Viking Lives

Viking Lives

The great arc of Viking history told through a chain of life stories, presented by broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 5 days ago

    Gunnlaug Serpent Tongue

    Gunnlaug Serpent Tongue was an arrogant and impetuous Viking, famed for his ability to compose brilliant poetry spontaneously for the kings of medieval Sweden and England. But in doing so, he became the deadly rival of another poet, who spitefully married the woman Gunnlaug had known since childhood. Relations between the two men became poisonous, and they descended into a cycle of pointless violence that neither could escape until one of them was dead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min

  2. 16 June

    Egill the Broken

    Egill Skallagrimsson was both a vicious, murderous Viking raider and a poet of great sensitivity and feeling. He fought on behalf of an English king who rewarded him handsomely, but the queen of Norway detested him and tried to kill him. Eventually Egill retired to his family farm in Iceland, where a terrible loss brought out one of the saddest poems of the Viking Age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  3. 9 June

    Gudrun of the Springs (with Hannah Kent)

    Hannah Kent, author of the international bestseller ‘Burial Rites’ joins Richard and Kári to tell the story of our favourite Viking woman: Gudrun Osvifsdottir. Gudrun was an Icelander of the tenth century, who was famous for her high-mindedness and fine manners. But when her honour was slighted, and her heart was wounded, she brought down the man she loved, hated and needed all at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min

  4. 2 June

    Aud the Deep Minded

    The Vikings came to Ireland at the end of the eighth century, first as raiders, then as settlers, and they founded the cities of Dublin, Wexford and Limerick as slave trading centres. In this episode, Kári and Richard tell the story of a Viking queen of Dublin known as Auð the Deep-Minded, who was forced to flee to Iceland, where she became one of its most powerful chieftains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min

  5. 25 May

    Melkorka the Silent

    Melkorka was an Irish woman who was enslaved by Vikings in the ninth century AD. She was brought to Scandinavia, where she was bought by an Icelandic farmer named Hoskuld, who made her his concubine. But Melkorka was mute, and so Hoskuld knew nothing of her origins, until he caught her talking by a stream one day. Special guest Lisa Bennett, author of Viking Women: Life & Lore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  6. 19 May

    Ingolf the Icelander

    In this episode, Kári tells the story of the foundation of Iceland as a new kind of Viking society on the rim of the Arctic Circle, and of Ingolf, the man who led a party of settlers to the smoky bay he named Reykjavik. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min

  7. 12 May

    Harald Finehair

    In the first episode of series 2 of Viking Lives, Richard has the story of Harald Finehair, the Norwegian chieftain who swore he would not cut his hair or beard until he became king of all of Norway. But his heavy-handed rule goaded people to board their longships and establish new Viking colonies elsewhere. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  8. 14 Apr

    Sol the Charioteer

    To conclude our first series of Viking Lives, Richard & Kári are bringing you a special episode: we’re tracking the strange ride of the goddess Sól across the skies of the Norse world. The Vikings of Scandinavia lived through unimaginably harsh and dark winters, confined to their cramped longhouses for weeks at a time while blizzards raged outside. Then, when the world warmed up and the sea ice broke, they could sail out once more into the wider world. Kári also recounts here some of the rituals he remembers from his boyhood in Iceland that marked the shift from the long winter dark into the eternal light of summer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
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4.8
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The great arc of Viking history told through a chain of life stories, presented by broadcaster Richard Fidler and author Kári Gíslason. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Viking Lives
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Viking Lives

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