Episode 28: Coach, or The History (& Future?) of Education

Episode 27: Yellow & Orange

Aven McMaster January 31, 2017

We return to our series on colour words with a discussion of Yellow and Orange in Greek, Latin, & English. The Roman and medieval associations of the colours take us from a wedding hymn by Catullus to Mary Magdalene & pawnbrokers -- and finally to modern connections to cowboys and Cheetos.

Gastropod Ice cream episode

Show Notes

Words for Granted Podcast

Gagliardo Cocktail

Golden Dream Cocktail

Catullus poem 61 & English translation

Lexicon Valley episode on Orange

Ben Zimmer's Word Routes article on Orange

Episode 26: Rogue One

Aven McMaster January 13, 2017

We're joined by Sam McLean to discuss Rogue One's connections to Germanic heroism, Norse thautr, Roman epic, Terry Pratchett, heist films, & The Dirty Dozen. Following up last year's conversation about The Force Awakens, we're interested in seeing how the newest Star Wars film changes genres and develops new themes.

Episode 9: The Force Awakens

Show Notes

Sam McLean

British Naval History

Episode 25: Twelve Days

Aven McMaster December 6, 2016

We delve into the origins of the gifts in "The 12 Days of Christmas" carol, talk about Christmas as the season for games, read a little Latin poetry, and discuss the parallels between feisty women and old farts. And there's a bonus song!

James Burke Connections app kickstarter

Show Notes

You Are Not So Smart podcast, ep. 89

Idiom Savant Podcast

"Partridge in a Pear Tree" Cocktails:
http://www.fabhousewife.com/a-classy-christmas-cocktail/
https://blog.bedbathandbeyond.com/bbb-recipe/partridge-in-a-pear-tree-cocktail-recipe/

Ovid, Met. 8, Perdix passage

Horace, Ode 2.20, "Swan Song"

PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index

Mark Forsyth, A Christmas Cornucopia

Paul Anthony Jones, The Accidental Dictionary

The Endless Knot Merchandise

The LingSpace Merchandise

Twelve Days of Christmas song versions & sheet music

Episode 24: Talking Turkey

Aven McMaster November 20, 2016

The origin of the turkey's name leads to discussion of the origin of Thanksgiving, the role of myths in constructing ideology, and some Horace, Homer, & Ovid. Also featuring some spicy cocktails.

The Story Behind Podcast @storybehindpod, #podernfamily

Show Notes

@HumCommCasters & @HumCommVids

James Burke Connections app kickstarter

Quirks & Quarks interview with Dan Everett about Arrival

An etymological Christmas card

Bushwick's Spice Trade Cocktails

Dan Jurafsky's blog about the language of food

Horace Odes1.11, "Carpe Diem"

Ovid Metamorphoses 8, death of Meleager

Episode 22: Jack o'Lantern

Aven McMaster October 26, 2016

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.

The podcast on YouTube

@HumCommCasters & @HumCommVids

Show Notes

Snopes.com pumpkin article

Horace Satires 1.8

"Costume" video

Episode 21: Haggard Hawks

Aven McMaster October 9, 2016

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.

Come from Away official site

Our Patreon page -- and thank you to our newest supporters, Alex Smallman & Benjamin Walls!

Show Notes

"Ambition" video

@HumCommCasters & @HumCommVids

Haggard Hawks website

Episode 20: Blue & Green

Aven McMaster September 12, 2016

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?

Article about Greeks not seeing the colour blue

Our Patreon page -- and thank you to our newest supporter, Rémi Belleau!

Show Notes

Mythtake podcast

Linoleum video

Our merchandise

Berlin & Kay colour list

Talk the Talk podcast

Article about ultramarine

Horace Ode 1.9 (Soracte) in English

Horace Ode 2.5 (Heifer) in English

Horace Odes Book 1 in Latin

Horace Odes Book 2 in Latin

Mosaic of the charioteers

Episode 19: Beef

Aven McMaster August 2, 2016

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

Classy Little Podcast

Roman Colour Thesaurus – Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries)

Merchandise

Beefeater cocktails

Episode 18: Beer

Aven McMaster July 12, 2016

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.

The Feast Podcast Episode 3: The Medieval Michelin Guide: Finding Food on the Camino de Santiago, 1490

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

Aven McMaster June 15, 2016

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.

Turkish language website
Stack Brewing
"Loaf" video
Re-creating the Pompeii loaf video

Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!

Show Notes

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

Aven McMaster May 18, 2016

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.

MythTakes Podcast

Lexicon Valley: Red Herring

Our Patreon page -- and thank you to all our Patreon supporters!

Show Notes

Lexicon Valley: Orange and Ben Zimmer's blogpost

"Album" podcast episode

Our "Weird" video

Bonus: #WhanThatAprilleDay

Aven McMaster April 1, 2016

To mark #WhanThatAprilleDay, a time for celebrating old languages, we read some middle English and Latin.

Show Notes

#WhanThatAprilleDay16

Our Tom Collins video

Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale

Ovid's Fasti4.61-64 Latin English

Episode 13: Album

Aven McMaster March 3, 2016

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

Show Notes

Album video

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

Aven McMaster February 17, 2016

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.

The official "Come from Away" site

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.

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

Aven McMaster February 7, 2016

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

The Horny Cock Valentine's Day Card

Thank you to our Patreon supporters: Valerie Polichar, Lukas Hägele, Evermore Anon, and Ian & Susan McMaster

The Smitten Shine

Love Cocktail

Our Cafepress store

The "Cuckold" video

The "Sublime" video

"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:

Horace Ode 3.6

Patreon Announcement

Aven McMaster January 25, 2016

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

Aven McMaster January 25, 2016

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

James Andean's website

James on Twitter

James on Facebook

The picture of Mars in various seasons drawn by our 5-year-old while listening to "Maledetta"

Episode 9: The Force Awakens

Aven McMaster January 14, 2016

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

Show Notes

The Blue Star Cocktail

The Star Cocktail

Hello Internet episode about Star Wars

History Hits episode with Janice Liedl about Star Wars and History

Episode 8: Yule

Aven McMaster December 17, 2015

We discuss the etymology of Yule & the Germanic roots of Christmas traditions, along with Dr. Seuss & the Grinch, beer, & the unsavoury meaning of 'mistletoe'.