The Maniculum Podcast

The Maniculum Podcast
  • 4.9 (41)
  • History
  • Biweekly

Maniculum: little hand, pointing finger; often found in manuscript marginalia. Hi! We’re Mac and Zoe, a professional medievalist and triple AAA game developer, and together, we use modern game design techniques to uncover the origins of your favorite tropes and adventures from medieval manuscripts. ​ In each episode, we explore a new medieval manuscript, its connections to modern TTRPGs, and teach you how to adapt these tales into compelling campaigns and amazing adventures. Whether you’re looking to recreate the noble Arthurian tales or incorporate weird and wacky medieval monsters into your campaign, the Maniculum Podcast has you covered.

  1. Oct 18

    Building a Medieval Village pt. 8: Parish Life

    Why’s the village priest suddenly involved in your legal contract — and does he have a concubine? Join us this week as we explore parish life in a medieval village and adapt it for your TTRPGs. Will your cleric spread the good word and educate the local priest, or have they decided to take up the tonsure for… other reasons? Parish life was messy — and the perfect setting for building customs, institutions, and quests for your next adventure. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990.  Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link.  García Martínez, Elías, and Cecilia Giménez. Ecce Homo. 1930/2012. Santuario de Misericordia, Borja, Spain. Graeber, David. Debt: The First 5,000 Years. Melville House, 2011. Historic England. Medieval Settlements: Introductions to Heritage Assets. Historic England, 2018. Link. [A great PDF introduction.] Knock, Ann Elizabeth. Wonders of the East: A Synoptic Edition of the Letter of Pharasmanes and the Old English and Old Picard Translations. 1981. Birkbeck College, University of London, PhD dissertation. Link.  Kondelik, Vicki J. Review of Portraits of the Vestal Virgins, Priestesses of Ancient Rome, by Molly M. Lindner. Lost in the Stacks, 28 March 2017, University of Michigan. Accessed 22 August 2026. Link. The Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan. Link. [Note: this site often goes down.] Pratchett, Terry. Small Gods. Victor Gollancz, 1992. Ray, T.J. “Feudal Terminology.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link.  Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link. Terminology & Spelling church-scot glebe missal parish plough-alms scot-ale soul-scot

  2. Oct 4

    Building a Medieval Village pt. 7: A Year in the Farming Life

    What did a year of farming look like in a medieval village, and what happens when a group of adventurers come into town during harvest season? This week, we explore the yearly ups and downs of farming in a medieval village, and the various reasons that an adventuring party might be called upon to help — or hinder — the lord and his fields. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990.  Anderson, James. “An Account of the Lammas Festival, As It Uſed to Be Celebrated in Mid Lothian about the Middle of the Eighteenth Century." The Literary Magazine and British Review, vol. 11, 1793, pp. 277–80. Link. Bennett, Judith M. Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women's Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600. Oxford UP, 1996. Bright, James W., editor. “The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan.” Bright’s Anglo-Saxon Reader, revised by James R. Hulbert, Henry Holt and Company, 1948. pp. 38–44. Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link. Graeber, David. Debt: The First 5,000 Years. Melville House, 2011. Historic England. Medieval Settlements: Introductions to Heritage Assets. Historic England, 2018. Link. [A great PDF introduction.] The Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan. Link. [Note: this site often goes down.] Ray, T.J. “Feudal Terminology.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link. Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link. Terminology & Spelling autumn works by-law fallow furlong glean harvest boon Hocktide Lammas  meadow pannage rogation day Shrove Tuesday  stubble terra nullius waste

