Ragnar Lothbrok's Wine-Drinking Pagan King: Aelfthryth's Anglo-Saxon Riddle

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known but revealing riddle from 10th-century Wessex: the 'Wine-Drinking Pagan King' riddle preserved in the Exeter Book. They connect the riddle to the historical memory of Ragnar Lothbrok and the Great Heathen Army, examining how Anglo-Saxon poets used riddles to process trauma, mock their enemies, and preserve cultural identity. The conversation touches on the Exeter Book's origins, the riddle's possible target (a Viking leader like Ivar the Boneless or Halfdan), and what it reveals about the intersection of drinking culture, masculinity, and warfare in the Viking Age. Lucas brings in textual analysis, archaeological context from Coppergate and Repton, and scholarly debates about whether the riddle is a genuine 9th-century composition or a later addition. Luna asks sharp questions about the riddle's double meanings and its place in the Anglo-Saxon poetic tradition. The episode ends with a reflection on how humor and satire offered a form of resistance for the conquered. #RagnarLothbrok #ExeterBook #AngloSaxonRiddles #WineDrinkingPaganKing #VikingAge #GreatHeathenArmy #Coppergate #Repton #IvarTheBoneless #HalfdanRagnarsson #OldEnglishPoetry #Wessex #AlfredTheGreat #Danelaw #BloodEagle #History #FexingoHistory #NorseMyth Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo