On the autumn equinox, day and night come briefly into balance, and then the year turns towards darkness.
In medieval England, the harvest had to be gathered, stores filled, animals fed, and households prepared for the hard months ahead.
A 13th-century English song caught that change of season beautifully:
“Mirie it is while sumer ilast,
With fugheles song;
Oc nu neheth windes blast
And weder strong.”
Merry it is while summer lasts,
with the birds’ song;
but now the wind’s blast draws near
and harsh weather.
Words sung in the same medieval world inhabited by Nicola de la Haye.
For people then, autumn was beautiful, but it was also a time for worry. In Lady of Lincoln, the Great Rebellion led to fields being destroyed by war. In Lady of the Castle, fields flooded and crops were drowned. Monks destroyed grazing land in land disputes.
Harvest time wasn't just lovely golds and reds. It was the result of a year's work and the chance of surviving another.
Happy Autumn Equinox from medieval England.
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