knightfall Is The Underrated Medieval Series Deserving Of More Seasons

When I finished watching The Last Kingdom, I was looking desperately for something to satisfy my Dark Ages addiction. Knightfall showed up, and quickly I found myself hooked on the last years of the infamous Templars.

The Official Summary

In 1306, the Knights Templar were winding down their run as one of the most powerful organisations in the Christian world. Acre, the Templar’s last stronghold, has fallen, and years later, a rumour is heard that the lost Grail is still in that area.

The Templars, led by the courageous, headstrong, but noble Templar Knight Landry, have shifted their attention to regaining a foothold in the Holy Land. They take their battle back to the Holy Land, and their battles become the Crusades.

OCD VampireNovember 22, 2022January 13, 2023Leave a comment

Experts, OCD Vampire

The Moosham Castle The Cruelest Trial In Witch Hunt History

When we think about the European witch hunt, we think about the mediaeval period, but what if I told you one castle hosted children as its primary victims?

The Moosham Castle Purpose

The Austria spur castle can sit over a Roman fortress’ foundation. A spur castle is a term used to indicate a mediaeval fortress resting on the spur of a hill or mountain as a defence mechanism.

Another example is the Poenari Castle in Romania, which belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Usually, the only weakness of such a castle resides where the hill links to the spur from which it projects. It also means that the spur castle would have three sides by steep hillsides for the best protection.

OCD VampireNovember 16, 2022January 13, 20231 Comment

Experts, OCD Vampire

The Knights Templar Downfall At The Hands Of A French King

The Dark Ages weren’t magic. They were unforgiving. It was a time for kingdom divisions and assertions of power for lands. But Kings and Queens weren’t the only sources of power. So were the Church and their most powerful Order, the Knights Templar.

What Do We Know Of The Knights Templar?

I am an ancient history nerd. My favourite era is the Iron Age and the Dark Ages. Because of my passion for history, the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise from Ubisoft became an obsession of mine. Their accuracy and storytelling are compelling, and so are their villains.

The Assassin’s Creed might not be real in history—or maybe it is, and it’s all part of the conspiracy!—Joking aside, the assassins aren’t real, but the Knights Templar were and still exist to this day. Most of what we know about them comes from conspiracy theorists or fiction. In fact, the most accurate depiction of the Order comes from Assassin’s Creed and the History Channel series, Knightfall.

OCD VampireNovember 14, 2022January 13, 20231 Comment

Experts, OCD Vampire

Anglo-Saxon Dangerous Dead Burial In Nottinghamshire

In the Middle Ages, the rise of many beliefs creeping out of ancient folklore surfaced. One of them is the vampire, alongside witches that were common and werewolves. In modern times, when digging in the ‘old country,’ one might find rather strange burials.

The Middle Ages Fortune-Tellers

Back in Medieval Times, people didn’t have meteorologists to explain Mother Nature’s behaviour. They didn’t have the luxury of biologists telling them not to drink stagnant water. Instead, people had other ways to explain diseases and poor crops.

People of the Middle Ages often tried to find someone to blame, and it would come from dark places. With the Church spreading its wings across Europe, witchery was the popular belief.

OCD VampireNovember 10, 2022January 13, 20232 Comments

Experts, OCD Vampire

An Evil King In A Most Unforgiving Time

In the Dark Ages, technology and discoveries were stagnant. Yet, to this day, creative minds dive into history to grab a piece of its history. While some things stood still, the battle for kingdoms had begun. Reign of Mad Kings roared over lands, and Æthelred II was one of them.

Dark Ages Fun Fact & Warning

A Dark Ages fun fact: people had no surnames or family names. In fact, they had either sobriquets or a nickname to separate them from others wearing the same first name. For that reason, many last names today carry words that once meant something different.

I should warn you that this article is about Æthelred II, ‘the Unready’ from later in history and not based on the fantastic character from the television series, The Last Kingdom. Those are two different Æthelred II. While native from the same kingdom apart in time.

OCD VampireNovember 9, 2022January 13, 20234 Comments

Experts, OCD Vampire, Paranormal

The Vampire Disease From The Dark Ages To Today

The Vampire Disease. Many people heard of it but do people really know what it is? Or what it means to the people who live with it? I have the illness at a mild level. Here’s how it goes!

