Real Fantastic Beasts

In which we swan with swans

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:11:13 GMT

From the OG bird of the soul to the medieval dining table, we explore the long fascination with swans and their (mostly nonexistent) song.

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The sheep hath paid for all

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 21:26:10 GMT

We're back with our 50th episode on the truly fantastic sheep of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, from the Lamb of God to environmental justice, animal rights, and the lubricants that made the industrial revolution possible.

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The Egotistical Eagle

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:19:54 GMT

The quintessential imperial attention whore.

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Leave it to the beaver

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 19:40:52 GMT

We journey from the clever self-castrating beaver of the Middle Ages to the near extinction of the North American beaver for the sake of European hats.

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So. Many. Snakes.

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 15:32:29 GMT

We explore the many versions of the Hydra.

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Carp e diem: Fish of the Day

Sat, 24 May 2025 18:31:15 GMT

For 400 years, the carp was the most popular fish in Europe. What made it so fantastic?

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The real dog man

Mon, 12 May 2025 14:31:31 GMT

Are dog-headed creatures people or beasts? Find out in this live podcast done at the Kalamazoo Medieval Congress. Our guest, Karl Steel, regales us with tales of the Cynocephalus.

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Wolf! Wolf!

Mon, 05 May 2025 12:17:28 GMT

From Beowulf to the guerrilla rewilding of Britain, guest Elizabeth (Lizzie) Marshall regales us with wolfish lore.

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And your little dog too!

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 18:00:00 GMT

Small, cute dogs that serve no practical purpose other than to make us go “awwww” turn out to have a long and fantastic history.

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There are no baby griffins

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The griffin was both a ferocious beast and a maternal figure. Nobody took it seriously, but its image is everywhere in the pre-modern world from the Near East to Europe.

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Advice from Jackals: Arab Beast Fables

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Guest expert Mustafa Banister Introduces us to the world of Arabic Beast Fables in the Kalila Wa Dimna and elsewhere.

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The Natural History of the Beasts of Revelation

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 17:57:51 GMT

Animals are everywhere in the end times. We explore early responses to the fantastic, terrifying, yet beautiful beasts of the Book of Revelation.

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Beasts of the Bayeux

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:50:22 GMT

Guest Elizabeth Pastan explores the animals in the Bayeux Embroidery (aka the Bayeux Tapestry). If you want to see the images we're discussing, you can go to the Youtube version of the episode here: https://youtu.be/pOaibXA5XrI .

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The Animals of the Twelve Days of Christmas

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 23:00:04 GMT

From partridges to "colly" birds, we explore the early history of the animals (and especially birds) of the beloved Christmas counting song. Special thanks to Evelyn Wohlbier for recording the song for us.

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Putting the Why in the Wyvern

Sat, 14 Dec 2024 17:09:37 GMT

Guest Edana Kleinhans takes us through the subtle differences between wyverns and dragons.

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Thoroughly Thoroughbred

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 18:15:12 GMT

Guest expert Richard Nash takes us through the history of the thoroughbred horse, from its hybrid origins to the cult of purity that made it the background to racial narratives of the modern world.

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When do demons get their bat wings?

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:00:19 GMT

Just in time for Halloween, we explore the humble bat, whose wings suddenly became the standard for all demonic flying creatures.

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Is this the Loch Ness monster?

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 15:39:17 GMT

We explore the lore of the hippocampus, from its classical roots to its Celtic legends.

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The golden age of the bestiary

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 20:47:01 GMT

Beth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum, talks about medieval bestiaries, her favorite imaginary animal, and a new exhibition at the Getty Museum.

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Medieval Ivory

Sat, 11 May 2024 12:00:21 GMT

Guest Sarah M. Guérin explains Medieval Europe's fascination with ivory and the differences between the early ivory trade and the savagery of modern Elephant poaching.

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The most prophetic bird

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:00:04 GMT

We explore the Albatross, unknown until just before the modern era... or was it?

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Flying Barnacles

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 15:44:39 GMT

Guest Alixe Bovey regales us with the perplexing history of the goose barnacle and the barnacle goose.

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Why the phoenix can’t have sex

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:52:49 GMT

In which we explore this beautiful and ancient non-binary creature.

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Chickens can see the future

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 15:26:31 GMT

We explore the lore of cocks and hens from manuscript illustrations to the classic weathervane.

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Living Stones

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 15:15:38 GMT

Guest Brigitte Buettner explains how stones had living agency in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

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The Likeness of a Wolf

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 13:14:25 GMT

We trace the evolution of the werewolf from deliberate transformation to mental illness.

