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Kleio Pethainou

@kpethainou.bsky.social
155 followers 179 following 106 posts

Medievalist, Art Historian & Doctor of Humour (yes, it’s a real thing!) @edincollegeofart.bsky.social🃏 I edit bit.ly/MedievalStorytelling, tell stories at #TheCourtJesterPodcast & find something to laugh with every day. linktr.ee/kpethainou

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Reposted by Kleio Pethainou
EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
There is a lot to say about the Nolan Odyssey movie. But one point that I think has not been emphasized enough is: this is a film about living in LA, as Nolan, my erstwhile British compatriot and age mate, has done for years. I gather it’s a strange place.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
Got to love technology! Or maybe my use of it. The Christmas episode never made it to Spotify, so if this is where you get your podcasts, here it is. It's still within the Twelve Days, so it counts! #medievalsky #christmas
open.spotify.com
Sir Cleges and the Christmas Cherries | A Medieval Christmas Story
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Reposted by Kleio Pethainou
Leia Taillefur @leiataillefur.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
OTD 1198 Bp Eudes de Sully condemned fun, denouncing Feast of Fools, when lower & higher clergy changed places.Tried to ban chess.Forbade communion for children. Got in trouble w/king over repudiation of wife. But he continued bldg of Notre Dame, promoted polyphony & founded what became Port Royal.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Merry Christmas! Here's a Christmas story from the middle ages for you! #medieval #merrychristmas
youtu.be
Sir Cleges and the Christmas Cherries | A Medieval Christmas Story
YouTube video by The Court Jester
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Reposted by Kleio Pethainou
Ulrike Graßnick @ulrikegrassnick.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Is it Christmas yet? #medievalsky #medievaladvent @britishlibrary.bsky.social Yates Thompson MS 27, f. 51v
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
A man in his best hat about to introduce this pig to the concept of “festive ham.” When you think about medieval Christmas, what do you want answers on? Feasting, fasting, food, church, gifts, jokes, everyday folk vs fancy court? Tell me in the comments! #MedievalSky #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Sonja Drimmer @sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
I have been WAITING for a journalist to write this story. I specialize in manuscripts produced in England between 1300 and 1500. If this had occurred in the midst of writing my dissertation or first book, it would have exploded my career.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
The Halloween special is here: The Ballad of a Dead Brother. 9th-century Balkans. Oaths, ruin, and a mother’s grief strong enough to wake the dead. Also, it's the first ever Court Jester episode on video. Come see. buff.ly/IJuqec8 🖼️ Vasso Katraki #storytelling #medievalsky #Halloween2025
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
The Court Jester is taking a little break for October, preparing new mischief for the winter season. In the meantime, here’s one from the archives: one of the most (in)famous stories of the genre. 🎧 Listen here: youtu.be/FLQ2J15Yr_M?... And have you followed The Court Jester on YouTube yet?
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The mourner who got f*ucked at the grave site: The most unhinged graveyard hook-up imaginable
A wandering squire made a bet he could seduce the sorrow right out of a grieving widow—and of course, he was right. This is the horniest act of grave desecration ever written down in medieval French.…
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
What happens when a priest, his lover, and a greedy clerk sit down to dinner? New episode is now live, give it a spin and find out open.spotify.com/episode/6aq6... #medievalsky
open.spotify.com
The Court Jester
Podcast · Kleio Pethainou · Medieval comedy is wild… and we’re here for it! Medievalist and storyteller Kleio Pethainou drags you through the most wild and raucous stories of the Middle Ages. From…
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
As a medievalist, I can confirm.
