Glossary

Abbey : a Catholic monastery (or convent) placed under the direction of an Abbot or Abbess who was the spiritual father of the religious community.

Ahnenerbe : a research institute created by Heinrich Himmler in 1935, and integrated into the SS organisation in 1939. Its name means “ancestral heritage”. The “Ahnenerbe” was commissioned for anthropological and archaeological research and for research into the cultural history of the “German race”.

Archangel : a spiritual being, above an angel in the celestial hierarchy.

Archbishop : a bishop at the head of the bishops in an ecclesiastic province.

Bestiary : a medieval collection, generally in verse, of allegorical and moral stories about animals.

Bishop : a person in the Church appointed by the Pope and placed at the head of a religious administrative department called diocese (a group of parishes).

Canon : an ecclesiastic dignitary who is part of a cathedral chapter house, a collegiate church or certain basilicas, is responsible for organising services, sometimes having a prebend.

Centaur : a legendary creature with the torso, head and arms of a man and the body of a horse.

Cleric : a man who has entered ecclesiastical orders and received tonsure.

Crusade : an expedition in the Middle Ages undertaken by Catholic Christians in Europe to deliver the Holy Land from Muslim occupation. It was called this because those who went on the expedition wore a cross on their clothes.

Dean of chapter : the second personage of a diocese after the bishop. He is placed at the head of the chapter and replaces the bishop when he is away.

Deanery : the residence of the dean of chapter

Ecclesiastical dignitary : a person who has received a charge, duty or title of great importance in the Church.

Epic : a long narrative tale relating an episode in history.

Fanal : a lamp or lantern put in high place as a beacon or guide in the dark.

Gonfanon : a banner attached to a lance and ending in several tails under which the vassals of a lord rallied in times of war.

Harangue : solemn speech made before a high-ranking person or a crowd.

Historiographer : a writer who writes about historical facts or who is in charge of writing the history of a sovereign, an era or a state institution.

Monastery : a Christian institute where monks or cloistered nuns live in a community.

Perjury : violation of an oath.

Regent : a person who governs a state until the sovereign comes of age, or in certain exceptional circumstances (illness, incapacity, absence, etc.).

Seminary : an establishment for training those destined for the priesthood.

Vassal : a person who owes allegiance (loyalty and obedience) to his lord or suzerain.

Whelp : the young of any canine, such as a dog or wolf.