The Chronicles

Lars Kjær (Northeastern University, London) joins us to discuss how he has been inspired by David Graeber and David Wengrow’s book, The Dawn of Everything. What happens when medieval history is interpreted not so much from the perspective of elites, but from the perspective of peasants and other commoners attempting to escape the power of their social betters? We talk about various forms of dissent – people who worshipped unauthori...

Laura Katrine Skinnebach (CVM) presents her research into the automatons that medieval people both imagined and actually constructed. These included statues of Christ that bled, statues of Mary that expressed holy breast milk, and statues of Óðinn that answered riddles. Visitors to churches across medieval Europe would have frequently been confronted with statues which were something between giant marionettes and massive poseable a...

Yoav Tirosh (CVM) introduces the Icelandic polymath, Snorri Sturluson. Assassinated in his cellar in the year 1241 (his last words were supposedly “Don’t hit me!”), Snorri was a politician, a poet, a historian, a womaniser – and the man who wrote down most of the Old Norse mythology which survives today. But the pagan tales he recorded had ceased to be held as cosmological truths for two centuries by the time he was born.

Yoav expl...

Pernilla Myrne (University of Gothenburg) tells us about her research into sexuality in the medieval Islamic world. A blend of influences – Arab, Greek, Persian to name just a few – combined during the middle of the eighth century to create a culture which tolerated diverse expressions of desire: men with men, women with men, temporary relationships as well as concubinage and marriage. Pernilla treats us to some spicy primary sourc...

Lukas Rösli (Humboldt-Universität) tells us about his research into neo-paganism: The religion that emerged in the early twentieth century, worshipping Viking Age gods such as Óðinn and Þórr. The people who first proposed this new faith were frequently associated with a right-wing ideology called Völkism. What was this ideology, and how did it end up providing the seedbed for a religion? Today neo-pagan movements range from the rel...

Adam Woodhouse (Robinson College, Cambridge) introduces us to the man behind a name which instantly evokes skulduggery and ruthless political effectiveness: Machiavelli. Adam takes us beyond the cliches to offer a picture of Machiavelli’s life, times, and ideas. Moreover, Adam highlights a neglected facet of Machiavelli’s thought: His notion of economic growth. If Machiavelli has a theory of growth, ...

The Chronicles is the podcast of the Centre for Viking and Medieval Studies at Aarhus University. Richard Cole (Director of the Centre, Associate Professor of Medieval History) discusses various chapters from the sweeping drama of the Middle Ages with leading experts in their fields. The Chronicles is produced by Kirsi Tilk of Tilk Sonics - kirsitilk.com, and was funded by the generous support of Aarhus Universitets Forskningsfond.