Nordic Mythology Podcast

Journey far beyond the Viking Age as we step nearly a million years into deep prehistory with experimental archaeologist and AncientCraft founder, Dr. James Dilley. Dan and Mags explore the earliest evidence of human activity in Britain—950,000-year-old footprints found at Happisburgh—and the geological science used to date them using Earth's reversed magnetic polarity.​Dr. Dilley breaks down the experimental heritage build at Stanwick Lakes, where his team is reconstructing an authentic Bronze Age jetty over water. We uncover how ancient communities accidentally discovered copper melting and casting long before iron, and the shocking reality of Bronze Age diets revealed by the preserved time capsule at Must Farm—including parasites showing they ate raw pike.​JOIN OUR PATREON & UNLOCK THE MEMBER VAULT:Get instant access to 300+ back-catalogue episodes, exclusive extended guest Q&As, unedited livestreams, and our private research Discord:👉 https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast​🛡️ AUTHENTIC HANDCRAFTED HISTORICAL GOODS:Explore handcrafted drinking horns, cast bronze jewellery, and leathercraft from Horns of Odin:👉 https://www.hornsofodin.com​🪵 EXPLORE DR. JAMES DILLEY'S WORK & ANCIENTCRAFT:Discover prehistoric craftsmanship, replicas, and experimental builds:👉 Website: https://www.ancientcraft.co.uk👉 Stanwick Lakes Project: https://www.stanwicklakes.org.uk​📱 FOLLOW THE TEAM ON INSTAGRAM:​Nordic Mythology Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/nordicmythologypodcast​Horns of Odin: https://www.instagram.com/hornsofodin​Dan Farrand: https://www.instagram.com/dandoeshistory​Mags Havgar: https://www.instagram.com/arkeomags

What lies behind the haunting Scottish legends of the Selkies? In this episode of The Nordic Mythology Podcast, host Daniel Farrand sits down with travel author and folklorist Nick Jubber (author of Monsterland) to explore Orkney’s legendary seal-people. From tragic tales of stolen seal skins and forced marriages to vengeful bull seals and shapeshifting seals in the Icelandic sagas, Dan and Nick break down how island isolation, shipwrecks, and untamed coastlines birthed these enduring tales. They also examine how ancient cultures demonized outsiders as "monsters," Nick’s night trapped inside an 18th-century Serbian vampire mill, and why William the Conqueror recruited a witch for battlefield warfare. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcastExplore handcrafted Viking goods at Horns of Odin: https://www.hornsofodin.com

For generations, archaeologists identified male Viking burials by the presence of swords and female burials by oval brooches. But what happens when modern osteological science proves those Victorian assumptions wrong? Host Daniel Farrand and archaeologist Mags Haggar sit down with Dr. Marianne Moen, Head of the Department of Archaeology at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, to uncover the reality of skeletal sexing.The trio breaks down how biological sex is actually determined from human remains—analyzing cranial traits, pelvic morphology, and cutting-edge tooth enamel peptide testing. Dr. Moen exposes how the obsession with grave goods ignores the 25% of Viking graves that cannot be neatly gendered, why trauma on a skeleton doesn't define a person's life, and why redefining history is the core of good archaeology.Unlock 300+ archive episodes and bonus guest deep dives over on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast | Handcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com

What does it take to complete a doctoral dissertation in archaeology—and what secrets lie within the Oseberg ship's fragile textiles? Daniel Farrand sits down with co-host and in-house archaeologist Margrethe (Mags) Havgar to deconstruct her PhD research: Tracing Threads of Thought: A visual exploratory reanalysis of the creatures of the Oseberg tapestries and their rhythms. Mags details her four-year journey analyzing Scandinavia’s largest Viking Age textile find, debunking persistent myths along the way. She explains how early archaeologists labeled the Oseberg ship a fragile "pleasure craft" due to gendered bias and reconstruction errors, why the tapestries functioned like narrow 6-to-9-inch narrative comic strips, and how bird and serpent figures were deliberately arranged to guide the human eye. Unlock our entire 300+ episode archive and the exclusive extended patron Q&A on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast | Handcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com

Why do the Vikings hold a level of global brand recognition unmatched by almost any other ancient culture? Daniel Farrand and in-house archaeologist Max Haggar sit down with Prof. Tom Birkett and Dr. T. Liam Waters from University College Cork to explore NorseMap—a five-year ERC research project tracking 200 years of Viking public reception. Through their citizen science app, iViking, the team is mapping how Norse imagery is adapted across commercial branding, street art, tourism, and politics. The group explores why people self-police their own accuracy around horned helmets, how 19th-century Viking literature helped forge the American cowboy ethos, why tech startups rebrand Vikings as corporate "disruptors", and how the project navigates the ethics of political misappropriation. Explore NorseMap: https://www.norsemap.eu/s/main/page/homeUnlock 300+ back-catalogue episodes and bonus Q&As on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast | Handcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com

Did Viking warriors fight with uncoordinated brute force, or were they practitioners of a refined martial art? Daniel Farrand and in-house archaeologist Max Haggar sit down with historical swordsman and weapon researcher Roland Warzecha (Dimicator) to deconstruct how early medieval combat actually functioned. ​Warzecha explains how Old Norse sagas and archaeological finds treat the sword as an ensouled, living entity rather than a disposable tool. Drawing on decades of experimental combat research, he details why authentic swords featured short grips designed for fine-motor control, how mirror polishing prevented salt-water corrosion on long voyages, and how testing with sharp blades revealed why swords dominate longer weapons like spears. Finally, the trio analyzes the physics of authentic round shields, debunking the cinematic "shield wall" in favor of dynamic single combat. ​Unlock 300+ back-catalogue episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcast | Handcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com

What does it mean to be a "Viking" in 2026? Daniel Farrand and in-house archaeologist Mags Haggar sit down with fitness creator and storyteller Tank Tolman to examine the divide between historical Norse reality and modern warrior culture. Historically, "víking" was a seasonal maritime raid, not an ethnic identity.Today, however, millions look to Norse archetypes to reclaim discipline and mental resilience. The trio breaks down why toxic, shame-based "alpha" gym culture fails, how the Hávamál champions hospitality and self-control, and why the ancient concept of the drengr—honour, loyalty, and quiet competence—is what modern seekers are actually searching for.Tank also explains how his gamified tabletop fitness community helps beginners build lifelong physical strength without shame.Unlock 300+ back-catalogue episodes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcastHandcrafted historical goods: https://www.hornsofodin.com

Daniel Farrand and archaeologist Mags Havgar sit down with Viking art specialist Luciano Pezzoli (co-founder of Children of Ash) to decode "The Language of Viking Art." Rather than viewing Norse knotwork and animal styles as abstract decoration, Pezzoli reveals how Scandinavian craftsmen operated within a structured linguistic system designed to communicate lineage, mythology, and cultural identity without written text. ​The conversation explores how 6th-century Vendel brooches depict recurring mythological "memes," how the stern carvings of the Oseberg ship encode multi-generational ancestral genealogies leading to a narrative climax, and why Norse artisans embraced composite beasts that defied rigid species boundaries. ​Unlock our full back-catalogue of 300+ episodes and the exclusive extended bonus Q&A with Luciano on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nordicmythologypodcastAuthentic handcrafted historical horns and jewelry: https://www.hornsofodin.com