Shows
Vikingology PodcastNorse Mythology for Smaht PeopleThis time on the podcast we laughed a lot with Rowdy Geirsson, the author of several books and articles based in the Viking Age, both its history and mythology. Like us, Rowdy is an American who has a passion for the Norse — he even spoke to us from Sweden where he is soaking up local viking history for the month.So, what do Boston, Snorri Sturluson, warriors, Leif Eriksson, Óðin’s bird poop of wisdom, and getting sucked into black holes in the Vikingverse have in common? Watch the interview and find out!You can follow...2025-05-101h 09
Vikingology PodcastLaw & Order: Viking EditionEveryone knows that Viking Age Scandinavia was a barbaric and lawless place, right? With all that stealing, killing, property destruction, and selling of people into slavery, who else could get away with all that mayhem if not people with a complete disregard for law and order? Well, if that’s your view of the viking world, we’ve got news for you. In this episode we chat with Professor and Dr. Alexandra Sanmark of the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, an expert in all things legal and judicial in Viking Age society. Turn...2025-05-041h 10
Vikingology PodcastCatching up with C.J. and TerriGóðan Daginn, Bonjour, and Hello!This post is a quick update for our subscribers. Learn about our new projects and podcast guest teases for May. There’s lots of good Viking stuff coming up.Thanks for reading, watching, and listening. We appreciate your support!You’ll find C.J.’s Substack here.You´ll find Terri´s Substack here.And lots of good stuff for Viking and medieval nerds on Medievalists.net, including information about Terri’s online Viking history courses.Skál! Get...2025-04-2325 min
Vikingology PodcastForgotten VikingsIn this episode we have one of our most wide-ranging conversations yet, and if you follow us at all you’ll know that’s saying something because we are very prone to ranging wide!We chat with Alex Harvey, an archaeologist from Yorkshire, England, who has written several books on medieval history. But we wanted to hear all about his Forgotten Vikings which was published in the U.K. in 2024 but is just now reaching audiences in the U.S. in 2025. Alex’s book and research had us asking many questions — What is the meaning of “Viki...2025-04-051h 24
Vikingology PodcastViking Blood and BladeWhen one of Peter Gibbons’ book reviews reads, “A great read full of blood and gore,” you know you’re in for an interesting ride! And so it was that we had a great ride (and time) talking with Peter about his best-selling book series set in the Viking and Saxon worlds: The Saxon Warrior and Viking Blood & Blade Saga. Peter is not only a prolific writer but a very accomplished one as well, winning the highly coveted Kindle Storyteller Award in 2022 for his book King of War. He lives in Ireland, but was born in the north of...2025-03-151h 17
Vikingology PodcastIcelandic Magic and Aliens?Do you believe in elves or magic spells? In Iceland those things have been part of the traditional folklore for a very long time. To learn about what that meant, and continues to mean, we spoke with experts in Old Norse religion and folk beliefs Kári Pálsson and Giorgia Sottotetti. They worked together on a new book, The Galdrabók: Forbidden Icelandic folk magic with Hyldyr, a small, independent publisher in Washington State that has also published other books on related themes.This episode was a bit of a spooky one for Terri. As a res...2025-02-221h 14
Vikingology PodcastA new book looks at inclusivity and extremism in modern Paganism and its connection to the Viking worldThis time we sat down with Ross Downing to talk about the new book he co-wrote and edited with Kaarina Aitamurto, Germanic and Slavic Paganisms: Security Threats and Resiliency, which through a collection of essays looks at the various ways the Viking past is interpreted and misinterpreted in modern Paganism. Ross has an extensive academic and professional background in the study of religions and Old Norse mythology as well as in investigating right wing extremism’s misuse of them. In this interview, we talk about the background of modern Paganism and how it is deeply rooted in th...2025-02-121h 31
