Scholar Minor

Ursula Lynn Hebert

Scholar Minor is a weekly podcast about myth, magic, and miscellany. My name is Ursula, and I'm an amateur historian and fan of all things otherworldly. In these bite-sized episodes we will explore a variety of topics, and listeners are encouraged to continue engagement with the material on their own aided by the sources provided.

  1. 04/09/2022

    A Bit About Bees

    Some myth and science about our pollinator friends! *Correction note! 3 million years, in reference to cave art, should be 300,000.* Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: Bartolotti, Laura and Cecilia Costa. "Chemical Communication in the Honey Bee Society." In Neurobiology of Chemical Communication. Boca Raton: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis, 2014.  "Bees." The National Wildlife Federation. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Bees.  "Bumblebees vs. Honeybees: What's the Difference, and Why Does it Matter?" Student Conservation Association. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://www.thesca.org/connect/blog/bumblebees-vs-honeybees-what%E2%80%99s-difference-and-why-does-it-matter? The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Bee." Encyclopaedia Britannica. December 13, 2021. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/animal/bee. Hirst, K. Kris. "Ancient Maya Beekeeping: The Stingless Bee in Pre-Columbian America." ThoughtCo. May 11, 2018. Accessed April 5, 2022. https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-maya-beekeeping-169364. Horn, Tammy. Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2005. "The Sacred Bee: Ancient India." Planet Bee Foundation. December 5, 2017. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.planetbee.org/planet-bee-blog//the-sacred-bee-bees-in-ancient-india-and-china-7tmcx.  Weber, Ella. "Apis mellifera: The Domestication and Spread of European Honey Bees for Agriculture in North America." University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal 9 (2012).

    14 min
  2. 03/20/2022

    More Irish Myths: Cú Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill

    Another look at some legends from the Emerald Isle! Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: “The Boyhood Deeds of Cu Chulainn.” Ancient Irish Tales. Edited and translated by Tim Cross and Haris Slover. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1996.  The Boyish Exploits of Finn. Translated by Kuno Meyer, edited by Beatrix Farber. University College, Cork.  Cartwright, Mark. "Cu Chulainn." World History Encyclopedia. February 3, 2021. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/Cu_Chulainn/#:~:text=Koo%2Dkul%2Din)%2C,from%20only%20a%20single%20strike. "Cycle of the Kings." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford Reference. Accessed March 18, 2022.  https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095655734.   The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "The Cattle Raid of Cooley." The Encyclopaedia Britannica. September 25, 2007. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Cattle-Raid-of-Cooley.  The Editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Cu Chulainn." Encyclopaedia Britannica. October 17, 2021. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cu-Chulainn. "Fionn Mac Cumhail." Discovering Ireland Vacations. 2022. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.discoveringireland.com/fionn-mac-cumhail/.  "Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast." United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/369/. The Cattle-Raid of Cooley. Translated by Joseph Dunn and compiled by Steve Taylor, 1999. Accessed March 18, 2022. http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/Cooley/. Usman, Max. "Once Upon a Time, Irish Mythology Crash Course." Lewis and Clark University. 2019. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://college.lclark.edu/live/blogs/68-once-upon-a-time-irish-mythology-crash-course#:~:text=Basically%20all%20of%20Irish%20mythology,the%20stories%20from%20those%20cycles.

    17 min
  3. 02/19/2022

    Some Citrus-y History

    A little history of the fruits we take for granted!  Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: "Buddha's Hand Citron." Citrus Variety Collection. University of California at Riverside. Accessed February 14, 2022. https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/citrus/buddha.html "Citrus Fruits 2020 Summary." United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. August 2020. Accessed February 15, 2022. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/cfrt0820.pdf Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences. Edited by Cora Linn Daniel and Prof. C.M. Stevans. University Press of the Pacific: 1903. Geisseler, Daniel and William R. Horwath. "Citrus Production in California". UC Davis. Accessed February 15, 2022. https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/FertilizerResearch/docs/Citrus_Production_CA.pdf Langgut, Dafna. "The Citrus Route Revealed: From Southeast Asia into the Mediterranean." HortScience 52 no. 6, 2017.  Mansky, Jackie. "Why We Should Bring Back the Tradition of the Christmas Orange." Smithsonian Magazine. December 21, 2018. Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-we-should-bring-back-tradition-christmas-orange-180971101/ Meer, Wouter van der. "The History of Citrus in the Low Countries During the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age." In Agrumed: Archeology and History of Citrus Fruit in the Mediterranean. Edited by Veronique Zech-Matterne and Girolamo Fiorentino. Naples: Publications du Centre Jean Berard, 2017.  Pliny the Elder. Naturalis Historia. Edited by John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. and H.T. Riley, Esq. London: Taylor and Francis, 1855.  Scora, Rainer W. "IX. On The History and Origin of Citrus." Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 102 no. 6, 1975. 369-375.  White, Marcus. "James Lind: The Man Who Helped to Cure Scurvy with Lemons." BBC News. October 4, 2016. Accessed February 14, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-37320399

