Bringing Valhalla to Jorvik: Viking Age Living History for ALL: Assembly

To many the word Valhalla brings up images of Odin's great hall, a vast space full of the worthiest warriors who feast, drink and fight until Ragnarok. However, in reality it also represents a place for members of the Viking Age historical re-enactment, or living history society, to gather and share their research, theories and observations with eager and interested members of the public. This inclusive and accessible Symposium's acronym is indeed Valhall:A and it stands for "Viking Age Living History for All Assembly." And as this podcast is named Valhalla Conversations, it seems fitting and apt that for our sadly final episode, as my mini Viking invades my life and raids my body of sleep and energy, we sit down and chat with the Symposium's founder, Leah O'Chuinneagain. As someone who has benefited for many years from attending such open and publicly accessible spaces of shared learning, I strongly relate and support Leah's mission to ensure that the spectrum of Viking Age Living History isn't just for those who practice it - but for all of us who wish to know more. We're going to be talking about history, re-enactment, community, why the Viking Age captured her interest and her own expertise in historical textiles and natural dyes, but most significantly about why her Symposium is growing fast in popularity and interest as we approach its 4th year, into the new must-attend academic part of the fringe events of the annual Jorvik Viking Festival - a truly worthy successor to the much-missed Richard Hall Symposium.