WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:13.439
<v Speaker 1>This episode is brought to you by Middleborn Arms. Hello

2
00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:15.759
<v Speaker 1>and welcome to Mythic Mind, where you pursue wisdom in

3
00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:18.480
<v Speaker 1>the past between primary and secondary of worlds. I'm your host,

4
00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:21.160
<v Speaker 1>Angel Snyder, and I am always grateful for your company.

5
00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:28.679
<v Speaker 1>I had originally intended to provide you with an interview

6
00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.199
<v Speaker 1>show today, but my plans were a little bit derailed

7
00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.960
<v Speaker 1>when my family was hit by COVID recently. I was

8
00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:35.640
<v Speaker 1>the first is to come and I was still able

9
00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:37.200
<v Speaker 1>to get some work done from home at that point,

10
00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:39.840
<v Speaker 1>but then my wife caught it and she's pregnant and

11
00:00:39.840 --> 00:00:41.880
<v Speaker 1>so she definitely had it worse than I did. And

12
00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:44.000
<v Speaker 1>then my two year old daughter had it worst of all,

13
00:00:44.039 --> 00:00:46.759
<v Speaker 1>and so it was definitely an all hands on deck situation,

14
00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.119
<v Speaker 1>which put me behind on some things, but I mean,

15
00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.159
<v Speaker 1>of course I'm going to choose my family when things

16
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.280
<v Speaker 1>like this happen. Then, as a plan B, I had

17
00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:57.439
<v Speaker 1>a topic that I hope to discuss as a standalone episode,

18
00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.439
<v Speaker 1>but I wasn't able to get around to that either

19
00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:01.679
<v Speaker 1>as I was playing catch up, and so today I

20
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:05.319
<v Speaker 1>bring you my plan. See, as you likely know if

21
00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:09.400
<v Speaker 1>you've been listening along, I'm currently teaching my second independently

22
00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:12.560
<v Speaker 1>led course, which is called Life, Death and Meaning with

23
00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:16.680
<v Speaker 1>Beowulf and Boethius. We just started on the Boethia section,

24
00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:18.599
<v Speaker 1>and so I'm going to provide you today with the

25
00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:22.359
<v Speaker 1>audio from my introduction to the Constellation of Philosophy. This

26
00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:24.719
<v Speaker 1>is an incredible text, and whether you're in the course

27
00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.200
<v Speaker 1>or not, I strongly recommend that you pick up this

28
00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.640
<v Speaker 1>book if you've not done so already. This is a brilliant,

29
00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:35.120
<v Speaker 1>ever timely medieval wisdom that you can readily jump right into,

30
00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.079
<v Speaker 1>even if you've never read any medieval or even any

31
00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.719
<v Speaker 1>philosophical text up to this point. Now, of course, familiarity

32
00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:44.879
<v Speaker 1>with such texts will likely enrich your reading of Boethius.

33
00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:48.959
<v Speaker 1>But Boethius can definitely stand on his own. He's very accessible,

34
00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:52.319
<v Speaker 1>and I hope that this brief introduction proves helpful to you.

35
00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:55.159
<v Speaker 1>If you'd like to join the course, it's not too late,

36
00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:58.359
<v Speaker 1>as you will have indefinite access to all the materials

37
00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:01.319
<v Speaker 1>for Beowulf and Boethius, and so you're always welcome to

38
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:03.920
<v Speaker 1>go through it whenever you can and at whatever pace

39
00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.519
<v Speaker 1>works for you. And if you enrolled during the month

40
00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:09.520
<v Speaker 1>of September, you can use the code Fortune to get

41
00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:12.680
<v Speaker 1>half off the cost. To enroll, just go to Andrew

42
00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.800
<v Speaker 1>Snyder dot Patia dot com or click the link in

43
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:36.120
<v Speaker 1>the show notes and now here we go. Hello, welcome back,

44
00:02:36.199 --> 00:02:40.520
<v Speaker 1>as we get started on Boethius's The Constellation of Philosophy. Now,

45
00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:44.120
<v Speaker 1>this is an incredible text. I've read it roughly once

46
00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:46.039
<v Speaker 1>a year for the last probably ten years or so.

