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.
top of page
Search
Stefan Israel
Apr 2, 20213 min
Brahms’ Lullaby, the Wiegenlied
Brahms' Lullaby: Genealogy is family, and family is parent and child, and what binds parent and child like a Wiegenlied?
2,748 views
Dean Meservy
Dec 24, 20203 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
1,961 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 24, 20202 min
Kaffeeklatsch
Kaffeeklatsch, a very gemütlich, cozy gathering. It translates as ‘coffee chit-chat’
698 views
Stefan Israel
Aug 5, 20193 min
Dutchland? Germany?
The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
7,419 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 24, 20192 min
The Siegfried Idyll gift
In honor of his son's third birthday, Wagner wrote an Idyll. Learn the story behind its first performance.
104 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 5, 20194 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
3,423 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 22, 20193 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
3,159 views
Pamela Israel
Sep 10, 20181 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...
65 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 30, 20172 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
88 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 21, 20171 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
66 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 16, 20171 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
100 views
Stefan Israel
Dec 5, 20172 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
364 views
Stefan Israel
Dec 4, 20172 min
St. Nicholas's Bad Cop: Krampus
Was zum Teufel? What the freaking devil? Santa. Krampus
140 views
Pamela Israel
Nov 21, 20172 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
67 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 31, 20171 min
Black Cat (schwarze Katze) Boo!
German words inspired by US Halloween
236 views
bottom of page