Guest experts Keith Botelho and Joe Campana regale us with fantastic tales of bees in the Renaissance.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We investigate the most fantastic bugs of all: kermes and cochineal. These little creatures not only gave us many of our words for red but also famous symbols from British redcoats to the U.S. flag.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In honor of International Unicorn Day, here's a chance to explore the search for the real unicorn, from the mystery in Middle Ages to its ultimate discovery in the seventeenth century.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We investigate worms and caterpillars and discover them everywhere.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest experts Asa Mitman and Holly Dugan explore two fantastic beast manuscripts, one from the Middle Ages, one from the Renaissance.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We continue our exploration of dragons by learning about Chinese dragons from guest Winston Kyan, a historian of medieval Chinese art at the University of Utah.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From charismatic megafauna, like dragons, we descend to the small and distinctly uncharismatic.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We extend our dragon-lore by chatting with Laura K. Nuffer from Colby College about dragons in medieval and early modern Japan.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we begin the Year of the Rabbit in the East, we explore the fantastical history of the rabbit in the West, from jousting rabbits in manuscript illustrations to the Rabbit Woman of Godalming.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This our first of several planned episodes on the most famous of all fantastic creatures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.