Dustsceawung

Reflection on the remains of the past as a way of emphasising the transience of life was such a common theme in Old English literature that they had a special word for this motif: Dustsceawung, 'contemplation of the dust.'

[gunhilde]

Glass bottle in the shape of a pomegranate, Cyprus, 1375-1225 BCE

On display at the Corning Museum of Glass, New York

[gunhilde]

Since this is still one of my most popular posts, I thought you all might appreciate the Christmas tree ornament I bought at the weekend:

[ukrfeminism]

Protesters demand overhaul of Victorian abortion laws after Carla Foster prison sentence

Labour MP Stella Creasy told i that the significant turnout to the march ‘shows women aren’t prepared to accept to the possibility of prosec

5 minute read

Thousands of protesters marched through central London (Saturday) afternoon as they demanded Carla Foster to be freed from jail, after her sentencing earlier this week reignited calls for abortion to be decriminalised.

Ms Foster was given a 28-month extended sentence on Monday after she admitted illegally procuring her own abortion during the pandemic when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant.

Protesters marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to Whitehall today chanting “Free Carla Foster” and waving signs saying “abortion is healthcare”.

They called for an end to Victorian legislation that renders abortion a criminal act in England, Scotland and Wales, with women granted exemptions in certain circumstances up until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

There are seven exemptions that can be granted to allow a woman to have an abortion, but none stating that a woman simply does not want a baby. For 98 per cent of women who had an abortion last year, it was recorded as being “performed because of a risk to the woman’s mental health”, classified as “F99 (mental disorder, not otherwise specified)”.

Under current legislation, abortions can only take place after 24 weeks in specific circumstances including when the mother’s life is at risk or if the child will be severely disabled.

Labour MP Stella Creasy delivered a speech to protesters who gathered in Whitehall this afternoon, claiming that current abortion legislation is no longer “fit for purpose”.

“This week proves what some of us have been trying to tell, often at length, patiently, to middle-aged men on Twitter,” she said.

“We do not have a legal right to choose in England and Wales, and that has very real consequences.”

She later told i that the significant turnout to the march “shows women aren’t prepared to accept to the possibility of prosecution hanging over their right to choose”.

“Lawmakers who think they can ignore these concerns fail to understand how important protecting a womans right to choose is to so many,” she said. “Parliament has to act as with more prosecutions on the way this issue isn’t going away.”

Lucy Wing, a 21-year-old from Walthamstow in London who attended the march, said she was “outraged” at Ms Foster’s case.

“I am here because I do not believe that the law that Carla Foster was sentenced under was at all just,” she said.

“A legal understanding of what a person is does not encompass a foetus and it does not encompass a child that was born not breathing. That child does not have any human rights because it is not seen as a person.”

Ms Foster was jailed earlier this week after being found to have ended her pregnancy in May 2020 with “pills by post” that allowed women under 10 weeks pregnant to receive abortion medication during the first Covid lockdown, when access to health services ground to a halt.

The “pills by post” scheme, which was intended to be a temporary measure ushered in during the pandemic, has now been introduced permanently.

Ms Foster, a mother-of-three, pleaded guilty to administering drugs to procure abortion significantly beyond the 10-week time limit, contrary to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. The offence carried a maximum life sentence.

The judge, Mr Justice Pepperall, had received a letter from medical bodies including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives urging him to pass a non-custodial sentence.

However, he said this was “inappropriate” and sentenced the woman on the basis of the law as it stands.

The case has reignited calls to decriminalise abortion in the UK, with charities launching a fresh campaign to reform “outdated” laws that allow woman to face life imprisonment for ending their own pregnancies. 

Ed Dorman, 64, an obstetrician and gynaecologist who also attended the march, said that Ms Foster’s case had “galvanised” the abortion movement and drawn attention to the punity of current laws. 

“As you can tell from today, it has galvanised a lot of very strong feeling about the inappropriateness of the way the law, if it’s applied, can result in somebody being sent to prison for ending their own pregnancy,” he said. 

“I would like to see, as in Northern Ireland, the whole remit of abortion care being taken out of the criminal law and, whilst still regulated, be like any other part of healthcare.”

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019 after Westminster passed laws while the government at Stormont had collapsed.

However, abortion is still technically illegal in the rest of the UK as legislation brought into force in 1861 has not yet been repealed.

No 10 said earlier this week that the Government has no plans to alter abortion laws despite outrage over Ms Foster’s sentencing. 

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said on Tuesday: “Through the Abortion Act, all women have access to safe abortions on the NHS up to 24 weeks and we have made changes so that now includes taking abortion pills at home.

