Moby Dick: Legends, Fairy Dreams, & a Peg Leg

Chapters 25-31

We are back after an unexpected break! I am so sorry about the delay!

While I was away, I learned a little bit about audio editing and got some new equipment. I apologize for the difference in audio quality this episode, but it should be better going forward.

Let's learn about the adventures of Ichabod Paddock: both realistic and fantastical. Was he really a whaler? Was he seduced by the sea?

Let's meet our officers and Ahab! We have finally sighted whales and things are about to be under way...

Enjoy our in depth analysis, learn about some vocabulary, and the influence of a fairy queen!

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Sources:

Melville, Herman. Moby Dick or The White Whale. 1851. Ebook ed., Project Gutenberg, Original Release 2001. Most Recent Update 2026. www.gutenberg.org

Philbrick, Nathaniel. Why Read Moby-Dick?. Ebook ed., Penguin Group, 2011.

"Herman Melville - Unappreciated and Almost Forgotten - Biography." YouTube, uploaded by Professor Graeme Yorston, 7 Mar. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYG6u7quOSU

"Nantucket - A Film by Ric Burns." YouTube, Uploaded by nantucket history, 29 Oct. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NRGe4SHOcs Accessed 24 May 2026.

Philbrick, Nathaniel. "How Nantucket Came to be the Whaling Capitol of the World." Smithsonian Magazine. December 2015. smithsonianmag.com/history/nantucket-came-to-be-whaling-capitol-of-the-world-1809571981 Accessed 28 May 2026.

"Legends & Myths - The Legend of Old Crook Jaw." Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. hsoy.org/legends, Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Muise, Peter. "Sex, Whales, and Witchcraft: The Legend of Ichabod Paddock." New England Folklore, 21 May 2017. newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2017/05/sex-whales-and-witchcraft-legend-of.html Accessed 28 May 2026

Karttunen, Frances. "What did James Loper and Ichabod Paddock Contribute to the development of the Nantucket whaling industry?" Nantucket Historical Association. nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/james-loper-and-ichabod-paddock-contribute-to-nantucket-whaling-industry/ Accessed 9 Jul 2026.

"Queen Mab." Chasing Flukes. chasingflukes.com/reading_guide-overview/glossary-contents/31queen-mab Accessed 11 Jul. 2026