theguardian.com
A heaving Bridgerton cleavage or bloody decapitation? What your favourite era of history says about you | Emma Beddington
A survey has found people would rather travel back in time than to the future. I consulted historical experts to find out what that means, writes Guardian columnist Emma Beddington
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
"Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions, and Functions" just got a warm review at HistoryMedieval! Spoiler: they liked it 👀 Read it: historymedieval.com/medieval-humour-expressions-receptions-and-functions #MedievalSky #HumorStudies #MedievalHumour #BookReview
historymedieval.com
Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions – Medieval History
Medieval Humour explores laughter in manuscripts, tales, and art—revealing the witty, playful, and surprising side of medieval life and culture.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Heaven doesn’t pay its debts. A medieval fabliau proves it. 🎧 New episode: The Poor Peddler, now live on Spotify and all platforms. buff.ly/3vEl3ke 📖 Valenciennes, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 101, fol. 191v. ca. 1230-1260 #MedievalHumour
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God Owes Me Thirty Shillings
The Court Jester · Episode
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
A while ago, I polled listeners about the one fabliau I couldn’t make funny. You asked to hear it anyway, so here it is. It’s brutal and violent. Let’s talk about why medieval audiences laughed with that. 🎧 I give you The Gelded Lady: buff.ly/yJWfMjK ⚠️ Content warning: everything. #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
“His balls are WHAT?” A wife drags her husband before the bishop. The whole town shows up. Confusion, comedy and awkward anatomy lessons follow. This is Black Balls: a fabliau about medieval justice at its most bewildered. 🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/DseO6v9 #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
"Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions" is now featured on History Medieval! Read my article about the wit and laughter of the Middle Ages here: buff.ly/QUGIAIe 📖 @labnf.bsky.social, Fonds francais 854, fol.121v #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
A sly minstrel tries to ruin a clueless groom’s wedding night…but he didn’t account for the bride. By dawn, the prankster’s bed, clothes and dignity are buried under an avalanche of medieval payback. 🎧 New episode - Jouglet buff.ly/APjbRzg #MedievalHumour #Fabliau #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
If this is not my favourite story from the Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles, it is definitely my favourite illumination. Have you ever seen a friar and a nun masturbating under a tree while being watched by a weird man? You have now. 🎧Patreon Bonus: Payment for the Pears. buff.ly/ZVHOPey #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
A miller tries to trick a girl. Instead, he loses his pig, his pride and his dignity. By court order. 🎧 New episode: The Miller of Arleux buff.ly/DBnc8MC #TheCourtJesterPodcast #Medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
🎧 New episode, complete with guest cat sounds! A penny-pinching husband suspects his wife is having an affair. So he sets a trap. But she’s got sharper instincts, a better plan, and the entire household on her side. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/6tF1... #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
The sound quality of The Court Jester's next episode has been seriously compromised by this furry nightmare, who couldn't stop yelling for attention. Please accept my apologies. He regrets nothing. #cat #storyteller #storytelling #TheCourtJesterPodcast #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
If you’re heading to #IMC2025, stick this in your ears on the train and arrive fully in the #medieval mood: curious, inventive and just slightly scandalised. And follow The Court Jester wherever you get your podcasts! 🎧https://open.spotify.com/show/1Do3IRSbyx0Ac1asD1RudD 📖BnF Fr. 25526, f. 111r.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Some fabliaux are about sex. Some are about power. This one is about a man who kisses a mysterious knight’s butt and doesn’t realise it’s his wife. “Bérangier au lonc cul” is all about status anxiety, gender performance and sexual frustration. youtu.be/nOSUexYEuso?... #fabliaux #medieval
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Whether you're travelling or already queueing for conference coffee in #IMC2025, I’ve got you. This month’s newsletter dives into the Bal des Ardents, to give you some perspective on the importance of Health and Safety in event planning. Sign up and read it on the way to Leeds: buff.ly/7n4XYfI
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Boivin had a purse full of lies and a knack for trouble. He scammed a brothel, sparked a riot and left with a payday. 🎧 New episode: open.spotify.com/show/1Do3IRS... 📖 Scene of a bathhouse, c. 1470. Berlin Staatsbibliothek, Ms. Dep. Breslau 2, vol. 2, fol. 244. #Medievalsky #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
The Book That Almost Vanished A story about medieval humour, academic publishing and a book that deserves a second chance
kleiopethainou.com
The Book That Almost Vanished
A story about medieval humour, academic publishing and a book that deserves a second chance
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
If you ever find yourself in Akşehir in July, you might witness a man in 13th-century robes riding backwards on a donkey, leading a cheerful procession through the city. Welcome to the world of Nasreddin Hodja. Read all about him on this month's Patreon:. buff.ly/CaAccYV #medievalsky #jesterlore
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Talking about my usual smutty medieval images at @prayticipate.bsky.social in @uniofstandrews.bsky.social and feeling like a rockstar. #medievalsky #medievalist #medievalistlife #conferenceseason #medievalhumour #deadseriousjokes #centnouvellesnouvelles
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Voted most likely to survive a medieval power vacuum. Evangelist John on Patmos, and marginal detail of rooster holding a sceptre in left foot. Book of Hours. France, Provence, ca. 1440-1450. Morgan Library, MS M.358, fol. 13r. #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
In this month’s Patreon, I chat with actor, writer and medievalist @debsca.bsky.social , whose one-woman show "Green Knight" has been casting its spell on audiences for nearly a decade. #Storytelling, subtext and subversion, all in one very green conversation. buff.ly/Yb1iBNk #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Sir Gawain and the #GreenKnight needs no introduction, and this week it's on #TheCourtJesterPodcast. Tune in as Debbie Cannon performs a fascinating excerpt from this masterpiece! Listen: buff.ly/BC6U6rz #KingArthur #Medievalsky #Arthuriana 📖 @britishlibrary.bsky.social , MS Cotton Nero AX2, f 95r
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
They came with pots, masks and loud noises. In medieval France, charivari was public shaming with a flair. Of Noise and (Mis)rule: Charivari, now on the blog. #MedievalSky #Folklore #History
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Of Noise and (Mis)rule: Charivari
Humour, Laughter and Community Ritual
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
What happens when Arthurian romance meets comic exaggeration and a hero who throws punches AND punchlines? Margaret Anne Purbrick explores the performative energy and humour of Jaufre in "Medieval Humour". Available via Trivent Publishing and JSTOR. buff.ly/h6pA4vW #Medievalsky #MedievalHumour
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
1,000 YouTube Listens! Apparently, over 1k of you voluntarily listened to medieval fart jokes and somehow didn’t flee the platform. I’m stunned, flattered and, frankly, alarmed. If you're not yet part of the medieval misrule...why? 🟥 Subscribe and Listen: buff.ly/3v8WiWD #medievalsky #storytelling
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Reposted by Kleio Pethainou
V.H.T. @v-h-t.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
#medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Just a little reminder that medieval literature contains a fabliau in which a curious girl fed a squirrel too many nuts, and the squirrel got queasy. Yes, it's all innuendo, and it is my absolute favourite fabliau of all time. 📖 britishlibrary.bsky.social‬, Add 42130, fol. 33r. #Medievalsky
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The Squirrel: A Tale of Curious Girls and Curious Creatures
When a sheltered young lady learns the forbidden word for a man's genitals, things quickly get nutty. Robin, a strapping lad with a wild imagination and an e...
