Celtic Magic with Brigid Ehrmantraut

Celtic Magic with Brigid Ehrmantraut

Author: Danièle Cybulskie May 21, 2026 Duration: 49:35
Have you ever wanted to put a curse on someone? How about ask a river goddess for some healing? Or maybe speak a charm that’ll make your life better? If so, today’s episode is for you. This week, Danièle speaks with Brigid Ehrmantraut about Celtic magic, druidic haircuts, and what Celtic curses have to do with The Lord of the Rings.

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Step back in time without the dust and difficulty of old archives. The Medieval Podcast, hosted by Danièle Cybulskie, is your accessible gateway to a thousand years of human experience. This isn't a dry recitation of dates and battles, but a vibrant exploration of how people lived, thought, and created. Each week, Danièle brings her genuine curiosity and conversational style to interviews with leading scholars, uncovering the fascinating details that textbooks often miss. You'll find yourself immersed in discussions that might cover the economic significance of pigs, the beauty and complexity of Persian poetry, or the tumultuous drama of the Plantagenet dynasty. The scope is deliberately broad, touching on history, arts, literature, and the intricacies of daily culture and society, all through the medieval lens. Listening to this podcast feels like having a friendly chat with a knowledgeable guide who is just as excited to learn as you are. It’s designed for anyone with a spark of interest, whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or just wondering what daily life was really like between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. The conversations are deep yet digestible, always aiming to connect the medieval world to our own in unexpected ways. Prepare to have your assumptions challenged and your curiosity ignited as Danièle and her guests illuminate the shadows of the past, one compelling story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Medieval Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Europe's Last Pagan Peoples with Francis Young [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:22
A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the practices of ancient and medieval Celts, and how those practices were transformed and integrated into Christianity over time. Today, we’re shifting the lens eastward to investigate…
Medieval Mass Expulsions with Rowan Dorin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:09
The medieval period is well known for several large-scale and horrific persecutions, especially ones based on religious grounds. One of these is a succession of expulsions of the Jews from one kingdom after another. Pers…
The Life and Voyages of St. Brendan with Gordon Barthos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:00
Just in time for his feast day on May 16, we’re looking at St. Brendan, an Irish saint whose holy encounters included island-sized whales, lava-slinging smiths, and rodents of unusual size. This week, Danièle speaks with…
Mary Magdalene on Stage with Joanne Findon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:39
In the medieval world, people interacted with Biblical history and the adventures of their favourite saints in all sorts of ways – including through plays. One of the most beloved saints – Mary Magdalene – is the main ch…
Financing Queenship with Michele Seah [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:13
The English queens of the fifteenth century have had a serious popularity boost in the last twenty years, thanks to novels and TV series showing the glamour and drama of their lives. Queenship could have serious advantag…
Five Life Lessons from Ten Years as an Author [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:05
This week, Danièle celebrates ten years of The Five-Minute Medievalist by sharing some of the life lessons she's learned since the book came out - and some of the lessons that she just keeps on having to learn.This podca…
Medieval Musical Romances with Nigel Bryant and Matthew P. Thomson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:34
It’s always a great moment when you’re watching a play or a movie, and suddenly one of your favourite songs appears to heighten the mood. All of a sudden, you’re even more deeply emotionally invested in the lives of the…
Self-Help and the Seven Deadly Sins with Peter Jones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:26
We’ve all been there: suddenly face-to-face with our ugliest selves, wrestling with pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, or lust. AKA the Seven Deadly Sins. In the Middle Ages, Christian thinkers divided moral m…
Patterns of Plague with Lori Jones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:16
There are some very entrenched cultural ideas about the plague these days, involving big, beaky masks, and agonized people flagellating themselves in the street. But the way people thought about and treated plague change…
Comparing Women's Work with Nena Vandeweerdt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:50
Last week, we talked about a woman whose work was to support her husband’s dreams of conquest – and her son’s dreams of rebellion. But what about the medieval women whose work was a little more ordinary? What was the 9-5…