This time on the podcast we laughed a lot with Rowdy Geirsson, the author of several books and articles based in the Viking Age, both its history and mythology. Like us, Rowdy is an American who has a passion for the Norse — he even spoke to us from Sweden where he is soaking up local viking history for the month.So, what do Boston, Snorri Sturluson, warriors, Leif Eriksson, Óðin’s bird poop of wisdom, and getting sucked into black holes in the Vikingverse have in common? Watch the interview and find out!You can follow Rowdy and his work on his website Scandinavian Aggression, and also on Instagram @rowdygeirsson. His writing on Norse culture and history has appeared in many places from Scandinavian Review to McSweeney’s. You’ll basically find him wherever vikings and humor collide. And for Óðin’s sake, buy his books!Thanks Rowdy! We hope we can do it again.Skál!Thanks for reading! To support our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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1:09:41
Law & Order: Viking Edition
Everyone knows that Viking Age Scandinavia was a barbaric and lawless place, right? With all that stealing, killing, property destruction, and selling of people into slavery, who else could get away with all that mayhem if not people with a complete disregard for law and order? Well, if that’s your view of the viking world, we’ve got news for you. In this episode we chat with Professor and Dr. Alexandra Sanmark of the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, an expert in all things legal and judicial in Viking Age society. Turns out, those Scandinavians knew a thing or two about crime and punishment and took it very seriously. The result was an intricate set of laws, courts, and procedures that were part of Germanic custom going all the way back to the Roman era. We talked to her about various legal policies and procedures, what our sources are for them, and where those public assemblies took place. We also discussed the legal parity that the Viking Age is famous for in our modern imaginations. The reality may surprise you.Her book Viking Law and Order: Places and Rituals of Assembly in the Medieval North spells out the complex nature of Norse systems at a time when laws were not written down but performed and remembered visually and orally. It’s a fasinating look into a culture that counters our every impulse thought about what it meant to be a “viking.”Thanks Alex, it was a most interesting and thought-provoking pleasure!To comment on our posts and support our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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1:10:09
Catching up with C.J. and Terri
Góðan Daginn, Bonjour, and Hello!This post is a quick update for our subscribers. Learn about our new projects and podcast guest teases for May. There’s lots of good Viking stuff coming up.Thanks for reading, watching, and listening. We appreciate your support!You’ll find C.J.’s Substack here.You´ll find Terri´s Substack here.And lots of good stuff for Viking and medieval nerds on Medievalists.net, including information about Terri’s online Viking history courses.Skál! Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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25:08
Forgotten Vikings
In this episode we have one of our most wide-ranging conversations yet, and if you follow us at all you’ll know that’s saying something because we are very prone to ranging wide!We chat with Alex Harvey, an archaeologist from Yorkshire, England, who has written several books on medieval history. But we wanted to hear all about his Forgotten Vikings which was published in the U.K. in 2024 but is just now reaching audiences in the U.S. in 2025. Alex’s book and research had us asking many questions — What is the meaning of “Viking” and how is that changing? When did the Viking Age actually begin and end? How did he become interested in Vikings in the first place? Then we ventured into how the Romans may have influenced the Viking Age North, the intermix of myth and reality in storytelling then and now, the importance of modern pop culture for getting people interested in Viking history, authenticity in the movie The Northman and TV series Vikings and The Last Kingdom, and how Vikings look to us like a mix of Walter White and Tony Soprano. We warned you that we ranged pretty wide. But just who are the “Forgotten” Vikings? You’ll have to watch/listen to find out.Thanks so much Alex! We look forward to doing it again soon when we can dig into more about archaeology. After you’ve read Forgotten Vikings, don’t forget to check out his other book Riddles of the Isle and then be on the lookout for his forthcoming book Little Kingdoms: An A-Z of Early Medieval Britain.This Substack is reader-supported. To support our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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1:24:51
Viking Blood and Blade
When one of Peter Gibbons’ book reviews reads, “A great read full of blood and gore,” you know you’re in for an interesting ride! And so it was that we had a great ride (and time) talking with Peter about his best-selling book series set in the Viking and Saxon worlds: The Saxon Warrior and Viking Blood & Blade Saga. Peter is not only a prolific writer but a very accomplished one as well, winning the highly coveted Kindle Storyteller Award in 2022 for his book King of War. He lives in Ireland, but was born in the north of England. His love of reading as a kid and growing up in the shadows of Viking settlements helped to spark his interesting career. We talked with Peter about several things like how he got his start as a writer, when he was fortunte enough to quit his day job to write full time, the intrusion of AI into the writing field, and how the world still needs the creativity and passion that only humans can bring to the table. We also asked him who it is that he sees when he looks at Vikings. His passion for them and their Age was immediately apparent and infectious.But as we tend to wander on Vikingology, we ended our talk on King Arthur. Go figure.Thanks so much Peter for such a fun chat!Sláinte!You can shop for all of Peter’s books on his website.This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe
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. vikingology.substack.com
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