German Feudal, Fief and Enfeoffment
A 1497 German manuscript stashed in a Boston desk opens a window into German enfeoffments - relationships between feudal lords and vassals.
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Stefan Israel
- Apr 2, 2021
- 3 min
Brahms’ Lullaby, the Wiegenlied
Genealogy is family, and family is parent and child, and what binds parent and child like a Wiegenlied? A Wiege is a cradle, a lied is a...
1,536 views
Dean Meservy
- Dec 24, 2020
- 3 min
Why do Americans say ‘Merry Christmas’?
We have kept the old word “merry” from a day when Christmas was anything but a Silent Night
1,252 views
Stefan Israel
- Jun 24, 2020
- 2 min
Kaffeeklatsch
Kaffeeklatsch, a very gemütlich, cozy gathering. It translates as ‘coffee chit-chat’
489 views
Stefan Israel
- Aug 5, 2019
- 3 min
Dutchland? Germany?
The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
5,864 views
Stefan Israel
- Jun 24, 2019
- 2 min
The Siegfried Idyll gift
In honor of his son's third birthday, Wagner wrote an Idyll. Learn the story behind its first performance.
94 views
Stefan Israel
- Jun 5, 2019
- 4 min
The Mystery of the Old "S" Explained
What on earth is going on with those letters? The s looks like an f !It sure does. I hope you never need those last couple of sentences. Old
2,803 views
Stefan Israel
- Apr 22, 2019
- 3 min
O du lieber Augustin
This simple song is said to date back to 1679 in Vienna, Austria - Marx Augustin was a cheery, popular balladeer and bag-piper of the time
2,542 views
Pamela Israel
- Sep 10, 2018
- 1 min
When is October in September?
Beer lovers and German fans can likely answer this riddle in a second. We are talking about Oktoberfest! September brings a nip in the...
61 views
Pamela Israel
- Dec 30, 2017
- 2 min
Ticket to a Year of Happiness
One of the fun things about digging through old family papers is discovering the whimsical pieces that someone has tucked away. Here's
72 views
Pamela Israel
- Dec 21, 2017
- 1 min
Der Nussknacker (The Nutcracker) - so much fun to say!
Nutcrackers, decorated trees and snow on the ground. Christmas must be right around the corner. We've seasonal Germantranslations to get
56 views
Pamela Israel
- Dec 16, 2017
- 1 min
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) & More!
Houses are adorned with festive lights, decorations and trees. We've some German translations to get you even more in the holiday spirit
90 views
Stefan Israel
- Dec 5, 2017
- 2 min
St. Nicholas - Bringer of Gifts
Martin Luther, who grew up with the tradition of gifts on Nikolaustag, shifted gift-giving to Christmas, since saints were no longer a focus
337 views
Stefan Israel
- Dec 4, 2017
- 2 min
St. Nicholas's Bad Cop: Krampus
Was zum Teufel? What the freaking devil? Santa. Krampus
119 views
Pamela Israel
- Nov 21, 2017
- 2 min
…..And I Thought I Knew All About Those Grandparents!
Sometimes you think you’ve heard almost every family story (often multiple times), but I’ve been so wonderfully surprised recently....and in
61 views
Pamela Israel
- Oct 31, 2017
- 1 min
Black Cat (schwarze Katze) Boo!
German words inspired by US Halloween
155 views
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