47
00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.639
<v Speaker 1>At this point, it's probably the book that I've read

48
00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:51.360
<v Speaker 1>the most. Definitely one of my top five books of

49
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:53.599
<v Speaker 1>all time. And that says a lot because I've read

50
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.000
<v Speaker 1>a lot of books, but I think that there's just

51
00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:01.240
<v Speaker 1>so much medieval wisdom packed into the pages. Now, I'm

52
00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:02.759
<v Speaker 1>not going to spend a lot of time getting into

53
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:05.919
<v Speaker 1>the historical background, because I mean, honestly, that's just something

54
00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:08.360
<v Speaker 1>that you can find elsewhere. You don't need me to

55
00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:11.159
<v Speaker 1>lay that out for you. But I did provide a

56
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:14.159
<v Speaker 1>video in the course in this week's module that goes

57
00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:17.280
<v Speaker 1>over the historical context really well, and so if you're

58
00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:21.159
<v Speaker 1>not already very familiar with the period of time that

59
00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:25.000
<v Speaker 1>surrounds the fall of Western Rome, then definitely take a

60
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:26.719
<v Speaker 1>look at that video does a great job of setting

61
00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:30.439
<v Speaker 1>it up and leading us into Bowethius's historical context. But

62
00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.360
<v Speaker 1>most directly to the point, Boethius is living in the

63
00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:38.039
<v Speaker 1>city of Rome. It's being governed by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. Well,

64
00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.960
<v Speaker 1>even though the barbarians are in charge, they're still keeping

65
00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:45.360
<v Speaker 1>the basic infrastructure of Rome in place. And so the

66
00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:50.599
<v Speaker 1>Roman Boethias, the philosopher, the senator, the console, in fact

67
00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:53.680
<v Speaker 1>even a personal advisor for a time to King Theodoric.

68
00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:57.080
<v Speaker 1>This is a guy who has lived his life according

69
00:03:57.080 --> 00:04:02.360
<v Speaker 1>to virtue, according to Christian faith, holding true to Nicene

70
00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:07.400
<v Speaker 1>Trinitarian orthodoxy, despite the fact that his Ostrogothic king is

71
00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:10.800
<v Speaker 1>an Aryan, because the Germanic peoples in large part were

72
00:04:10.840 --> 00:04:15.039
<v Speaker 1>converted when the Roman Empire was Aryan itself. And so

73
00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:19.240
<v Speaker 1>the Aryan Romans send out these missionaries to the Germanic

74
00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:23.240
<v Speaker 1>peoples convert them to Aryan Christianity, while eventually Rome comes

75
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:27.720
<v Speaker 1>to adopt Nicene orthodoxy. They affirm the trinitarian nature of God.

76
00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:31.040
<v Speaker 1>They say that Christ is indeed of the same substance

77
00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.839
<v Speaker 1>as the Father. But then the Aryan Germanic peoples come

78
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.920
<v Speaker 1>in and conquer, and so now we've got these Aryan

79
00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:43.199
<v Speaker 1>kings ruling over Trinitarian Catholics. But nonetheless, Boethia seemed to

80
00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:47.120
<v Speaker 1>be doing okay for a time, but eventually, after routing

81
00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:51.079
<v Speaker 1>out some corruption and making some enemies, lady fortune seemed

82
00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.959
<v Speaker 1>to have turned on him as he was falsely accused

83
00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.079
<v Speaker 1>of conspiring with the Roman Emperor in the East, which

84
00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:01.839
<v Speaker 1>we would now usually call Byzantium. He supposedly was conspiring

85
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:03.920
<v Speaker 1>with the Roman Emperor in the East in order to

86
00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:08.079
<v Speaker 1>get them to come and invade Italy and essentially reincorporate

87
00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.600
<v Speaker 1>Italy into the Empire. And then also, just to add

88
00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.519
<v Speaker 1>to the charges, he was also accused of witchcraft and

89
00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:18.680
<v Speaker 1>some occultish things like that. All these accusations seem to

90
00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:21.600
<v Speaker 1>be entirely baseless, and so it definitely seems like we

91
00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:23.639
<v Speaker 1>have an innocent man who was just kind of set

92
00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:27.000
<v Speaker 1>up and became a victim of fortune. And so now

93
00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:30.240
<v Speaker 1>despite living his life as a good man by any

94
00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:34.079
<v Speaker 1>reasonable standard, well now he finds himself imprisoned. I mean

95
00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:36.639
<v Speaker 1>more like something like house arrest. He's not sitting in

96
00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:39.959
<v Speaker 1>a dungeon, but he is imprinsoned. He is confined. He

97
00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:43.360
<v Speaker 1>has had all of his honors, his prestige, his fortunes,

98
00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.560
<v Speaker 1>have been stripped away from him as he's awaiting his sentencing.

