01: A Gather of Gatherings Begins – Collective Nouns and Creative Curiosity

Why is it a murder of crows? A dazzle of zebras? A rhumba of rattlesnakes?
Welcome to A Gather of Gatherings, a poetic, playful, and story-rich podcast exploring the curious world of collective nouns—and the surprising stories they unlock.

In this introductory episode, host Kellie Raines invites you into the heart of the show: where grammar meets folklore, where language spirals into wonder, and where imagination is very much encouraged.

You’ll hear how a single odd phrase—like a kettle of hawks or a mob of meerkats—can become a launching point into nature, culture, creative nonfiction, fictional interviews, sound-rich storytelling, and more.

Whether you're a word nerd, a nature lover, a history buff, or simply curious about how we name and narrate the world—we’re so glad you’ve gathered here. 

Show Notes

Host, Producer, Writer: Kellie Raines

Interviewees

Kate Marden, Founder and Owner of West Coast Falconry
Dame Julianna Berners, portrayed by Kelley Ogden (fictional interview)

If I Were a Hawk Writers/Voices (in order of appearance)
Each person below wrote and voiced their own “If I Were a Hawk…” content

Leah Daugherty

Music

Music courtesy of Melodie Music.

Melodie Music Subscription: Pro Plan, Lifetime

Title: Acoustic Minor Swing Artist: Bill Palmer; Composers: Palmer William John (APRA: 00536259538) 100% Publisher: Melodie Music Pty Ltd (APRA: 865412820) 100% CAT ID MEL331_03_1 ISRC AU-NZK-20-01874 Release year: 2020
https://melod.ie/track-details/1647-acoustic-minor-swing 

Sound Effects
SoundSnap (pro subscription)

Referenced Resources or Links

Special Thanks
David, Alice, Colleen, Rose, Shawn, Agnes, Olivia, Shannon, and the Witches

Transcript

A Gather of Gatherings: Collective Nouns and Creative Curiosity – Ep 01

[music]

[00:00:00] Kellie: A murder of crows. A dazzle of zebras. A prickle of porcupines. Wait, a what of a what? Yeah. These are collective nouns. And this is A Gather of Gatherings, where we unravel the peculiar, charming, and charismatically poetic world of collective nouns. And use them as a launchpad to explore language, story, culture, curiosity, and what it means to be human. 

[sound of crows]

[00:00:33] Kellie: Why is it a murder of crows? Are they plotting something sinister or just murmuring mysteries in the maple trees at dusk? Why do we call it a bloom of jellyfish? Is it because they drift like underwater flowers, gently pulsing in a romantic breeze, waiting to be pollinated by blowfish? And why, oh why do rattlesnakes dance in a rhumba? Are they wearing tiny sequins we can't see? Mm-hmm. These are important questions. We look for answers here. And who decided all of this anyway? Was there some secret society of linguistic nobles, a perplexity of poets perhaps doling out names, like an aristocratic round of Mad Libs?

[00:01:16] Kellie: Because if so, I'd very much like a seat at that table and a sip of what they were drinking or a nibble of what they were noshing. These aren't just words, they're stories, they're magical spells, they're poetry, they're tiny narrative time machines. Each phrase a portal into the animal world, into language, into us.

[00:01:36] Shawn: It's really quite a sight. Very, very beautiful and intimidating all at once. 

[00:01:40] Kellie: But also they are like little dinosaurs and like holding this bird on your arm and looking at it and, and, okay, it's not gonna eat my face. And we're these two living things on the planet at the same time having this moment, like what? I was blown away. 

[00:01:54] Kellie: Every episode we'll explore a collective noun subject. We won't just talk about the phrase itself. We'll dive deep into the creatures and characters behind the names. For example, our first episode is A Kettle of Hawks. In it, we explore hawks and what they mean to our ecosystems, language, and culture, and we'll sit down with a master falconer to talk about these fierce feathered marvels and the ancient practice of falconry.

[00:02:20] Kellie: What was the first bird that landed on your arm? 

[00:02:23] Kate: Oh yeah, it was probably Maggie that the bird at the Renaissance Faire. 

[00:02:26] Kellie: Wow. 

[00:02:27] Kate: You know she was uh uh Harris's Hawk. Yeah, it was probably Maggie. The first bird I ever held on my arm was probably Socrates. He was an old Eagle Owl. But the biggest moment is when I trapped my first red tail, and then I've got this baby dragon on my glove and this– Oh my God, this is so cool. 

[00:02:45] Kellie: Future episodes will feature a rhumba of rattlesnakes and so much more, perhaps even a raft of sea lions, a parade of elephants, a parliament of owls, a shush of librarians probably telling those hooting owls to keep it down. The words may be quirky, but the stories behind them are anything but boring.

[00:03:08] Kellie: And what is this snake's name? 

[00:03:09] Amy: This snake's name is Tesoro. 

[00:03:11] Kellie: Tesoro. 

