What happens when a medieval peddler entrusts his horse to God and the local lord? And what happens if said horse goes missing? You take God to court. I give you the Poor peddler, a fabliau full of divine debts, violent threats, and a monk who really should’ve stayed in the cloister.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

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A sly minstrel tries to ruin a clueless groom’s wedding night...but he didn't account for the bride. What follows is a night of escalating revenge, as the bride takes charge, the groom gets creative, and the prankster finds himself in a very literal mess.

Content note: This episode contains medieval toilet humour in all its glory — plus sexual innuendo, crude jokes, and more filth than dignity.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

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In this fabliau by Enguerrant d’Oisy, we meet a miller who tries to seduce a girl, only to end up sued over livestock. Based on Le maunier d'Aleus, this is a story of bed swaps and a perfect courtroom ending. Justice never tasted so porky.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

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Or, How to Spy on Your Wife and End Up in a Ditch.

A merchant thinks he’s outwitting his wife. She’s five steps ahead. This fabliau has it all: deception, seduction and medieval sass. 

Apologies for the sound quality, and for my utter inability to contain the cat - you will hear him mewing early in the episode.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

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Meet Boivin, a trickster who walks into a brothel,  cons everyone and causes a riot so messy they called the magistrate. Which was, of course, his ticket to fame. 

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

📲 Updates & mischief: @kpethainou.bsky.social | @thecourtjesterpodcast on Facebook

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Put your hands together for medievalist, actor and writer Debbie Cannon, who brings the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to life in a special guest performance. Debbie shares an excerpt from her celebrated one-woman show Green Knight, a bold and lyrical retelling that’s been captivating audiences for nearly a decade.

We talk knighthood, decapitation, and the challenges of telling medieval stories on modern stages. Our extended chat—featuring behind-the-scenes insight into Debbie’s creative process—will be available later this month on Patreon.

Find Debbie's work and more about it at https://debbiecannon.org/

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

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Based on Du Con de la Ringue (Three women who found a ring), this episode features the kind of antics that only medieval literature could get away with. The moral? Trust no one, and especially not your spouse.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

📲 Updates & mischief: @kpethainou.bsky.social | @thecourtjesterpodcast on Facebook

🃏 Bonus content: patreon.com/CourtJesterPodcast

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Guest storyteller Maber Slattery brings the house down, medieval-style.

Join us as we discover the misadventures of Dane Hew, the monk who was "hanged once and four times slain"!

And join us over on Patreon for the second half, where we talk about medieval humour, storytelling medieval stories, and we throw in a couple of real medieval tales (straight from the archives) for good measure.

Find Mabel on all socials @slateroo

🎧 Extended conversation: patreon.com/CourtJesterPodcast

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This fabliau has it all: trickery, fine dining, and a wildly escalating prank that ends with gospel readings, public humiliation, and a very confused innkeeper.

I give you Cortebarbe’s Li trois avugles de Compiègne (The three blind men of Compiègne).

Content note: includes period-typical ableism.

📜 Text: Translation by Nathaniel E. Dubin

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

📲 Updates & mischief: @kpethainou.bsky.social | @thecourtjesterpodcast on Facebook

🃏 Bonus content: patreon.com/CourtJesterPodcast

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This Easter Sunday, the Court Jester has a special treat usually reserved for Patreon supporters—a full bonus episode, free for all listeners!

Join me and the brilliant Peter Konieczny of Medievalists.net as we dive into the witty, sharp, and delightfully clever world of the Maqamat al-Hariri, one of the greatest collections of medieval Arabic trickster tales. Peter is brining one of these clever stories to life, and then we chat about the Maqamat, and about humour in translation, and about humour through time.

If you’ve ever wondered what made medieval Arabic audiences laugh, or just love a good con artist with a flair for words, this one’s for you.

If you enjoy it, consider supporting the Court Jester on Patreon for more episodes like this—normally behind the curtain!

🎵 Title music: “Celebration” by Alexander Nakarada

📖 Manuscript: Maqamat al-Hariri, 1237. BnF, MS Arabe 5847, fol. 138v.

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