The Geographical spaces and their perception in early medieval England:
imaginary and domestic landscapes in MS Cotton Tiberius B.v/1
Abstract
In this paper I intend to shed light on how geographical space was perceived and arranged in Anglo-Saxon England, particularly in the eleventh century, through a couple of key texts from MS Cotton Tiberius B.v/1 at the British Library in London. The manuscript is a miscellany with two documents of geographical interest: versions in Latin and Old English of The Wonders of the East (ff. 78v-97v) and a mappa mundi (f. 56v). From the first text we learn how remote lands were perceived, mainly by means of the creatures that inhabited them: marvellous (mirabilia) and legendary beings. The Wonders of the East also makes reference to specific placenames, many of them made up, and focuses on luxurious descriptions of buildings and natural features. In contrast, the mappa mundi focuses on the known world (oecumene), whose rivers, seas, moun- tains and main towns are systematically labelled. In this way, the Cotton map yields a first-hand knowledge of geographical space in eleventh century England. In this context, the relevance of northern Germania, Scandinavia and, especially, Great Britain and Ireland must be highlighted.
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