Media-eval: A Medieval Pop Culture Podcast

Sarah brings Ollie back from exile to talk about the Amazon series "Rings of Power". Did the show nail the feeling of Tolkien? Did the actors make you believe in them? Should an elf be thinking about making love to a perfectly normal human man? Find out all of this and more in the latest episode of Media-eval!

Happy Holidays from Media-eval! Join Sarah and her dad Richard as we stretch the definition of medieval to talk about Ghostbusters II, featuring the imaginary early modern dictator Vigo the Carpathian. Check out the perhaps surprising medieval content of the film, including traditions of portraiture, references to Vlad the Impaler, and the concept of living paintings in medieval culture. Social Me...

Join Sarah and guests Clio and Mireille, of Clio/Mireille: A Fanfiction Podcast as we discuss the ultimate work of Shakespeare fanfiction: 1998 Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love! We talk literary analysis, the canonicity of Shakespeare, Elizabethan dental hygiene, and all the queer overtones that this film is desperate for its audience not to notice. Enjoy this episode? Listen to Sarah, Clio,...

The “King Arthur Babies” miniseries continues (and ends), as Sarah’s mom Beth Greenfeld comes on to discuss 2019 film The Kid Who Would Be King! Join Sarah and Beth as they grapple with the challenges of importing chivalry into the 21st century, do a deep dive on the Lady of the Lake, and have a classic Media-eval Latin grammar lesson. Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/mediaevalpod
E-mail: media....

Jessica Bluemke Greiff of Friendly Atheist Podcast is back to discuss A Kid in King Arthur’s Court! Join Sarah and Jessica for some 90s childhood nostalgia—in a film that might not totally hold up to adult viewing. Come for our in-depth review of the film, stay for our discussion of the use of “mutton” as an insult and an excellent medieval recipe for goat’s head. Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.co...

Happy Halloween from Media-eval! Sarah and guest Elizabeth Bonnemann discuss the first two seasons of animated series Castlevania. Join us as we talk vampires and demons (the reason for the season), as well as the recent discovery of a real Romanian medieval library, the historical Vlad Tepes Dracula and how he became connected with vampire lore, and why it is in fact historically accurate for the...

Buy The Medievalist now! https://www.lulu.com/shop/phil-adamo/the-medievalist/paperback/product-7mvp64.html?q=Phil+adamo&page=1&pageSize=4 Sarah is joined by medievalist and author Phil Adamo for a conversation about his new book, The Medievalist. We explore the white supremacist uses and misuses of the medieval past and some of the challenges facing medievalists today grappling with these issues,...

Sarah is once again joined by guest Elizabeth Bonnemann as we dive back into Doctor Who with our first audio drama! Join us as we tackle 2000 audio serial “The Marian Conspiracy” and explore Catholic-Protestant conflicts, ale and beer in Early Modern English taverns, and the not-quite-medieval history of the cardigan. Social Media: Twitter @mediaevalpod E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com Find Elizabe...

Ollie said he would return for DnD....Sarah just didn't tell him which DnD it would be! Join us as we discuss season 1 of the Amazon Prime adaptation of Critical Roles Vox Machina campaign. Can some voice actors improv a better story with more pathos and drama than most highly paid hollywood screenwriters? you bet your sweet butts they can!

Media-eval is back this week with something a little different! Join Sarah and guest Erika Harlitz-Kern, of The Boomerang, as we discuss what it means to be public medievalists - and discuss Erika's future appearance to discuss the upcoming film Medieval! Social Media: Twitter @mediaevalpod E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com Find Erika on Twitter @eh_kern and at The Boomerang (ehkern.com) Rate, revie...

Sarah is once again joined by guest Elizabeth Bonnemann—but for once NOT talking about Doctor Who! Join us as we delve into the medievalism of 1988 fantasy film Willow. Were there really possums in medieval Europe? Were criminals left to die in hanging cages? And did women like Bavmorda, Sorsha, and Elora reign as queens? Social Media: Twitter @mediaevalpod E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com Find Eli...

Damned former host Ollie returns to talk about a movie that is far better than it's reputation(or lack thereof) would suggest. Turns out if the devil wants your soul, you don't have a lot of options left!

Sarah's mom, Beth Greenfeld, is back to talk about 1955 film The Court Jester! Join us as we delve into the history of fools and jesters, the political challenges of infant monarchs, and how this film has better-developed women characters than many movies released in the 21st-century. 

