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Weird Medieval Guys

Weird Medieval Guys

65 episodes · Explicit

Leaving no stone unturned in our quest for the weirdest stories, guys, and art from the Middle Ages.

More about the show

The Weird Medieval Guys podcast is brought to you by Olivia, the creator of internet sensation Weird Medieval Guys, and Aran, a historian and fellow weird guy connoisseur.

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. Unsolved medieval mysteries

    · 1 h 49 min · Episode 65 · Explicit

    It's our third halloween special! Talking about: -the codex gigas -the green children of woolpit -the erdstallen -the dancing plague -the voynich manuscript By the way, Olivia has a book coming out soon! preorder…

  2. Medieval hygiene

    · 1 h 45 min · Episode 64 · Explicit

    As we all know, everyone in the middle ages lived and died in the muck. What's worse, they had no idea that being caked in shit and smelling terrible was bad. Or did they? Maybe instead they all just smelled like a…

  3. Medieval medicine

    · 1 h 39 min · Episode 63 · Explicit

    leech up, leech heads! Join the Weird Medieval Guys Discord server! https://discord.gg/Ga9EQWfK28

  4. Was Mansa Musa the richest man in history?

    · 1 h 49 min · Episode 62 · Explicit

    "PEOPLE OF CAIRO, YOU LISTEN TO ME. GO INTO THE TREASURY, AND PUT YOUR HAND IN THE CASH REGISTER FOR NO REASON. THAT MONEY IS YOUR MONEY AS OF RIGHT NOW." • al-Umari, attributed to Mansa Musa, 14th century Join the…

  5. Peasant rebellions

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 61 · Explicit

    Why are peasants so revolting?

  6. Reviewing Medieval Movies

    · 2 h 26 min · Episode 60 · Explicit

    The movies are back, or so they say. But what makes a good medieval movie? Historical accuracy? Satisfying storytelling? The quality of the tassels? To find out, Aran, Olivia and Joe Mason reviewed five movies. Some of…

  7. Why don't we build cathedrals any more?

    · 1 h 48 min · Episode 59

    Roger Scruton - In Defense of Booty

  8. Medieval Robots

    · 1 h 50 min · Episode 58 · Explicit

    Wait, what? Are you for real? is this a bit you're doing?

  9. Did medieval people think the world was going to end in 1000 AD?

    · 1 h 39 min · Episode 57 · Explicit

    It would only make sense, right? Why else would they call it millenarianism?

  10. How medieval scribes invented fonts

    · 2 h 09 min · Episode 56 · Explicit

    And how Hitler made them illegal!

  11. Medieval travel writing

    · 1 h 55 min · Episode 55 · Explicit

    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…

  12. What did the mongol empire ever do for us?

    · 1 h 46 min · Episode 54 · Explicit

    Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23

  13. The Order of Assassins

    · 1 h 44 min · Episode 53 · Explicit

    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…

  14. Medieval drinking culture

    · 1 h 45 min · Episode 52 · Explicit

    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

  15. Weird medieval mailbag #3

    · 1 h 37 min · Episode 51

    Q&A with Aran and Olivia Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23

  16. The Norman Conquest part VI: The Book of Judgement

    · 2 h 05 min · Episode 50 · Explicit

    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…

  17. The Norman Conquest episode V: The Lake of Blood

    · 1 h 49 min · Episode 49 · Explicit

    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,…

  18. The Norman Conquest part IV: The Bastard of Normandy

    · 1 h 55 min · Episode 48 · Explicit

    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…

  19. The Norman Conquest episode III: The Thunderbolt of the North

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 47

    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…

  20. The Norman Conquest part II: The House of Godwin

    · 1 h 30 min · Episode 45 · Explicit

    Thanks to the efforts of Alfred the Great and his descendants, England enters the new millennium as united kingdom. However, trouble is brewing: the Vikings have returned, and their leader, Sweyn Forkbeard, has designs…

  21. The Norman Conquest part I: The King of All the World of Britain (with Joe Mason)

    · 1 h 43 min · Episode 45 · Explicit

    We are literally so back!! And this time with our longest series yet!! This is part 1 of 6(?) of our Norman conquest series and this part is all about ENGLAND!! More specifically, the crazy cats who invented it. Many…

  22. Medieval Jewish Life

    · 2 h 11 min · Episode 44 · Explicit

    Well, we finally made it: The Definitive Podcast (jodcast?) on medieval Jewish culture. After the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were scattered across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Despite…

  23. How to solve a medieval murder

    · 1 h 36 min · Episode 43 · Explicit

    Taggart voice There's been a murder! Medieval life was full of murders! People were getting knifed all the time mate. But who was responsible for sorting the guilty from the innocent? What do God and intimate social…

  24. How did the English language change during the Middle Ages? Part 2

    · 1 h 08 min · Episode 42 · Explicit

    Join the official WMG Discord server!! https://discord.gg/6GzvXdWX23

  25. How did the English language change during the Middle Ages? Part 1

    · 1 h 31 min · Episode 41 · Explicit

    We've got a lovely two-parter lined up for you guys and it's all about the history of the English language during the Middle Ages! Join us as we follow English from its humble origins as a collection of Germanic…

