Podcast - The Endless Knot

We talk about the etymology of “Etymology” itself, and then discuss the basics of historical linguistics, including Grimm’s Law, Verner’s Law, and more. We also talk about Isidore of Seville, the etymological puns of Latin poets, and the way Mark does his research for his videos.The Simple Truth cocktailOur “Etymology” videoIsidore of Seville’s EtymologiaeKeith, A. M. “Etymological Wordplay in Ovid's 'Pyramus and Thisbe' (Met. 4.55-166).” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, 2001, pp. 309–312.Shelton, Colin. “Logical Complexity and Etymological Wordplay.” Latomus, vol. 73, no. 2, 2014, pp. 385–398.O'Hara, James J. “Vergil's Best Reader? Ovidian Commentary on Vergilian Etymological Wordplay.” The Classical Journal, vol. 91, no. 3, 1996, pp. 255–276.Transcript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

This episode is all about Alexander the Great, and especially about his reception by later Greeks & Romans, the middle ages, and modern popular culture. We had the pleasure of interviewing Meg Finlayson who studies Alexander and his reception and shared her knowledge, enthusiasm, and dreams of a new Alexander movie with Colin Farrell playing Philip!Meg’s twitter @agameganonTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

Happy holidays! In this seasonal episode we discuss the origins of the modern Western calendar, the names of the months and days of the week, and the sources we have for Roman calendars and Germanic gods. Happy new year, and may it be better than the last!Our poster storeCrosscut DistillerySabbathMillennialOvid's FastiHerbert-Brown, Geraldine. “Fasti: the Poet, the Prince, and the Plebs” in A Companion to Ovid, ed. Peter E. Knox, Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.Transcript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

It’s election night 2020 in the US, and our video from 4 years ago about the language of politics is relevant once again. We discuss the changing vocabulary of democracy and what it can tell us about shifting attitudes towards popular rule and politicians. It may not be a complete break from political coverage, but at least it’s mostly about the distant past, not the uncertain future!Ballot Box CocktailMashed Radish blog post on CandidateMashed Radish blog post on PollAnatoly Liberman on Booth“Sublime” video“Sublime” podcastTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

n this episode we go from the origin of the world to the many uses of olive oil, with discussions of Roman mosaics, and trademark law along the way. This is the third of our episodes on Intellectual Property, following Episode 42: Bugging Out! on patents and Episode 57: Freebooting, Piracy, & Copyright on copyright. Also, it’s the start of Season 6, and we want to thank everyone who’s joined us over the last 5 years. It’s been a blast, and here’s to another half decade!“The asàrotos òikos mosaic as an elite status symbol” by Ehud FathyAncient History Encyclopedia — the oliveOxford Dictionaries blog post on “gasoline”Hesiod, TheogonyFirst oil derrick — pictureTranscript of this episodeThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

Back in June we had the pleasure of being part of the Intelligent Speech Conference 2020 — this year, held entirely online. It was a day filled with amazing podcasters and great conversations, and in this short episode we’re sharing the talk that we gave at the event. It’s about the word Recipe and early cookbooks, medicine, and women’s magazines. If you’d like to see the images that accompanied the presentation, you can watch the talk on YouTube, where the questions and post-talk discussion are also included.Transcript of this episodeIntelligent Speech ConferenceThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

In an episode that was recorded in late May before the protests started, we took a break from COVID talk to give our thoughts on the final movie in the Star Wars saga. We discussed how it was similar to or different from ancient epic, medieval romance, and Icelandic sagas, but mostly we talked about the ways it failed to bring together the many threads of the Star Wars story.Given current events, and the protests against police brutality and systemic anti-Black racism, we urge our white and non-Black listeners to continue their education on these subjects and, if you’re able, donate to support people fighting for justice. One good podcast series is “Seeing White” from SceneOnRadio, and there are anti-racism reading lists here and here; you can donate to Black Lives Matter or The National Bail Out Fund, or any of the many causes that need funds right now.We also have two episodes on race and racism in medieval studies and classics; they’re several years old now, but may be of interest for thinking about issues

We take a look at the history of runes and their connection to early alphabets and Germanic culture. Then we take a trip back to the Phoenician and Egyptian origins of the modern English alphabet, and talk about some of the earliest examples of Greek writing, in inscriptions, epic poetry, and myth. Also, introducing Lyceum, a new platform for educational podcasting!Transcript of this episodeThe “Screaming Viking” cocktailLyceumNativLang’s video Muslim Vikings & Magic Letters: The Odd History of Runes pt 1Images of English RunesThe story of Hyacinth (see under “Larkspur”) and images of possible “Ai Ai” flowers“THE TEXT: Signs of Writing in Homer.” Homer: The Poetry of the Past, by ANDREW FORD, Cornell University Press, Ithaca; London, 1992, pp. 131–171. JSTOR.The Runecast podcastThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

We trace the etymologies and development of the words “sex” and “gender”, as well as words for women and men in Greek, Latin, and English, touching on Roman, Greek, and medieval English ideas about gender. Then we discuss the grammatical term “gender” and how it differs across languages around the world.Transcript of this episodeThe History of Sex PodcastThe “Pink Lady” cocktailThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