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
“He who doesn’t know how to write doesn’t see the labor. Three fingers write, the whole body works. If you read this, pray for me.” Revisiting Lucie Doležalová's contrubution in 'Medieval Humour' and giggling: buff.ly/h6pA4vW 📖 @labnf.bsky.social , MS Latin 9561 fol. 81v. #medievalsky #manuscripts
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
New episode! It's the Real Housewives of the middle ages. The contest is on, the three contestants are ready and a ring is the prize. Morals are optional. 🎧 buff.ly/Odwm9hL 📖British Library, Sloane 2435, f. 44v. #Thecourtjesterpodcast #medievalsky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
Medieval emoji culture is real. I give you the itchiest inhabitants of the Book of Kells, because even in a Gospel, there’s room for a joke. I'm revisiting Donncha MacGabhann's chapter in 'Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions' and I am having great fun. #medievalsky #BookofKells
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
The first newsletter is out. It’s about the fabliau I couldn’t laugh at, and the moment I stopped mid-script and thought, “I can’t do this.” Subscribe to the blog and read it: buff.ly/yUs8seK 📖 BnF, RES-H-95. #Medievalsky #DigitalHumanities #Storytelling
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
This book on medieval humour came out over a year ago. Nobody noticed. That’s a shame. It’s actually hilarious. Let’s fix that. Read more or order here: buff.ly/fJXy4pf #MedievalStudies #MedievalTwitterRefugees #HistHumour
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Reposted by Kleio Pethainou
Ulrike Graßnick @ulrikegrassnick.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
This meeting could have been an email. #medievalsky @gallicabnf.bsky.social Français 12400, f. 1r
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
My first ever newsletter drops this week. It’s about the medieval story I couldn’t laugh at, and what to do with stories that hurt more than they amuse. Get it by subscribing on the website or Patreon-link in bio. 📖 Beinecke MS.229, F. 326 #Medievalsky #Humour #Storytelling #DigitalHumanities
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Can confirm, this works.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Dane Hew of Leicester: It’s Basically "Weekend at Bernie’s"! Seduced, murdered, re-killed, hanged and strapped to a horse. Still not the worst monk in fabliau history. 🔗 Listen: buff.ly/98yK9vt 🎧 Bonus chat: buff.ly/qn4f2GG Blog link in bio. #medievalsky #storytelling #fabliaux
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Patreon special: a gloriously ridiculous geek-out with @slatteroo.bsky.social‬ about what medieval people found funny, alongside some humour theory, York court records, impotence laws, and some wonderful archival stories for dessert. 🔗 buff.ly/fCJKoHw #HumourTheory #HumorResearch #MedievalSky
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
What makes something funny? What used to make people laugh? What still does, and what doesn’t anymore? This month’s blog post dives into humour theories. If you’ve ever wondered “Was I supposed to laugh at that?”, this one’s for you. 🔗 buff.ly/8lmCcxH #MedievalHumour #HumorTheory #HumorResearch
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Excuse me while i kill the joke
Much like a frog, dissecting humour will destroy it. Or will it?
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Leia Taillefur @leiataillefur.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
#OTD 1182 the altar of Notre Dame de Paris was consecrated.In 1160 Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris,laid the 1st stone to replace the church of St Étienne in the new "Gothic" style initiated by Abbot Suger at St Denis.The pope laid the cornerstone in 1163.The cathedral was completed btw 1250-1350.
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
🎙️ New episode! Guest #storyteller @slatteroo.bsky.social revives the story of Dane Hew of Leicester, a wild medieval tale of crime, chaos, and one very unfortunate friar. Bonus chats on Patreon: buff.ly/fCJKoHw 🎧 buff.ly/K1jdI9m #Medievalsky #Storytelling #MiddleAges #TheCourtJesterPodcast
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Kleio Pethainou @kpethainou.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
New book on the way! This one is about medieval stories that refuse to stay put. It brings together scholars from art history, literature, performance and digital humanities to look at stories that shapeshift, speak back, and still catch fire. #medievalsky #storytelling #medievalstudies
kleiopethainou.com
Medieval Stories that Refuse to Sit Still
And a new book is on the way…
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