  26. MEDIEVAL PIRATES!!!!

    · 1 h 46 min · Episode 40 · Explicit

    Yarrrrrrrr!!!!!! Where's me BOOTY?! We all love stories about pirates, whether they're plundering Treasure Islands, fighting an octopus man, or stealing Tom Hanks' job. But did you know that the Middle Ages had…

  27. What did medieval people think about fossils?

    · 1 h 27 min · Episode 39 · Explicit

    Gather round, rockhounds! It's time to journey even further into the past than usual by taking a look at fossils through medieval eyes. Did dragon myths come from dinosaur bones? Did cyclops myths come from elephant…

  28. Weird medieval mailbag volume 2

    · 1 h 13 min · Episode 38 · Explicit

    Happy New Year to all our Weird Medieval Guys podcast listeners and welcome back to our annual Q&A session! We solicited questions about history and the podcast from our Discord community and answered as many as we…

  29. How to survive a medieval winter

    · 1 h 20 min · Episode 37 · Explicit

    The days have been getting shorter, the nights longer and the wind bitter-er. Even as the winter solstice draws near, the coming months of cold and darkness make spring seem still an eternity away. Making it through…

  30. The Medieval Cosmos

    · 1 h 19 min · Episode 36 · Explicit

    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…

  31. Pets in the Middle Ages

    · 1 h 45 min · Episode 35 · Explicit

    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…

  32. Medieval textiles

    · 1 h 29 min · Episode 34 · Explicit

    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…

  33. Medieval witches

    · 2 h 05 min · Episode 33

    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…

  34. Why is Norse mythology so freaky?

    · 2 h 11 min · Episode 32 · Explicit

    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…

  35. Prester John: a Medieval Conspiracy Theory

    · 1 h 48 min · Episode 31

    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…

  36. Outtakes part 2: the hurdy-gurdy cut

    · 38 min · Episode 30 · Explicit

    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…

  37. The Hundred Years' War Part IV: the Trial of Joan of Arc

    · 1 h 45 min · Episode 29 · Explicit

    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…

  38. The Hundred Years' War Part III: the Maid of Orléans

    · 58 min · Episode 28 · Explicit

    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…

  39. The Hundred Years' War Part II: Danse Macabre

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 27 · Explicit

    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…

  40. The Hundred Years' War Part I: the Lion and the Unicorn

    · 1 h 51 min · Episode 26 · Explicit

    A new, three-part epic kicks off in this episode of Weird Medieval Guys, covering the Hundred Years War, the apocalyptic conflict which forged the modern nations of England, France and Scotland. In this episode,…

  41. Why was football banned 30 times in medieval England?

    · 1 h 30 min · Episode 25 · Explicit

    The European football championships have kicked off, so it's time to talk sports! Join Olivia and Aran as they crack open a cold one or several and take a look at the long history of football in Europe, as well as the…

  42. The Holy Roman Empire: holy, Roman, AND an empire

    · 1 h 28 min · Episode 24 · Explicit

    It's time to get continental because on this episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, we're heading to the Holy Roman Empire! When Voltaire famously said that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, nor an…

  43. What to do if you get time travelled to the Middle Ages

    · 1 h 58 min · Episode 23 · Explicit

    Oh no! You've become unstuck in time and now you're in 15th century England with no idea what to do or how to avoid a miserable life as a social pariah who speaks an unrecognisable language and is ignorant to the rules…

  44. Vikings in the Arctic

    · 1 h 34 min · Episode 22 · Explicit

    It's grim up north... Why did a five-hundred-year-old Viking colony in Greenland suddenly disappear, with no trace or record? In this episode, Olivia, Aran, and local archaeologist Joe Mason assemble to try and solve…

  45. Why the Middle Ages ended in 19th century Japan

    · 1 h 31 min · Episode 21 · Explicit

    Yes, you heard us right!! Join Olivia and Aran as they defend their most dubious claim to date, which is definitely not just an excuse to step beyond our usual remit and talk about the wild, delightful world that was…

  46. Medieval Welsh bards

    · 1 h 22 min · Episode 20 · Explicit

    Journey across space and time with Olivia and Aran this week as we head to medieval Wales, home of one of history's finest bardic traditions. But what was a bard, what did they do, and why did Wales have so darn many…

  47. Weird medieval animal facts

    · 1 h 33 min · Episode 19 · Explicit

    Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo... Spring is just around the corner in the northern hemisphere, so it's time to learn some animal facts! Turns out, medieval people had all sorts of strange beliefs…

  48. How to design your medieval coat of arms

    · 1 h 32 min · Episode 18 · Explicit

    Anyone who's anyone in the Middle Ages needs their own coat of arms, but it's not as simple as just throwing some snazzy shapes and cool animals on a shield and calling it a day. Join Olivia and Aran as they walk you…

  49. Medieval Feminism

    · 1 h 44 min · Episode 17 · Explicit

    Weird Medieval Guys is back! And it's gone woke!!!!!! We all know medieval women didn't have it so good. Endlessly discriminated against in law, demeaned in culture and ignored in the histories. So, did anyone take…

  50. Constantinople part II: The sultan of Rome

    · 1 h 51 min · Episode 16 · Explicit

    The year is 1453 and the Ottomans are at the gates of the great city of Constantinople. For centuries, they have been laying siege to this city; for centuries their efforts have failed. But this time, everything is…

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