This year’s holiday episode is all about festivals and feasts — and in particular, midwinter celebrations, the solstice, and the seasons. And we read a couple of Latin poems about drinking — and explore the odd connection between them and a tire company!The Christmas Cake cocktailHesiod’s Works and Days in EnglishHorace’s Odes in LatinHorace Odes 1.37 in EnglishFeast videoThis episode on YouTubeOur Patreon pageThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

This bonus episode contains two talks we gave at our university in November. Mark spoke about “The ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Problem: Language and Racism in Medieval Studies” and Aven spoke about “Defining ‘Race’ in the Ancient Mediterranean and Today”. Google ngrams for collocations of “Anglo-Saxon”: All English TextsAmerican EnglishBritish EnglishOur Patreon pageThis episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Crossover time! We’re joined by Scott Lepisto, of the Itinera Podcast, in a conversation at the SoundEducation podcasting conference in Boston. We talked about the conference itself, the use of podcasting in classrooms, and the importance of public-facing scholarship in Classics and Medieval Studies. And please check out Scott’s podcast, in which he interviews classicists about their work and their journey to and through the field!Scott on TwitterItinera PodcastOur Patreon pageThis episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

Happy Halloween! This year we’re talking about the origins of “Magic”, the differences between religion and magic, Greek and Roman spells and curses, and some rather bizarre tales about Virgil & Aristotle.Our “Magic” videoCocktail: Black MagicReligion in the Roman Empire, James B Rives, 2007Arcana Mundi,Georg Luck, 2006Our Patreon page This episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

We speak with Dr. Liz Gloyn about her new book, Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture. We talk about Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, the Odyssey, the problems with Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey pattern, and more!Liz GloynClassically Inclined blogTracking Classical Monsters in Popular CultureFacebook Page for Tracking Classical MonstersOur Patreon pageThis episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

We talked to Winston Black about his new book, The Middle Ages: Fact & Fiction, which addresses the most common myths and misconceptions about the Middle Ages. And we touch on video games, D&D, and Game of Thrones in the process!The SoundEducation Conference pageThe Middle Ages: Fact & FictionWinston on TwitterOur Patreon pageThis episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

The Fates have decreed that it’s time for us to talk about the word “Weird”! We discuss its etymology, the concept of fate in the ancient and medieval world, whether mythical women really do usually appear in threes, and Shakespeare.Twist of Fate cocktailWeird Sisters Blood & Hand PunchShakespeare Not Stirred book“Weird” video“Does English have a future tense?” video“Arrow” video“As We Like It Podcast” – Macbeth episodeChart of ‘strange’ vs ‘weird’ usageChart of ‘weird’, ‘uncanny’, ‘eerie’, & ‘unearthly’More information about the MoiraiHesiod passage about the FatesCatullus 64Theoi site for Greek mythologyArticles about WEIRD linguistics and WEIRD psychologyProfessor Elemental “Everybody’s Weird”Our Patreon pageiTunes linkStitcher linkGoogle Play Music linkThis episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

While at VidCon this year, we sat down and chatted with a few of our fellow educational YouTubers: The Cynical Historian, Knowing Better, 12tone, and Step Back History. This is a compilation of our discussions about their channels, their reasons for making videos, and their experience of VidCon and its educational companion event, EduCon. If you don’t already watch their videos, we strongly recommend you check them out. Thank you to them all for taking part!Our Patreon pageiTunes linkStitcher linkGoogle Play Music linkThis podcast episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

We discuss a person who had an important impact on both science and language: Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles. In particular, we talk about the use of poetry to explain science, from Hesiod to Lucretius to Darwin to Baba Brinkman, and the new wave of science communicators on and off line.Erasmus Darwin cocktail menu, based on The Loves of the PlantsD.G. King-Hele. “Erasmus Darwin, Man of Ideas and Inventor of Words.” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London 42.2 (1988): 149–180 .Baba BrinkmanHesiod’s TheogonyAratus’s PhaenomenaAcapella ScienceThomas MerittSusan McMasterOur Patreon pageiTunes linkStitcher linkGoogle Play Music linkThis podcast episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS

We spoke to Carly Silver, an editor and a writer on ancient history and horse racing, about how she connects the past to contemporary issues, the intriguing stories in curse tablets in Roman Britain, murder mysteries set in the ancient world, romance novels, breeding programs for American Thoroughbreds, and more!Carly’s websiteCarly’s article about Hadrian’s WallCarly’s article about the sexual assault charges against a workman in ancient EgyptCarly’s writing about horse racingAncient murder mysteries mentioned in the podcast:Gary Corby, Athenian MysteriesLindsey DavisDavid WishartJohn Maddox Roberts, SPQR seriesRosemary RoweBig Finish Cicero seriesRobert HarrisPaul DohertyAgatha Christie “Death Comes as the End”Elizabeth PetersOur Patreon pageiTunes linkStitcher linkGoogle Play Music linkThis podcast episode on YouTubeThis podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International LicenseThe Endless Knot RSS