    15 min
  4. 01/22/2022

    Cats

    The history and superstition surrounding our feline companions! Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: "Black Cats Shunned for Purr-fect Selfies." BBC. January 30, 2018. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42871851 Brulliard, Karin. "Long Before They Conquered the Internet, Cats Took Over the World." The Washington Post. June 19, 2017. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/06/19/long-before-they-conquered-the-internet-cats-took-over-the-world/ Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences. Edited by Cora Linn Daniel and Prof. C.M. Stevans. University Press of the Pacific: 1903. "How Did Cats Become Domesticated?" Library of Congress. November 19, 2019. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/how-did-cats-become-domesticated/ Hutchinson, Sean. "13 Writers Who Really Loved Cats." Mental Floss. August 8, 2018. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/49302/11-writers-who-really-loved-cats  Mark, Joshua J. "Cats in the Middle Ages." World History Encyclopedia. May 20, 2019. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1387/cats-in-the-middle-ages/ Porck, Thijs. "Paws, Pee and Mice: Cats among Medieval Manuscripts." Medievalfragments. February 22, 2013. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://medievalfragments.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/paws-pee-and-mice-cats-among-medieval-manuscripts/ Simpson, Frances. The Book of the Cat. London, Paris, New York and Melbourne: Cassell and Company, 1903.  Smith, Casey. "Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows." National Geographic. June 19, 2017. Accessed January 19, 2022. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/domesticated-cats-dna-genetics-pets-science

    14 min
  5. 12/18/2021

    The Siberian Ice Maiden

    The amazing story of a nomadic storyteller, frozen in time. Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Follow on Instagram @ursulalynnsongs Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: "Conservation of the Sacred Ukok Plateau." The Altai Project. December 4, 2020. Accessed December 14, 2021.  https://www.altaiproject.org/2020/12/sacred-ukok-plateau-conservation/ "Exposing the Mummy". National Museum of the Republic of Altai. Accessed December 14, 2021.  http://www.musey-anohina.ru/index.php/ru/component/k2/item/403 "Ice Mummies: Siberian Ice Maiden". NOVA. PBS. November 24, 1998. Transcript Accessed December 14, 2021. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2517siberian.html Liesowska, Anna. "Iconic 2,500 Year Old Siberian Princess 'Died From Breast Cancer', Revails MRI Scan." The Siberian Times. October 14, 2014. Accessed December 14, 2021. http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/iconic-2500-year-old-siberian-princess-died-from-breast-cancer-reveals-unique-mri-scan/ Mosbergen, Dominique. "Now We Know What Killed The Ancient 'Ice Princess,' And Why She Had That Marijuana." Huffington Post. October 16, 2014. Accessed December 14, 2021. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/siberian-ice-princess-cancer-cannabis_n_5993052 Raygorodetsky, Gleb. "Maria and the Ukok Princess: Climate Change and the Fate of the Altai." United Nations University. July 21, 2013. Accessed December 14, 2021. https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/maria-and-the-ukok-princess Thorne, Sam. "Siberia Ice Maiden Guards Her Secrets." The Moscow Times. June 4, 2002. Accessed December 14, 2021. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/archive/siberia-ice-maiden-guards-her-secrets

    17 min
  6. 11/27/2021

    Johnny Appleseed

    The wandering apple advocate of legend! Visit Scholar Minor at http://www.ursaminorcreations.com! Say hello at ursaminorcontact@gmail.com! Overhead forest photo by Spencer Watson via Unsplash. Book spine photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Music:  "Wonderland" by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Bibliography: Cornett, Peggy. "Encounters with America's Premier Nursery and Botanic Garden." Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants. Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Accessed November 24, 2021. https://www.monticello.org/house-gardens/center-for-historic-plants/twinleaf-journal-online/prince-nursery/ Editors of the Ecyclopaedia Britannica. "Johnny Appleseed." Encyclopaedia Britannica. September 22, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Chapman Holleb, Josh. "That's Where My Apples Come From? The Basics of Grafting." Ceres Greenhouse Solutions. May 15, 2014. Accessed November 24, 2021. https://ceresgs.com/thats-where-my-apples-come-from-the-basics-of-grafting/ "Johnny Appleseed Planted Stories Of Myth, Adventure." All Things Considered. NPR. April 14, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2011/04/17/135409598/johnny-appleseed-planted-stories-of-myth-adventure Malesky, Kee. "The Strangely True Tale Of Johnny Appleseed." NPR. October 20, 2012. Accessed November 24, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2012/10/20/162862456/the-strangely-true-tale-of-johnny-appleseed Means, Howard. Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, and the American Story. Simon & Schuster, 2011.

    12 min

About

Scholar Minor is a weekly podcast about myth, magic, and miscellany. My name is Ursula, and I'm an amateur historian and fan of all things otherworldly. In these bite-sized episodes we will explore a variety of topics, and listeners are encouraged to continue engagement with the material on their own aided by the sources provided.