Vikingology Podcast · The Art and Science of the Viking Age

Catching up with C.J. and Terri

·25 min

C.J. Adrian and Terry Barnes host this casual update episode of the Vikingology Podcast. The co-hosts, both authors and educators specializing in Viking history, reconnect after a brief hiatus. They share personal news, upcoming projects, and tease future guest interviews. C.J. is moving to France in July and recently published an article on France's unexpected Viking fandom. He notes France has 144 Viking reenactment groups and multiple shipbuilding projects, including a planned voyage to New York. Terry has finished the fifth book in her Hastings saga and teaches Viking history courses online and in Portland. She is traveling to Iceland in August to lecture on the Althing, the historic Viking-era parliament. Their upcoming guest is scholar Alexandra Sanmark, who will discuss her book "Viking Law and Order." A surprising insight is that a major French historical spectacle removed the inaccurate horns from Viking helmets after C.J. critiqued them around 2010. Terry reveals her collaborative college course results in a student-written ebook on the Viking Age each term. C.J. shares a bizarre historical anecdote about a French Revolution-era scientist who allegedly witnessed a severed head respond to its name. The hosts ponder if a decapitated head could drown, a question once posed by a middle school student. They debate whether the infamous "blood eagle" torture method was real or mythological, with C.J. incorporating this ambiguity into his latest novel. Terry finds constant intellectual refreshment from the novel questions her students pose about Norse mythology and history. C.J. has transitioned to writing full-time, offering frequent historical deep-dives through his Substack newsletter. The tone is informal, friendly, and meandering, reflecting two colleagues catching up. The style is conversational and anecdotal, blending personal updates with historical trivia. Listeners who enjoy behind-the-scenes updates from the hosts and learning about their research processes will love this episode. Those seeking a tightly focused historical narrative or interview might prefer to skip this "filler" installment.

As heard by us

A loose Vikingology check-in connects milestone talk with courses, guest previews, and Viking law.

Vikingology uses a filler episode as a loose but useful look at the work gathering around the show. CJ Adrian and Terry Barnes mark more than two years on air, note that they are nearing 50 episodes, and describe a podcast shaped by curiosity rather than a fixed plan.

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Why you'd press play

You get a filler-style Vikingology catch-up: Viking law, course details, coming guest episodes, and a little behind-the-scenes housekeeping from CJ and Terry.

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