1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,320
A.

2
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:37,560
Welcome to the episode I am calling whispers with Hugnin and Mugnin.

3
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:42,280
They are the two loyal raven spies of Odin.

4
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,120
He named them after Thought and Memory.

5
00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:53,120
And in this special episode, at this time of year, I am going to share memories of how

6
00:00:53,120 --> 00:01:00,120
this podcast journey began and also share my thoughts for the future.

7
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:05,760
So please grab a spot on the meat bench, a horn of ale, a platter of meat, bread and

8
00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,480
cheeses and let us begin.

9
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:15,320
Let us look back at the origin story of Valhalla conversations.

10
00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:23,120
And it all began in 2021 when MCM Comic Con, hosting in London that year in the autumn,

11
00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:29,240
were looking for fan-based content to put on a digital program to stream online, the

12
00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:33,640
digital ticket holders alongside their physical program and physical events.

13
00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:39,640
Because of course this was set in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, so social distancing,

14
00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:40,640
crowds.

15
00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,400
Large events were still turned down, they were not as popular.

16
00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:50,640
In a way they still have bounce back, but we will see for that.

17
00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,680
But yes, they were looking for fan-based content and it got me thinking, well if the content

18
00:01:55,680 --> 00:02:00,080
can be made by fans then it can be on anything potentially.

19
00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:09,360
And I have always lacked a nearby or even local group of people who related to my passion

20
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,440
for viking stuff, whether it is history or mythology.

21
00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:19,760
I am a bit of a black sheep in my own friend network in this particular interest.

22
00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:25,600
And I will always remember the one piece of advice the MCM page gave on submitting an

23
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:32,720
application of content was, do not invite Gal Gadot, who of course played Superman, not

24
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:41,320
a Superman, sorry, Wonder Woman, without actually genuinely inviting her and seeing is she would participate.

25
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,240
So they really did want people, if you are going to throw celebrity names into your application

26
00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:51,040
in the hope that they get in, they really want to have some faith that person will be

27
00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:52,040
there.

28
00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:57,680
Now of course I got thinking, who could I get to talk to about viking stuff, in particular

29
00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,440
North mythology and especially in fantasy fiction.

30
00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:08,600
Thankfully I had quite a cast of possible guests to join me on this slightly adventure

31
00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,080
and the first one I picked was Joanne Harris.

32
00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:20,800
She wrote of course the Runemarks series, well two of Runemarks and Runelight, the Gospel

33
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,000
of Loki and the Testament of Loki.

34
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:28,920
Thankfully when I emailed her she was quite amicable, responsive, positive, she did not

35
00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:32,440
fob me off or ignore my email, which is always plus.

36
00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:38,720
I think this is going back quite away now, I have not gone in three years but my brain

37
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,240
is not what it used to be.

38
00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:48,400
She suggested another guest might be Francesca Simon who wrote The Monster's Child which

39
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:54,640
is a book all about hell and how she became the goddess of Helheim.

40
00:03:54,640 --> 00:04:00,200
And then I think Francesca Simon suggested Professor Caroline Larrington who is a true

41
00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:06,400
Oxford professor and knows the ins and outs of North mythology from the sagas and eddas

42
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:07,400
and beyond.

43
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:13,440
And remarkably I managed to unite all three of them and we had this really good discussion

44
00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,160
about North fantasy.

45
00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:21,680
We worked together, well I did some drafts of the blurb for the panel to go with it,

46
00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:28,040
came up with the title The 540 Doors of Valhalla because it does have 540 doors and I thought

47
00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:33,240
that quite reflected the vast array of fantasy fiction which took from North mythology for

48
00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,240
their things, characters, plots and whatnot.

49
00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,920
We worked together on the blurb and then we submitted the application and we had a month

50
00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,600
or two to wait and remarkably we then found out that he had been accepted.