  3. Sep 20

    Whatshisname & Enid pt. 6: The Damsel in Distress Gambit

    What happens when the damsel in distress is really the one setting the trap? Erec and Enide continue to defy medieval stereotypes in this episode as Enide deals with a churlish knight who takes a liking to her, luring him into a "rescue" from Erec, only to spring an ambush on him in the end. Join us as we cross-examine this perfect questing encounter and a fantastic example of medieval romance defying our modern expectations. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Blaisdell, Foster W., and Marianne E. Kalinke, translators. Erex Saga and Ívens Saga. U Nebraska Press, 1977. Chrétien de Troyes. “Erec and Enide.” The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes, translated by David Staines, Indiana UP, 1993, pp. 1–86. Davies, Sioned, translator. The Mabinogion. Oxford UP, 2007. Oxford World’s Classics. Gantz, Jeffrey, translator. The Mabinogion. Dorset Press, 1976. Guest, Charlotte, translator. The Mabinogion. 1877. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1906. Everyman’s Library. Hartmann von Aue. Erec. Translated by Michael Resler, U Pennsylvania Press, 2004. Hartmann von Aue. Erec. Translated by Thomas L. Keller, Garland Publishing, 1987. Garland Library of Medieval Literature (Series B) 12. Thomson, Robert L, editor. Ystorya Gereint uab Erbin. School of Celtic Studies, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies / Dundalgan Press, 1997. Medieval and Modern Welsh Series 10. Terminology & Spelling baldachin Bolvin Guivret / Guivrez / Guimar / Gwiffred Milon Nivelles Pulchra Ruodlieb sorrel St. Gertrude’s Love Y Brenin Bychan

  4. Sep 6

    The Voynich Manuscript: Understanding the Untranslatable with Lisa Fagin Davis

    The Voynich Manuscript has been a curiosity and mystery for hundreds of years — what can its strange history teach us about worldbuilding? This week, we’re joined by Lisa Fagin Davis, one of the world’s experts on this enigmatic text. Come along as we discuss the history of the text, its creation and contents, and how the sciences and humanities can come together using tools like latent semantic analysis to discover the nature of untranslatable texts. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Bowern, Claire. “Voynich.” Yale University CampusPress. Link. [List of Claire Bowern’s publications on the Voynich manuscript.] Davis, Lisa Fagin, and Colin Layfield. “Singulion Structure and the Voynich Manuscript.” Digital Medievalist, vol. 19, 2026. DOI. Davis, Lisa Fagin. “The World’s Most Mysterious Manuscript.” Manuscript Road Trip, 17 January 2015. Link. [Blog post with an image of the comic page mentioned.] Guzy, Stefan. “Book Transactions of Emperor Rudolf II, 1576–1612: New Findings on the Earliest Ownership of the Voynich Manuscript.” Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on the Voynich Manuscript 2022 (VOY2022), edited by Colin Layfield and John Abela, CEUR Workshop Proceedings, 2023. Voynich Manuscript. Circa 1401-1599?, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, Connecticut, Beinecke MS 408 1. Link. The Voynich Manuscript. Edited by Raymond Clemens, Yale UP, 2016. The Voynich Ninja. https://www.voynich.ninja/ Zandbergen, René. The Voynich Manuscript. https://voynich.nu/

  5. Aug 23

    Building a Medieval Village pt. 6: Medicine, Illnesses, & Death

    We return to crafting a fantasy medieval village! This week, we cover a few staples: medicine, food, and death. What sort of medicines and ailments were common in a medieval village, and how did they handle death, whether it be from age or an accident? How can you add these details to your fantasy world to create a grounded, realistic feel, or use it in a quest and plot? Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990. Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link. Historic England. Medieval Settlements: Introductions to Heritage Assets. Historic England, 2018. Link. [A great PDF introduction.] The Middle English Compendium. University of Michigan. Link. [Note: this site often goes down.] Ray, T.J. “Feudal Terminology.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link. Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric. Link.

