It is said that tales of dragons and dragon slayers are universal. That is not quite true. This is a story that has been retold in numerous ways. This isn’t the “original” but it is one of the oldest we know ..read more

The Hon. Arthur Dillon visited Iceland in 1834. He spent a little over a year in the country and later published a book about his travels. This episode covers both his observations on the Icelandic winter and his lasting legacy in the country ..read more

The Monster Hunt (by Benedikt Gröndal?)The monster with the long tail ..read more

A couple of people have asked me about the music at the start and end of the episode. In this episode I give a little background on the songs ..read more

Lokasenna is one of the most controversial of the Eddic poems. It is also funny and naughty. There are two versions in the feed, one with the naughtiest bits removed and this one that has everything ..read more

Lokasenna is one of the most controversial of the Eddic poems. It is also funny and naughty. There are two versions in the feed, this one has the naughtiest bits removed, the other includes them all ..read more

What did the Norse really believe in? How did they view their gods, their world, their religion? Using the example of Thor, arguably the best known god of the pantheon, I will try to shed light on a complicated subject ..read more

This is the story of Hans Jónatan, (1784-1827) Born in St. Croix in the Caribbean and died in Iceland. His life and legacy shows us that we often have misconceptions of the past and how we often forget people who are out of the ordinary ..read more

The English Dane by Sarah Bakewell was my main source for Jörgensen’s later life in Tasmania. A Spotify link to the album Eitt sumar á landinu bláa, from the musical about Jörgensen, performed by the band Þrjú á palli. An online version of the book Journal of a tour in Iceland in the summer of 1809 by William Jackson Hooker. Scottish Plans for the Annexation of Iceland by Anna Agnarsdóttir (pdf). An article in Icelandic by Bragi Þorgrímur Ólafsson on the changing perception of Jörgensen in Iceland through time. An Icelandic book that includes much of the original source material: Sjálfstæði Ís ..read more

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