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Real Fantastic Beasts


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  • 36. Thoroughly Thoroughbred

    48:10||Season 3, Ep. 36
    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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  • 36. When do demons get their bat wings?

    32:09||Season 3, Ep. 36
    Just in time for Halloween, we explore the humble bat, whose wings suddenly became the standard for all demonic flying creatures.

  • 35. Is this the Loch Ness monster?

    31:15||Season 3, Ep. 35
    We explore the lore of the hippocampus, from its classical roots to its Celtic legends.

  • 34. The golden age of the bestiary

    45:56||Season 3, Ep. 34
    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.

  • 33. Medieval Ivory

    50:16||Season 3, Ep. 33
    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.

  • 32. The most prophetic bird

    32:06||Season 3, Ep. 32
    We explore the Albatross, unknown until just before the modern era... or was it?

  • 31. Flying Barnacles

    47:27||Season 3, Ep. 31
    Guest Alixe Bovey regales us with the perplexing history of the goose barnacle and the barnacle goose.