99
00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.639
<v Speaker 1>And I don't know exactly what Boethius expected was going

100
00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:53.480
<v Speaker 1>to happen, but as history will tell us that at

101
00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:56.160
<v Speaker 1>the end of the sentencing he would indeed face execution.

102
00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:59.399
<v Speaker 1>According to tradition, he was actually bludgeoned to death by

103
00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:02.240
<v Speaker 1>a cudgel, and so that's how he meets his end.

104
00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:04.480
<v Speaker 1>And so what we have here is the story of

105
00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:08.079
<v Speaker 1>a good man who has had external goods stripped away

106
00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:12.160
<v Speaker 1>from him, and now he's left wondering, well, what is goodness?

107
00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.000
<v Speaker 1>What am I? Who am I? Where can I find freedom?

108
00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:19.279
<v Speaker 1>Where can I find goodness? Even in my current state

109
00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:21.759
<v Speaker 1>when all of these external goods have been stripped away.

110
00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.480
<v Speaker 1>And we're going to get some really profound reflections from this,

111
00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:27.920
<v Speaker 1>things that we can readily apply to our own lives.

112
00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:31.000
<v Speaker 1>So can immediately apply to our own lives, because we

113
00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:34.079
<v Speaker 1>all live in a world that's given over to change.

114
00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:37.759
<v Speaker 1>We've all experienced that to some degree or another, when

115
00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.920
<v Speaker 1>wealth has been ripped away from us, when relationships have

116
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:43.800
<v Speaker 1>just fallen apart or maybe just turned sour on us

117
00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.240
<v Speaker 1>through no obvious fault of our own. You know, maybe

118
00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:51.079
<v Speaker 1>you've fallen into some kind of health crisis, or somebody

119
00:06:51.079 --> 00:06:54.319
<v Speaker 1>close to you has done so, and the natural response

120
00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:57.199
<v Speaker 1>is to be wondering, where is the goodness of God

121
00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:01.000
<v Speaker 1>in this? What even am I when? And this value

122
00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.639
<v Speaker 1>structure that I built my life around has now been

123
00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:07.600
<v Speaker 1>ripped away. I've lost some fundamental existential pillars to my life.

124
00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:12.160
<v Speaker 1>What still stands? And so these are perennially human questions,

125
00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:15.800
<v Speaker 1>These are perennially Christian questions. Right. We even see these

126
00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.800
<v Speaker 1>kinds of questions in Scripture. If God is good and

127
00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:22.360
<v Speaker 1>God is in control, then why does it seem that

128
00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:25.600
<v Speaker 1>the wicked so often prosper while the righteous suffer? Right?

129
00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:28.519
<v Speaker 1>These are very real questions, and I think Boethius does

130
00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:31.639
<v Speaker 1>a great job of handling them. And we're also going

131
00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:35.079
<v Speaker 1>to see some continuity in themes between our Bay of

132
00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:39.240
<v Speaker 1>Study and Boethius. Remember in Beowulf, what made him a

133
00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.680
<v Speaker 1>stable character from beginning to end is the fact that

134
00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:47.160
<v Speaker 1>he wasn't moved by external fortunes. This is somebody who

135
00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:51.720
<v Speaker 1>is always presently minded. He rebukes Rowthgar for being overly

136
00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.800
<v Speaker 1>concerned with the past and tells him to bear his

137
00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:57.720
<v Speaker 1>present concerns, the idea being that all you ever have

138
00:07:58.079 --> 00:08:00.360
<v Speaker 1>is the present. The only thing you ever have to

139
00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:05.040
<v Speaker 1>decide is your response to present fortune. You decide how

140
00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:07.680
<v Speaker 1>you relate to fortune, whether it be good or whether

141
00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.759
<v Speaker 1>it be bad. But fortune can never make you into

142
00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.319
<v Speaker 1>a victim. Only you can do that. And so we