“We think this approach provides the right balance and … there are no plans to change this.”

The spokesman added: “We recognise that this is a highly emotive issue and obviously we recognise that the strength of feeling on all sides.”

[gunhilde]

If you are in the UK, please sign this petition and write to your MP asking them to support NC20 to the Crime and Policing Bill. You can read the full text of NC20 in the Amendment Paper here. And check out Stella Creasy MP's Instagram for more information.

Decriminalise abortion and make it a protected human right.

Women’s rights are under threat from the far right. Nigel Farage just called our current abortion provisions “utterly ludicrous” – and other

Information on how to contact your local MP

[gunhilde]

H.R.722 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): To implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to

Summary of H.R.722 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): To implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for t

Federal Abortion Ban:

A bill has been introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives to ban abortion nationwide. We knew it was coming, and we are fighting a lot of battles right now. But contact your representatives and let them know this must not pass. Abortion is essential healthcare, and this is a mockery of our Constitution and of the right to life.

There is also a petition here:

Sign the Petition

“Protect Women’s Rights: Block H​.​R. 722 and Ensure Access to Life-Saving Healthcare

[mymy4802]

I just read that Donald Trump and his circus took down a website called reproductiverights.gov

This was a website to help women learn about their reproductive rights in the US and to find health care.

This is absolutely disgusting so I’ll share in this post some resources in case you need them:

Contraception and Birth Control Resources

Links to websites of groups that study or provide information about contraception and birth control.

Resources for Accessing Abortion Care

Browse resources for accessing abortion care: find providers, get information and advice, access abortion funds, legal advocacy and more.

PLAN C: Abortion pills by mail in every state

Plan C is an information resource for self-managed, at-home abortion with pills. Learn how people in the U.S. are accessing abortion pill op

Home - National Abortion Federation

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the professional association of abortion providers in North America. We believe that women should

Call our legal Helpline if you or someone you know has been arrested or is being investigated for an abortion or pregnancy loss.

Resources Archives - Center for Reproductive Rights

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn

[gunhilde]

'When the deeply patriarchal Romans first encountered Celtic tribes living in modern-day France and Great Britain in the first century B.C.E., their reaction to the roles of the sexes was one of surprise and dismay. The tasks of men and women “have been exchanged, in a manner opposite to what obtains among us,” wrote one Roman historian.

New evidence from Celtic graves now confirms that at least one part of Britain was a woman’s world long before the Romans arrived—and for centuries afterward. One ancient British tribe known as the Durotriges based its family structure—and perhaps property inheritance—on kinship between mothers and daughters. Men, meanwhile, left home to live with their wives’ families, a practice known as matrilocality that has never been seen before in European prehistory.

The work, published today in Nature, helps explain why women in Iron Age Britain are often buried with high-status grave goods such as mirrors and even chariots, says Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich archaeologist Carola Metzner-Nebelsick, who was not involved with the research. “It’s a fantastic result,” she says. “It really helps explain the archaeological record.”'

[city-of-ladies]

First medieval female burial with weapons discovered in Hungary

A recent study led by Dr. Balázs Tihanyi and his colleagues, published in PLOS ONE, has led to the positive identification of the first-know

"The individual SH-63 was found within the Sárrétudvari–Hízóföld cemetery, which is the largest 10th-century-CE cemetery in Hungary and contains a large number of burials containing weapons and horse-riding equipment. It was in use during the Hungarian Conquest period, in which many mounted archers conducted and fought battles across Europe.

Despite not having many particularly "wealthy" grave goods, the burial of SH-63 was unique for its grave goods composition, says Dr. Tihanyi. "Male burials often contained functional items, such as simple jewelry (e.g., penannular hair rings and bracelets), clothing fittings (e.g., belt buckles), and tools (e.g., fire-lighting kits and knives). Their most distinctive grave goods included weapons, usually archery equipment, with two graves containing sabers and one grave containing an axe.

"Horse-riding equipment and, in some cases, horse bones (e.g., skull and extremities) were also found. Female burials, in contrast, more frequently contained jewelry (e.g., hair rings, braid ornaments, bead necklaces, bracelets, and finger rings) and clothing fittings (e.g., bell buttons and metal ornaments). Tools, such as knives and awls, appeared less often.

"The grave goods found in the burial of SH-63 contained a mix of these characteristics. Compared to other graves in the cemetery, its inventory was relatively simple, including common jewelry and clothing fittings."

More specifically, SH-63 was found together with a silver penannular hair ring, three bell buttons, a string of stone and glass beads, an "armor-piercing" arrowhead, iron parts of a quiver, and an antler bow plate.

