Dr Francis Young
@drfrancisyoung.bsky.social
Historian of religion and belief | folklorist | Balticist | indexer | lay canon @stedscath.bsky.social | series editor for @universitypress.cambridge.org
Pinned
I’m delighted that ‘Silence of the Gods’ is one of
@universitypress.cambridge.org's Books of the Year! Currently on display at @cambridgebookshop.bsky.social, and on special offer online too: www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk/products/sal... 📚
@universitypress.cambridge.org's Books of the Year! Currently on display at @cambridgebookshop.bsky.social, and on special offer online too: www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk/products/sal... 📚
Which breed of dog can create print-ready proofs?
A Type Setter.
A Type Setter.
November 26, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Which breed of dog can create print-ready proofs?
A Type Setter.
A Type Setter.
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
LLM-based gen AI for writing, audio, art, and video are "digital vultures bloated on stolen books [and other human-made things] which they churn together and vomit out in imitations of words from actual thinking, feeling brains."
buttondown.com/surekhadavie...
buttondown.com/surekhadavie...
Basement adventures showed me why ChatGPT can only ever be garbage.
In The British Library. Photo by Surekha Davies. Hallo readers, First, a news flash: Join me for a virtual book launch for HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY...
buttondown.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:25 AM
LLM-based gen AI for writing, audio, art, and video are "digital vultures bloated on stolen books [and other human-made things] which they churn together and vomit out in imitations of words from actual thinking, feeling brains."
buttondown.com/surekhadavie...
buttondown.com/surekhadavie...
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
Sherlock the cat a big fan of @robincdouglas.bsky.social & @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social 's 'Paganism Persisting'
November 25, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Sherlock the cat a big fan of @robincdouglas.bsky.social & @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social 's 'Paganism Persisting'
With this year's re-issue of Katharine Briggs's Dictionary of Fairies, Matthias Egeler's book on Elves and Fairies and my new history of Fairies coming in spring, it feels as though we are living through a moment of reawakening for fairy studies
November 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
With this year's re-issue of Katharine Briggs's Dictionary of Fairies, Matthias Egeler's book on Elves and Fairies and my new history of Fairies coming in spring, it feels as though we are living through a moment of reawakening for fairy studies
Just ordered a book that my local university library doesn’t have, which I get at a publisher discount, which makes buying it cheaper than travelling to the library anyway… stuff like this is why my house is full of books 🙄
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Just ordered a book that my local university library doesn’t have, which I get at a publisher discount, which makes buying it cheaper than travelling to the library anyway… stuff like this is why my house is full of books 🙄
This has me picturing a miniature gallows for moths
November 25, 2025 at 11:34 AM
This has me picturing a miniature gallows for moths
Trying to find books on Georgian mythology in languages I can read, it’s not going well 🇬🇪
November 25, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Trying to find books on Georgian mythology in languages I can read, it’s not going well 🇬🇪
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
My talk about learning Latvian as a native speaker of English - discussed: why streets have no beginnings in English, the mysteries of the letter "ķ", is Latvian very literal or is English just weird, and much else...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQi...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQi...
Learning Latvian as a native English-speaker - Will Mawhood
YouTube video by Valodu māja - House of Languages
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:11 PM
My talk about learning Latvian as a native speaker of English - discussed: why streets have no beginnings in English, the mysteries of the letter "ķ", is Latvian very literal or is English just weird, and much else...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQi...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQi...
On the ‘it’s pretentious to style yourself Dr’ debate – sure, it probably is, but on the other hand the titles and the robes are just about the only fun part left in academia, and I’m not willing to cede them to the grey, managerial fun police just yet. Embrace the pomposity.
November 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM
On the ‘it’s pretentious to style yourself Dr’ debate – sure, it probably is, but on the other hand the titles and the robes are just about the only fun part left in academia, and I’m not willing to cede them to the grey, managerial fun police just yet. Embrace the pomposity.
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
Thrilled to see this advance review for ‘Stories of the Stones’ from @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social!
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Thrilled to see this advance review for ‘Stories of the Stones’ from @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social!
"A new urban environment built mainly of wood," pre-1666 London has entered the chat
What do you think of this: a new urban environment built mainly of wood, linked by #trams: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
How ambitious ‘forest city’ plan for England could become a reality
Cross-party coalition behind proposals hope eco-friendly scheme for million people could begin before end of decade
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"A new urban environment built mainly of wood," pre-1666 London has entered the chat
This evening, some psychedelic megaliths (psychedeliths?)
November 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This evening, some psychedelic megaliths (psychedeliths?)
Just got this from @blpublishing.bsky.social by @tanyakirk.bsky.social! 📚👻 shop.bl.uk/products/the...
November 21, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Just got this from @blpublishing.bsky.social by @tanyakirk.bsky.social! 📚👻 shop.bl.uk/products/the...
Just about to do some filming 🎥
November 21, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Just about to do some filming 🎥
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
There's plenty happening at St Edmundsbury Cathedral this Christmas! As well as our advent services, we have a full roster of Christmas concerts! Find out more at stedscathedral.org/whats-on
November 21, 2025 at 9:49 AM
There's plenty happening at St Edmundsbury Cathedral this Christmas! As well as our advent services, we have a full roster of Christmas concerts! Find out more at stedscathedral.org/whats-on
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
I have Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King and can highly recommend it. A really interesting read. I would also recommend a visit to Bury St Edmunds and the Abbey Gardens.