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How to fall off your horse

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 15:58:03 GMT

Guest Karen Raber takes us through our paces as we explore horses and horse training in the European Renaissance.

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Knights on Ponies: The Warhorse of the Middle Ages

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 18:36:43 GMT

Guest animal archaeologist Alan Outram lays out the evidence for the size and appearance of medieval horses. Join the conversation or subscribe at realfantasticbeasts.com #horses #knights

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I may be monstrous, but I'm not a monster: The Lamia

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 13:50:28 GMT

We explore the troubled history of the Lamia, from bloodsucking monster to romance heroine to corporate logo.

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Hawks, Falconry, and Women in the Middle Ages

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 20:00:00 GMT

Guests Dr. Sara Petrosillo and falconer Kelly Martello of the Michigan Hawking Club join us in exploring these fantastic birds in the Middle Ages. Kelly's hawk Vesper joins us.

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Good Cat - Bad Cat

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 12:00:55 GMT

From loveable companion for monks to toxic witch's familiar, we trace the fantastic history of the cat from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.

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Tigers in Bengal

Sat, 27 May 2023 14:00:34 GMT

Two expert guests, Jane Buckingham and Samayita Banerjee, help us understand the pre-modern tiger in India, with special attention to Bengal.

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Pelican mothers

Sat, 13 May 2023 16:50:45 GMT

The European Middle Ages witnessed the birth of an entirely new bird: the pelican. This is not the "water pelican" we all know but an entirely fantastic beast.

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Renaissance Bees

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 12:08:25 GMT

Guest experts Keith Botelho and Joe Campana regale us with fantastic tales of bees in the Renaissance.

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A Bug of Another Color

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 12:08:53 GMT

We investigate the most fantastic bugs of all: kermes and cochineal. These little creatures not only gave us many of our words for red but also famous symbols from British redcoats to the U.S. flag.

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International Unicorn Day

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 07:57:21 GMT

In honor of International Unicorn Day, here's a chance to explore the search for the real unicorn, from the mystery in Middle Ages to its ultimate discovery in the seventeenth century.

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Adam's Tape Worm

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 13:08:59 GMT

We investigate worms and caterpillars and discover them everywhere.

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Marvels and Tranimals

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 12:08:00 GMT

Guest experts Asa Mitman and Holly Dugan explore two fantastic beast manuscripts, one from the Middle Ages, one from the Renaissance.

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Chinese Dragons

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 13:08:50 GMT

We continue our exploration of dragons by learning about Chinese dragons from guest Winston Kyan, a historian of medieval Chinese art at the University of Utah.

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Rats!

Sat, 18 Feb 2023 13:08:00 GMT

From charismatic megafauna, like dragons, we descend to the small and distinctly uncharismatic.

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Japanese Dragons

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:08:58 GMT

We extend our dragon-lore by chatting with Laura K. Nuffer from Colby College about dragons in medieval and early modern Japan.

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Not an Ordinary Rabbit

Sat, 21 Jan 2023 13:08:11 GMT

As we begin the Year of the Rabbit in the East, we explore the fantastical history of the rabbit in the West, from jousting rabbits in manuscript illustrations to the Rabbit Woman of Godalming.

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Believing in Dragons

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 13:08:04 GMT

This our first of several planned episodes on the most famous of all fantastic creatures.

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Nature's Darling

Sat, 24 Dec 2022 13:08:30 GMT

We examine the Halcyon, which nests at the winter solstice with magical effect.

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The First Dog

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:08:39 GMT

Meet the English mastiff, the creature who made "dog" into the generic English term for all domestic canines.

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Real Bears of London

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 13:08:19 GMT

Guest expert Caitlin Mahaffy talks to us about Bearbaiting in Elizabethan London.

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Similar Simians

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 13:08:29 GMT

Apes and Monkeys were present in households throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance as well as being represented in literature and art.

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Manticore or Man-Tiger?

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 12:08:19 GMT

Our first look at a truly fantastical hybrid creature as it moves from bestiary to natural history to art and literature.

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Tyger-Tiger

Sat, 15 Oct 2022 12:08:55 GMT

The tiger begins as the most real of all fantastic beasts and ends as the most fantastic of all real beasts. How and when did this happen?

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Strange Fish

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 12:08:00 GMT

In this episode we take on sea monsters, monstrous fish, whales, and and sea fishing.

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Episode 101 - Teaser

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 12:08:47 GMT

Join us as we explore the world of medieval and Renaissance animals, real, fantastic, and fantastically real. We believe that learning about animals in history and literature and art helps us understand our place among our fellow creatures today.

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