Vikingology PodcastThe Vikings in PolandWe are delighted to welcome back to the show Dr habil. Leszek Gardeła. It’s been two years since our last conversation with him, and so we were excited to get a chance to speak with him again and hear about his new book The Vikings in Poland (hardback now available, paperback to be released soon). Leszek is a Polish archaeologist, so this history is personal for him, and this book has been a long time in the making. But thankfully he undertook the task of researching and writing it, for it finally brings to light an often-neglected but...2025-01-291h 22
Vikingology PodcastIn Search of the Great Viking ArmyThe search for the Great Viking Army is both literal and figurative. For years, scholars have tried to answer the questions surrounding this supposed “army” — What, exactly, was it? How big was it? Who fought in it? Who commanded it, and what were their goals? In this episode we welcome back friend of the show archaeologist Tom Horne to help us answer these questions and understand the exciting ways our knowledge of the Great Army is changing. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between a Viking raider and a Viking army warrior was, this episode has you covered...2025-01-031h 21
Vikingology PodcastMonarchs and HydrarchsWhat comes to your mind when you think of Vikings? If it’s a bunch of hairy thugs in boats with swords and axes coming to steal your things, you are only partially correct. In this chat with Dr. Christian Cooijmans we found out that Viking activity in Francia — which encompassed a large swath of Continental Europe 1,200 years ago — was a much more sophisticated and calculated affair than anyone has previously thought.Through investigating various sources which document Viking activity across the realm, Chris paints a picture of Vikings as economic actors with a level of business acumen...2024-12-131h 20
Vikingology PodcastBro, you wanna be a Viking?...Have you ever thought, like really thought, about what it would be like if you took a time machine to the Viking Age? Where would you get food? How do you make clothes? What do you brush your teeth with, or do you brush them at all? And what on earth do you do without cellphones and the internet? Our guests today know firsthand the answer to all these questions and more.This time we had the privilege of sitting down with Kevin Alexandrowicz and Devon Rawlings, both members of Járnborg Vikings, a chapter i...2024-11-171h 16
Get PlayedViking Games with “The Viking Professor” Terri BarnesHeather's former professor and medievalist historian Terri Barnes joins Matt, Heather & Nick to discuss vikings and viking based video games, how accurate they are to history, and more! What we're playing: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Balatro and Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania. Check out the podcast Terri co-hosts called Vikingology: The Art and Science of the Viking Age and her Youtube channel Shieldmaiden in the Kitchen. This month's We Play, You Play: Metaphor ReFantazio!Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @getplayedpod.Music by Ben Prunty benpruntymusic.com.Art by Duck Brigade duckbri...2024-11-111h 44
Vikingology PodcastOh, the humanity!This time we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Eleanor Barraclough to the show. We nerded out in a previous episode about her book Beyond the Northlands: Viking Voyages and the Old Norse Sagas, which is a great read we highly recommend, so we were very excited to speak with Eleanor about her new book Embers of the Hands: The Hidden Histories of the Viking Age.In the new book, she delves into all kinds of evidence, both written and archaeological, to try and find the little bits of “gold” from the Viking Age past — you know, those bits t...2024-10-191h 28
Vikingology PodcastNews and MusingsIt’s been a minute, but Terri and C.J. are finally back together, so in this episode it’s time for life updates from Vikingology.First up, Happy Birthday! We were both born on September 18, so shout out to us for recently completing another turn around the sun.Terri is just back from Iceland, while C.J. is preparing to move to France. We talk about the Viking connection to both places including Terri tricking friend of the show Reynir into helping uncover a stone ship setting (which he didn’t mind too much) and fi...2024-09-2859 min
Vikingology PodcastBurning Down the House"Let us burn him house and all," said Mord.Then they took the vetch-stack and set fire to it, and they who were inside were not aware of it till the whole hall was ablaze over their heads.Then Flosi and his men made a great pile before each of the doors, and then the women folk who were inside began to weep and to wail. Njal’s saga, chapters 76 and 128This time on the podcast we are thrilled to welcome back William Short and Reynir Óskarson of Hurstwic. The...2024-07-311h 02