[00:03:12] Amy: Mm-hmm. Means treasure. 

[00:03:14] Kellie: Treasure. 

[00:03:15] Amy: So... 

[00:03:15] Kellie: Oh, my goodness. 

[00:03:16] Amy: I've got her in the bucket there. Tesoro's a little bit on the shy side. 

[00:03:20] Kellie: That's okay. I'm good with Tesoro being shy. I'm totally fine with that. 

[00:03:27] Amy: There it is. 

[sound of rattlesnake rattling]

[00:03:28] Kellie: Holy moly. That is musical. That is a dance.

[00:03:35] Kellie: In addition to conversations with expert guests from a formula of scientists to lore of storytellers, you'll also hear fictional interviews with historical figures and maybe even an animal or two. What would Dame Juliana Berners, the 15th-century nun who helped shape the earliest printed list of collective nouns, say if she could join us in the studio?

[00:03:55] Kellie: Spoiler. She does. 

[00:03:58] Dame Juliana Berners: As I have known hawks of my time, kings reigned over tiercels. A handsome creature, as you know, full well. The first time I was gallivanting out in a field and the tiercel came right over to me and I knew. Ah, it must make me a king. 

[00:04:19] Kellie: And what would an elephant sound like in an interview? 

[elephant roars]

[00:04:24] Kellie: What would a rat sound like on a date?

[00:04:27] Kellie: Actually, I know many of you can probably readily answer that one. This podcast plays with time, imagination, and tone, mixing fact, creativity, and a healthy dose of discovery. 

[hawk screeching]

[00:04:42] Hawk – Jessica: If I were a hawk, I would fly as high as my wings could possibly take me to get a true bird's eye view of the world. 

[00:04:50] Kellie: Language has always been about connection. Whether we're talking about a kettle of hawks, an embarrassment of pandas, or a leap of leopards, these phrases are more than tongue-twisting trivia. They're tiny windows into how we think, how we feel, and how we gather with each other, with language and with the natural world. Known as collective nouns or poetically terms of venery, these quirky group names once roamed the pages of medieval hunting guides.

[00:05:21] Kellie: Pastimes reserved mostly for the noble, the wealthy, and the very, very elite. Posh posh. Today, we might also call them nouns of assembly or simply group terms, but whatever the label, they carry something far deeper than grammar. They hold story. Metaphor, mischief, memory, and magic. And best of all, now they belong to everyone, not just the aristocrats, the scholars, or the keepers of old books, but to the curious, the creative, the classroom daydreamers, the storytellers, the astronomers, the healers. The coffee drinkers who crochet gnomes at night. The kids who whisper poems to pigeons. 

[00:06:07] Kellie: These words are yours. Ours. Free to speak, to reshape, to wonder aloud. You know, in a world that may try to quiet you, wonder always finds a way to sing. They may gate the libraries and shift the margins, but your curiosity still turns the pages and freedom and expression and understanding take shape. And who knows, maybe it can all start with a waddle of penguins or a romp of otters, or a conspiracy of kittens. Shhh. I think I just made that last one up. I'm not sure, but I like it. So, let's explore together. Let's chase the stories, meet the voices, real and imagined, and discover just how much wonder is hidden in a single strange little phrase.

[00:06:55] Kellie: And let's gather and connect through the power of story. 

[00:06:59] Kellie: So, Shawn and I just took your basic falconry lesson, this morning, and I've always been afraid of birds. And that moment though, when Diego landed on my hand, I felt a little bit bigger than life too because he's such a powerful little baby dragon and it was the most wonderful experience I've ever had.

[00:07:15] Kellie: So, I have to thank you for that. 

[00:07:17] Kate: Sure. Why, what, what makes you have you, did you have a bad experience, a goose bit you with some... 

[00:07:21] Kellie: Parakeet and I would love to get into my hair. 

[00:07:23] Kate: Uh huh. 

[00:07:24] Kellie: And I just felt like I couldn't control the situation, and it could do what it wanted, but I couldn't, 'cause I didn't wanna hurt it. So ever since that I'm like, oh, they're gonna eat my face and they're going to take all my hair. 

[00:07:36] Kate: You're gonna steal my hair and build a nest. 

[00:07:37] Kellie: So, but you made the experience feel so safe. Like, 'cause you educated us, and you told us what you, and I mean, Shawn can attest to this. It was, it was magic. 

[00:07:47] Kate: Good. 

[00:07:48] Kellie: I'm Kellie. And this is “A Gather of Gatherings,” where your curiosity is contagious, and your imagination always has a seat at the table. Like, follow, and share the show wherever you collect your podcasts and listen and linger. Check out our first episode, “A Kettle of Hawks,” and if a collective noun has ever made your heart skip, your brain buzz, or your tongue twist, I wanna know. 

[00:08:14] Kellie: Until next time, what's your favorite collective noun? Go on, I'm listening.

[music]