51
00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:50,800
So then I was in contact with someone at the MCM team to get the right graphics and templates

52
00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:56,080
and have a deadline for when to send the recording in because thankfully it wasn't live because

53
00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,280
I personally couldn't afford to go down to London and of course the other day they were

54
00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:02,920
also busy with their own things.

55
00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:09,880
So we recorded it, sent the recording down but following that I then got the crazy idea

56
00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:17,000
of suggesting that we could do this panel again with the Jorvik Viking Festival because

57
00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:22,800
I know they would love this kind of thing and at the time they also had their own podcast,

58
00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:29,960
the Jorvik Viking thing podcast or that Jorvik Viking podcast to get dramatically correct.

59
00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,200
And so she said well how about we not do it as a live event but do it again as a podcast

60
00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:39,040
episode and we could premiere it during the Viking Festival and that was happening in

61
00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:46,400
the following year because this was originally done for autumn 2021 so now looking at spring

62
00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:52,880
time 2022 that was good, the ladies were all down for it again and I, being the humble

63
00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,720
person I sent the call up was still welcome and included as a guest even though I wasn't

64
00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,200
being the host and being the one asking the questions.

65
00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:05,640
So we did that, it got moved back slightly bit because that year they trialled during

66
00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:10,400
the festival during the May half-term holidays, is it a February half-term holidays again

67
00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,560
because of the after Covid.

68
00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:17,680
So yes so that happened so I was in a way a small part the Jorvik Viking Festival which

69
00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:22,360
goes into the tick on my dream box because I've been a pilgrim, literally a pilgrim I

70
00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:33,480
go to every year if I can of the Jorvik Viking Festival and then after that I thought oh I

71
00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,160
quite enjoyed that but what else can I do.

72
00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:44,200
And then something came up in October that year, 2022 and it was on Twitter, when Twitter

73
00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:50,440
was Twitter, was a bluebird, not an X and not a place of box and not my people, that

74
00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:57,640
it is now and there was a guy called Alex known as spells and spaceships, I think his

75
00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:04,600
username he has a blog and he set up this crazy thing called Norse member which is where

76
00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:10,480
he liked to come out and celebrate anything Norse, modern historical otherwise through

77
00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:15,760
the month of November and I thought oh I could do something with that, what could I do.

78
00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:21,440
And I'd already done the same panel twice but I didn't want to do that again, I wanted

79
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:26,480
to do something else so I thought I'd approach from other authors I've read and I liked and

80
00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:34,160
the two authors I got involved were Amelia Dillon of Twisted Fate series or Beyond Fate

81
00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:42,080
series following an interesting crossover between Adam and Eve and Thor across the whole time

82
00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:50,720
span and Kat Rector who had written The Goddess of Nothing at all, I spoke to those two again

83
00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,880
via email and again they were quite receptive and interested and engaged and we had a lovely

84
00:07:55,880 --> 00:08:04,960
conversation and that was then put on to YouTube as my first ever episode of what would come

85
00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:11,960
to be known as Valhalla conversations, so since then I have done 10 episodes and that's

86
00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:17,480
not including the first one that started the whole crazy thing off with Joan Harris Professor

87
00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:21,800
Caroline and Francesca Simon.

88
00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:27,520
So since Amelia Dillon and Kat Rector I then had Helen Hollick, Patricia Bracewell, Sharon

89
00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:32,720
Menick Connolly, they were soon to be joined by Justin Hill, they were returning guests

90
00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:38,520
for covering the Vikings Valhalla TV series, Joan Harris and Francesca Caroline did indeed

91
00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:43,560
join me again on my podcast and I think they were joining the episode where I officially

92
00:08:43,560 --> 00:08:52,040
named it as Valhalla conversations alongside Genevieve Cornishek, Caitlin Felix, Louis

93
00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:59,640
Stowell, we've had Tessa Gratton, Kate Hartfield, Aisa Wheatley, a comic writer, Field Cold

94
00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:07,280
Halt most recently and also co-hosts of another podcast which is always great work, Kaya

95
00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:14,280
Spartan and Johanna Wittgenberg, so thank you to all of you, without folks like you,

96
00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:19,640
Sharon the same passion as me and who willing to join me who is just a humble nobody, I'm

97
00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:25,120
just a humble bookworm and fan, none of Valhalla conversations would be.

