Mother of Kings I - The Threshold

In this episode, we dive into the life and legend of Gunnhild konungamóðir - Mother of Kings - exploring the various stories regarding her origins and early years. Along the way there will be magic, drinking and strange happenings in the North as we meet Danish kings, Saami sorce ...  Show more

In this episode, we continue our exploration Gunnhild konungamóðir's life and legend, discussing the power of her words and the speech of powerful women throughout Old Norse Literature. Whether goading their male relatives to violence, advocating peace and accommodation, or predi ...  Show more

How did the Vikings and the Inuit interact in Greenland? When was the last record of Norse settlers in the region? How did climate change affect the decline of Viking settlers in Greenland, and why is their disappearance shrouded in mystery? William and Anita are joined once agai ...  Show more

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

We know the Vikings best as brutal, seafaring, pagan raiders – and that’s an important part of their lives and histories. But it’s only one aspect: what about their love lives, experiences of travels, and attitudes to religion? Speaking with James Osborne, Eleanor Barraclough unp ...  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