Since time immemorial, we’ve given animals names, from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous. For everyone who’s looked at a puppy or a kitten and wondered what it should be called – and then called it an embarrassingly silly nickname anyway – this episode is for you. This week, Danièle speaks with Ben Parsons about what medieval people named their pets and working animals, how we know about them, and which animals are still called by their medieval nicknames.
Ben Parsons is Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, where his research focuses on culture in the Later Middle Ages. His new book is Introducing Medieval Animal Names, which is published by the University of Wales Press.
Since time immemorial, we’ve given animals names, from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous. For everyone who’s looked at a puppy or a kitten and wondered what it should be called – and then called it an embarrassingly silly nickname anyway – this episode is for you. This week, Danièle speaks with Ben Parsons about what medieval people named their pets and working animals, how we know about them, and which animals are still called by their medieval nicknames.
Ben Parsons is Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, where his research focuses on culture in the Later Middle Ages. His new book is Introducing Medieval Animal Names, which is published by the University of Wales Press.
The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast is Danièle Cybulskie. Click here to visit her website or follow her on BlueSky @5minmedievalist.bsky.social
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