Tag: vikings
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Norse Mythology: Yggdrasil
For the Norse, Yggdrasil was their world(s) tree. That’s right, world(s)—because they conceived their cosmos as having 9 worlds, not just 1. This raid therefore aims to plunder the heart of their cosmos to better understand Yggdrasil’s role and its symbolism in the Norse world(s)view. We won’t talk about everything (like Odin’s well-known sacrifice upon…
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Raid 14: Norse Mythology – Midgard and Asgard
It’s not a stretch to say that Midgard and Asgard are the two most important worlds of the Norse cosmos, for they are the homes of us humans and our gods. But…have you ever wondered why they’re both conceived of as fortresses? It’s not a coincidence. In this raid, we’ll go through the must-know details…
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Raid 9: Remnants from the Void (Sources for Norse Mythology)
Like the creation of the Norse cosmos, our coverage of Norse Mythology begins with a great void. Instead of cows licking salty ice, however, we’re facing the challenges of oral traditions and material culture without contemporary context. This raid is therefore a brief overview of those remnants from the void: our scanty sources for a…
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Norse Mythology: Remnants from the Void
Like the creation of the Norse cosmos, our coverage of Norse Mythology begins with a great void. Instead of cows licking salty ice, however, we’re facing the challenges of oral traditions and material culture without contemporary context. This raid is therefore a brief overview of those remnants from the void: our scanty sources for a…
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Raid 8: How to Tame a Viking
I almost titled this raid “How to Train a Viking,” and, to be honest, it would have worked just as well. Why? Because the Viking Age came to an end because…well, you should probably listen to this episode. In sum, we cover how Viking legends became Christian kings and, more importantly, why they chose to…
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Viking History: How to Tame a Viking (Christianization and the End of the Viking Age)
I almost titled this video “How to Train a Viking,” and, to be honest, it would have worked just as well. Why? Because the Viking Age came to an end because…well, you should probably watch the video. In sum, we cover how Viking legends became Christian kings and, more importantly, why they chose to do…
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Raid 7: What Made a Raid ‘Viking’?
To bake a Viking raid, one needs a few more ingredients than a Norseman with an axe. Naturally, you’ll have to listen to this episode to get the recipe. I will say this, though: we cover the developments in Scandinavia that provided the foundation for the first Viking raids, the main factors used to differentiate…
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Viking History: What Made a Raid Viking?
To bake a Viking raid, one needs a few more ingredients than a Norseman with an axe. Naturally, you’ll have to watch this video to get the recipe. I will say this, though: we cover the developments in Scandinavia that provided the foundation for the first Viking raids, the main factors used to differentiate ‘Viking’…
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Raid 6: The Viking Age (c. 750-1050 CE)
What was the First ‘Viking’ Raid? To be honest, the ‘first’ raid of the Viking Age (c. 750-1050 or, more conventionally, 793-1066) isn’t as straightforward as you might think. You might have heard about Lindisfarne before, if you’ve been into Vikings and Norse things for a while—but, spoiler alert, that’s not really the first raid.…
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Raid 5: The Vendel Period (c. 550-750 CE)
How did the Norse ‘become’ Vikings? Okay, so “becoming Vikings” is hardly historically appropriate…but let me explain. In this raid, we ‘conclude’ the prequel to the Viking Age by covering the Vendel Period. Dates vary, as always, but we’ll be using 550 to 750 CE. During this discussion, we’ll learn how the North quite literally…
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Viking History: The Viking Age (c. 750-1050 CE)
The ‘first’ raid of the Viking Age (c. 750-1050 or, more conventionally, 793-1066) isn’t as straightforward as you might think. You might have heard about Lindisfarne before, if you’ve been into Vikings and Norse things for a while—but, spoiler alert, that’s not really the first raid. It’s impactful, but not the ‘original.’ This video will…
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Raid 3: Wends, Balts, and Finnar
We’re wrapping up our coverage of the people inhabiting the Viking Age North! This time we focus on the ‘side’ characters: Wends, Balts, and Sámi/Finns. As you’ll learn in the raid, these groups frequently mingled with the Norse, creating complex settlements and cultural expressions. We’ll also emphasize just how much environment affects cultural development, including…