Meanwhile, the three major traumas identified in the upper limb bones were likely the result of a fall onto an outstretched arm or onto the shoulder. These injuries never fully healed and could have been caused in daily life.

However, one factor does speak to the woman perhaps having lived a more active life. Various joint and ethereal (where bones and muscles attach) changes were observed. These changes were most prominently observed in the upper right-hand side of the body, and similar changes have been found in other graves containing weapons and/or horse-riding equipment.

This suggests these individuals, including SH-63, were likely engaged in similar daily activities, which may, in turn, explain the high number of physical traumas seen throughout the Sárrétudvari-Hízóföld cemetery.

While the researchers cannot definitively conclude the female was a warrior, they were able to positively identify this as the first-known instance in which a female was buried together with weaponry in the Carpathian Basin during the 10th century."

[gunhilde]

Spotted in the wild (instagram). Nice to see some love for my favourite Old English word!

[medusiad]

What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women's Diaries?

A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015

[gunhilde]

Several months ago I bought a copy of the anthology referred to in the article above. Sarah Gristwood has compiled a selection of diary entries from over 100 women, going back as far as 1599. The entries are arranged, not by diarist or subject, and not chronologically in the usual sense, but covering every day of a calendar year. So I have decided to read it in the same manner, starting today with the entries for January 1st and finishing a year from now.

[cobragardens]

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield gets 20-year prison term for killing husband

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield gets 20-year prison term for killing husband https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/03/ashley-benefield-black-swan-murder-case-sentenced?CMP=share_btn_url

Former ballerina Ashley Benefield gets 20-year prison term for killing husband

Benefield, 33, also received 10 years of probation for shooting Doug Benefield, 58, at their home in Florida

Women who defend themselves against the men trying to kill them are punished far more harshly by the state than men who kill women.

Fellow American women, understand: You are not legally permitted in the U.S. to defend yourself against men, even when they try to kill you.

What this means in practice is that once a woman has any kind of romantic or sexual connection to a man, that man gets to decide how her life ends: she tolerates his abuse until he kills her, she tries to escape that abuse and he kills her, or she defends herself and spends the rest of her life in prison. A woman's freedom is therefore not a right, but is granted at the pleasure of the man who claims relationship with her.

Consider as well that

1. Republican legislators have fought hard amd successfully to uphold child marriage in red states, which in the overwhelming majority of instances is the transfer of ownership of a girl child from her parents to adult male molester

and

2. Republicans in red states are currently working to end no-fault divorce, i.e., the right of a person to leave a marriage for reasons other than legally proven abuse or adultery*, in a country where it is women who file for 2 in 3 divorces.

Fellow American women, understand: Dating a man, sex with a man, cohabiting with a man, or falling pregnant (from sex or rape) can make you the legal property of a man.

Men's control over women's lives is tightening in the U.S. with each passing month. So consider this very carefully before you go on a date or seek a hookup. The rest of your life depends on it.

*Abuse is extremely difficult to prove in court: it requires multiple points of evidence from each of multiple instances to establish a pattern, each point of which must be argued. 85% of domestic physical and sexual abuse is men abusing women.

[disobedientbrowngirl]

Taliban bans women from ‘hearing other women’s voices’

Militant group is ‘waging an all-out war against us’, says one Kabul resident in response to the bizarre rule

minister Khalid Hanafi said: “Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for them to hear.”

[cleolinda]

Dracula author Bram Stoker's lost story unearthed after 134 years

A Bram Stoker fan stumbled upon the short story that evaded scholars and biographers for a century.

(Via Reddit)

[gunhilde]

This Lost Mozart Composition Hasn't Been Heard for Centuries. Now, You Can Listen to It

More than 250 years after a teenage Mozart wrote "Serenade in C," a copy of the piece has surfaced in the collections of a German library

[gunhilde]

Unearthed papyrus contains lost scenes from Euripides’ plays — Harvard Gazette

Alums help identify, decipher “one of the most significant new finds in Greek literature in this century.”

[libracorpvs]

article here

[gunhilde]

Laon Cathedral

[gunhilde]

Roman cavalry facemask, found in a quarry near Siena, on display in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze.

Masks like this formed the front piece of a particular style of helmet, referred to today as a cavalry sports helmet because they were worn by those taking part in the hippika gymnasia, a sort of tournament and display of skill performed by the best cavalrymen in their unit. They are sometimes thought of as parade armour, but would probably also have been used in battle. The masks and helmets are often styled to depict mythical Greek heroes or Amazons.

[gunhilde]

Moodboard of my summer holiday, just because I feel like it...