Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by John Wyatt Greenlee to dive into the surprising history of one slippery creature—the eel. Once a delicacy, currency, contraband, and even a spiritual symbol, this elusive fish finally gets its moment in the spotlight. You’ll never look at eels the same way again.

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - Introductions

1:49 - What is a cartographic historian?

4:15 - How did maps lead you to eels?

12:30 - Eels are everywhere!

13:49 - What is an eel?

21:35 - The mystery of eel reproduction

27:46 - Factors of eels becoming critically endangered

30:41 - The effect of eels being yucky

35:02 - Eels as a currency

47:16 - Fast food jellied eels

48:59 - Eels in identity: eels in family crests and cultural heritage

51:43 - From dissertation to publication

54:30 - An eel story

58:02 - Where do we go to see the eels?!?!

1:09:15 - Where you can find John

EPISODE LINKS:

John Wyatt Greenlee - https://www.jwgreenlee.net/

Surprised Eel Mapping - https://surprisedeelmaps.com/

Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/greenleejw.bsky.social

Eels - https://www.britannica.com/animal/eel

Sargasso Sea - https://www.britannica.com/place/Sargasso-Sea

Jellied Eels - https://youtu.be/sl0uZTzBTP8?si=yteJ2PFM-vLith9y

Aristotle and eels - https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27172/20200904/why-aristotle-freud-many-others-fascinated-european-eels.htm

Hildegard of Bingen - https://www.historytoday.com/archive/natural-histories/sexual-eeling

Henry Mayhew - https://theausteritykitchen.com/2009/10/09/from-costermonger-eel-pie-html/

Anglo-Dutch Wars - https://www.britannica.com/event/Anglo-Dutch-Wars

Rachel Carson, Under the Sea Wind - https://archive.org/details/underseawind00rach;https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-sea-wind-rachel-carson/1100214057

Ely, England - https://www.visitely.org.uk/

Ely’s Eel Day - https://www.visitcambridge.org/event/elys-eel-day/

PODCAST INFO:

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