98
00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:30,680
If I hadn't had the experience with Joan Harris, Francesca Simon, Professor Caroline

99
00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,920
Larrington at the start I probably wouldn't have then had the episode with Amelia Dillon

100
00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:39,640
and Kat Rector, nor the episode with Helen Hollick and Patricia Racewell and Sharon

101
00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,520
Bennett Connolly, just seemed like a piece of hell and that gave me the confidence then

102
00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:49,520
to do more and like I wanted to do more again and so here we are.

103
00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:55,040
I think I did a total of five episodes this year which is more than the last year because

104
00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,760
it's been sporadic, I don't always have the time to do this, I do have a proper job as

105
00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:06,560
well as being a parent, but to hit ten episodes and double digits I consider that quite a

106
00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:11,160
mini milestone and success story and I'm quite proud but also humbled because without

107
00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:15,000
these guests none of this would be here.

108
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,960
So I hope to any and all who have listened to those episodes you have enjoyed them.

109
00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:25,000
Now I guess we should stop looking to the past and going down memory and start thinking

110
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,280
about the future and looking at the thought because I have got plans, I have got plans

111
00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:35,600
and I am delighted to say that there are a few exciting little announcements to make,

112
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,640
not big ones but just little ones that might help spread the word so to speak.

113
00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:49,840
So first off Valhalla Conversations is no longer just on YouTube, it's on more platforms.

114
00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:56,280
We are now on audio platforms, you can now find Valhalla Conversations on Spotify, Amazon

115
00:10:56,280 --> 00:11:00,880
Music, Podcast Index and on RSS.com.

116
00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:06,440
The RSS is the main distribution point but you can find it in all those other platforms

117
00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:07,840
individually as well.

118
00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,800
So if you don't just want to watch my base and other people's faces you can just listen

119
00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:16,880
to us and our conversations via wherever you like to listen whether it's in the car,

120
00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:21,560
washing up in the kitchen, in hoovering, on your commute.

121
00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:26,040
You can now tune in there and all future episodes will continue all 10 episodes and now on all

122
00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:27,040
those platforms.

123
00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:31,360
So if you have had friends who might like this podcast but don't want to watch on YouTube

124
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,240
you can now send them the link.

125
00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,880
Direct them to Spotify, direct them to Amazon Music and hopefully they will discover us and

126
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,560
join the conversation and enjoy as much as you did.

127
00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:46,320
But yeah, so we know all those platforms, we now also have our own Facebook page.

128
00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:51,080
But if you want to comment on anything, find out the latest news, future guests coming

129
00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,080
up.

130
00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,800
I've been trying to use the Community tab on YouTube for the best of my ability but

131
00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,680
I don't think it actually gets into anyone's feed much.

132
00:11:58,680 --> 00:12:01,800
So I've gone for a Facebook page.

133
00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,600
Now I know some people might not be on Facebook.

134
00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:10,920
I am of course on social media as well so if you just want to follow my personal account

135
00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:11,920
it's fine.

136
00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,080
I mingle my social media work and podcast work with my own account.

137
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:25,240
So you can find me at soltacebecky on Instagram, Blue Sky and Threads and of course I also

138
00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,280
run the Facebook page.

139
00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:31,840
I've put blurbs and linked all 10 episodes up on that Facebook page as well.

140
00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,960
So again please go over there, give it a like, give it a follow and then little episodes like

141
00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,760
this, sneak peeks of new content will appear there and I have got plans for new content

142
00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:49,760
because I've invested in myself as a content creator as well as a podcaster and I have

143
00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:55,520
got devices and tools now that I can use to not just talk to people about biking usually

144
00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:59,480
not pathology but also share my horde of books.

