We've joined forces with the MythTake podcast for a pair of episodes about the myth of Theseus, the Minotaur, and Ariadne. In our episode we talk about the story of Theseus & Ariadne, and the development of the word 'Clue' from Chaucer's version of the tale, as well as Catullus and Ovid's depictions of Ariadne's abandonment, and the connections to fingerprints, detective fiction, and Agatha Christie's life. Meanwhile, Alison & Darrin in their episode talk about two poems by Bacchylides, and the Greek sources for the life of Theseus and his heroic exploits, as well as a few more English words derived from his adventures.
Episode 30: Baba Brinkman & Peer-Reviewed Rap
We have the immense pleasure of interviewing Baba Brinkman, a Canadian rap artist & award-winning playwright best known for his “Rap Guide” series of plays and albums, with which he has toured the world; these cover topics like evolution, religion, medicine, and most recently climate change. He’s also pioneered the genre of ‘lit-hop’ with his adaptations of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Gilgamesh, Beowulf & more. Our conversation ranges through tree-planting; the connections between Homer, Chaucer, & rap; Horace, Lucretius, & Erasmus Darwin as science communicators; the comedy of neuroscience; Trump; language & dictionaries; and more.
At the end of the interview we play a couple of tracks by Baba: his newest single "Erosion", and the first two tracks from his Rap Canterbury Tales album, "General Prologue" & "The Knight's Tale (scene 1)".
Show Notes
A brief history of rhyme | Baba Brinkman | TEDxNavesink
Baba Brinkman & Professor Elemental - What's Your English?
Bonus: #WhanThatAprilleDay
To mark #WhanThatAprilleDay, a time for celebrating old languages, we read some middle English and Latin.
Show Notes
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale
Episode 11: Cuckold
We discuss the origin of the word ‘Cuckold’, its connection to Valentine’s Day, its modern meaning, and the development of the modern idea of romantic love. Sexual fetishes, horned animals, Chaucer, Jane Austen, and Ovid all make it into the conversation--while we sip some Valentine's Day themed cocktails.
Show Notes
Thank you to our Patreon supporters: Valerie Polichar, Lukas Hägele, Evermore Anon, and Ian & Susan McMaster
The Horny Cock Valentine's Day Card
"My Cuckoo Valentine" blog post
Claire McEachern, “Why Do Cuckolds Have Horns?” Huntington Library Quarterly 71. 4 (2008): 607-631.
The article about the capons with spurs grafted to their head is by A.W. Kozelka in the Journal of Heredity, 1929. UPDATE: The article has now been scanned in, here's the picture:
