Episode 62: Flesh and Blood
In this episode we explore two aspects of the term ‘flesh and blood.’ We examine the human body from the perspective of the Anglo-Saxons by looking at their words for parts of the body. We also explor...
11 Maj 20151h 6min
Episode 61: Earls and Churls
During his reign as King of England, Canute established a new class of nobles who became known as earls. The authority of the earls was second only to the king himself. The king and the nobles ruled o...
22 Apr 20151h 1min
Episode 60: Danes, Death and Taxes
In this episode, we explore the Danish Conquest of England in the 11th century. The Danish victory brought a temporary end to Anglo-Saxon rule, but it didn’t bring an end to death and taxes. We exami...
30 Mars 20151h 2min
Episode 59: Let’s Make A Deal
The decline of the Anglo-Saxon Golden Age occurred in the late 900s as the English kingdom passed from King Edgar to his son, Aethelred the Unready. it was a period surrounded by many deals, contract...
11 Mars 20151h 5min
Episode 58: Bibliophiles and Bookworms
The late 10th century and early 11th century was the Golden Age of Old English literature. But much of the literature produced during that period was lost to history. Thankfully, a handful of book co...
18 Feb 201556min
Episode 57: The Wessex Literary Revival
After the defeat of the Vikings in York, England was permanently unified under Wessex leadership. A period of peace and prosperity followed. Under the supervision of a cleric named Dunstan, the church...
28 Jan 201550min
Episode 56: The Weak vs The Strong
Do you say ‘dived’ or ‘dove’? How about ‘shrank’ or ‘shrunk’? And when do you say ‘hanged’ instead of ‘hung’? We’ll explore the answers to these questions in this episode. The answers lie in the histo...
15 Jan 201544min
Episode 55: To Be or Not To Be
‘To be or not to be?’ That may be the question. But where did the various forms of our modern verb ‘to be’ come from? And what about other Shakespearean phrases like ‘he hath,’ and ‘thou shalt,’ and ...
30 Dec 201454min
