New Medieval Books: The Secret Middle Ages
Art and artefacts from the Middle Ages offer a vivid window into the values, fears, and imaginations of medieval society. This updated edition explores how these objects reflect beliefs and folklore—both devout and delightfully strange.
Medieval Vampire Epidemics with John Blair
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with John Blair about who refused to rest in peace in the Middle Ages, how medieval people attempted to keep the dead buried, and why some hauntings reached epidemic proportions.
What Can Cards Teach Us? Connecting Truco, Tarot, and Lotería
Explore how playing cards evolved from medieval Mamluk designs to modern games and divination tools.
The Medieval Discovery of King Arthur and Guinevere at Glastonbury Abbey
Discover how twelfth-century monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to find the tomb of King Arthur and Guinevere. Explore Gerald of Wales’ dramatic account, rival chronicles, and the enduring legend of Arthur’s grave.
Demonic Seduction: A Dark Medievalism
Explore how medieval beliefs about demons, witchcraft, and sex shaped centuries of theology, persecution, and fantasy—revealing the dark origins of one of history’s most persistent tropes.
How to Harvest a Mandrake: Medieval Medicine and Magic in the Old English Herbarium
Discover the medieval cure-all known as the mandrake—and why you needed a hungry dog to pull it from the ground, according to a 10th-century medical text.
How to Become an Evil Wizard in the Middle Ages: The Secrets of Picatrix
Discover the dark spells, strange rituals, and magical powers found in Picatrix, a medieval guidebook for aspiring wizards—featuring shapeshifting, poison recipes, and spirit summoning.
Who Were the Green Children of Woolpit? A New Look at a Medieval Mystery
Explore the mysterious story of the Green Children of Woolpit. This article offers a fresh look at the medieval legend, revealing how folklore, society, and historical realities intertwine.
New Medieval Books: Enchanted Creatures
A journey through humanity’s long fascination with the monstrous, ranging from dragons to walruses. This book explores how cultures across time have imagined, exaggerated, and feared creatures both real and mythical.
New Medieval Books: The Donkey King
Why does the humble donkey appear alongside prophets and demons? This book delves into the many roles donkeys play in Arabic literature—from comic relief to a symbol of the supernatural.
New Medieval Books: The Galdrabók
The Galdrabók: Forbidden Icelandic Folk Magic Translated by Kári Pálsson Hyldyr ISBN: 978-1-966041-03-0 Editions and translations of two pre-modern Icelandic manuscripts related to…
New Medieval Books: Saints and Sinners on Horseback, Volume II
Saints and Sinners on Horseback, Volume II Edited by Miriam A. Bibby Trivent Publishing ISBN: 978-615-6696-29-8 This book presents seven essays exploring the…
17 Forbidden Medieval Superstitions and Practices
Discover the strange and forbidden practices that medieval Church authorities fought to banish—but never fully eradicated.
What Your Birthstone Meant in the Middle Ages
Most of us today are probably familiar with the concept of birthstones—precious gems associated with each month, like a petrological Zodiac. It turns out birthstones are more or less an invention of modern jewelry manufacturers, whose meanings all boil down to “Buy this ring.” But this is boring. So I thought, why not make birthstones mean something today by looking at their superpowers according to the Middle Ages?
New Medieval Books: Medical Writings from Early Medieval England
What was the state of medical knowledge in England in the Early Middle Ages? This book provides texts and translations of several works that delve into ailments and their treatments, showcasing a fascinating blend of medicinal practices, magical remedies, and religious beliefs.
Medieval Ghost Stories: The Chilling Haunts of Byland Abbey
What would you do if a ghost blocked your path, or if a spirit appeared at your door, desperate for absolution? For the people of medieval England, these weren’t mere tales to spook children—they were real encounters that offered lessons about life, death, and the afterlife. Byland Abbey, a Cistercian monastery in Yorkshire, is the source of some of the most fascinating and chilling ghost stories from the Middle Ages.
Centaurs vs. Sirens: A Medieval Showdown
What do a half-man, half-horse archer and a seductive half-fish siren have in common? In medieval art, they engage in an eternal struggle, symbolising the battle between vice and virtue.
The Otherworld with Lisa Bitel – The Medieval Podcast, Episode 265
A place of supernatural encounters both incredibly good and spectacularly bad, the Otherworld featured in stories and songs throughout the Middle Ages, especially on the storied isle of Ireland. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Lisa Bitel about what the Otherworld was like, why Otherworldly beings were interested in humankind, and where we find these enchanting stories.
Liber Monstrorum: A Medieval Book of Monsters
If there’s anything we have in common with our medieval ancestors, it’s our love of monsters.
Whispers from Beyond: Medieval Ghosts and Their Messages About the Afterlife
In the Middle Ages, ghostly encounters were more than just frightening tales—they were seen as windows into the afterlife, offering messages from purgatory or warnings from demonic spirits. Discover how medieval people communicated with the dead and what these spirits revealed about their journey beyond the grave.
10 Fake (But Also Real) Medieval Proverbs
Ever wondered if medieval wisdom was just old wives’ tales or something more? Dive into the quirky world of the Distaff Gospels, where satire meets surprising truths in these so-called “fake” proverbs.
Buried Alive with an Undead Corpse: A Medieval Tale of Horror
Medieval people, much like us today, loved sharing spooky stories of the dead rising and haunting the living. One such tale involves a man named Asmund, who chose to be buried alive with his deceased friend. The most terrifying aspect of this story is how the friend returned as the undead.
Divining the Future with Jo Edge
Not knowing the future is an intensely uncomfortable experience, which is why humans invented a clever system to predict the future through numbers, called onomancy. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Jo Edge about how onomancy works, who used it, and how it fit in with medieval theology.
New Study Challenges Dinosaur Fossil Origins of the Griffin Myth
A widely-promoted claim that dinosaur fossils inspired the legend of the griffin, a mythological creature popular in medieval bestiaries, has been challenged in a new study.