145
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:01,520
I have a lot of books that I've read.

146
00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,600
I've reviewed loads of them on my blog.

147
00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,760
Of course blogs are just so old news they like the...

148
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:08,760
Before the Millennium.

149
00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:15,040
Before the Millennium was blog spain so I'm going to try turning them all into little

150
00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:20,280
videos with me talking over the top and showing you the books and blurb and maybe reading

151
00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,880
some snippets and experiment with a few styles but I would love to have your feedback on

152
00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,920
what you might like from a non-typical book review.

153
00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:35,800
I have decided that I am going to try and release 12 episodes next year, one per month.

154
00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:44,160
So I am already making a wish list and indeed recruiting guests for future episodes including

155
00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,480
in January we have got Joshua Gilligan.

156
00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,360
He's based in Canada and he is an amazing guy.

157
00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:57,000
His involvement in North Stuff in the modern medium sense is quite spectacular.

158
00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:58,800
He's not written just two fancy novels.

159
00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:04,440
I've got a huge dose of North quality and culture to them as well as a big dollop of

160
00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:06,160
Lord of the Rings' esteness.

161
00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:12,680
But he's also been involved with his own card game that's based on the Icelandic political

162
00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,320
system which is called the Old Thingy.

163
00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:20,360
He's co-editor of two books, Old and Most Modern Times, always handy to have on the

164
00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:21,360
shelf.

165
00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:22,360
The Crescent and the Northern Star.

166
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:27,680
Sorry Joshua, The Crescent and the Northern Star and it's a beautiful anthology including

167
00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:33,040
previous guest Caitlin Felix's work of her possible up well potentially upcoming book

168
00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:41,360
in 2025 covering many fictional but with a lot of research and ground to it.

169
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:46,720
The meeting of North cultures with cultures in the Middle East around Baghdad and one

170
00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:52,960
side to the other and course Muslims and Heathens or Muslims and Pagans versus Muslims and Christians.

171
00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:57,240
So it really is an interesting authority.

172
00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,000
So he's coming in January.

173
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:05,320
February on the podcast, we are finally, some of you did vote on the One Community poll

174
00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:11,480
that actually got votes that were interested in a review of Twilight of the Gods on Netflix.

175
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:17,640
We have got Arthur K. S. Byrd from the Women of the North World podcast joining us again

176
00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:18,640
for that one.

177
00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,720
I recently converted her into that series and we have a new guy called Sasha and he

178
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:24,640
is from slightly reckless games.

179
00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:30,880
Now they've recently caught funding together through Kickstarter for a more rules system

180
00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,880
based Berserk or Berserker.

181
00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,080
I have yet to play it.

182
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,600
They're still going to be playtesting and hoping to get it in the spring.

183
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,000
It's a tabletop RPG I'm unfamiliar with.

184
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:48,560
I've not heard of that before or played the rules so it'll be interesting.

185
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:53,840
So that'll be possible future content with Sasha and slightly reckless games team.

186
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:59,280
For other potential guests coming up in 2015 include Ian Stewart-Sharp.

187
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:04,560
Now his lineage with North stuff goes in further than Joshua's although they have worked together

188
00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,800
both of them on North for modern times.

189
00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:14,040
Ian Stewart-Sharp wrote a mind-boggling book called The All-Farther Paradox which basically

190
00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:19,480
gave Odin the leeway to rewrite history regardless of what the North freed.

191
00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:24,160
And so the North, the people of the North became the most successful relation on the

192
00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:25,160
planet effectively.

193
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:31,320
They were the ones who led the world forward in terms of technology, medicine, spirituality,

194
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,680
knowledge, technology etc.

