Real Fantastic Beasts

Did you know that owls feed their babies milk? That owls eggs cure drunkenness? That a dead owl nailed to your barn door stops lightning? We explore the long lore of this terrifying bird of the night -- the symbol of both wisdom and folly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is the heir to the French throne named after a dolphin? How did a Venetian dynasty end up with one on its crest? And why did Renaissance furniture suddenly sprout dolphin legs? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before a live audience at the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association conference, we dive into Cleopatra's famous asp with guest Emily Sharrett. How does medieval and early modern viper lore help us understand why this snake became the iconic instrument of her death? And what was Shakespeare doing with it? Also on YouTube at https://youtu.be/4n1Qmw94oW8 Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Why is it always the youngest, humblest sibling who gets the magic animal on their side? This episode we explore Puss in Boots, La Chatte Blanche, and what animal companions tell us about who folklore thinks deserves to win. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk lions, hybridity, and the unsettling power of a creature that's often part woman, part beast, and entirely a threat to masculine authority — the Sphinx, in all her medieval and Renaissance guises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean for a cold, damp, thoroughly amphibious creature to become the defining symbol of elemental fire? In this episode, we explore the salamander, the fire-resistant (allegedly), asbestos-covered, love-poetry-inspiring, hellfire-embodying little amphibian that confused natural philosophers from Aristotle to Linnaeus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Hildegard to the Habsburgs, we explore the European perspective on the most spectacular bird. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the curious lore of the Egyptian mongoose or ichneumon and its habit of disemboweling crocodiles – from the inside. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest expert Christine Cooper-Rompato regales us with the most excremental of all animals, the bonnacon, which defends itself by ejecting burning poo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the OG bird of the soul to the medieval dining table, we explore the long fascination with swans and their (mostly nonexistent) song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with our 50th episode on the truly fantastic sheep of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, from the Lamb of God to environmental justice, animal rights, and the lubricants that made the industrial revolution possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The quintessential imperial attention whore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We journey from the clever self-castrating beaver of the Middle Ages to the near extinction of the North American beaver for the sake of European hats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore the many versions of the Hydra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For 400 years, the carp was the most popular fish in Europe. What made it so fantastic? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are dog-headed creatures people or beasts? Find out in this live podcast done at the Kalamazoo Medieval Congress. Our guest, Karl Steel, regales us with tales of the Cynocephalus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Beowulf to the guerrilla rewilding of Britain, guest Elizabeth (Lizzie) Marshall regales us with wolfish lore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Small, cute dogs that serve no practical purpose other than to make us go “awwww” turn out to have a long and fantastic history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The griffin was both a ferocious beast and a maternal figure. Nobody took it seriously, but its image is everywhere in the pre-modern world from the Near East to Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest expert Mustafa Banister Introduces us to the world of Arabic Beast Fables in the Kalila Wa Dimna and elsewhere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Animals are everywhere in the end times. We explore early responses to the fantastic, terrifying, yet beautiful beasts of the Book of Revelation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Elizabeth Pastan explores the animals in the Bayeux Embroidery (aka the Bayeux Tapestry). If you want to see the images we're discussing, you can go to the Youtube version of the episode here: https://youtu.be/pOaibXA5XrI . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From partridges to "colly" birds, we explore the early history of the animals (and especially birds) of the beloved Christmas counting song. Special thanks to Evelyn Wohlbier for recording the song for us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest Edana Kleinhans takes us through the subtle differences between wyverns and dragons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest expert Richard Nash takes us through the history of the thoroughbred horse, from its hybrid origins to the cult of purity that made it the background to racial narratives of the modern world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.