Welcome to another bonus episode of Calm History, an extra treat from my Soak Plus members.

This is my second episode about reindeer. The first one I did was Archive Episode Number 28,

a one-hour history about reindeer.

In that prior episode, I babbled about reindeer gender, velvet antlers,

and lots of fiddle-fatto facts about Santa's reindeer.

But most importantly, I also introduced you to the region of the world known as Lapland,

as well as the historical importance of reindeer herding.

In this episode, you'll hear a first-hand account from Carl Linnaeus about the life of reindeer herders in Lapland.

Yeah, that Carl Linnaeus, the famous scientist who developed the binomial Latin system for the naming of all living organisms.

He visited Lapland in 1732 for several months, and he kept a detailed journal.

Linnaeus lived, slept, ate, and traveled with the Sami people. These are the indigenous and long-time reindeer herders of Lapland. Yeah, I know, I know. Your brain started getting bored the second I said, binomial Latin system.

But trust me, his journal is quite fascinating and even funny at times.

You're about to hear about.

Saw me bath time.

Saw me kisses. reindeer parasites, reindeer dung, reindeer nipples, reindeer moss, wild beasts that chew on reindeer antlers,

how to make reindeer cheese, a thousand other uses for reindeer milk,

and how the Sami people make efficient use of every part of the reindeer.

You'll also learn that Carl Linnaeus can be a whiny little baby when he is hungry and tired.

Well, that probably applies to me too. Anyway, this episode will focus on select passages from the

first half of his journal, which covers his first three months.

If you enjoy this episode, then just let me know, and I can do another bonus episode

about his other three months in Lapland.

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