  6. Jul 26

    Medieval Cuisine: How the Arabs Shaped European Taste

    This week, we are thrilled to host Muna and Leila Salloum, two scholars and chefs who introduce us to the medieval Arab world and its many culinary delights. As the European Middle Ages got under way, the Arab world was experiencing a Golden Age — a hub of trade, knowledge, and peoples through which many new foodstuffs and customs travelled to Europe. Apologies for the audio quality; there were multiple overlapping technical difficulties during the recording of this episode. Sources for some specific points, found in the bibliography below: the musician Ziryab, who comes up multiple times in the episode, is mentioned in ibn Khaldun’s Muqaddimah . the source that credits al-Jahshiyari with the compilation of the Thousand Nights and a Night is ibn al-Nadim’s Fihrist . the quotation about Cordoba being the “gem of the world” is from Hrosvitha’s “Pelagius” ( clarum decus orbis , line 12). ibn Firnas’s experiments with unpowered flight are mentioned in al-Maqqari’s Breath of Perfume . al-Jazari’s status as “father of robotics” comes from the automata described in his Book of Knowledge . Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Works by our guests Salloum, Habeeb, Leila Salloum Elias, and Muna Salloum. The Scent of Pomegranate and Rosewater: Reviving the Beautiful Food Traditions of Syria. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018. Salloum, Habeeb, Muna Salloum, and Leila Salloum Elias. Scheherazade’s Feasts: Foods of the Medieval Arab World. U Pennsylvania Press, 2013. Salloum, Habeeb, Muna Salloum, and Leila Salloum Elias. Sweet Delights from a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab Sweets. I. B. Tauris, 2013. Salloum Elias, Leila, and Muna Salloum. Celestial Dining to Entice: An Arab Food Contest in Paradise. Austin Macauley, 2024. Salloum Elias, Leila, and Muna Salloum. The Sweets of Araby: Enchanting Recipes from the Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights. Illustrated by Linda Dalal Sawaya, Countryman Press, 2011. Other works mentioned or recommended ˆal-Jazari, Abu al-Izz ibn Ismail ibn al-Razzaz. The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. Translated and annotated by Donald R. Hill, D. Reidel, 1974. al-Maqqari, Ahmad. The Breath of Perfume from the Branch of Flourishing Al-Andalus and Memories of its Vizier Lisan ud-Din ibn ul-Khattib. Partially translated [as The History Of The Mohammedan Dynasties In Spain ] by Pascual de Gayangos, London, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland / W. H. Allen and Co., 1840–1843. al-Warraq, Abu Muhammad al-Muzaffar ibn Nasr ibn Sayyar. The Book of Dishes. Translated by Nawal Nasrallah [as Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens ], Brill, 2007. Islamic History and Civilization 70. Hrosvitha of Gandersheim. “The Sufferings of Pelagius, the Most Precious Martyr, Who in Our Time, at Cordova, Was Crowned with Martyrdom.” The Non-Dramatic Works of Hrosvitha: Text, Translation, and Commentary. Edited and translated by M. Gonsalva Wiegand, 1936, pp. 128–57. St. Louis University, PhD dissertation. ibn al-Nadim, Abu al-Faraj Muhammad. The Book Catalogue. Edited and translated by Bayard Dodge [as The Fihrist of al-Nadim: A Tenth-Century Survey of Islamic Culture ], Columbia UP, 1970. 2 vols. ibn Battuta, Abu Abdullah Muhammad. A Gift for the Curious, concerning the Wonders of Cities and Marvels of the Journeys Thereto. Transcribed/edited by C. Defremery and B. R. Sanguinetti, translated by H. A. R. Gibb and C. F. Beckingham [as The Travels of ibn Battuta ], index by A. D. H. Bivar, Hakluyt Society / Cambridge UP, 1958–2000. 5 vols. ibn Khaldun, Abu Zayd Abdur-Rahman. The Muqaddimah: Introduction to History. Translated by Franz Rosenthal, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1958. 3 vols. Nicholson, Reynold A. A Literary History of the Arabs. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1907. van Gelder, Geert Jan. God's Banquet: Food in Classical Arabic Literature. Columbia UP, 2000.