195
00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:38,880
And it's projected into a whole, then projected into a whole tabletop campaign world called

196
00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:46,920
When the World Comes which I did get to play a little bit of on his new and ongoing actual

197
00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:53,040
play podcast of the thoughts and memory saga which is based within When the World Will

198
00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,360
Come and his podcast is called Vikings and Buggies.

199
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:57,920
I debut in episode 5.

200
00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,920
So if you want to move along the link's down below.

201
00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,360
So yeah so I could talk to him a lot about North stuff.

202
00:17:05,360 --> 00:17:12,560
I've also want to invite at some point next year one of my co-adventurers on that gaming

203
00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:18,000
podcast an artist called Sam Flegel.

204
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,360
He has done amazing art and go check him out on Instagram.

205
00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:22,360
It's really stunning.

206
00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:28,560
It all involves ink blotches and delicate paint work and inking and it's all based on North

207
00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:33,720
mythology both from the Eddas but he's also painted a whole series of artworks to go with

208
00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:40,800
the Volusper which is the prophecy of the Bolver and also the Havermal which is the

209
00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:46,080
words of the Havermal from Odin which is basically his how to guide on the main of

210
00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:47,080
life in a way.

211
00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:51,920
But he's also working on Lottisana which is a load of artwork inspired, influenced by

212
00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:56,800
the character of Loki which again is the play of the month all year in terms of nonsense

213
00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:02,520
because no one wants that though ever once Loki so I'm hoping to get him on.

214
00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:07,200
Also on my hit list for this podcast is How's Jacobs.

215
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:12,280
Now he is rather local to me and I came across him through a friend I made on a creative

216
00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,760
media course and he is actually part of a Viking band.

217
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:26,520
Now not a heavy metal band, something akin to Waruna in that they replicate or inspired

218
00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:33,320
by instruments of the time, music traditions of the time that kind of thing and his band

219
00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:38,760
actually performed a whole soundtrack for a promenade performance of Beowulf in my

220
00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,560
hometown that happened last autumn and unfortunately Loki played with my fate that year and I

221
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,120
just never got to attend it.

222
00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:50,320
I had plans to, me and my colleagues had plans to go but by the time all those had

223
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,480
got rounds of getting tickets I forgot for one reason or another when I got round to

224
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,400
getting one they'd all sold out.

225
00:18:56,400 --> 00:19:02,360
It was a sellout performance by the entire landscape of the centre of the town and they

226
00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:08,320
got even reviews from the local and national newspapers because the Beowulf was a female

227
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,280
character not a male and they did other things which were revolutionary and unfortunately

228
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,680
I missed out a little bit but you win some you lose some.

229
00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,760
So I really want to talk to him, I have sent him an email, I'm just waiting to hear that

230
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:21,760
from him.

231
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:29,080
Another guest I'm hoping to get on is a acquaintance I made at the Maryson Posing Minster

232
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:36,280
Bangley in August who I went to speak about Valkyries in Fantasy Eviction and his name

233
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:42,520
is Nuka Panara and he is from Iceland and he has a lot of knowledge and experience and

234
00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:49,560
study and research in video games, depictions of Viking culture and North mythology and

235
00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,200
yep I have lots to talk to about him on that.

236
00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,120
Mainly because I've put a long list of games I have played or want to play I just need

237
00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,120
time to play them all.

238
00:19:58,120 --> 00:20:03,560
Slightly reckless games of course will come up at some point for their Morkborg, Mizzurka,

239
00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:11,800
TTRPV, Genoed Cornishak I guess we've had on before in the Valk Ragnarok review episode.

240
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:17,680
I have finished her Witch's Hat book and I am currently reading her Weaver and the Witch

241
00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:18,680
book.

242
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:19,680
Very, very good.

243
00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,480
I'm hoping to finish that by the end of Christmas and then I would like to get her on top of

244
00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,960
both of those books, they are both about really strong unique women characters both from the

245
00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:36,280
mythology and the history and it's just, Chesky's wonderful.

