Weird Medieval Mailbag

Weird Medieval Mailbag

Author: Weird Medieval Guys December 29, 2023 Duration: 1:16:41

Weird Medieval Guys is back, and there's more audience participation than ever! In this episode, Aran and Olivia tackle a litany of listener questions on the most important medieval topics, like the conversion of the Vikings, the best names for dogs, and whether medieval life was mid and evil. Also discussed are jambalaya, the importance of simping and the gruesome fate of Mickey Mouse.

Order Weird Medieval Guys: How to Live, Laugh, Love (and Die) in Dark Times by Olivia M. Swarthout: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/455674/weird-medieval-guys-by-swarthout-olivia/9781529908305

Order merch from the Weird Medieval Guys merch shop: https://weirdmedievalguys.bigcartel.com/

Further reading:

"The names of all manner of hounds: a unique inventory in a fifteenth-century manuscript" by David Scott-Mcnab https://www.academia.edu/44222801/THE_NAMES_OF_ALL_MANNER_OF_HOUNDS_A_UNIQUE_INVENTORY_IN_A_FIFTEENTH_CENTURY_MANUSCRIPT

Ibn Fadlan's account of a Viking funeral: https://www.mrtredinnick.com/uploads/7/2/1/5/7215292/ibn_fadlan_-_account_of_a_viking_burial.pdf

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes: https://www.bettanyhughes.co.uk/istanbul-a-tale-of-three-cities

Olivia's approach to episode planning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QFM8VD_Nbs

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/74034

The Knight's Toast by Sir Walter Scott: https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-130606/

War Song of the Normans: https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-11937/


Ever wondered what people in the Middle Ages actually talked about over a pint, or what bizarre details lurk in the margins of illuminated manuscripts? Weird Medieval Guys digs into all that and more, hosted by Olivia-the mind behind the popular online presence-and Aran, a historian with a keen eye for the odd. Together, they sift through centuries of history, art, and primary sources not to recount the grand, familiar narratives, but to uncover the strange, hilarious, and profoundly human stories that usually get left out of the textbooks. Each episode feels like a conversation with two deeply knowledgeable friends who can’t wait to tell you about the monk who drew a fighting snail in his prayer book, or the surprisingly complex social rules of medieval beekeeping. This isn’t a dry lecture; it’s an exploration of the everyday weirdness that defined an entire era, from peculiar fashion choices and questionable medical remedies to the lives of figures who were, by any measure, absolute characters. Tune in for a consistently surprising and deeply researched look at the past, where the focus is always on the details that make history feel alive, relatable, and endlessly fascinating. You’ll come away from this podcast with a new appreciation for the Middle Ages, one wonderfully weird guy at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 56

Weird Medieval Guys
Podcast Episodes
Medieval travel writing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:04
Nothing beats a Jet 2 Holiday - except, of course, trekking thousands of miles across Central Asia to deliver spices, preach the gospel, or just see that's going on over there. The Mongol Empire facilitated an unpreceden…
The Order of Assassins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:45
In the medieval Middle East, no group was as feared as the Order of the Assassins - or as misunderstood. In this episode, Olivia and Aran chart the emergence of this deadly organisation and their role in the complex web…
Medieval drinking culture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:50
Dry January is over! Wet February is here! What was it like to get drunk in the Middle Ages? Let's investigate......Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23
Weird medieval mailbag #3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:37:21
Q&A with Aran and OliviaJoin the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23
The Norman Conquest part VI: The Book of Judgement [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05:26
Our series on the Norman Conquest finally comes to an end with a grand finale covering the aftermath of the events in Scotland, England, and Wales. Though William the Bastard may die 20 years after the conquest takes pla…
The Norman Conquest episode V: The Lake of Blood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49:26
It all comes down to this. Harold Godwinson, Harald Sigurdson, and William the Bastard are preparing their armies, for a tri-cornered showdown for the English throne. But what really happened in 1066? In this episode, Ol…
The Norman Conquest part IV: The Bastard of Normandy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:17
So far we've talked a lot about the Norman conquest without talking very much about who the Normans were and why they (and especially one guy) wanted to conquest. Well, that changes today! How did some Vikings become Fre…
The Norman Conquest episode III: The Thunderbolt of the North [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:22
In the third episode of our Norman Conquest series, we look at the life and times of the second of our claimants to the English throne in 1066: Harald Sigurdson, King of Norway. When a teenaged Harald's life is upended b…