143
00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.519
<v Speaker 1>see this implicitly throughout Boef's story. We're gonna see it

144
00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:20.439
<v Speaker 1>explicitly in Boethius's story, and so there's some strong continuity

145
00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:23.920
<v Speaker 1>in themes. Here. Is just going to take these themes

146
00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:26.319
<v Speaker 1>and be more precise with them, be more explicit with them,

147
00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:29.560
<v Speaker 1>seeing as this is more of an explicitly philosophical text,

148
00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:33.919
<v Speaker 1>whereas beoel if it's more of an implicitly philosophical text. Now,

149
00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:35.840
<v Speaker 1>I want to spend the rest of this introduction talking

150
00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.240
<v Speaker 1>about a few texts that might be helpful to you.

151
00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:45.720
<v Speaker 1>The realms of fairy are wild and often dangerous, and

152
00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:48.919
<v Speaker 1>one should never embark on a quest unprepared and unarmed.

153
00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:51.759
<v Speaker 1>Middleboorne Arms is a family business that uses the best

154
00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:55.279
<v Speaker 1>quality materials in crafting the finest wooden swords on the market.

155
00:08:55.679 --> 00:08:59.679
<v Speaker 1>Their squirely armed swords are handcrafted entirely from hickory for

156
00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.559
<v Speaker 1>the young princesses and knights in training. Their Knightly arm

157
00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:06.240
<v Speaker 1>swords use hickory and walnut to replicate historical weapons in

158
00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:09.440
<v Speaker 1>a marriage of beauty and function. They also take custom

159
00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:13.080
<v Speaker 1>requests and can use exotic woods like bloodwood or purple heart.

160
00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.600
<v Speaker 1>Every item for Middleborn Arms is unique and equally at

161
00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:20.000
<v Speaker 1>home on the mantelpiece or sparring against a dreadful foe.

162
00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:22.840
<v Speaker 1>For those who wish to simply adventure within the bounds

163
00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:27.039
<v Speaker 1>of a ton, they offer beautiful laser etched hardwood bookmarks.

164
00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:31.120
<v Speaker 1>You can choose from growing selection designs on exotic purple heart, walnut,

165
00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:34.200
<v Speaker 1>osage orange, or bloodwood, or if they don't have a

166
00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:36.039
<v Speaker 1>design you like, they would love to work with you

167
00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:38.759
<v Speaker 1>on a custom design. Order a sword or a bookmark

168
00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.200
<v Speaker 1>today at Middlebornarms dot com and use the code mythic

169
00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:45.159
<v Speaker 1>to get ten percent off your entire order. That's Middlebornarms

170
00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:48.919
<v Speaker 1>dot com and code mythic for ten percent off. Don't

171
00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:51.440
<v Speaker 1>go it alone, take a middle Born Arms sword or

172
00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:58.960
<v Speaker 1>bookmark with you, and now back to the show. Actually

173
00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.879
<v Speaker 1>first starting with just talk about translations of the Consolation

174
00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:05.559
<v Speaker 1>of Philosophy. First, we have my favorite edition, which is

175
00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:07.919
<v Speaker 1>the Penguin edition. Here this is the first one that

176
00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:09.840
<v Speaker 1>I read about a decade ago, and this is the

177
00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:13.360
<v Speaker 1>one that is all marked up for me. Pages. Bent

178
00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:15.759
<v Speaker 1>has got some signs aware on it, but I think

179
00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:17.960
<v Speaker 1>that's what a good book should look like after a

180
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.919
<v Speaker 1>few years. Well, I really like this edition. I feel

181
00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:26.080
<v Speaker 1>like the language really is aesthetically fitting of the material.

