What if the entire universe wasn’t a cold, meaningless void—but a divine symphony of crystal spheres, angels, and enchanted landscapes? In this video, we explore the astonishing worldview of medieval man: from cosmic maps and music of the spheres to belief in fairies, goblins, demons, and dog-headed kings.
Medieval people didn’t just imagine the universe—they built it with faith, folklore, and wonder. You’ll discover how they made sense of the cosmos, the supernatural creatures they believed lurked at the edges of the Earth, and why modern life might be starving your imagination.
Forget what science says for a second—come walk in the shoes of someone who saw magic in everything.
Topics covered:
Medieval cosmology and crystal spheres
Angels, demons, and the “music of the spheres”
Fairies, goblins, and the Longaevi
Exotic creatures and medieval travel myths
What we lost when the world became “explained”
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro: Why Modern Life Feels Empty
0:53 - The Ordered Medieval Cosmos
1:59 - Music of the Spheres & Celestial Harmony
2:28 - A Universe Full of Meaning and Wonder
3:46 - Fairies, Goblins, and Spirits in Everyday Life
4:10 - Mythical Creatures in Medieval Literature
7:23 - The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
9:34 - Prester John and the Blurring of Myth and Reality
10:22 - The Loss of Medieval Imagination
11:15 - Finding Wonder in the Modern World
Works Cited:
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Translated by Nevill Coghill, Penguin Classics, 2003.
C. S. Lewis. The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
Dante Alighieri. Paradiso. Translated by Allen Mandelbaum, Bantam Books, 1986.
Gervase of Tilbury. Otia Imperialia: Recreation for an Emperor. Edited and translated by S. E. Banks and J. W. Binns, Clarendon Press, 2002.
Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Mandeville, John. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Translated by C.W.R.D. Moseley, Penguin Classics, 2005.
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