The Endless Knot
We discuss etymology, history, literature, science, and language, and the connections between them.
The etymology of "album" leads to an in-depth conversation about the Latin words for "white", the many terms for "shining" in proto-Indo-European, and the connection between the Beatles and medieval German students. And we drink White Ladies.
The White Lady cocktail
Sappho poem 31
#TheDress
The Adidas jacket
And thank you to our Patreon supporters: Valerie Polichar, Lukas Hägele, Evermore Anon, Ian & Susan McMaster, Carlos Solis, and Chantal Sundaram.
We talk to David and Irene about their most recent project, "Come From Away", a musical about the town of Gander, Nfld. on 9/11, and discuss the ways the story, the musical, and their work all demonstrate the importance of connections.
UPDATE: The show will be at the Royal Alexandra Theatre Nov. 15, 2016 - Jan. 8, 2017, and then previews on Broadway begin Feb. 18, 2017 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. There will also be two benefit concerts in Newfoundland & Labrador on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016.
The official "Come from Away" site
More information about "Come From Away"
And thank you to our Patreon supporters: Valerie Polichar, Lukas Hägele, Evermore Anon, Ian & Susan McMaster, Carlos Solis, and Chantal Sundaram.
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.
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:
A quick announcement: We've joined Patreon!
We've set up a campaign page, to ask for support for our videos and podcasts. If you don't know Patreon, it's a community that allows creators to ask their audiences for financial support, in order to help them continue creating. It's set up for continuous support; people pledge monthly amounts (or amounts per creation), and that money goes directly to the creator.
We're not changing anything about how we produce and release the videos and podcasts, but if you're interested in perhaps contributing a little money to help us with expenses, and with making my video and podcast work sustainable, please check it out!
Patreon page for The Endless Knot
Thanks!
Thank you!
We chat to musician and sound artist James Andean about acousmatic music, interdisciplinary improvisation, the role of narrative in music, and, inevitably, Star Wars. And make sure you listen to the piece by James that he graciously allowed us to include at the end!
We found this conversation fascinating, as it explores areas of music we didn't know much about, but also showed us some unforeseen overlaps between our own interests and the seemingly very different areas that James works in. A great example of unexpected connections around us!
Also, although we don't mention it on the podcast, we've just launched a Patreon campaign, to help us support our podcasting and the videos we make, so please take a moment to check that out. Thanks.
The picture of Mars in various seasons drawn by our 5-year-old while listening to "Maledetta"
Dark & Light Side light sabres?!
We talk about the ways Star Wars: The Force Awakens connects to Classical epic, myth, and Norse sagas, and literary and theoretical aspects of the movie, while we drink some starry cocktails. Spoilers!
(Also, I say "Empire" but mean "Jedi" at least once. Sorry. Please don't hate me. -- Aven)
"The new ‘Star Wars’ isn’t a rip-off, it’s a classical epic" by Joseph A Howley
Hello Internet episode about Star Wars
History Hits episode with Janice Liedl about Star Wars and History
We discuss the etymology of Yule & the Germanic roots of Christmas traditions, along with Dr. Seuss & the Grinch, beer, & the unsavoury meaning of 'mistletoe'.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Latin
The Twelve Days of Christmas video
The Twelve Etymologies of Christmas song
The Twelve Days of Christmas (traditional lyrics)
We chat about stories, myth, and cognition -- and some of the ways narrative shapes our understanding of the world around us. Includes more Doctor Who talk, and some Latin and Old English.
The Latin word novi, from nosco
"The Storytelling Animal" by Jonathan Gottschall
As We Like It: A podcast about film adaptations of Shakespeare
Just a brief announcement of a new podcast, and the reasons for our recent break in posting episodes. New full episode coming soon!
"As We Like It" podcast: Three friends, united by Twitter and marriage, watch and discuss the merits of filmed adaptations of Shakespeare's work.
We play the audio from "Paddle Your Own Canoe" and discuss metaphor, travel narratives, Greek & Roman epic, Star Trek, and Doctor Who.
Paddle Your Own Canoe blog post
Blog post on Spatial Metaphors for Time
Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica
Thomas Cole "The Voyage of Life"
Ernst Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages
James Burke, Connections, "Death in the Morning"
A conversation with Dr. Janice Liedl, history prof at Laurentian University, about fandoms, science fiction, Star Wars and Star Trek, a treason trial in the time of Henry VIII, and how history and the study of history connect to all of it.
“The Battle for History in Battlestar Galactica” in Space and Time: Essays on Visions of History in Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (McFarland, 2010).
A special episode, recorded at the cottage! We chat about unplugging, the etymology of 'harvest', poetry, and what to call a group of loons.
Ep. 72 of the Let's Drink About It Podcast with the recipe for The Journey Cocktail (I forgot to mention that I also used the wrong kind of port!)
Horace, Ode 1.11in Latin and English
Robert Herrick's poem "Gather ye rosebuds..."
Blog post and video ("Gimlet") mentioning Erasmus Darwin & the Lunar Society
We discuss Plato's views on writing, the effects of technology and relationships on memory, and the naming, origin, and mythology of Pluto.
We discuss and play "A Detective Story" (6'40'' - 20'40''), touching on Sir Gawain, Sherlock Holmes, memory palaces, and other ways to remember things.
"A Detective Story" blogpost has more information and relevant links.
"Sir Gawain & the Green Knight" at The Toast by Mallory Ortberg, @Mallelis (I mixed up her name, sorry!)
The opening quotation in the video is from "A Scandal in Bohemia"
The text of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"
The cognitive science heptagram
The "Method of Loci" or Memory Palace
The "Sherlock" episode about the blackmailer: His Last Vow (3.3), loosely based on the Doyle story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"
Plato quoting Socrates in the Phaedrus, arguing that the invention of writing led to forgetfulness
This episode explains the origin of The Endless Knot videos and introduces the podcast, and we play the audio for the Introduction video (from 9mins to 16 mins) and discuss it.