Vikingology PodcastThe Irish vs. Vikings: The Battle of ClontarfWe are so happy and excited to welcome Professor Clare Downham back to the show. If you didn’t catch our first episode with her, you should. We had a great chat about lots of Viking, historical, and philosophical stuff.But this time we decided to do something a little different and engage in a bit of storytelling. Since Clare is one of the world’s leading experts on Vikings in Ireland, we asked her to tell us about one of the most important battles in Irish history, The Battle of Clontarf in 1014 — a battle much beloved and re...2024-06-171h 13
Vikingology PodcastWere Vikings the founders of Russia??For much of the English-speaking world, the “Viking Age” ostensibly got its start with the infamous raid on Lindisfarne in A.D. 793. But did you know by that time there was already a half century of Viking activity in the East in what is now the Baltic States and all the way south to Ukraine?And did you also know that they may even have laid the foundation for what is now Russia?In this episode we wanted to learn a bit more about those eastern Vikings — known there as the Rus, and an elite subset...2024-06-021h 06
Vikingology Podcast"A Base Camp on the Moon"Move over Christopher Columbus. Leif Eriksson got there first.To celebrate our 30th episode we’ve pulled out all the stops! We are finally getting to talk about the Norse in North America during the Viking Age. If you’re into Vikings, you probably know they made contact almost 500 years before any other Europeans, touching down and creating a small settlement in what is now L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada. So far, it’s the only Norse settlement that’s ever been found on the continent. And thanks to new science we know it was built in the yea...2024-05-251h 17
Vikingology PodcastWhat if we gave a TED talk about Vikings?...This time on the podcast C. J. and Terri muse about what a TED talk on Vikings might look like. We get philosophical — as we often do — about how people engage with the Viking Age past and history in general, and we try to thread the needle between our tendency to overly romanticize Vikings with our need to acknowledge that some pre-modern ways of life could actually be antidotes to the stresses of our modern existence. Heady stuff.But just when you think we might be overthinking things, we also laugh a lot and somehow end up talk...2024-04-101h 00
Vikingology PodcastEntering the VikingverseI shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. Robert FrostFor an exciting change of pace we sat down with Ian Stuart Sharpe, the creative mind behind the multifaceted Vikingverse, an alternate world where Viking history plays out, shall we say, a bit differently than in your uni textbook.From comics and novels to tutorials for learning “modern” Old No...2024-03-151h 19
Vikingology PodcastRemembering Not to ForgetIf you’re a fan of the show, you’ll remember our fascinating chat last year with Mathias Nordvig. He’s an expert in Norse mythology, folklore, and the Nordic Story World. Some people may think that those myths are just cool, fanciful stories about the exploits of gods like Odin and Thor or creatures like dwarfs and giants meant simply to entertain and pass the time on those long Scandinavian winter’s nights. But in this new episode, we dove deep into Mathias’ research about why that wasn’t the case for Viking Age people and why it shoul...2024-03-021h 34
Vikingology PodcastAge of Wolf and WindBrothers must battle one another,become each other’s slayer,and sisters’ sons will sever the bonds of kinship.There will be hardship in the world and much whoredom,axe-age, sword-age, shields smashed to pieces,wind-age, wolf-age, until the world falls,no man will spare another.Völuspá, stanza 45. Translation by Mathias Nordvig.This time on the podcast, archaeologist, historian, and friend of the show Davide Zori of Baylor University is back for a third time to share his new bo...2024-02-231h 13
Vikingology PodcastVikings, then and nowSo far, 2024 has been exciting for us at Vikingology, and our good fortunes continue with this chat we had with Professor Clare Downham of the University of Liverpool. She is the leading scholar in the world regarding Vikings in Ireland, but as you’ll see we talked about much, much more.From what drove Clare to study medieval Ireland in particular to issues of gender and ethnicity both then and now, we ran the gamut. And when you get three historians together, there’s bound to be a philosophical twist regarding how we interpret and engage with the...2024-01-271h 24