182
00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:29.360
<v Speaker 1>I feel like even the prose sections have the right

183
00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:34.159
<v Speaker 1>poetic heart to them. You feel like this is coming

184
00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.799
<v Speaker 1>from an impassioned man who desperately is in search for

185
00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.080
<v Speaker 1>the truth. He's in search for the beautiful, he's in

186
00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:44.600
<v Speaker 1>search for the good, And I feel like that just

187
00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:47.360
<v Speaker 1>flows from the language really well here, both in the

188
00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:50.320
<v Speaker 1>pros as well as in the poetry, and so just

189
00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:53.559
<v Speaker 1>on a purely esthetic level, this is the favorite edition

190
00:10:53.639 --> 00:10:56.600
<v Speaker 1>that I have looked at, favorite translation I've looked at. Now,

191
00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.360
<v Speaker 1>another way you can go with this is the Oxford

192
00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:04.159
<v Speaker 1>World claud six edition. But frankly, I mean I've looked

193
00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:07.279
<v Speaker 1>through this a good bit and I just don't like

194
00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:11.360
<v Speaker 1>it as much. I feel like they try to make

195
00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.440
<v Speaker 1>the language a little bit too modern if it feels

196
00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:20.039
<v Speaker 1>like a more dynamic translation where they're trying to connect

197
00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:21.799
<v Speaker 1>with the modern audience more and I feel like in

198
00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:25.120
<v Speaker 1>so doing, they lose some of the substance. The pros

199
00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:29.200
<v Speaker 1>loses its poetic value. In fact, even the poetry, I

200
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:33.279
<v Speaker 1>think loses something as well. For one thing, they make

201
00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:37.399
<v Speaker 1>the versus rhyme, which to me tells me that they're

202
00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:39.440
<v Speaker 1>probably being a little bit fast and loose with the

203
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:44.000
<v Speaker 1>translation by looking for rhyming words making that a priority.

204
00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:47.080
<v Speaker 1>But I actually think that despite the fact that they

205
00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.879
<v Speaker 1>try to add some rhyme, they try to make it

206
00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:53.080
<v Speaker 1>more palatable to what we might expect from poetry in

207
00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:55.879
<v Speaker 1>the modern era. I actually think that they lose it

208
00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:58.080
<v Speaker 1>some of this poetic value. It loses some of its substance,

209
00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.639
<v Speaker 1>some of its power. And so I'm just not very

210
00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.080
<v Speaker 1>impressed with this edition. But it's another way that you

211
00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:05.639
<v Speaker 1>can go if you want to. Now, for something a

212
00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:10.879
<v Speaker 1>little bit more unconventional, perhaps there is a translation from

213
00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:14.840
<v Speaker 1>the Old English edition of Boethius that's put out by

214
00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.759
<v Speaker 1>the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. Now this is really interesting,

215
00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:22.919
<v Speaker 1>and so this is the translation that came into Old English,

216
00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:27.000
<v Speaker 1>supposedly by Alfred the Great, the ninth century Anglo Saxon king.

217
00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:29.639
<v Speaker 1>But whether it was translated by his hand or at

218
00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:34.200
<v Speaker 1>least closely associated with him. It's really interesting because Alfred

219
00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:37.960
<v Speaker 1>or whoever translated this into Old English, did take some

220
00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.600
<v Speaker 1>creative license in the translation, and so there are some

221
00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:48.120
<v Speaker 1>substantial changes made here. For example, lady philosophy becomes recast

222
00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:53.080
<v Speaker 1>as the masculine Wisdom, which may be an attempt to

223
00:12:53.120 --> 00:12:59.080
<v Speaker 1>further link this guide with Christ, that is my assumption.

224
00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:02.960
<v Speaker 1>There and again and again we see that this edition

225
00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:06.759
<v Speaker 1>tamps down some of the classical pagan references that the

226
00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:09.320
<v Speaker 1>Latin version gives us and makes it a little bit

227
00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:13.720
<v Speaker 1>more explicitly Christian. And so it's just really interesting to

228
00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.399
<v Speaker 1>see how they wanted to translate not just the words,

229
00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:22.399
<v Speaker 1>but translate some of the ideas into Anglo Saxon sympathies,

230
00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.320
<v Speaker 1>and so it's just it's really interesting to look at.

231
00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:29.639
<v Speaker 1>I don't recommend making this your soul translation to read,

232
00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:32.559
<v Speaker 1>but it's really interesting to read alongside a more conventional

233
00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:36.960
<v Speaker 1>translation from the Latin. It's really nice that comes with

234
00:13:37.080 --> 00:13:40.440
<v Speaker 1>this edition, comes with a nice ribbon bookmark. You've got

235
00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.480
<v Speaker 1>the Old English on one side, you've got Modern English

236
00:13:42.559 --> 00:13:45.120
<v Speaker 1>on the other, and so it's definitely something worth adding

237
00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:48.360
<v Speaker 1>to your library and reading alongside or reading after you

238
00:13:48.440 --> 00:13:51.519
<v Speaker 1>read one of the more conventional translations from the Latin,

239
00:13:51.559 --> 00:13:54.440
<v Speaker 1>and so definitely interesting to take a look at that. Now,

240
00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:57.440
<v Speaker 1>another text that I do recommend to you is Joshua

241
00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:02.919
<v Speaker 1>gives how to Be Unlucky Reflections on the pursuit of virtue.