Beware, Vampires Are Out Of The Coffin! Really, Read The Warning!

This article contains graphic descriptions of the medical condition widely spread as ‘Vampire Disease’ and its symptoms. The following article is an in-depth dive into the illness and what it implies, and what it is like for people like me to live with this condition.

If you are sensitive to medical tools, treatment, and physical descriptions of diseases, I recommend skipping this article. Because the illness can relate to mental disorders, I also recommend ensuring all readers are comfortable with the nervous system and brain illnesses.

OCD VampireNovember 1, 2022January 13, 20232 Comments

Experts, OCD Vampire, Paranormal

Alleged Vampire Witch

A vampire is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital force of the living. In European folklore, vampires were undead beings that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited while they were alive. — Wikipedia

Debunking History

Throughout human history, the word vampire spread around the world since the dawn of humankind. Legends and myths from different civilizations nowhere near connected, share the same type of creature. Originally meaning: forceful bite, in my cultures, the creature itself seems to share common grounds. Its number one being the taste for blood.

OCD VampireJune 5, 2019October 3, 202310 Comments

When we think of the medieval period, our minds often go to Camelot: knights in shining armour, long gowns, grand feasts, and stories immortalized by movies and TV shows. But what about Ireland?

The Meaning of “Medieval”

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When thinking about fairies, we often lean toward the little, tiny female entities with charming laughs and small dragonfly types of wings. But what is a fairy, really?

What does Fay Mean And Where Does It Come From?

Share this:

We all heard of the Bubonic Plague, Black Plague, the Plague, or the Black Death, all synonyms for the same illness that killed a third of the world’s population. But do you know about the Dancing Plague?

But First, The Black Plague!

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Sometimes history hides heroes deep in the art and leaves a battlefield without a name. The Last Kingdom is about one of those men.

Where It Came From

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When the words Black Plague come together, we automatically think of the Middle Ages. Most recently, the term Dark Ages turned inappropriate but remained used, as it has another meaning for us goths, the Bubonic Plague.

The Overall Meaning Of The Black Death

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Many battles occurred during the Middle Ages, often due to pride or religion. Some of the epic battles were between Wallachia and Hungary. This is the story of the Battle of Posada.

Wallachia Was Small, But Mighty

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In the history of witch trials, we can go as far back as the beginning of Christianity and later on Catholicism. Being part of the church didn’t even ensure your safety among your people. History is cruel to those who dare be just a little different.

Women And Witchcraft

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When watching the popular Netflix series Lucifer, Belial is one name Lucifer mentions to refer to himself. However, Belial is a character of his own rights. Here’s the story…

The Technicality Of Belial

Share this:

When I finished watching The Last Kingdom, I was looking desperately for something to satisfy my Dark Ages addiction. Knightfall showed up, and quickly I found myself hooked on the last years of the infamous Templars.

The Official Summary

Share this:

When we think about the European witch hunt, we think about the mediaeval period, but what if I told you one castle hosted children as its primary victims?

The Moosham Castle Purpose

Share this:

The Dark Ages weren’t magic. They were unforgiving. It was a time for kingdom divisions and assertions of power for lands. But Kings and Queens weren’t the only sources of power. So were the Church and their most powerful Order, the Knights Templar.

What Do We Know Of The Knights Templar?

Share this:

In the Middle Ages, the rise of many beliefs creeping out of ancient folklore surfaced. One of them is the vampire, alongside witches that were common and werewolves. In modern times, when digging in the ‘old country,’ one might find rather strange burials.

The Middle Ages Fortune-Tellers

Share this:

In the Dark Ages, technology and discoveries were stagnant. Yet, to this day, creative minds dive into history to grab a piece of its history. While some things stood still, the battle for kingdoms had begun. Reign of Mad Kings roared over lands, and Æthelred II was one of them.

Dark Ages Fun Fact & Warning

Share this:

The Vampire Disease. Many people heard of it but do people really know what it is? Or what it means to the people who live with it? I have the illness at a mild level. Here’s how it goes!

Beware, Vampires Are Out Of The Coffin! Really, Read The Warning!

Share this:

A vampire is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital force of the living. In European folklore, vampires were undead beings that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited while they were alive. — Wikipedia

Debunking History

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