Vikingology PodcastFrom Heathen to Heaven...This time we had the very great privilege and pleasure of welcoming Dr. Anders Winroth to the show for our first episode on one of the most important game changers in the Viking Age Nordic world — the introduction and acceptance of the Christian faith in Scandinavia. The Vikings would never be the same.Anders is one of the world’s foremost scholars on medieval Christianity. He is currently faculty at the University of Oslo after spending several years at Yale University and has published widely about the topic and about Vikings, so we knew he was the righ...2024-01-221h 22
Vikingology PodcastThe Most Iconic Viking Ships EverThis time we had the lovely opportunity to sit down with Ellen Marie Næss, an archaeologist and lecturer at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway. She is someone very passionate about Viking ships and has worked for many years at Oslo’s famous Vikingskipshuset which houses three important ships from the Viking Age: the Tune, Gokstad, and the Oseberg.Each of these ships has important stories to tell about the Viking Age, and they are in process of getting a new home in which to tell them. If you’ve ever had the good fortu...2023-12-141h 08
Vikingology PodcastThe Story of the Vikings is the Story of UsIf you know anything about the study of the Viking Age or have listened to our podcast this year, the name Søren Sindbæk will not be foreign to you. A Danish archaeologist and professor at Aarhus University, Søren has been researching and writing about Vikings for many years, particularly about the maritime trade networks and towns that proliferated during the Viking Age. Sure, the Vikings were often farmers, but the urban centers were really where the action was. Søren is also the project coordinator of the Northern Emporium Project, which since 2017 has been exca...2023-12-061h 38
Vikingology PodcastThe Business Habits of Highly Successful VikingsThis time we dive into the economics of the Viking world by chatting with Dr. Tom Horne, an archaeologist and historian in Glasgow, Scotland, who specializes in Viking trade networks. The nuts and bolts of commerce may not sound like the sexiest topic, but we certainly had a laugh and learned a thing or two. Contrary to what most people think about Vikings, it turns out where business tactics were concerned they did some pretty “un-viking” things.Tom’s work focuses on market “kingdoms” and the silver trade which he writes about in his 2021 book A Viking Market Kin...2023-10-211h 14
Vikingology PodcastTerri's Search for Vikings in Denmark: An UpdateIf you saw our recent post about Terri heading to Denmark in search of Vikings, you may be wondering what she found. Wonder no more! In this Vikingology Podcast episode, C.J. and Terri talk about the places that resonated the most for her, all of which she has been teaching about for years but never got to experience firsthand until now.First up, Terri discusses the Ladby Ship on the island of Fyn — a burial mound experience like no other. Extremely impressive, but also visceral in the way it transported her back to the Viking Age. ...2023-09-091h 00
Vikingology PodcastViolence and the Viking Warrior IdealAfter a 6-week hiatus, Terri and C.J. are finally back together for this podcast with a guest we have been looking forward to speaking with for a long time, Dr. Ben Raffield of Uppsala University. Ben is an archaeologist who also thinks like a historian and anthropologist in his approach to researching conflict, military organization, violence, and warrior culture during the Late Iron Age in Scandinavia, that period many of us know as the “Viking Age.”Was the Viking world a place rife with violence? What forms might it take? Who was allowed to commit violent acts...2023-09-031h 29
Vikingology PodcastViking Philosophy 101This time on the podcast we had the very great pleasure of exploring the Viking mind with Dr. Mathias Nordvig, a Nordic myth and folklore scholar from the University of Colorado Boulder. Arguably, for most of us when we think of “Norse mythology,” what comes to mind may be the sagas or visions of Odin and Thor, or maybe Freyja, thanks to the popularization of these things by people like game creators or the Marvel Universe. But what do those figures or stories tell us about how Nordic people viewed their world? Can we inhabit the headspace of a...2023-07-221h 28