 CW: Discussion of some potential issues of ableism in the film 
Learn more about the global history of jesters...

Sarah and returning guest Morgan Morales explore intellectual culture and interreligious strife in 2009 film Agora! Join us as we delve into the lives of Jews, Christians, and polytheists in late ancient/early medieval Alexandria and explore the reality and legend of the life of Hypatia of Alexandria. CW for conversations about sexual assault, slavery, and anti-Semitism, all based on depictions wi...

Media-eval ventures to Valholl as Sarah and returning guest Miti von Weissenberg tackle 2022 film The Northman! Join us as we explore masculinity, gender, slavery, race, and vengeance in the film and in the real Norse past. CW for discussion of sexual assault (which is not graphically depicted in the film but is thematically important) and for discussion of white nationalism (which is relevant to...

Sarah and guest Peter Konieczny of medievalists.net delve into the layers of pre-modern history, late medieval historical fiction, and modern film in John Woo’s 2009 film Red Cliff. Join us as we get into interpretations of pre-modern history in China and the medieval novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. For more of Peter on Romance of the Three Kingdoms: https://www.medievalists.net/2018/10/which...

Outlander. The movie. It's like Beowulf but there are aliens in it. This movie is actually pretty decent. We all want to talk about Jamie and Claire and how some herbs are better than others but we will leave that for another time. enjoy!

Sarah and guest Miti von Weissenberg explore sanctity and voluntary poverty in 1989 film Francesco! Join us as we delve into the real lives of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, the intertwined histories of the Franciscans and the Poor Clares, and the link between biopic and hagiography. Learn more about Miti’s research and teaching: https://www.xavier.edu/history-department/directory/marita-von...

Sarah and guest Sara McDougall take on another of 2021’s highly anticipated medieval-inspired films: The Last Duel. Join us as we get into the myths and realities about medieval law and this fascinating 1386 trial, and our … struggles … with this film. TRIGGER WARNING: The film includes graphic depictions of sexual assault, which we critique in depth on the podcast. Read more from Sara on the Last...

Finally, Media-eval tackles perhaps the most central text of medieval-inspired fantasy: The Lord of the Rings. Join Sarah and fellow medieval historian Paul Freedman, for a wide-ranging discussion about medievalism, food, gender, race, and more in the books and films.

 Learn more about Paul and his work: https://history.yale.edu/people/paul-freedman 
 Check out his article on food in The Lord of...

Sarah and fellow medieval historian - and expert on nuns - Annalena Müller discuss Paul Verhoeven’s 2021 film Benedetta. Join us as we tackle what the film got right, what it got wrong, and what it tells us about sensationalism, religion, and sex - medieval and modern. 
 CW: The film includes some scenes which raise issues of abuse and consent within a relationship, which we discuss. Social Media:...

Sarah and music historian Charles Hughes tackle the medieval trend that swept the nation in April 202: bardcore. Join us as we explore bardcore in the context of musical nostalgia, plague and pandemic, and the real medieval troubadour tradition. Social Media: Find Charles on Twitter: @CharlesLHughes2 Twitter @mediaevalpod E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com Rate, review, and subscribe!

Sarah and fellow medievalist Lucy Barnhouse delve into the medievalism of Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe and its 1997 BBC/A&E miniseries adaptation. Join us as we explore one of the few representations of medieval Jews, as well as questions about witchcraft, Saxon-Norman conflict, and how the Knights Templar were not in fact the Inquisition. Social Media: Hear more from Lucy on Footnoting History: https:/...

Media-eval’s resident Doctor Who expert Elizabeth Bonnemann returns to discuss 1989 serial Battlefield. Join Sarah and Elizabeth as we meet the 7th Doctor and best-ever companion Ace and grapple with how the series handles Arthuriana-meets-aliens. Social Media: Find Elizabeth on Twitter: @lizziestrider Twitter @mediaevalpod E-mail: media.evalpod@gmail.com Rate, review, and subscribe!

Ever want to listen to two fans of a book series recap a show and get increasingly annoyed/joyous and sometimes angry as they do it? Well now you can! Join us for 3 hours of talk about the first season of the Wheel of Time tv show on Amazon Prime. What did it get right? What did it get wrong? We talk about it all!