Fantastic Beasts
Medieval Bestiaries
Guests: Elizabeth Morrison, Senior Curator of Manuscripts, J. Paul Getty Museum; Larisa Grollemond, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, J. Paul Getty Museum
Unicorns and griffins and dragons galore! What can we learn about the Middle Ages from their depictions of real-life and fictional beasts?
The Only Thing Stranger than a Medieval Bestiary Is a Modern One
Guest: Caspar Henderson, author, "A New Map of Wonders: A Journey in Search of Modern Marvels," and "The Book of Barely Imagined Beings: A 21st Century Bestiary"
The animals we know of today are every bit as extraordinary as those imagined in medieval bestiaries, but they're real, and we have a responsibility to protect these living fantastical beasts. Our sense of wonder must be tempered with a sense of responsibility, according to Henderson.