Vikingology PodcastA Tiny Island with BIG Viking Age HistoryThis time on the podcast we head east to Gotland, a small island off the coast of Sweden in the Baltic Sea. Our tour guide is author Octavia Randolph, a wonderfully charming person who has made Gotland her adopted home.Did you know that Gotland is the site of the largest Viking silver hoard ever found? Or that so many Arabic silver dirham coins were buried there by Vikings that rabbits literally unearth them when digging their warrens? Or that it is where the majority of Viking Age picture stones are found? If you know anything about...2023-07-081h 07
Vikingology PodcastFor Those Who Wish to Go "a viking"At Vikingology we like to ponder the various ways that people access and interact with the Viking Age past. C.J. writes historical fiction about it, Terri teaches about it at college and university, and our guests all have their own unique ways of experiencing it. And so it is no different in this episode where we interview Gabe Martin, leader of the historical reenactment group Timberhaven Vikings, based in Portland, Oregon.We wanted to understand why some people choose to learn and share information about the Vikings by becoming one. We talked with Gabe about the...2023-06-301h 05
Vikingology PodcastSlavic Vikings?We know the Vikings traveled far and wide and that they had a significant impact on many of the lands where they roved, but in the English-speaking world we tend to focus on western Europe. What about their activities in Central Europe? It was a well-trodden path for Scandinavians seeking to get to the East and the riches of places like Constantinople and Baghdad, particularly through what is now Poland because of its coast line along the Baltic Sea. But what do we know of Vikings in Slavic lands? Did they raid? Did they trade? Did they...2023-06-241h 35
Vikingology PodcastSwords, Shields, Axes, Spears, and.....Rocks??In this episode, we had an interesting chat with William Short and Reynir Óskarson who are experts in the experimental archaeology of Viking combat and weaponry. You know…the shiny, sexy stuff that comes to most people’s minds when they hear the word “Viking.”We talked about their methods for understanding fighting in the Viking Age, the famed Ulfberht sword, how Vikings may have trained, their battle tactics, and the honor-bound cultural ethos that was critical to life as a Viking.Learn more about William and Reynir’s work at Hurstwic.You can also re...2023-06-241h 02
Vikingology PodcastThe Demise of Viking DemocracyViking Age Iceland was what we might call “progressive.” They had no king or strong central state as had arisen elsewhere in Europe, but instead, starting in 930 A.D. had the Alþing, a public assembly where chieftains and free farmers settled disputes and matters of law by negotiation and consensus. It was a proto-democratic system ahead of its time and is still referred to as the oldest parliamentary system in the world. But trouble was brewing by the 1200s that would bring matters to a head. Power had been consolidated into the hands of just a promi...2023-06-191h 16
Vikingology PodcastHow to Build a Viking HouseHave you ever wondered how Viking houses were built and out of what? It turns out, even archeologists had it wrong for a very long time. In this episode we talk to historian and archaeologist Sigurlaugur Ingólfsson, director of operations at the Árbæjarsafn Open Air Museum in Reykjavík, Iceland, who tells us how Viking houses were built, why they were built that way, and what we can learn from modern reconstructions.As always, our conversation takes a couple of interesting detours such as Viking Age bathrooms, garbage dumps, and why Icelandic sheep are so spec...2023-06-141h 12
Vikingology PodcastWhat Caused the Viking Age?Something was brewing in Scandinavia that reached a boiling point in the 8th century A.D./C.E. We historians acknowledge this phenomenon as the creation of the “Viking Age.” But why? Scandinavia certainly existed prior to that time, and Vikings probably did too. So what made this time so special or different? What sent Nordic peoples out into the world to raid, trade, and settle in unprecedented numbers, ultimately changing their world and ours forever?Terri and C.J. get into the weeds of Viking history to try and answer this $64 million dollar question. As we disc...2023-06-121h 03