242
00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:08.759
<v Speaker 1>Joshua Gibbs is a classical instructor of literature, and he

243
00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:11.000
<v Speaker 1>has just a lot of great reflections on here as

244
00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:13.639
<v Speaker 1>he reflects on a number of things, but he really

245
00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:17.759
<v Speaker 1>uses the constellation of philosophy as his framework. He keeps

246
00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.200
<v Speaker 1>going back to it again and again and discussing how

247
00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:24.360
<v Speaker 1>to be unlucky right, how to untether yourself from the

248
00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:27.559
<v Speaker 1>idea of luck, and how to maintain stable virtue despite

249
00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:31.840
<v Speaker 1>changing fortunes, and so very much a Boithian theme there. Now,

250
00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.360
<v Speaker 1>if you are an educator in some form of another,

251
00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:37.200
<v Speaker 1>whether you teach at a classical Christian school, you're a

252
00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:40.240
<v Speaker 1>college instructor, you have some kind of teaching role, maybe

253
00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:44.240
<v Speaker 1>in a church setting, then this gets a double recommendations

254
00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:50.440
<v Speaker 1>from me because he often will apply these lessons to pedagogy,

255
00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:53.679
<v Speaker 1>in particular to how we construct lessons, how we teach

256
00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:57.200
<v Speaker 1>the relationship that we should have with the classroom with students,

257
00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.200
<v Speaker 1>and so this is a good recommendation for everybody, but

258
00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:02.960
<v Speaker 1>if you are a teacher in some capacity gets double recommendation,

259
00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:08.200
<v Speaker 1>definitely pick this up. Next, we have The Discarded Image

260
00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:12.159
<v Speaker 1>by C. S. Lewis. Now, this is an exploration of

261
00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:16.960
<v Speaker 1>Medieval and Renaissance literature in order to pull out something

262
00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.000
<v Speaker 1>like the world view, the way that they Medievals, especially

263
00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:22.159
<v Speaker 1>as was the early Renaissance figures, the way that they

264
00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:25.639
<v Speaker 1>viewed the world, viewed the cosmos in their place therein

265
00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:29.679
<v Speaker 1>their approach to learning, their approach to virtue, their approach

266
00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.360
<v Speaker 1>to what it means to be human. Now, if you're

267
00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.919
<v Speaker 1>not already very familiar with medieval and Renaissance literature, then

268
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:38.000
<v Speaker 1>a lot of this can be very overwhelming, and it's

269
00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.480
<v Speaker 1>definitely not one of the easier Lewis text to read.

270
00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.279
<v Speaker 1>But it is good and it is worth reading through,

271
00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.879
<v Speaker 1>even if at first you have to jump around a

272
00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.039
<v Speaker 1>little bit. You know, read the chapter on the Medieval

273
00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:52.080
<v Speaker 1>view of the cosmos on the heavens. Look at the

274
00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:55.799
<v Speaker 1>index to find the many times that he talks about Boethius.

275
00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.120
<v Speaker 1>He refers to the constellation number of times. In fact,

276
00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.240
<v Speaker 1>the constellation played such an important role for Lewis that

277
00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.600
<v Speaker 1>Lewis said that to develop an appreciation for the constellation

278
00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:08.840
<v Speaker 1>of philosophy is almost to become naturalized in the Middle Ages,

279
00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:10.399
<v Speaker 1>And of course for Lewis to say that, I mean,

280
00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:13.679
<v Speaker 1>that's a pretty big deal. And so as far as

281
00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:18.120
<v Speaker 1>getting some more direct insights into the constellation of philosophy,

282
00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:20.960
<v Speaker 1>as well as some broader insights into the world in

283
00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:25.360
<v Speaker 1>which Boethius was writing from the background themes and ideas,

284
00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:29.240
<v Speaker 1>then definitely pick up the discarded image by C. S. Lewis.

