Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by John Wyatt Greenlee to dive into the surprising history of one slippery creature—the eel. Once a delicacy, currency, contraband, and even a spiritual symbol, this elusive fish finally gets its moment in the spotlight. You’ll never look at eels the same way again.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introductions
1:49 - What is a cartographic historian?
4:15 - How did maps lead you to eels?
12:30 - Eels are everywhere!
13:49 - What is an eel?
21:35 - The mystery of eel reproduction
27:46 - Factors of eels becoming critically endangered
30:41 - The effect of eels being yucky
35:02 - Eels as a currency
47:16 - Fast food jellied eels
48:59 - Eels in identity: eels in family crests and cultural heritage
51:43 - From dissertation to publication
54:30 - An eel story
58:02 - Where do we go to see the eels?!?!
1:09:15 - Where you can find John
EPISODE LINKS:
John Wyatt Greenlee - https://www.jwgreenlee.net/
Surprised Eel Mapping - https://surprisedeelmaps.com/
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/greenleejw.bsky.social
Eels - https://www.britannica.com/animal/eel
Sargasso Sea - https://www.britannica.com/place/Sargasso-Sea
Jellied Eels - https://youtu.be/sl0uZTzBTP8?si=yteJ2PFM-vLith9y
Aristotle and eels - https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/27172/20200904/why-aristotle-freud-many-others-fascinated-european-eels.htm
Hildegard of Bingen - https://www.historytoday.com/archive/natural-histories/sexual-eeling
Henry Mayhew - https://theausteritykitchen.com/2009/10/09/from-costermonger-eel-pie-html/
Anglo-Dutch Wars - https://www.britannica.com/event/Anglo-Dutch-Wars
Rachel Carson, Under the Sea Wind - https://archive.org/details/underseawind00rach;https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-sea-wind-rachel-carson/1100214057
Ely, England - https://www.visitely.org.uk/
Ely’s Eel Day - https://www.visitcambridge.org/event/elys-eel-day/
PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: 2c4hpod.com
Apple Podcasts:
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Spotify:
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Full episodes playlist:
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