Brute Norse Podcast Ep. 24: Legends of Drunken Master - The Miracles of St. Thorlak

In this slightly festive Yuletide episode, Eirik retells some of his favorite miracles associated with Iceland's first (and only) Christian holy man: The frail, picky eating, voluntary celibate, 12th century bishop Þorlákr Þórhallsson. Patron saint of Iceland — and autism!
Thorlak was a renowned sage who hardly ever touched a drink unless it was alcoholic. He channeled his divine superpowers to heal the mangled, clobber wildlife, punish bullies, and make beer both strong and tasty.
The episode also touches upon various tidbits of seasonally appropriate errata, such as the mysterious lost Scandinavian saint Sjur, Medieval ethnic stereotypes about sausage-eating Icelanders, and the freshest old news on the Norse lunisolar calendar.

Don't forget: Norse Yuletide Sacrifices Had (Almost) Nothing To Do With The Winter Solstice.

Buy your Norse lunisolar pocket calendar from KwellonTungl!
Support Brute Norse on Patreon and Teespring!
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

Brute Norse Podcast Ep. 14: The Archaeology of Evil Dead

Archaeologists have recently stumbled upon a never before heard 14th episode of the Brute Norse Podcast, so without further ado: It’s another episode of the Brute Norse Podcast!

In this episode, Eirik and Aksel catch up after several months of disconnect and get up to speed with some of their favorite archaeological news of 2018. They speculate on the contents of prehistoric alcoholic beverages, muse on recent incidents on North Sentinel Island, analyze Danish gang wars in light of warlike honor-shame societies and Norse sexual defamation, look at the so-called Staffordshire hoard helmet, and find some odd historical parallels to the Evil Dead franchise.

Other topics more-or-less covered:
- The Jellestad Viking Ship
- Hot tips for budding criminals who hate the past
- The oriental black market
- Norse dilemmas: Which is worse - Being flakey, or being a murderer?
- Dwarf children?!
- Prostitution in the legendary sagas
- Digital chess in the legendary sagas
- Body horror in the legendary sagas
- Exciting new research on the guldgubber

Like the skaldic poets of old, Brute Norse endures and prospers at the generous mercy of warlords and kleptocrats such as yourself, so why not have peek at the Brute Norse Patreon page? And while we’re at it, check out some of the rad new additions to the Teespring store.
And don’t forget to subscribe to Brute Norse on the podcast provider of your choice!

Brute Norse Podcast Ep. 13: Supernatural Islands and the Folks that Live There

Vineyards and wheat fields forever! In this episode Eirik takes a long, hard look at the belief in supernatural isles in Northern Europe. Our fantastic odyssey begins with the Norse discovery of America and its peculiar ties to scholarly hearsay in the Middle Ages, before we go on to address the rampant abundance of vanishing isles along the Scandinavian coast.

Other subjects include:
- Minimally counterintuitive concepts
- The counter-factual Vinland wine industry
- Order from chaos 101
- Imperialist pigs and pyromaniac expansionism
- How to terrorize the huldufólk with every day objects
- Layered oceans
- Much, much, much more

Musical contribution: Sjóraust IV by Richard Moult.
Available through most, if not all, podcast services.

Já maðr, do you want to support the Brute Norse effort? Consider going that extra mile and pledge your support on Patreon/brutenorse, or buy a rad shirt in the Teespring store (all patrons get a 20% reduction!). Here’s the latest design:

This episode would have been impossible without Jan E. Byberg's Dei lukkelege øyane i norsk folketradisjon (1970). Are you having trouble telling if you should drink, whore, and swindle, or rise early and avoid wenches at all cost? Check out The King’s Mirror and never wonder again.

Brute Norse Podcast ep.9: The Chronologies of Ancient Scandinavia pt.3 - Pillaging the Past

In the final segment of the Chronologies of Ancient Scandinavia, Eirik and Aksel tackle the slippery slope of commodification of viking heritage, its uses and abuses. Topics raised include, but are not limited to:
- Are meaderies the devil?
- Are viking re-enactors destroying traditional crafts?
- Is the Society for Creative Anachronism a totalitarian organization?
- Is Greco-Roman heritage a threat to democracy?
- Is human sacrifice as bad as they say?
- Can our admiration for the thieving, hyperviolent, cheating, and overall sinful ways of our ancestors be morally justified?

We even find some time to talk about the chronology! Subscribe using any podcasting service, share to your hearts content, and definitely do consider supporting Brute Norse on Patreon. Also check out the Brute Norse teespring store for some rad shirts.

