People seem forever reimagining the seafaring Vikings from northern Europe, but 'the Viking Age' is one of the most confusing periods in European history. When did it really start and why? What does 'Viking' really mean? What kind of helmets did they actually wear?
One of the best ways to delve into these questions is to delve into the most common misconceptions, often conjured up from how Vikings are depicted in film and TV, and run through why these myths exist, and the historical reality. James Carson runs through 10 of the biggest myths he's encountered after a few months getting close to the Vikings.
Expert opinion expressed on History Hit podcasts Gone Medieval and Dan Snow's History Hit are used to help shape our understanding of the Viking Age. You can go deeper by listening to the following links:
Professor Caroline Larrington - Ragnar Lodbrok - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ragnar-lothbrok-the-viking-legend/id1564113746?i=1000617851865
Dr Stephen Ashby - Rise of the Vikings https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/rise-vikings ALSO Viking Hair https://play.acast.com/s/gone-medieval/vikings-whatdoestheirhairtellus-
Dr Roderick Dale - The Beserkers https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-berserkers/id1564113746?i=1000526345533
Dr Tom Horne - Raiding and Trading in Viking Britain https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/viking-market-kingdoms-in-britain-ireland
Dr Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir - Valkyries - https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/the-valkyries-handmaids-of-the-gods
Professor Gordon Campbell - Vikings in America - https://play.acast.com/s/dansnowshistoryhit/vikingsinamerica
Also, check out Dr Cat Jarman's book River Kings https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Kings-Catrine-Jarman/dp/0008353077
Up Next in More Interviews
-
Sam Mendes on 1917
1917 is a new film directed by Golden Globe winning film maker Sir Sam Mendes. Set in early 1917, at the height of the First World War on the Western Front, Mendes uses the backdrop of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line as the stage for telling a story inspired by the memories of Alfred Me...
-
Shakespeare
Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Oxford and the author of 'This is Shakespeare', tackles the big questions about William Shakespeare.
-
Fighting Proud: A Gay History of the ...
At the end of World War Two the British public wanted to get back to ‘normal’. The gay men who had served their King and country found themselves subjected to a vigorous enforcement of the draconian law that would put them into prison if they were found guilty of indecency. But servicemen living ...
1 Comment