  7. Jun 28

    Building a Medieval Village pt. 5: Early Life and Marriage Customs

    This week, we're covering social life in the village: childhood, marriage, and having kids. What were these stages of life like, and what strange traditions and customs arose due to the harsh realities of daily life in the middle ages? And of course, how can we translate that into tabletop gaming and storytelling? Content Warning: child birth, child death, pregnancy loss, violence against badgers. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Gies, Frances & Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper & Row, 1990. Ellis, Penny. “Medieval Thoralby.” Thoralby Through Time. Link . Historic England. Medieval Settlements: Introductions to Heritage Assets . Historic England, 2018. Link . [A great PDF introduction.] The Middle English Compendium . University of Michigan. Link . [Note: this site often goes down.] Ray, T.J. “Feudal Terminology.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric . Link . Ray, T.J. “Manorial Language.” T.J. Ray: The Eclectic Eccentric . Link .

  8. May 31

    Mis/Disinformation & the Middle Ages: Why Accuracy Matters in Medieval Fantasy

    The Middle Ages are ever-present and oft-remembered in modern life, but… not very accurately, especially in fiction and TTRPGs like D\&D. How can we set that right, and why does it matter, even when you create fictional worlds? This week, we’re  hosting Professor Kristin Leaman as she walks us through medieval misinformation and why so many of us have incorrect ideas about the Middle Ages. Plus, we'll talk about how the medievals contributed to their own era of misinformation, too! Listeners with follow-up questions may contact Kristin Leaman (Assistant Professor, Purdue University) at leamankb@purdue.edu. Join our discord community! Support us on patreon!  Get your copy of Marginal Worlds, a deck of 50 magic items pulled directly from medieval manuscripts, built for any TTRPG system here! Socials:  Tumblr Website Bluesky Instagram Facebook Citations & References Armitage, David. “In Defense of Presentism.” History and Human Flourishing , edited by Darrin M. McMahon, Oxford UP, 2002, pp. 44–69. DOI . Blair, Ann. “Information in Early Modern Europe.” Information: A Historical Companion , edited by Ann Blair et al., Princeton UP, 2021, pp. 61–85. Blair, Ann. Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age . Yale UP, 2010. Bores, George. A True Discourse Declaring the Damnable Life and Death of One Stubbe Peeter, a Most Wicked Sorcerer, Who in the Likeness of a Woolfe, Committed Many Murders, Continuing This Devilish Practice 25 Yeers, Killing and Devouring Men, Woomen, and Children. London, Edward Venge at the Signe of the Vine, 1590. Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Franklin’s Tale.” The Riverside Chaucer , edited by F. N. Robinson and Larry D. Benson, 3rd ed., Houghton Mifflin, 2008, pp. 178–89. Ellard, Donna Beth. Anglo-Saxon(ist) Pasts, PostSaxon Futures . Punctum Books, 2019. Freelon, Deen, and Chris Wells. “Disinformation As Political Communication.” Political Communication , vol. 37, no. 2, 2020, pp. 145–156. DOI . Fahey, Richard. “Misappropriating the Medieval: How Ignorant Nationalists Reify Whiteness.” Medieval Studies Research Blog: Meet Us at the Crossroads of Everything , Medieval Institute, U of Notre Dame, 5 February 2021. Link . Fahey, Richard. “Marauders in the US Capitol: Alt-Right Viking Wannabes & Weaponized Medievalism.” Medieval Studies Research Blog: Meet Us at the Crossroads of Everything , Medieval Institute, U of Notre Dame, 15 January 2021. Link . James VI & I. Daemonology . London: Printed by Arnold Hatfield for Robert Wald-Grave, 1603. Jones, Lori, and Richard Nevell. “Plagued by Doubt and Viral Misinformation: The Need for Evidence-Based Use of Historical Disease Images.” The Lancet , vol. 16, no. 10, Oct. 2016, pp. e235–40. DOI . Kim, Dorothy. Digital Whiteness & Medieval Studies . ARC Humanities Press, 