November 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM
I have Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King and can highly recommend it. A really interesting read. I would also recommend a visit to Bury St Edmunds and the Abbey Gardens.
If you're interested in learning more about St Edmund, don't forget my two books about him, both currently on special offer!
Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King bloomsbury.com/uk/edmund-97...
Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland fourcourtspress.ie/books/2020/a...
Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King bloomsbury.com/uk/edmund-97...
Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland fourcourtspress.ie/books/2020/a...
November 20, 2025 at 10:58 AM
If you're interested in learning more about St Edmund, don't forget my two books about him, both currently on special offer!
Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King bloomsbury.com/uk/edmund-97...
Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland fourcourtspress.ie/books/2020/a...
Edmund: In Search of England's Lost King bloomsbury.com/uk/edmund-97...
Athassel Priory and the Cult of St Edmund in Medieval Ireland fourcourtspress.ie/books/2020/a...
Just got this book to review 📚
November 20, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Just got this book to review 📚
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
Congratulations to @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social and Simon Goldhill, whose books, 'Silence of the Gods' and 'Queer Cambridge', have been selected by @thetls.bsky.social as Books of the Year 2025 🥳
Read more 🔗 (paywall): https://cup.org/4r9BMnA
Read more 🔗 (paywall): https://cup.org/4r9BMnA
Books of the Year 2025
David Abulafia In Silence of the Gods (CUP), Francis Young fills a gaping hole in knowledge about the religious beliefs of peoples living beyond the bounds of Christendom in medieval and early modern ...
www.the-tls.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Congratulations to @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social and Simon Goldhill, whose books, 'Silence of the Gods' and 'Queer Cambridge', have been selected by @thetls.bsky.social as Books of the Year 2025 🥳
Read more 🔗 (paywall): https://cup.org/4r9BMnA
Read more 🔗 (paywall): https://cup.org/4r9BMnA
Reposted by Dr Francis Young
Today's the feast of St Edmund, King and Martyr, patron saint of East Anglia. A partial boss in St Edmund's church, Norwich, reads Velut Rosa, Vel Lilium, 'like a rose or a lily'. A sword and an arrow pierce three crowns.
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichedmun...
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichedmun...
November 20, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Today's the feast of St Edmund, King and Martyr, patron saint of East Anglia. A partial boss in St Edmund's church, Norwich, reads Velut Rosa, Vel Lilium, 'like a rose or a lily'. A sword and an arrow pierce three crowns.
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichedmun...
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichedmun...
O invincible martyr
O unconquerable witness
O Edmund, like a rose or lily 👑🏹🐺
O unconquerable witness
O Edmund, like a rose or lily 👑🏹🐺
November 19, 2025 at 10:23 PM
O invincible martyr
O unconquerable witness
O Edmund, like a rose or lily 👑🏹🐺
O unconquerable witness
O Edmund, like a rose or lily 👑🏹🐺
Congratulations to Cato Pedder on winning this evening’s Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown! A great evening in the crypt of St James’ Clerkenwell with writers, wine and - most importantly - cheese ✍️🍷🧀
November 19, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Congratulations to Cato Pedder on winning this evening’s Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown! A great evening in the crypt of St James’ Clerkenwell with writers, wine and - most importantly - cheese ✍️🍷🧀
As dusk falls on the Vigil of St Edmund, a pretty weird depiction of the saint (via @simoninsuffolk.bsky.social) from the rood screen of St Mary’s, Stalham in Norfolk www.flickr.com/photos/norfo...
rood screen panel: St Edmund
St Mary, Stalham, Norfolk Stalham is a fine little town in the northern part of the Broads, full of activity but on a human scale. It's not as well known as the Wroxham/Hoveton conurbation, but its a...
www.flickr.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
As dusk falls on the Vigil of St Edmund, a pretty weird depiction of the saint (via @simoninsuffolk.bsky.social) from the rood screen of St Mary’s, Stalham in Norfolk www.flickr.com/photos/norfo...
It’s wild that the rate for writing 500 words in a compilation trade book is about the same as the royalties I’ve received over a 10-year period for an academic book that did reasonably well, by academic publishing standards
November 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
It’s wild that the rate for writing 500 words in a compilation trade book is about the same as the royalties I’ve received over a 10-year period for an academic book that did reasonably well, by academic publishing standards
And the trouble is I've only just realised the page numbers are non-sequential so I have been happily citing the book in the naïve assumption that they would be, and now I have to go back and amend all my citations
I am trying to work out how to cite a single-volume collection of a scholar's papers where the chapters *retain the page numbering of the original journals where they were published*, so there are no consecutive page numbers throughout the book 😱
a man with a mustache is standing in front of a door and says `` this is my hell '' .
ALT: a man with a mustache is standing in front of a door and says `` this is my hell '' .
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
And the trouble is I've only just realised the page numbers are non-sequential so I have been happily citing the book in the naïve assumption that they would be, and now I have to go back and amend all my citations