Tradition and folklore hold that Charlemagne was crowned Emperor by the Pope on Christmas, but in real life it apparently did not happen until the following February. Still, Charlemagne’s anointing as Holy Roman Emperor on top of the kingly titles he already held was recounted as a Christmas tale for quite a while.
Most importantly, so much attention is paid to King Arthur – who may not have existed at all – that the real-life Charlemagne gets overlooked. But then reality has no place in the following look at the legends surrounding Charlemagne’s Paladins (Knights).
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THE TWELVE PEERS – This term was the Charlemagne equivalent of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
If you’ll recall the reason that King Arthur’s table was round was so that nobody could be considered above the others in rank or status. The same reasoning applied with Charlemagne’s designation of his Paladins as Twelve PEERS or equals.
MAUGRIS THE ENCHANTER aka MALAGIGI – This magician was the Frankish equivalent of Merlin from King Arthur lore. Maugris was raised by a Fairy named Oriande and appears in a supporting role in many tales of Charlemagne’s Paladins, often in a mystical disguise.
Maugris was generally depicted as younger than Merlin is depicted, and often used a sword in combat. This Frankish Wizard had an Enchanted Tome in which information he needed could magically appear. Maugris often conjured up winged demons to use as flying mounts to transport him from one location to another.
THE PALADINS
BRADAMANTE – This female Paladin was the sister of Reinold de Montaubon. She wore a suit of all-white armor, making her the original White Knight.
Bradamante, who wielded an enchanted lance that unseated any opponent it touched, rescued her true love, the Saracen warrior Ruggiero from his captivity in a glass dome atop Mount Carena in Northern Africa. Continue reading
The NAIA Championship Game will be played on 
December 16th, pitting the Defending Champs – the UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS (IN) COUGARS against the REINHARDT UNIVERSITY EAGLES (Should be the Rottweilers). 
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The Defending Champion FULLERTON COLLEGE HORNETS clashed with the COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO BULLDOGS for the CCCAA title. The Hornets led 7-2 in the 1st Quarter but the Bulldogs cut that to a 7-5 edge by Halftime. A 9-5 3rd Quarter Fullerton College advantage in this defensive epic became a 12-9 lead for the College of San Mateo in the 4th. The Hornets mustered that one final Touchdown to come back for a 16-12 victory. * THE HORNETS ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE CCCAA * 
FIRST SEMIFINAL – The 6th seeded UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA ARGONAUTS – in their very first post-season appearance for their two year old football program – have made history AGAIN! The Argonauts traveled to face the overall 1 seeds – the INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA CRIMSON HAWKS. West Florida actually shut out the Crimson Hawks in the 1st Half, leading them 17-0 at the break. From there IUP rallied but fell short as the Argonauts won the game 27-17. 
NUMBER ONE – Since President’s Day weekend is in February it’s no surprise that the top post that month was my look at PRESIDENTS FROM EISENHOWER TO TRUMP. 
NUMBER TWO – One of my Ancient Science Fiction items came in second for the month of February, IN SEARCH OF THE UNKNOWN (1904). 
NUMBER FOUR – From the 1886 story THE MAN IN THE BLACK CLOAK I examined the title figure – a neglected forerunner of Pulp heroes like Judex and the Shadow. 
NUMBER FIVE – Coming in in fifth place for February was this item about a female research fellow and her courageous examination of viewpoint harassment and discrimination on American college campuses by Faculty Lounge Fascists. 
NUMBER ONE – It wasn’t even close! Far and away the most popular blog post from January was my examination of Jean de la Hire’s neglected Pulp Hero, the Nyctalope (“Nightwalker”). This cyborg hero debuted very early in the 20th Century – as in before World War One! 
NUMBER TWO – The ladies in the Real-Life League of Extraordinary Women always get a big reaction from readers and this entry was no exception! 
NUMBER THREE – Balladeer’s Blog’s reviews of bad and/or obscure movies are among my favorite pieces to write. For January the film review that stood out to you readers was this one: 
NUMBER FOUR – Legendary Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan passed away in January of 2017. 
series 21st Century Golem. For two seasons that edgy, irreverent show presented Jewish folklore’s clay monster the Golem defending Israeli children and the elderly from blood-crazed Hamas butchers with time out to battle the Muslim Brotherhood and Boko Haram for good measure. 
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