The Canterbury Fails

Old English Daniel: Minds Destroyed - Belshazzar's and Matt and David's

Jan 17, 2026
Dive into a world of Old English poetry as Matt and David unravel the complexities of the Junius Manuscript. Discover the engaging interplay between Nebuchadnezzar's dreams and tyrannical imagery. They explore how misreading signs can lead to tyranny while affirming divine power. Enjoy a tantalizing cocktail recipe that brings tiki vibes to the discussion, and engage in discussions comparing biblical texts to epic tales like Beowulf. All this, intertwined with a spirited critique of authority and the role of poetry in shaping political imagination!
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Narrative Focus Over Prophecy

  • The Old English Daniel reframes the Book of Daniel to emphasize narrative over prophecy and spotlights tyrants Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar instead of Daniel.
  • This shift produces a poem about power and misrule rather than theological prophecy.
INSIGHT

Textual Complexity And Early Dating

  • The Azarias section exists independently in the Exeter Book, suggesting shared sources or reuse across manuscripts.
  • Linguistic and metrical evidence may date the poem earlier, possibly as far back as the 8th century.
ANECDOTE

Tiki Suffering Bastard For The Furnace Scene

  • David Coley brought a tiki Suffering Bastard cocktail tied to Nebuchadnezzar's furnace episode and lit it on fire for spectacle.
  • The drink is a rum-forward Mai Tai variant with orgeat, lime, and a flaming citrus wheel.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app