In our Halloween episode we discuss the origins of the holiday, the etymology of Jack o'Lantern, the Canadian connections to trick-or-treating, and the great pumpkin scandal of 2016, and we read a Roman poem about witches scared off by a wooden fertility god.
Episode 21: Haggard Hawks
We talk to Paul Anthony Jones about where his love of etymology and obscure words came from, how he researches his books, the unexpected popularity of his Haggard Hawks twitter account, and more.
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to our newest supporters, Alex Smallman & Benjamin Walls!
Show Notes
Episode 20: Blue & Green
We explore the terms for blue & green in Greek, Latin, and English, and discuss their symbolism and meaning in the various cultures. Is it true the ancient Greeks couldn't see blue? Why do we go 'green with envy'? And what did chariot racing, colours, and religious riots in Constantinople have to do with the Italian national football team?
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to our newest supporter, Rémi Belleau!
Show Notes
Article about Greeks not seeing the colour blue
Horace Ode 1.9 (Soracte) in English
Episode 19: Beef
We chat about the Norman French influence on Anglo-Saxon words for animals and meat, the powerful emotional and political aspects of the words we use for food, and then delve into Latin technical terms for farmyard animals, ending off with Virgil's pastoral poems, the Eclogues.
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!
Show Notes
Roman Colour Thesaurus – Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries)
Episode 18: Beer
All about beer! From experiments in baking bread with the leftovers from brewing beer to the etymology of beery words, and the complicated question of how fizzy beer has been through the ages. We follow up on questions raised in our Loaf podcast, and get some tips from other foodie podcasters.
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!
Show Notes
Recreating Egyptian Bread by @miguelesquirol
Recipe for medieval trencher bread and recipe for spent grain tea biscuits, via @Feast_Podcast
Our experiment making bread from leftover beer sludge
Gastropod: Everything Old is Brew Again
Posts on traditional Peruvian beer and traditional South African beer via @beervana
Sources for history of barrels: here & here.
Artificial carbonation of beer & cask and bottle conditioning via @Gastropodcast
Episode 17: Loaf
We talk about words for bread and the close connection between "loaf" and lords, ladies, and dairy-maids, then turn to the history of baking bread and our adventures with sourdough, baking Pompeian bread, and brewing beer.
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!
Show Notes
Turkish language website
Stack Brewing
"Loaf" video
Re-creating the Pompeii loaf video
Our picture of bread from the ROM Pompeii exhibit.
A loaf of Pompeian bread from the British Museum
Our attempt to recreate Pompeian bread:
Episode 16: Red
We talk about Old English, Greek, and Latin words for red, the cultural importance of dyes, basic colour terms, blushes, blood, and gods. And a little bit about sex and phalluses, but only in the most genteel way. We promise.
Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!
Show Notes
MythTakes Podcast
Lexicon Valley: Red Herring
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 13: Album
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.
Show Notes
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.
Episode 12: David Hein & Irene Sankoff
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.
Show Notes
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.
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:
Patreon Announcement
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!
Episode 10: James Andean
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.
Show Notes
The picture of Mars in various seasons drawn by our 5-year-old while listening to "Maledetta"
Episode 9: The Force Awakens
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)
Show Notes
"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
Episode 8: Yule
We discuss the etymology of Yule & the Germanic roots of Christmas traditions, along with Dr. Seuss & the Grinch, beer, & the unsavoury meaning of 'mistletoe'.
Show Notes
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)
Episode 7: The Story of Narrative
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.
Show Notes
The Latin word novi, from nosco
"The Storytelling Animal" by Jonathan Gottschall
As We Like It: A podcast about film adaptations of Shakespeare
Brief Announcement
Just a brief announcement of a new podcast, and the reasons for our recent break in posting episodes. New full episode coming soon!
Show Notes
"As We Like It" podcast: Three friends, united by Twitter and marriage, watch and discuss the merits of filmed adaptations of Shakespeare's work.
Episode 6: Paddle Your Own Canoe
We play the audio from "Paddle Your Own Canoe" and discuss metaphor, travel narratives, Greek & Roman epic, Star Trek, and Doctor Who.
Show Notes
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"
Episode 5: Janice Liedl
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.
Show notes
“The Battle for History in Battlestar Galactica” in Space and Time: Essays on Visions of History in Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (McFarland, 2010).
Episode 4: Carpe Diem!
A special episode, recorded at the cottage! We chat about unplugging, the etymology of 'harvest', poetry, and what to call a group of loons.
Show Notes
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