Vikingology PodcastHow did Viking Chieftains Wield Power?We had so much fun and covered so much interesting ground in our talk with Davide Zori of Baylor University that we made two episodes from it!Our first episode on the grave of Egil Skallagrimsson is available here on our Substack. Check it out. We have both video and audio versions available.In this episode, Davide dove into chieftain-level power structures in the Viking Age, particularly in Iceland where Scandinavians emigrated in the late-9th century and had to reinvent themselves without the influence of a king. This meant local “big men” jockeyed for powe...2023-06-0750 min
Vikingology PodcastDan Carlin needs no introduction...Terri and C.J. finally had their long-anticipated sit down with fellow Oregonian and History podcaster Dan Carlin to discuss the topic of the Vikings, which Dan covered in his recent episode Twighlight of the Æsir.We wanted to understand why the most popular History podcast in the U.S. decided to devote FIVE hours to the Vikings — with a sequel coming later this year — and answer the question: What made the Vikings so special? Those of you familiar with Dan’s work know he does a ton of research when prepping for his shows, so we a...2023-06-022h 01
Vikingology PodcastThe Art of Writing about VikingsWe call our podcast Vikingology: The Art and Science of the Viking Age for a good reason. From the beginning we decided to focus not just on the factual history, but also on the “art” of historical interpretation. So it was with great pleasure that we got to sit down with best-selling historical fiction author Eric Schumacher for this episode.Like lots of us, Eric caught the medieval bug early in life. But instead of becoming a historian or archaeologist, he has turned his passion into several books that are set in the Viking Age. We talked to h...2023-05-2859 min
Vikingology PodcastWant to talk like a Viking?Ever wondered what a Viking sounded like? Is it a dead language, or could someone have a proper chat with a Viking if one was suddenly transported to the 21st century? In this episode we found out firsthand from Dr. Jesse Byock who is an expert in Old Norse, the language of the Vikings. Take a listen and find out.In addition to teaching Old Norse, Jesse has also spent his career unearthing – literally! – the truth behind the Viking Age sagas. He is the principal archaeologist for the Mosfell Archaeological Project, a dig site that you may recal...2023-05-261h 14
Vikingology PodcastWhy did Vikings steal from Christians?Just think of it. Those poor Christian monks minding their own business dedicating themselves to God living lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and then boom! Vikings start showing up to terrorize and steal from them, and then do it again and again and again. Why? What on earth could have brought this catastrophe upon those defenseless religious communities?In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Matthew Ponesse of Ohio Dominican University, an expert in 8th and 9th-century Frankish monasticism — you know, the kind created and supported by that medieval super King and Emperor Charlemagne — to get...2023-05-251h 39
Vikingology PodcastThe Saga of the Earls of Orkney and Skaldic PoetryIn this episode we traverse a lot of Viking ground. Dr. Jesch is a scholar who has written on several aspects of the Viking Age over a long and distinguished career, from women and the Nordic diaspora to poetry and the runes. We talk to her about the influence Vikings had on the various areas where they traveled and settled, the difference between Skaldic and Eddic poetry, and what a Viking Age poetry performance looked and sounded like. We discuss the transition from oral to written culture and the amazing ability to commit things to memory that...2023-05-211h 08
Vikingology PodcastA Viking Grave with Dr. Davide ZoriIn this episode we sat down with Dr. Davide Zori, archaeologist and historian at Baylor University who specializes in Vikings, to discuss some of Davide's most exciting finds at a farmstead in Iceland, including a grave which may be that of Egil Skallagrimsson, a famous Viking whose story is recounted in Egil’s saga Skallagrimssonar.Read the saga in English translation here.Davide worked the site for several years with Dr. Jesse Byock of UCLA and the University of Iceland. Their work is part of the Mosfell Archaeological Project. We also talked with Je...2023-05-1939 min