The Court Jester

By Kleio Pethainou

The Court Jester is a storytelling podcast that dives into the sauciest, funniest, and most outrageous stories of the Middle Ages. Hosted by medievalist and humour scholar Kleio Pe

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FAQs about The Court Jester:

How many episodes does The Court Jester have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.

The Court Jester episodes:

December 25, 2023 The Partridges
On Christmas Day, the Court Jester brings you the story of two partridges, not on a pear tree, but in…a shrubbery!

A peasant roasts two perfect partridges. His wife eats them both. When the priest shows up for dinner, she sends him running and frames him for the theft.
Les perdris is a greasy little tale about appetite, improvisation, and how quickly a lie can run when it's got gravy on its chin.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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9min
December 24, 2023 Christmas Special: The story of Grettir and Glamr
On the Christmas Special of The Court Jester, I bring you monsters for Christmas.
Grab your beverage of choice and let me take you to medieval Iceland, on a cold and stormy Christmas Eve. And to hear the rest of the Grettis saga, head over to Human Circus podcast.
The Court Jester is the labour of love of medievalist Kleio Pethainou, and if you like what you hear, consider supporting the podcast on Patreon, and join me on social media to talk about the stories.
Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and until next time!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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15min
November 19, 2023 The Priest and Alison
And we’re back to pervert priest territory!
This one sets his sights—and his purse—on a young merchant’s daughter. But when a cunning mother swaps in a seasoned professional named Alison, things heat up fast. Add some fire, a butcher with a stick, and one mortified chaplain fleeing nude through town, and you’ve got Le Prestre et Alison, Guillaume le Normand’s cautionary classic of lust, deceit, and spectacular public humiliation.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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15min
November 14, 2023 Walter and Marion
On their wedding night, Marion lets one rip—and Walter loses his damn mind.
Is she lying? Is she cursed? Is love even real when it smells like that?
Gautheron et Marion is a medieval sex farce where purity meets flatulence and nothing sacred survives.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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4min
November 05, 2023 The Blacksmith of Creil
A blacksmith’s wife wants a sample of the help’s famously gigantic tool—but the smith has other plans.
One of the raunchiest fabliaux ever forged, Le Fevre de Creeil is featuring a legendary penis described...at length, a suspiciously cooperative apprentice, and a wife who’s about to get hammered.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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11min
October 29, 2023 Bisclavret
He vanishes into the woods each week. She steals his secret and thinks she’s safe. But the beast comes back.
Marie de France's Bisclavret is a chilling Breton lai of love, loss, and the dark things that wear human faces.

No obscenity today. Just medieval monsters.
Happy Halloween!

📲 Updates & mischief: @kpethainou.bsky.social | @thecourtjesterpodcast on Facebook
🃏 Bonus content: patreon.com/CourtJesterPodcast
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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13min
October 25, 2023 A Trial by C*nt
Before The Bachelor, before Judge Judy, there was this: a courtroom drama, complete with witnesses, deliberation, and an uncle with a riddle about genitals.
Le Jugement des cons is a medieval tale of law, lust and labial nuance.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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10min
October 07, 2023 Bonus episode: We're Not So Different!
On this bonus episode of The Court Jester, I met with Eleanor and Luke and we talk about things medieval, and about fabliaux and comedy old and new.
Give their podcast, We're Not So Different, a follow, and join me on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @kpethainou to talk about the stories, and also follow @thecourtjesterpodcast on Facebook. We can talk about it there, too.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1h 5min
September 25, 2023 The mourner who got f*ucked at the grave site
A wandering squire made a bet he could seduce the sorrow right out of a grieving widow—and of course, he was right. This is the horniest act of grave desecration ever written down in medieval French.
Is it disrespectful? Absolutely. Is it funny? Tragically so. Is it a cautionary tale about the volatility of female desire and the limits of performative grief? Technically, yes.
But mostly, La dolente qui fu fotue sur la tonbe is about getting railed in a cemetery. You're welcome.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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9min
September 18, 2023 The girl who wanted to fly
In this fabliau, a starry-eyed young woman dreams of flight—and a cunning student offers to equip her with the necessary “tail.” What follows is a cautionary tale of misplaced trust, high aspirations, and what really happens when you try to take off without checking the fine print.
La damoiselle qui vost voleror is a story for everyone who’s ever wanted to fly... or at least get off the ground.

📜 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
☕Buy me a coffee https://ko-fi.com/thecourtjesterpodcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
9min

FAQs about The Court Jester:

How many episodes does The Court Jester have?

The podcast currently has 55 episodes available.