COA14b - Creating the Icelanders

In this episode, we explore poets and poetry in the Norse world, focusing particularly on the role they played in preserving history, myth and legend.  Along the way we see what happens when you eat a fish's head, unlock the meaning of confounding Skaldic verses and hear what Sno ...  Show more

In this episode we conclude our series on Iceland by discussing the rapid changes which shook the Icelandic political system in the 1200s.  We discuss the likely causes of these changes, explore the life and times of our good friend Snorri Sturluson and examine the impact that th ...  Show more

Who were the Vikings' ancient ancestors? In this episode Tristan Hughes explores the fascinating maritime culture, sophisticated trade networks and social hierarchies of the Nordic Bronze Age c. 1800–700 BC. Joined by Professor Johan Ling, they shed light on how proto-Viking soci ...  Show more

Vikings have long been depicted as that stereotype of the hairy, nameless warrior, leaping ashore from his longboat, ready to terrorise a hapless local population in a northern European country. But there were also seers, artisans, travellers, and writers, too whose stories ca ...

September is Vikings month on Gone Medieval, as Dr. Cat Jarman presents a mini-series about her favourite, specialist subject. Over four episodes, Cat is taking a deep dive into the Viking age, looking at how it all started, how it all ended, and the stories we t ...

Last episode I gave you a forest view of where we are going and, roughly, who these Viking raiders were as well as the scale of the impact that they will have upon Europe. And it really is something to behold. The Viking Age isn’t very long, but Europe hadn’t seen this level of r ...  Show more