The Medieval Moon

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When medieval people gazed at the moon, they saw more than just a glowing orb in the night sky. For them, the moon was a powerful yet fragile presence—both distant and intimate, symbolising not only love and beauty, but also exile, loss, and mystery. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Ayoush Lazikani, author of The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing, to explore how cultures across the globe—from England and Wales to China, Japan, South America, and beyond—imagined and interacted with the moon during the Middle Ages. From astronomy and astrolabes to Japanese lunar princesses and European folktales, their conversation reveals the moon as a universal yet deeply mysterious force that bound humanity together across cultures.

More:

The Green Man

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EocBSBHa0TgdoiGuzpEr7

Life and Legends Along the Medieval Coastline

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YamBjNHcVY3l3YMO7HTPK

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.
0:02.6	And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.
0:04.2	And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.
0:08.0	If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,
0:13.3	sign up to History Hit.
0:14.5	With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.
0:20.6	Such as my new series on everyone's favorite
0:22.8	conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new
0:29.9	release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.
0:45.0	Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanorianica and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast that delves into the
0:55.2	greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking details,
1:02.7	and the latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans, from kings to popes, to the Crusades.
1:10.5	We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were.
1:17.3	And how we got here.
1:42.3	Thank you. When they looked up at the moon, medieval people all around the world saw something that seemed both powerful yet fragile. It was distant, but it was intimate.
1:46.1	And sometimes it was all of those things at once.
1:49.9	The moon could represent love, beauty, and gentleness.
1:54.6	But it could also be about pain, hatred, and violence.
1:59.4	When it was full, it was associated with fullness and fertility.
2:04.8	Yet in its crescent and other forms, the moon could seem broken or even wounded.
2:11.6	One example can be found in the 14th century English poem, The Man in the Moon.
2:17.4	Picture this. The night is crisp. The stars are
	...

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