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Year-End Mailbag 2 Dec 31, 2024

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folks, it's our final episode of 2024 and our 200th regular episode of the show and to celebrate, we've got the conclusion of our year-end mailbag episodes. we answer questions about how cathedrals were cleaned in the Middle Ages, favorite Star Wars ship, banishment, Medieval takeout, mountaineering, early Church politics, and more! enjoy and have a happy new year from us here at the show!

Bonus Ep Unlocked: Best of 2024 Dec 24, 2024

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folks, it's no secret that 2024 has been a bit of a bummer, to say the least. however, it's not terribly healthy to always focus on the bad, so we decided to talk about some our favorite stuff we saw, did, read, and heard this year. Luke and Eleanor each chose four things and they go back and forth discussing them, riffing, you know how it goes. feel free to play along leave some of your own favorites from 2024 in the replies here.
Everything for Everyone: https://www.commonnotions.org/everything-for-everyone?srsltid=AfmBOoq8xpVrmXOORY8GVoKpXJc_oazoti90tTbFe94bh-axkvc08XEP
State and Revolution: https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/state-and-revolution/

Year-End Mailbag 1 Dec 18, 2024

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folks, it's the end of the year and that means we're having holiday fun and making merry but also that we're crunched for time, so we won't be starting any new series or anything like that. instead, we're diving back into the backlog of questions from our patrons for not one but two episodes here at the end of the year, though there will be an unlocked bonus episode for the week of Christmas stuck in between them. in part 1, we talk about our favorite dumb ways for noblemen to die, what elements of Medieval cooking we'd like to see return, state-mandated cucking, Medieval male hairstyles, and which Medieval figure we'd make a TV miniseries about. and if you enjoyed this and want your questions answered, subscribe to our patreon for just $5 a month at patreon.com/wnsdpod.

On Mysticism (feat Simon Critchley) Dec 11, 2024

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folks, we've made no secret that we love mysticism on the show. we've talked about it on various episodes and some of our faves were mystics including Hildegard, Marguerite Porete, St. Francis, and more. so we were naturally interested when philosopher Simon Critchley published a new book, entitled On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstasy in October 2024, and he agreed to come on the show. we talk his new book, why the term "mysticism" is a misnomer but an indispensable one, what we can learn from mysticism, and how we can apply it in our daily lives. by way of introduction, Simon Critchley is an English philosopher, author, Liverpool football fan, and podcaster who has written numerous books and essays on subjects ranging from Heidegger and modern philosophy to the morality of suicide to association football (soccer) to David Bowie, and more. you can find his new book everywhere or you can visit his site here: https://simon-critchley.com/

Gladiator II Review (feat Patrick Wyman) Dec 05, 2024

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folks, Ridley Scott has just released another one of his patented, late-era slopfests and we couldn't be more ready. that's right, it's your Gladiator II review, wherein we are forced to admit that we sometimes really enjoy the slop. so we brought returning champion Patrick Wyman back on the show to use his Roman history expertise to break down this oddly-paced, mess of a film with an anemic plot that we all nevertheless enjoyed. turns out, some fun spectacle, nice visuals, and Denzel Washington doing a great villain turn will cover a multitude of sins. now sit back, let the historical inaccuracy wash over you, and join us in the slop zone.

Shogun 2: Seppuku Power Hour Nov 27, 2024

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folks, we're back with more fun with part two of our review of the 2024 Hulu series, Shogun. last time we learned that a soulful white boy in a strange land can listen and learn and even find a nice, soulful Japanese girl who's just emo enough to fall for him. but this time, we learn that all of that was simply a ruse to draw us deeper into the Yoshii Toranaga show! Hiroyuki Sanada gives one of the best TV performances ever as the mastermind behind the reunification of Japan at the end of the turbulent Sengoku Period and the rise of a new shogunate to lead the realm into the Edo Period and the future. oh and there's so much seppuku this time around, nope, no shortage of disemboweling here.

Shogun 1: The First Evangelical Weeb Nov 20, 2024

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folks, you asked and now you shall receive. we're here to review the 2024 Hulu series, Shogun, based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell. we talk about the first five episodes this time and then we'll talk about the second five on next week's show. but first we start with the historical basis, as is our wont, and tell you about how a series that takes place in the year 1600 is actually Medieval and also Feudal, with a capital-F. then we dive in headfirst and ask the question that has long plagued mankind: is it truly possible for a soulful white boy to learn? does he smoke too good? is his girl too bad? are they going to try and kill him? will he be gifted a kimono? well, join us to find out as we review the first half of the excellent Hulu series, Shogun.

What the Folk? (feat Russ Williams) Nov 13, 2024

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folks, you know we love great folklore, traveling, and delightful accents and we've combined all three today as we talk to Welsh author, writer, and activist, Russ Williams. Russ has recently released his first traditionally-published novel, entitled What the Folk?, in Great Britain (forthcoming in the United States). It's a travelog wherein Russ visits the locations from dozens of old Welsh stories to see what they're like, how they informed the stories, and what pieces remain for us today. Russ joins the show to talk with us about all manner of fun and interesting Welsh things like a giant beaver demon, the holiday tradition of Mari Lwyd, and some Arthuriana discussion, of course! we had a lot of fun and we're sure you'll enjoy and be sure to check out Russ's book if you're interested.
https://www.russwilliams.org/

Let's Review the Mail Nov 08, 2024

Show notes

folks, we're back with another mailbag episode. our patrons have written questions and now we're going to answer them. we discuss a wide range of topics from wedding rings to mylings to the Charter of the Forest to why Medieval European empires couldn't really expand out like Asian and African empires and more!
but first, we talk about the US election for about 15 mins, so skip right ahead if you don't want to hear that. then we talk about breaking news as a full accounting of the land and property holdings of the British royal family was published in The Sunday Times last week that includes a number of shocking revelations, not the least of which is that the royal duchies still receive feudal levies and dues and other taxes from agreements that date back as far as the Hundred Years War. check out the report here if you want more info: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/how-royals-make-millions-king-charles-prince-william-27lkftd2n

Twelve Medieval Ghost Stories Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

folks, it's spooky season and we've reached back into the Middle Ages to find twelve ghost stories to celebrate. actually, these twelve were already compiled together and are known as the Byland Abbey ghost stories, which is where the manuscript containing these stories was initially discovered. these stories, all written around the year 1400 give us a great view into how Medieval people told scary stories. spoiler: there's obviously a whole lot of Christianity but there's also some truly metal shit and storytelling elements we still use today in our own horror fiction. we've got everything: ghosts carrying beans, a teleporting stocking, biblically-accurate bales of hay, ladies rocking, and so much more! so get in the mood for Halloween or All Saints Day or whatever fall celebration you like, and join us for twelve Medieval ghost stories. you can check them out here: https://archive.org/details/YAJ0271924/page/362/mode/2up
but first, we follow up on our Opus Dei episode by discussing Pope Francis pulling out and sitting on a throne that hasn't been publicly displayed since just after the American Civil War and what it means for his ongoing cold war with reactionary forces in the Church.
if you have questions about the Patreon note at the beginning, please see this FAQ. nothing will change for current patrons, don't worry! https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/27992151772813-iOS-in-app-purchases-FAQ?utm_campaign=241031-IAPSB-Migrated&utm_medium=email&utm_source=iterable

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