285
00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:31.559
<v Speaker 1>And also because I think it would be helpful, I am

286
00:16:31.559 --> 00:16:35.879
<v Speaker 1>going to include a portion of the video that I

287
00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:37.480
<v Speaker 1>did for Out of the Side on the Planet in

288
00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:40.639
<v Speaker 1>the CS. Lewis course that deals with the medieval view

289
00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:43.759
<v Speaker 1>of the cosmos, and because Boethius is going to make

290
00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.679
<v Speaker 1>some references to these cosmological ideas, and so it would

291
00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:48.480
<v Speaker 1>be helpful if you weren't in that course. I know

292
00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:49.919
<v Speaker 1>a number of you were in that course, but if

293
00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:51.559
<v Speaker 1>you weren't, I think would be helpful to get that

294
00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:55.000
<v Speaker 1>framework to catch some of what Boethius is doing. And

295
00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:57.480
<v Speaker 1>obviously we'll talk about that more as we go through

296
00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:04.039
<v Speaker 1>the text. Now, perhaps for some unexpected recommendations. My dissertation.

297
00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.880
<v Speaker 1>My doctoral dissertation was on Carekereguard, and I've come to

298
00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:12.720
<v Speaker 1>find that his psychological text, namely the concept of anxiety

299
00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:16.880
<v Speaker 1>and the sickness unto death, pair very well with Boethius.

300
00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:20.759
<v Speaker 1>They deal with some very similar themes. Now, these are

301
00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:25.759
<v Speaker 1>notoriously difficult texts to just jump right into. The entry

302
00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.279
<v Speaker 1>point to Carikeguard is far more steep than it is

303
00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:33.039
<v Speaker 1>to Boethius. But if you can get a handle on

304
00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:35.400
<v Speaker 1>what Carecard is doing, that I think you'll find this

305
00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:39.440
<v Speaker 1>to be a very profound set of companions for Boethius.

306
00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:43.200
<v Speaker 1>And I'll reference Kirkgard at least a few times as

307
00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:47.640
<v Speaker 1>we go through our Boethius study now as aids to

308
00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:51.799
<v Speaker 1>reading alongside Carikereguard. My first podcast series on the Mythic

309
00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.960
<v Speaker 1>Mind Legacy podcast goes through the concept of anxiety and

310
00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:58.279
<v Speaker 1>the sickness unto death. And so those might be helpful

311
00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:00.880
<v Speaker 1>companions for you to make sense out of what Kckergard

312
00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:03.000
<v Speaker 1>is doing, give you a guide for some of his

313
00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:06.319
<v Speaker 1>major ideas. Now, at some point I would love to

314
00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:10.079
<v Speaker 1>have to put together a whole course on Cairkeguard, because

315
00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:13.480
<v Speaker 1>I would love to go more deeply into the text

316
00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:17.000
<v Speaker 1>on a chapter by chapter basis than we get in

317
00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.759
<v Speaker 1>the podcast series that I did. And also, frankly, I

318
00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.400
<v Speaker 1>mean the podcast series at this point is a few

319
00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:23.359
<v Speaker 1>years old. I feel like I just have a better

320
00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:25.960
<v Speaker 1>handle on it and could present the information a little

321
00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:28.559
<v Speaker 1>bit better now, but the podcast could at least be

322
00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:31.480
<v Speaker 1>a holdover until I get something like that together at

323
00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.319
<v Speaker 1>some point in the future. But that gives you, I think,

324
00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:37.319
<v Speaker 1>a good bit to get started with. I really hope

325
00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.799
<v Speaker 1>that you enjoy this text, that you appreciate it even

326
00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:43.079
<v Speaker 1>a fraction as much as I do. I hope that

327
00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:47.519
<v Speaker 1>it gives you a pathway to gaining a richer experience

328
00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:51.559
<v Speaker 1>with reality, a more healthy experience with fortune. And I

329
00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.559
<v Speaker 1>hope that you come to better understand who you are

330
00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:00.240
<v Speaker 1>in the glorious cosmic cathedral in which we live. For

331
00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:15.680
<v Speaker 1>now until next time, godspeed. Thank you for listening, and