246
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:42,080
Another acquaintance from the same conference in Savannah is an historian-archeologist known

247
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:43,800
as Emma Thompson.

248
00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:49,520
She herself has got an interesting hobby research project going on into the representation

249
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:53,440
of Vikings and the Viking Age in tabletop RPG games.

250
00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,880
She has a really fascinating presentation at Symposium.

251
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,880
We can't talk about the core of it because both me and her are hoping to get our research

252
00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,880
published in the Symposium volume next year so that's another thing we have to do, there's

253
00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:06,880
a busy writing.

254
00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:11,640
But I just want to talk to you more generally about how Vikings are portrayed in tabletop

255
00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:12,640
RPG games.

256
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:17,200
I have supported a number of them, or Kickstarter, and the interpretation depiction is always

257
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:23,600
like different, especially how they either weave the mythology into the creation and

258
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:29,040
breadth of the world that the player is playing or just as the lore and background.

259
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,520
So I might be swapping notes and sharing on that one.

260
00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:38,480
I also have two other podcasters I quite like to do a podcast with.

261
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:44,440
There is Alina Minea who's historian but she is better known as Skould and she runs the

262
00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,160
Shield of Skould podcast on YouTube.

263
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:53,880
She does her own series of lectures as part of a course, online course that you can attend.

264
00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:58,880
Unfortunately my timing to her time zone doesn't always work out but I think we could have

265
00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,960
some interesting discussions.

266
00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:09,080
And one recent acquaintance that I've met is a historian who goes by the name of Fjorn

267
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,880
and he's known as Fjorn Skelz on Instagram and on YouTube.

268
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:16,760
She's just restarted releasing his own content on Viking Age History.

269
00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:20,880
And again we both connected because we both share the passion and we want to talk to more

270
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,960
people who also get our passion and our interest.

271
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:32,120
So that is what a glimpse of the special guests I'm hoping to get on for 2025.

272
00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:36,320
Yeah, might not be quite a whole file there but I think we've got a good chunk.

273
00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:42,840
We've got at least January, February, but Instagram maybe in March, just down the legal

274
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,800
maybe in April, then Luca maybe in May, that's five.

275
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:52,440
And then we've got one, two, three, four, five, six, more so we've got to 11 already.

276
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:57,040
So I'm just a couple of, and I have got an idea for an episode to do with Israel Perfection

277
00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:01,560
but I need to speak to some people first just to see if they're interested.

278
00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,920
Because I have realised that a lot of my content so far, they're such on the mythological and

279
00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:11,240
fantastical side or the Norse history in terms of one medium.

280
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:16,000
But I have read a lot of Viking Age History of Perfection so I think I would like to touch

281
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,000
base with that.

282
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,560
So yes, there you are.

283
00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:25,600
We've had quite a conversation with Union and Union, Memory and Thought looking back

284
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,600
and looking forward.

285
00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:36,800
So I hope you have a wonderful Christmas time, a festive break, seasonal holiday, whatever

286
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:38,240
you do at this time of year.

287
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,240
I hope you have fun.

288
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:45,800
I hope it's the people you love, friends and family and looking forward to debuting episode

289
00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:49,400
11 in January with Joshua Gilliam.

290
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:54,800
So again, find the Facebook page, give it a like, follow details of good there when it's

291
00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:55,800
coming out.

292
00:23:55,800 --> 00:24:03,200
This was on my social feeds at Soltoysabeki at Instagram, Threads and now on Blues Guy.

293
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:04,200
Put any comments down below.

294
00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,600
There are any guests that you would like to see, things you'd like to see me do, not

295
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:13,240
do, do I talk too much, do I not talk too much, do I not ask the right questions?

296
00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:18,320
And of course, if you haven't subscribed yet, please do because there's lots more to come

297
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:24,200
and if you like Viking stuff, you're all welcome in my Valhalla and I do hope you join

298
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,080
us for future Valhalla conversations soon.

299
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:44,640
Thank you very much for listening.