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
The Medieval Cosmos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:38
This week, we're getting in our medieval spaceship and travelling through the medieval cosmos to find out just what medieval people thought about all of that space. We'll discuss some correct ideas they had, plenty of in…
Pets in the Middle Ages [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:45:02
Here's a rhetorical question: do you love your pet? Of course you do, but did you know that medieval people did too? The only difference is, these pets had jobs! In this episode, Olivia and Aran delve into the wacky worl…
Medieval textiles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:36
Oh my god the Weird Medieval Guys Podcast™ has gone cottagecore!You know what clothes are, you love wearing clothes. But someone has to make them, and in the Middle Ages, they didn't have industrial-scale fast fashion sw…
Medieval witches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05:02
Infernal covenants, black sabbaths and missing infants; dark deeds are afoot in the forests of medieval Europe... or are they? It's a Halloween Spooktacular! When the Devil transforms Joe Mason into an angry amphibian, O…
Why is Norse mythology so freaky? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:10:48
Olivia and Aran are back with another zinger as they begin to start to somewhat unpack some of the absolutely insane customs and beliefs that made up the Norse pagan world view!Check out Snorri Sturlson's Prose Edda here…
Prester John: a Medieval Conspiracy Theory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:29
In the mid-12th century, a mysterious letter was circulating the courts of Christian Europe. Its supposed author was Prester John, a powerful, immortal Christian king who purported to rule a fantastical empire in India.P…
Outtakes part 2: the hurdy-gurdy cut [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:43
Unfortunately, Aran and Olivia are still recovering from one heck of a summer! Regular WMG pod episodes will resume in two weeks' time. In the interim, please enjoy another dump of outtakes that we have pieced together i…
The Hundred Years' War Part IV: the Trial of Joan of Arc [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:34
Several weeks after Joan of Arc led the battle to lift the siege at Orleans, she was already famous across Europe. However, it was perhaps how her story ended that cemented her status as a hero of worldwide and eternal r…
The Hundred Years' War Part III: the Maid of Orléans [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:43
As we continue our series on the Hundred Years' War, Armagnac cause has never seemed so hopeless. An Englishman sits on the French throne, the Scottish army has been crushed, and now the Armagnac stronghold of Orléans is…
The Hundred Years' War Part II: Danse Macabre [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:14
Our series on the Hundred Years' War continues with a deep dive into the events of the conflict and the consequences of a century of violence and death across Europe. Join Olivia and Aran as they discuss how the Black De…