2019. Kim, Dorothy. “Teaching Medieval Studies in a Time of White Supremacy.” In the Middle , 28 August 2017. Link . Kim, Dorothy. “White Supremacists Have Weaponized an Imaginary Viking Past. It’s Time to Reclaim the Real History.” Time , 12 April 2019. Link . Kramer, Heinrich. Malleus Maleficarum . Strassburg?, Johan Pruss?, 1486. Kramer, Heinrich. The Hammer of Witches: A Complete Translation of the Malleus Maleficarum . Translated by Christopher S. Mackay, Cambridge UP, 2009. Kuo, Rachel, and Alice Marwick. “Critical Disinformation Studies: History, Power, and Politics.” Misinformation Review , Harvard Kennedy School, 12 August 2021. DOI . Leaman, Kristin. “Medieval Misinformation and Disinformation: Filling a Gap in Medieval Studies.” Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching: SMART , vol. 32, no. 2, 2025, pp. 7–22. Leaman, Kristin. “Disinformation in John Foxe’s Edition of Ælfric’s Easter Homily, 1570–1684.” Journal of Documentation , vol. 82, no. 7, 2026, pp. 187–205. DOI . Menache, Sophia. “Deconstructing Medieval Disinformation: A Critical Analysis of Constructed Narratives". The Medieval Chronicle , vol. 17, no. 2, 2025, pp. 123–54. DOI . Neville, Jennifer. “Talking about Our Generations.” Section. “Twenty-five Years of ‘Anglo-Saxon Studies’: Looking Back, Looking Forward,” authored by Catherine A.M. Clarke et al. Disturbing Times: Medieval Pasts, Reimagined Futures , edited by Catherine E. Karkov et al., Punctum Books, 2020, pp. 341–45. DOI . Otaño Gracia, Nahir I., and Tiffany N. Florvil. “Introduction to ‘Race, Racialization, and Whiteness before and after The Invention of Race’.” Publications of the Modern Language Association of America , vol. 140, no. 5, Oct. 2025, pp. 857–62. DOI . Pettegree, Andrew. The Invention of News: How the World Came to Know about Itself , Yale UP, 2014. Ramos, Eduardo. “Confronting Whiteness: Antiracism in Medieval Studies.” Postmedieval: A Journal of Medieval Cultural Studies , vol. 11, no. 4, Dec. 2020, pp. 493–502. DOI . Ring, Nicola A., et al. “Healers and Midwives Accused of Witchcraft (1563–1736) — What Secondary Analysis of the Scottish Survey of Witchcraft Can Contribute to the Teaching of Nursing and Midwifery History.” Nurse Education Today , vol. 133, Feb. 2024. DOI . Rubin, Victoria L. “Disinformation and Misinformation Triangle: A Conceptual Model for ‘Fake News’ Epidemic, Casual Factors and Interventions.” Journal of Documentation , vol. 75, no. 5, 2019, pp. 1013–34. DOI . Scot, Reginald. The Discoverie of Witchcraft . London, William Brome, 1584. Scot, Reginald. The Discoverie of Witchcraft . London, Printed for A. Clark, and Are to Be Sold by Dixy Page at the Turks-Head in Cornhall near the Royal Exchange, 1665. Sturtevant, Paul B. “Leaving ‘Medieval’ Charlottesville.” The Public Medievalist , 17 August 2017. Link . Weller, Toni, et al., editors. The Routledge Handbook of Information History . Routledge, 2026.

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Maniculum: little hand, pointing finger; often found in manuscript marginalia. Hi! We’re Mac and Zoe, a professional medievalist and triple AAA game developer, and together, we use modern game design techniques to uncover the origins of your favorite tropes and adventures from medieval manuscripts. ​ In each episode, we explore a new medieval manuscript, its connections to modern TTRPGs, and teach you how to adapt these tales into compelling campaigns and amazing adventures. Whether you’re looking to recreate the noble Arthurian tales or incorporate weird and wacky medieval monsters into your campaign, the Maniculum Podcast has you covered.

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  • Creator
    The Maniculum Podcast
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    162
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright The Maniculum Podcast 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Maniculum Podcast

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