Blīþe Gēol! In this very special episode of Pop Medieval, Doc tells Nina about two legends of Saint Nicholas. The first is the legend of St. Nicholas of Myra, who allegedly attended the Council of Nicaea and punched a heretic in the face. The second is the story of St. Nicholas resurrecting two butchered and pickled children from a vat. Finally, we hear Doc do a dramatic reading of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer translated from modern English into Old English and back into modern English.
Also, Nina reveals her plans to return to a “traditional” Christmas.
Show Notes
Did St Nicholas of Myra / Santa Claus punch Arius at the Council of Nicaea? (Roger Pearce)
St Nicholas and the story of the three schoolboys murdered by an inn-keeper and stashed in a pickling cask (Roger Pearce)
Hrodulf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Old English to Modern English, by Philip Craig Chapman-Bell (Bakersfield College)
Nina’s Recommendations
Chaucer’s Mead for All Seasons (chaucerswine.com) [h/t – Eric from the Wine Dads podcast]
Doc’s Recommendations
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, or Sword of the Valiant (IMDB)
You “podcast-listeners” don’t know a “thing” about our next episode! First, Doc explains to Nina the origin of the word thing. Then, listeners get a crash course in kennings and their use in Old English poetry. Finally, Nina tests Doc’s knowledge of “Beowulf’s” kennings with a challenging game of “Kenning You Dig It?”
(Also, forgive Nina’s mic issues for this episode. She got excited during the kennings episode and started moving around too much.)
Show Notes:
Be sure to check out the following books from Witan Publishing:
