New Discoveries

Every day I discover new facts. This is especially true when I'm writing historical fiction stories. It's important to keep an eye out for things. You never know when you might find something useful. So, here are a few things I have found out over the last couple of weeks:

1. A bergfried is a defensive tower, separate from the living quarters in a castle. They were common in German castles and show up in castles built in Livonia and Estonia where the Livonian Brotherhood of the Sword had sway.

2. Spinning wheels seem to have originated in India and didn't get mentioned in Europe until 1280.

3. Fustian is a mix of linen and wool.

4. Miniver is white fur.

5. People gave gifts on New Years, not Christmas, for a long time.

I'm squirreling these tid-bits away for later description. You can use these things too, totally free of charge.