So far we've talked a lot about the Norman conquest without talking very much about who the Normans were and why they (and especially one guy) wanted to conquest. Well, that changes today! How did some Vikings become French, why is that our problem over here in England, and what's wrong with being a bastard descended from a long line of bastards? Find out....

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In the third episode of our Norman Conquest series, we look at the life and times of the second of our claimants to the English throne in 1066: Harald Sigurdson, King of Norway. When a teenaged Harald's life is upended by Cnut's invasion of Norway in 1028, he builds a new life for himself as a mercenary in Kyiv, and eventually as an honour guard for the Roman Emperors themselves. Along the way, he'll have to contend with Arab armies, a sexually voracious Empress, and even a giant serpent. It's a pulpy, action-packed adventure story for the whole family!

Assuming any of that is true, anyway. Which... eh. We'll get into it.

Join the Weird Medieval Guys discord today: https://discord.gg/S36vz4jD98

Music used: "Olav Trygvason", recorded by GULDBERGS AKADEMISKE KOR (https://archive.org/details/78_olav-trygvason_guldbergs-akademiske-kor-f-a-reissiger-arild-sandvold_gbia7026768b)

Thanks to the efforts of Alfred the Great and his descendants, England enters the new millennium as united kingdom. However, trouble is brewing: the Vikings have returned, and their leader, Sweyn Forkbeard, has designs on the English throne. What follows is a bloody tale of intrigue, with more mysterious deaths than a series of The Traitors. Expect an unready king, people marrying their dead enemies' wives, and the rise of a newly-minted dynasty that you might have heard of: the Godwinsons.

We are literally so back!! And this time with our longest series yet!! This is part 1 of 6(?) of our Norman conquest series and this part is all about ENGLAND!! More specifically, the crazy cats who invented it. Many thanks to our dear friend Joe Mason for joining us again.

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Well, we finally made it: The Definitive Podcast (jodcast?) on medieval Jewish culture.

After the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were scattered across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Despite often-brutal repression, many Jews thrived, creating new communities, cultural expressions, and even languages. Despite marginalisation, Jewish women were also key to this evolution, enthusiastically contributing to spiritual and cultural life in dynamic ways. And even though they were a minority almost everywhere, some Jews rose to become major political leaders.

Programming note: WMG will be going on hiatus until the end of Summer. But never fear! We will be back, with "The Norman Conquests" - a globetrotting adventure from Ireland to Palestine, featuring a cast of colourful characters including proud warrior-kings, marauding pirates, and a fearsome empress. Oh, and former frog Joe Mason will be there. Don't say we don't spoil you.

In the meantime, why not join the WMG Discord community, a community of lovely people who love chatting about history. https://discord.gg/ZwHz5JDKky

Taggart voice There's been a murder!

Medieval life was full of murders! People were getting knifed all the time mate. But who was responsible for sorting the guilty from the innocent? What do God and intimate social knowledge have to do with it? And is this all a thinly-veiled excuse for Aran to do his incredible Poirot impression?

For more information, see the University of Cambridge's Medieval Murder Maps:

https://medievalmurdermap.co.uk/

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We've got a lovely two-parter lined up for you guys and it's all about the history of the English language during the Middle Ages! Join us as we follow English from its humble origins as a collection of Germanic dialects spoken by a bunch of illiterate, trousers-wearing mudmen from in 400AD to a real language spoken by relatively normal people who have things like books and kings and their own country, a quirky little place called "England."

For more on some of what we discuss, check out:

• The University of Nottingham's interactive Key to English Place Names website http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/#
• English translations of almost 80% of all extant Anglo-Saxon poetry, courtesy of Dr Ophelia Hostetter of Rutgers University https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/
• Gildas' "On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain," translated into English by Bert Olton: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1949

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Yarrrrrrrr!!!!!! Where's me BOOTY?!

We all love stories about pirates, whether they're plundering Treasure Islands, fighting an octopus man, or stealing Tom Hanks' job. But did you know that the Middle Ages had pirates? They did! And they were just as swashbuckling, mercenary and unhinged as their later successors.

Set sail with Olivia and Aran on the good ship Podcasting, as they set out to find the secret of medieval piracy! Along the way, they'll meet a vengeful MILF, a queerbaiting sorcerer, and hundreds of venomous snakes.

Further reading:

The Anatomy of Medieval Piracy: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.1163/j.ctv4cbhhw.7.pdf?refreqid=fastly-default%3A595730f17b4d474b00163f8ee44c264c&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&initiator=search-results&acceptTC=1

Identity in the Medieval Mediterranean World of Merchants and Pirates https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/mediterraneanstu.20.2.0129?read-now=1&seq=13#page_scan_tab_contents

The Romance of Eustace the Monk

Gather round, rockhounds! It's time to journey even further into the past than usual by taking a look at fossils through medieval eyes. Did dragon myths come from dinosaur bones? Did cyclops myths come from elephant bones? Can rocks be Jewish? All these questions and more, answered.....

For more on some of what we discuss, check out:

• Lapis Judaicus or the Jews' stone: The folklore of fossil echinoid spines by Christopher Duffin https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248606245_Lapis_Judaicus_or_the_Jews%27_stone_The_folklore_of_fossil_echinoid_spines
• Unicorns, dragons, monsters and giants: palaeoart before palaeontology by Mark P. Witton http://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2018/04/unicorns-dragons-monsters-and-giants.html
• Walking on Water: Cosmic Floors in Antiquity and the Middle Ages by Fabio Barry

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