In this first of two episodes on Vikings, Aaron brings Robert and special guest Daniel Griggs on a journey talking about what we know of the Norse, what they believed, whether or not they schtupped, and where they wound up. The gang then chats about current practitioners of Astatru and Heathenry and how they tied in to what we know about the Vikings. Listen closely to the episode for a series of recommendations of quality interactive documentaries. 

Music by Daniel Griggs.

Reading list:

• Who Owns the Vikings? Pagans, Neo-Nazis and Advertisers Tussle Over Symbols,” New York Times, March 17, 2018: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/world/europe/vikings-sweden-paganism-neonazis.html 
• "Articles of Faith": American Heathenry and Cultural Appropriation

• “The Viking Age as a Model of Diversity”
• https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-shaman-maga-capitol-riot-rune-pagan-imagery-tattoo-1111344/ 
• No Nazis in Valhalla: Understanding the Use (and Misuse) of Nordic Cultural Markers in Third Reich Era Germany: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1113&context=irj 
• White Supremacists Have Weaponized an Imaginary Viking Past. It's Time to Reclaim the Real History: https://time.com/5569399/viking-history-white-nationalists/ 
• Vikings were never the pure-bred master race white supremacists like to portray: https://theconversation.com/vikings-were-never-the-pure-bred-master-race-white-supremacists-like-to-portray-84455 
• What To Do When Racists Try To Hijack Your Religion: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/11/asatru-heathenry-racism/543864/ 
• White Supremacy’s Old Gods: https://politicalresearch.org/2018/02/01/white-supremacys-old-gods-the-far-right-and-neopaganism 
• Who was in Harold Bluetooth’s army? Strontium isotope investigation of the cemetery at the Viking Age fortress at Trelleborg, Denmark: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/EC869F4BE5A4B8C6F5125A1071687549/S0003598X00067880a.pdf/who-was-in-harold-bluetooths-army-strontium-isotope-investigation-of-the-cemetery-at-the-viking-age-fortress-at-trelleborg-denmark.pdf
• World's largest DNA sequencing of Viking skeletons reveals they weren't all Scandinavian: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/691197 
• The Varangian Guard: Why Did Vikings Fight For The Byzantine Empire?: https://www.historyextra.com/period/viking/varangian-guard-byzantine-empire-kievan-rus-vikings-basil-ii-vladimir-great/ 
• The Norse Mythology Blog | norsemyth.org: "Articles of Faith": American Heathenry and Cultural Appropriation: https://www.norsemyth.org/2021/09/articles-of-faith-american-heathenry.html 
• The Viking Age as a Model of Diversity: https://wildhunt.org/2021/11/column-the-viking-age-as-a-model-of-diversity.html
• Viking Private Military Contractors (In Space): Anti-Woman Mercenary Fighting Force Or One Man’s Paper Tiger?: https://www.antihate.ca/viking_private_military_contractors_space_anti_woman_mercenary_fighting_force_one_man_paper_tiger 
• White Supremacy’s Old Gods: https://politicalresearch.org/2018/02/01/white-supremacys-old-gods-the-far-right-and-neopaganism 
• The CPAC stage was shaped like the Othala rune…which is what?: https://forward.com/culture/465017/the-cpac-stage-was-shaped-like-the-othala-runewhich-is-what/ 
• C. G. Jung – Essay on Wotan [w. Nietzsche]: http://www.philosopher.eu/others-writings/essay-on-wotan-w-nietzsche-c-g-jung/ 
• Asatru’s Racist Missionary: Stephen McNallen, Defend Europe, and the Weaponization of Folkish Heathery: https://godsandradicals.org/2017/09/14/asatrus-racist-missionary-stephen-mcnallen-defend-europe-and-the-weaponization-of-folkish-heathery/