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by The Art and Science of the Viking Age
Terri and C.J. are first and foremost educators passionate about the Viking Age and Viking history. Theirs was a meeting foretold in the myths of old. Both are historians of Viking history, both live in Oregon in the U.S., and both share the same birthday. It seemed only natural they team up for something epic. The Norns have woven this fate.
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- 3 weeks ago56 min
The Sons of Ragnar
It’s our 70th episode and we have a treat for you!If you are or were a fan of the original History Channel series Vikings (now on various streaming services), you’ll likely remember the early protagonist of the show, Ragnar Lothbrok. If you hung on until the series ended 6 seasons later, you’ll also remember his sons. These men were all the stuff of viking legend. Except some of them were real.This time we spoke with author Paul Harper about his research into these historical figures in his new book Sons of Ragnar: Viking Warriors who Terrorised Britain and Ireland. Scholars have long suspected that Ragnar Lothbrok was a semi-legendary figure who may have been more of a composite character than a singular real person, but his sons are well-documented as having lived and, as Paul’s title says, instilled terror wherever they went.Hear from Paul what it takes to investigate the sometimes dubious and enigmatic sources to try and tease fact from fiction. And learn why the Vikings show creator Michael Hirst got some of the history wrong BUT not totally off the mark — a fact that earned an impromptu apology from C.J. that you won’t want to miss! Thanks Paul for helping us celebrate a milestone episode with such interesting stuff!Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Consider becoming a paid subscriber if you like what we do :) Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Oct 8, 20261h 13m
The Anatomy of a Raid
In the popular imagination vikings are usually portrayed as badass warriors whose primary occupation is to go out raiding and pillaging, but have you ever wondered exactly how a raid is put together? This time we chatted with Romney Smith, a medievalist historian at Australian National University about what goes into running a raiding business. It’s waaaay more interesting than just a few rando dudes jumping into a boat and setting out to see what they can get.From selecting a target to recruitment, securing ships, attacking and defending themselves, to sorting the loot and deciding whether it was a success and worth doing again….all are important steps in the process. Vikings knew this and so did the multitude of other raiders and pirate-types running around in the northern European and Mediterranean worlds.While Romney’s article focuses on the raids of the Mediterranean Sea basin, the time period he looks at — c. AD 800-1100 — is smack in what historians call the “Viking Age”, so similarities abound. Watch the episode and then read his article, or the other way around if you like. We’re sure you’ll find both as fascinating as we did.Thanks Romney! Come back and chat about medieval stuff any time!Skál!Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. And feel free to support us by becoming a paid subscriber! Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Oct 2, 20261h 24m
Denmark’s Viking Age Ring Fortresses
We are thrilled to welcome Søren Sindbæk back to the show!Last time we talked about the many things that make vikings human, and this time we sort of continued that thread with our discussion about the large and impressive ring fortresses that dot the Danish landscape. How could Viking Age Scandinavians have pulled off such monumental feats? Turns out their ability to muster human and natural resources and build such things was also a very human endeavor. Søren is writing a pentalogy about the fortresses, one book for each of them that has been discovered so far. Two of the books are available now in English translation, four are in Danish, with a fifth to come; all of them will eventually be in both languages and hopefully in many more. They are compact books that are very accessible to the average person interested in the history and/or archaeology of the Viking Age. Each provides a unique glimpse into the characters who unearthed the fortresses, including Søren himself, as they try to unravel the mysteries of how they were built and for what purpose. They’re like mini crime mysteries, but we also think these stories seem primed for the big screen or streaming video!We learned so much and look forward to the next book installments. Mange tak, Søren! Please come back again and fill us in as this story unfolds. Vikingology is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support our show, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Aug 7, 20261h 31m
The Vikings in Francia
Our regular listeners and viewers will know that we have been chasing vikings in the Frankish Empire for a while on Vikingology. C.J., as a Frenchman, has researched them extensively, Matt Ponesse who specializes in the monasteries they raided in France was one of our very first guests, and Christian Cooijmans has also weighed in about early viking activity in the Frankish realm. But that’s about it! Scholars who delve deeply into the vikings in what is now France and Germany are a bit thin on the ground. Luckily, we have one in our own backyard!Daniel Melleno is a historian of the medieval and pre-modern periods at the University of Denver. He has researched and published a lot on the Norse and their activities in what was then the Carolingian Empire, as well as the Frankish area even before the Carolingians showed up. He is the author of Franks and Northmen: From Strangers to Neighbors which explores the interactions between the Scandinavians and their Continental neighbors to the south. Raiding and pillaging? Yes. But their contact involved so much more.We talked about the different regions and ways that vikings affected (or didn’t) the Franks as well as the problems and considerations that historians must contend with regarding our sources. A really fascinating chat about a subject that needs much more attention in Viking Studies. Thanks Daniel! We could have talked to you for hours. Please come back again and tell us more! Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Jul 1, 20261h 5m
Treasures of the Vikings
