Real Fantastic Beasts

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.

We explore the many versions of the Hydra.

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

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.

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

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