On Top Of The World

In this episode Matt and I discuss the Vikings with Jack Bouchard, a returning guest and graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh. As we drink three delicious beers, we discuss the question I asked the students in my survey class – were the Vikings unusually violent? We look at how their image changes dramatically after WWII, with less focus on their military talent and more on their meticulous grooming. We also discuss their impact on the English language, their presence in pop culture (Valhalla Rising and The Thirteenth Warrior and Vikings), our favorite Vikings (including GVSU’s Charles Johnson!), the sport of knattleikr, the Reykjavik Police Department Instagram account, and ways to teach Ibn Fadlan. Key sources addressing the Vikings’ violence relative to their contemporaries are Winroth, The Age of the Vikings and Bisson, Tormented Voices. Recommendations are: Matt – Abu-Lughod, Before European HegemonyDave – Somerville and McDonald, The Vikings and Their AgeJack – Fitzhugh and Ward, Vikings: Th