In the spirit of the World Cup, we have a Vikingology hat trick! We happily welcome Tom Horne back to the show for a third time. He’s now in contention with Clare Downham for our Golden Boot, er, shall we say Golden Mead Horn?This time we were excited to hear about Tom’s new book Treasures of the Vikings. This superbly visual book is just what you might expect — or at least hope for — in something written by an archaeologist who also has experience in museum work and other forms of presenting the past to general audiences. If you can’t get to the museums to see these artefacts yourself, this book is the next best thing.The contents span the breadth of the viking presence in their world from north to south, east to west, and cover aspects of their lives from childhood to death and everything in between. What it reveals is an unbelievably resilient and adaptable people — and it also reminds us they were human. Thanks again Tom. We always always have fun with you! Please come back again soon.Check Tom out on his various social media platforms and buy the book!Instagram @tomhorne870Blue Sky @hornesupremacy.bsky.socialTom’s personal website Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Jun 25, 20261h 2m
Viking Logistics
The logistics of what it took to be a good (read: successful) viking are only coming into view in recent years for historians and archaeologists. And what we see is that it didn’t matter if it was how to haul your ship from point A to point B over land or choosing which targets to hit for raids, the level of efficient planning and risk/reward calculation is looking to be much more sophisticated than the standard barbarian warrior trope might allow.Vikings, it appears, were savvy businessmen.In a wide-ranging chat, we talked with Shane McLeod, post-doc research associate at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, about this and his research on portaging ships in Viking Age Scotland as well as his work on kings and the late-9th century invasion and settlement in England by the ‘Great Army’ of Scandinavian warriors (and, tbh, probably others).Shane’s research is part of the ‘Norse and the Sea’ project, led by Prof Alexandra Sanmark — who has also appeared on Vikingology — and Dr Sven Kalmring. His resulting article, ‘Watching the waters: sentinel sites in the Inner Hebrides and western seaboard of Scotland,’ was awarded the prestigious Murray Prize for History in 2025. You can download the full PDF of the article by clicking the link.He is also the author of the book The Beginning of Scandinavian Settlement in England: The Viking ‘Great Army’ and Early Settlers, c. 865-900, which he encourages you to find at your local library.Thanks Shane! Very interesting stuff. We hope you come back again. There’s still burials, human sacrifice, and shieldmaidens to talk about….Vikingology is reader-supported. Thanks to everyone who reads whether free or paid. We appreciate you all. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Apr 29, 20261h 13m
The Saga of the Earls of Orkney
We are so thrilled to have back on the podcast Prof Judith Jesch, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Old Norse language, literature, and runes. Last time we spoke with her we talked about vikings and their skaldic poetry, and also the years-long project she was working on — a new translation of Orkneyinga saga. Fast forward three years and The Saga of the Earls of Orkney has been completed and was just published in late 2025.It is a beautiful work that recounts the story of the leaders in the Orkney Islands off the northern tip of Scotland during the Viking Age and after, where life was rough, and power and status were coveted. While the saga admittedly has some fictional elements, there is also deep history there. As Judith notes in her introductionYet what it may lack in accurate detail regarding rulers and their dates, it more than makes up for with the picture it paints of politics, adventure and sometimes everyday life in northern Scotland, in a way that is matched by no other source.We talked with her about the stories in the saga but also what it takes to translate such a work involving fact, fiction, and the human condition — all favorite topics to ponder here at Vikingology.If you are interested in the sagas, which constitute one of the most important surviving bodies of medieval literature there is, you’ll not want to miss this one. In the tradition of Norse storytelling during the Viking Age, Judith’s translation does an admirable job of keeping the saga alive.BONUS! If you are interested in learning more about the sagas, you can attend the free online Midland Viking Symposium mentioned in the episode, to be held on May 15, 2026.Thanks Judith! We can’t wait to see what you do next. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
- Apr 10, 20261h 10m
The Secret Code of the Vikings
This is not your eye doctor’s vision test chart. These are runes — the secret code for unlocking the mysteries of the Anglo-Saxon and Viking worlds. And this time we are thrilled to have on the show Dr. Jasmin Higgs, a runologist from the UK who told us all about them.Jasmin specializes in the runic alphabet and inscriptions from the pre-Old English period but also has training in Old Norse inscriptions as well. As many of you will know, Old Norse was the language spoken and developed during the Viking Age in northern Europe, but runic alphabets — known as FUÞARK (futhark) from the first 6 letters — were used more widely by Germanic peoples in Europe and the UK from roughly 200 AD onward. Their origin is mysterious, contested, and essentially unknown.We learned about some interesting inscriptions — both real and fraudulent — and just how fun it is to try and decipher these alphabetical puzzles from the past. People didn’t write great works of literature in runes, but they left interesting and sometimes mundane traces of themselves in the form of inscribing objects with phrases such as ‘Bjarne made this’ and ‘Halfdan was here’. And these surviving runic inscriptions remind us just how utterly human the vikings, their ancestors, and their Germanic peers were.Thanks Jasmin. Please do come back again! We’ve got so many more questions…Skál! Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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About Vikingology Podcast
Terri and C.J. are first and foremost educators passionate about the Viking Age and Viking history. Theirs was a meeting foretold in the myths of old. Both are historians of Viking history, both live in Oregon in the U.S., and both share the same birthday. It seemed only natural they team up for something epic. The Norns have woven this fate.
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