Warrior princesses. Gender-bending Vikings. Nuns who were writing about orgasms and writing world-class music. This week, Dr. Janina Ramirez is taking us back to the 400s—and introducing us to the baddies of the Middle Ages. What did people think about abortions? Did Vikings really wear horned helmets? And why is this period anything but a dark age?

Dr. Janina Ramirez is a cultural historian, broadcaster and author based at the University of Oxford. Her research began with a degree in English literature at Oxford, followed by an MA and PhD at the Centre for Medieval Studies in York on the art, literature and culture of Anglo-Saxon England.

Her book Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It is available now!

You can follow Dr. Ramirez on Instagram and Twitter @DrJaninaRamirez.

Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.

Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.

Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn.

Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall.

Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices