Tag Archives: podcast

History of Christmas Traditions

Fresco depicting January at Castello Buonconsiglio, Trento, Italy, c. 1405-1410.
Snowball fight in Walters Art Museum, W42512R. Flemish, c. 1510.
Fresco depicting January at Castello Buonconsiglio, Trento, Italy, c. 1405-1410.

Last week Neil Morrison of Podcraft Productions invited me to record another podcast, this time on the history of Christmas traditions. In it we discuss everything from Christmas trees and mince pies, to Santa Claus and gift giving. We also reflect on what the festive season has lost and gained since medieval times.

You can listen below, or find the podcast – episode 22 of The University of Liverpool’s podcast series – on iTunes, Blubrry, and the web.

 

You might also like the following blog posts on Medieval Christmas:

Christmas at the Medieval Court
Medieval Winter Sports
Medieval Christmas

Why Do We Love Mermaids?

Image (c) Chiara Salomoni 2

Image © Chiara Salomoni for Project Mermaids

A couple of weeks ago Neil Morrison of Podcraft Productions invited me to record a podcast that tackled the enduring appeal of mermaids. It was a fun afternoon and we chatted for so long that I think we could have produced two or three podcasts from the material! I’m sure some of the sections that didn’t make the final edit will appear on here or Mermaids of the British Isles at some point, but for the time being here’s the final product: a walk through our long, complex and profound relationship with the beguiling messengers from the deep.