Frank Turner's Tales From No Man's Land
The Hymn of Kassiani
Published: 7 August 2019 at 03:00 Europe/London
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Episode notes
Kassiani is one of only two women to have been written about from the Byzantine era, which is a somewhat forgotten about period in history. She is most famously known for quipping at the Emperor Theophilos at a bridal show before going on to become an abbess, poet and hymnographer, whose songs are still sung in Greek Orthodox Churches today. Despite being from a distant time, her character shines through in her work. Her quick-witted humour and somewhat rebellious one liners are what brought her to Frank's attention, including the phrase "I hate silence, when it is time to speak". Frank recruits the help of self-professed 'Byzantinist’ and Professor Liz James from the University of Sussex, to tell the story behind the song, The Hymn of Kassiani. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