332
00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.240
<v Speaker 1>as a reminder, you can own all the materials from

333
00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:21.279
<v Speaker 1>the Beowulf and Boethia's course by going to Andrew Sneyder

334
00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:23.839
<v Speaker 1>dot Patia dot com or by clicking the link in

335
00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:26.680
<v Speaker 1>the show notes and use the code Fortune for half

336
00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.519
<v Speaker 1>off the cost. During the month of September and now

337
00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.119
<v Speaker 1>before we go, I want to take a moment to

338
00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:33.680
<v Speaker 1>thank by name all of my current patrons who are

339
00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:36.359
<v Speaker 1>the second tier of support and hire, and so many

340
00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:41.839
<v Speaker 1>thanks to Mark Cliff, Aaron, Paul William, Aaron, Andrew Brandon, Christopher, Ian, Emmy, Jeremiah, Joscelyn,

341
00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:45.279
<v Speaker 1>Joshua Landon, Matthew and Steel and of course thank you

342
00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:48.119
<v Speaker 1>to all of my Tier one patrons as well. Also

343
00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.400
<v Speaker 1>as a reminder, I have a fairly new benefit set

344
00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:53.559
<v Speaker 1>up for Tier three patrons as I'm currently releasing on

345
00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:56.640
<v Speaker 1>a weekly basis content from my fiction and philosophy of

346
00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.960
<v Speaker 1>CS Lewis course, including the videos as well as the

347
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.559
<v Speaker 1>the audio to go into the patroon podcast feed and

348
00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:06.480
<v Speaker 1>so we have both ways of accessing it now. So

349
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:09.920
<v Speaker 1>far this includes content regarding all three of the Ransom books,

350
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:12.079
<v Speaker 1>so out of the Side on Planet Parilandra and that

351
00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:16.119
<v Speaker 1>Hideous Strength, and that strength actually has three weeks to it,

352
00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:17.960
<v Speaker 1>and so there's a lot of content there as well

353
00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:21.400
<v Speaker 1>as the Screwtape letters and the abolition of Man. Coming

354
00:20:21.480 --> 00:20:23.519
<v Speaker 1>up next will be a couple weeks up till we

355
00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:26.240
<v Speaker 1>have faces. And so go ahead and sign up at

356
00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:28.640
<v Speaker 1>the Tier three level to get access to all of that,

357
00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.559
<v Speaker 1>and for patrons at that level, at the Tier three level,

358
00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:34.519
<v Speaker 1>there's really never been as much Mythic Mind content as

359
00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:38.400
<v Speaker 1>there is right now, also for patrons of any tier,

360
00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:40.880
<v Speaker 1>even just the five dollars a tier. We are just

361
00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.599
<v Speaker 1>about to start our first book club on the Poetic

362
00:20:43.720 --> 00:20:46.079
<v Speaker 1>ed Up, which is one of our main sources of

363
00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:49.400
<v Speaker 1>information on Norse myths and legends. And so just go

364
00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:52.400
<v Speaker 1>to patreon dot com slash Mythic Mind or click the

365
00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:55.039
<v Speaker 1>link in the show notes and that's it for now

366
00:20:55.359 --> 00:21:17.519
<v Speaker 1>until next time. Godspeed. You may have noticed that there

367
00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:20.480
<v Speaker 1>we're no annoying auto populated ads at the beginning or

368
00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:22.720
<v Speaker 1>throwing to the middle of the show, and that's thanks

369
00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:26.200
<v Speaker 1>to our current sponsor, middle Born Arms. I previously relied

370
00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.839
<v Speaker 1>on those autopopulated ads, but to be honest, I know

371
00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:32.839
<v Speaker 1>that they're basically soulless. I much prefer supporting real people

372
00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:35.200
<v Speaker 1>through arrangements that work for both of us. If you

373
00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:37.799
<v Speaker 1>have something to advertise, whether a product, a service, or

374
00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:39.960
<v Speaker 1>a platform, send me a message where we can work

375
00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:42.359
<v Speaker 1>out some kind of partnership. You can DM me on

376
00:21:42.400 --> 00:21:46.279
<v Speaker 1>Twitter at andrew in Snyder or email me at Mythicmindpodcast

377
00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:47.680
<v Speaker 1>at gmail dot com.