Now it’s too late for you and your white horse. What do white horses, foxes, vultures, and wolves all have in common? They all show up in our favorite Taylor Swift songs! This week, we’re looking to understand how Taylor Swift uses animals in her lyrics, through the lens of animal studies! Jenn takes us back to medieval times to help us understand the origins of the white horse and what that means for “White Horse” (Fearless, 2008). Then Jodi talks to us about the many connotations associated with foxes and vultures, which are referenced in “I know places,” (1989, 2014). And finally, Maansi talks us through the song “Daylight” (Lover, 2014) where there are implications of the animalistic concept of hibernation, and also references to wolves. 



Mentioned in this episode: 
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling 
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein 
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm 
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Hercules the Disney film
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (the film) 
BBC’s In Our Time - Chivalry episode 
BBC’s You’re Dead to Me 
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Le Morte D’Artur by Sir Thomas Malory
Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart by Chretien de Troyes
The Templar Knights by Dan Jones 
Alison Weir Books  
Zootopia 
Mary Poppins 
Brer Rabbit
Disney’s Robin Hood
The Dark Knight 
Spiderman 
Beowulf 
The Wolf of Wall Street
Twilight 
Once Upon a Time 
Little Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm
The Three Little Pigs




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Episode Highlights: 
Show and tell example: 
[01:12] Introduction to Animal Studies
[03:36] White horses in “White Horse,” Fearless, 2008
[23:05] Foxes & vultures in “I know places,” 1989, 2014 
[38:19] Wolves in “Daylight,” Lover, 2019
 
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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.