Remembering Not to Forget

If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll remember our fascinating chat last year with Mathias Nordvig. He’s an expert in Norse mythology, folklore, and the Nordic Story World. Some people may think that those myths are just cool, fanciful stories about the exploits of gods like Odin and Thor or creatures like dwarfs and giants meant simply to entertain and pass the time on those long Scandinavian winter’s nights. But in this new episode, we dove deep into Mathias’ research about why that wasn’t the case for Viking Age people and why it shouldn’t be for us moderns either. Our conversation stemmed from his new translations of Danish and Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish rune poems and also arguably the most widely read and studied poem from the Viking Age, Völuspá: The Vision of the Witch, which contains some deeply embedded themes about survival in a harsh yet magical Northern world. It also recounts some pretty dark stuff about the Nordic world’s view of the cataclysmic end times event known as Ragnarök. Why did they believe in such a thing? Was it really THE END, or did something come after? Was there a way to forestall it? The poem’s themes of social discord, the breaking of bonds in families, climate change, environmental disaster, and nervous anticipation of an unknown and yet inevitable future seem eerily similar to where we are in the world today. Are we headed for our own Ragnarök? Can the way they viewed it tell us something about how to cope in a turbulent modern world? Yeah, we went there. This episode will make you think about the connection between us and the Viking Age in ways you’ve probably never thought of before. As Mathias warns, we forget our past and traditions at our peril. In checking out Mathias’ new translations, you’ll also be supporting small, independent publishing and the artists who helped him bring these works to life. At Vikingology we have no affiliate relationship and do not profit from any sales. We just believe interesting people doing cool important things should be supported :) Vikingology Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Vikingology Podcast at vikingology.substack.com/subscribe