The Brute Norse Podcast Ep.8: The Chronologies of Ancient Scandinavia pt.II

In this part, Aksel and Eirik get into the actual timeline of Scandinavian prehistory with an emphasis on the Bronze and Iron Ages, including the Viking Age. We talk about the materiality of these periods, the language, and regional variation, before we segway drunkenly into our own snobbery.

ᛊᚢᛈᛟᚱᛏ:ᛒᚱᚢᛏᛖ:ᚾᛟᚱᛊᛖ:ᛟᚾ:ᛈᚨᛏᚱᛖᛟᚾ

In this part, Aksel and Eirik get into the actual timeline of Scandinavian prehistory with an emphasis on the Bronze and Iron Ages, including the Viking Age. We talk about the materiality of these periods, the language, and regional variation, before we segway drunkenly into our own snobbery.

A Supernatural Guide to the Oseberg Ship (The Brute Norse Podcast Ep.5)

In this Halloween special, we tackle the weird and mysterious case of the Oseberg ship, and the lesser known, but true, story of how a Brooklyn clairvoyant may have caused the discovery of the most extravagant Viking Age burial ever found.

The episode is available from all podcast apps worthy of praise. If you like my stuff, feel free to rate, review or subscribe. Or better yet; pledge your support over at Patreon.com/brutenorse!

Barbarian Warlords of Free Germania (Pt.1) - The Brute Norse Podcast Ep.3

Archaeologist Aksel Klausen came knocking to discuss the ecstacy of gold in the Nordic Iron Age, weapon sacrifices, and the emergence of ancient Germanic warrior kleptocrats. A royal mind germ that would only grow as Rome's power grew weaker, giving birth to powerful empires - and eventually the nation state. This is the first half of my two-part interview with a man who will no doubt visit us again in the future. The episode is available through Youtube, iTunes, Soundcloud, and any podcast app worth mentioning. If you want a head start on all future episodes, or hear Aksel and I yack on about ancient booze (recipes included), then pledge your support over at the Brute Norse Patreon page today. The gods will be most pleased. 

For those who want to go beyond:

• Curious to know more about Aksel's research and the princely burial at Avaldsnes? Check out his Master's Thesis here.
• We also mentioned the research of our friend Håkon Reiersen, who just released his PhD on Roman and Migration Era Central places in  West Norway. Check it out.

The Brute Norse Podcast ep. 2: What the Romans Did for Us

It's been an indecent while since the last episode of the Brute Norse podcast hit the web. Now that autumn is in the air and I awake from the slothful haze of summer it's time to pick up the speed, and thus I bring you this hour long retreat into the Germanic tribal hinterlands.

The Germanic tribes are often credited with the destruction of the Western Roman Empire. There are no Roman roads in Scandinavia, still the empire resonated in the cultural memory of the Vikings. From Teutoburger Wald to the Taliban, Brute Norse joins forces with Krister Vasshus, PhD student in onomastic sciences at the University of Bergen, to discuss just how far the Roman shadow fell beyond its Northern border.

The episode is now available on Soundcloud and all podcast apps worth their salt. Image courtesy the University of Bergen.

If you enjoyed this episode, or any of my other content, please consider supporting me on

Patreon

.

Brute Norse Podcast Ep.1: The Archaeology of Emotion with Leszek Gardeła

It is my supreme pleasure to reveal the next chapter in the Brute Norse saga, namely the spanking new Brute Norse Podcast. Keeping up with the public can be a difficult task. I guess it's all about meeting your audience where they are at. While articles have their charm, they lack the versatility and perks of the podcast format. My readers have been suggesting I try it out for some time, and I admit that I've shied away from certain topics in the past, thinking they deserved something more sparkly than my usual article format. With the recent revamp of the blog I think the time is ripe to try something fresh and new.

A podcast allows me to let someone else do the talking for a change, and lets me invite people with talents and knowledge I may not possess. This episode was a treat to produce for that exact reason. I the had pleasure of meeting up with Leszek Gardeła, who is an assistant professor of archaeology at the University of Rzeszów, Poland. A rising star of viking scholarship, his vast body of work includes magical staffs, ritual specialists, the viking diaspora in Poland, and the spooky world of "atypical burials". We sat down for a discussion about the ambiguity of magic, morbid viking burials, and the ethics of studying the dead. He recently published his doctoral thesis about magic staffs in the viking era. I've featured his work previously in my article on the magical practice of seiðr.

Leszek frequently works with the Polish artist and illustrator Mirosław Kuźma to reconstruct the various graves he studies, adding imagination and color to the dark past. I highly recommend you check out his work.

As for the podcast itself: It is now available through Soundcloud, iTunes, and any podcast app worth it's salt, so be sure to subscribe!

Trekroner-Gryderhöj A 505, by Mirosław Kuźma