What does it take to preserve one of the most iconic Viking sites in the world — while also keeping it alive and relevant for new generations?
In this episode, we speak with Veronica Björkman, site manager at Birka Vikingastaden, about the balance between archaeology, tourism, and cultural storytelling. We talk about grave finds, the Christian cross at Birka, how modern reconstructions are handled, and how ended up leading one of Sweden’s most historically significant destinations.
We also dive into her role in co-founding the Birka Historical Tattoo Fest, the challenge of interpreting history without distorting it, and what it really means to “experience the Viking Age” today.
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For our first ever double-guest episode, we’re joined by bestselling historical novelist Giles Kristian and award-winning director and actor Philip Stevens. Together they’ve rowed the world’s largest Viking longship, turned saga-poems into film, and are now collaborating on an upcoming Viking video game (Norse: Oath of Blood).We talk about unexpected journeys - from boy bands to battlefields and how Viking raids, longships, and brotherhood inspire their work. This episode is about storytelling, adventure, and what it really means to bring the Viking Age to life today.Subscribe to stay updated! Also available on all platforms where podcasts are found, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and more. Find all the links in our linktree: https://linktr.ee/grimfrost
Archaeologist Johan Runer joins us to explore how Viking society was held together without kings, police, or central power. From burial rituals to land rights and runestones, we look at how authority, ownership, and identity were built from the ground up.
We talk about decentralized power, grave goods as legal markers, and the invisible laws that shaped Viking life. This episode is about real people, not just warriors and sagas—and how archaeology brings their world back to life.
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Jackson Crawford is a linguist, translator, and educator known for his clear and accessible approach to Old Norse. In this episode, we talk about what Old Norse actually sounded like — and how we even know that. We also explore how far we can trace our shared linguistic roots, and how Jackson left academia to bring Old Norse to a wider audience through YouTube.Jackson’s work has reached millions through his YouTube channel and new translations of the Poetic Edda and The Saga of the Volsungs.Subscribe to stay updated! Also available on all platforms where podcasts are found, such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and more. Find all the links in our linktree: https://linktr.ee/grimfrost
Håkan Altrock has built Viking ships, sailed them along the ancient Viking routes to the Caspian Sea, pulled them across land by hand—and been threatened and shot at in Russia.
In this episode, he shares stories from decades of travel on open water in handcrafted ships: sailing the eastern river-routes, navigating storms, improvising repairs, and facing real-world threats far from home. This is a conversation about wood, wind, border crossings—and why the line between history and the present is sometimes thinner than we think.
Today’s guest is Jim Hansson — marine archaeologist, diver, and co-author of The Ships of Birka. In this episode, we dive deep (literally) into the world beneath the waves: underwater Viking harbors, preserved tools and textiles, how he found a fragment of what is likely a piece of a sail, and the magic of uncovering everyday life from over a thousand years ago. Jim shares wild stories from decades of diving, from finding Kalashnikovs and Santa masks to recovering 16th-century warships in the Baltic Sea.
Todays Guest is Rowdy Geirsson - American humorist, author, history nerd and Viking enthusiast currently living in Sweden. He’s the author of the Impudent Edda and Scandinavian Aggressors. We dive into why Norse myths still hit hard today, and what it means to bring ancient gods into modern-day Boston. From Thor losing his temper renewing his drivers license to poop feuds in Icelandic sagas.
Today's guest is Daniel Serra, an expert in historical food and experimental archaeology. He specializes in Viking Age cuisine, reconstructing meals based on archaeological evidence and ancient texts. In this episode, we dive into what Vikings really ate, how they cooked, and the surprising flavors of the past. From fermented fish porridge to ritual feasts.
Today's guest is Martin Erikson - one of the biggest Viking enthusiasts around. He is a Viking themed restaurant owner, author, ship owner, musician and adventurer. For us Swedes, he's a national treasure bordering on a legend.
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Today’s guest is Peter Olausson. Shipbuilder, historian and expert on cultural heritage.
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Today’s guest is Anders Kaliff. Author and professor of archaeology at Uppsala university in Sweden.
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Today's guest is Neil Price, acclaimed author and distinguished professor of archaeology at Uppsala University in Sweden.
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This time our guest is Nils Edström, musician, songwriter and the man behind the band Hindarfjäll.
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This time our guest is Ben Raffield– archaeologist, associate professor at Uppsala University and expert on Viking Age warfare and warriors. Hear the guys discuss warriorhood, conflicts, slavery and more.
Explore the Viking Age with the Grimfrost Podcast’s sixth episode! This time our guest is Matthias Toplak – archaeologist, reenactor and head of the Viking Museum Haithabu, one of the most important archaeological museums in Germany. Check it out!
Explore the Viking Age with the Grimfrost Podcast’s fifth episode! This time our guest is Clive Standen – actor, shepherd of the sea and Rollo in the tv-series Vikings.
Explore the Viking Age with the Grimfrost Podcast’s fourth episode! This time our guest is Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, an acknowledged archaeologist who has examined some of the most famous Viking Age sites and graves. She is an expert in the Viking Age martial culture, economy and much more. Check it out!
Explore the Viking Age with the Grimfrost Podcast’s third episode! This time our guest is Faravid af Ugglas who lives and breaths Vikings. He is a screenwriter, movie producer, Viking reenactor, artist, craftsman and the World Heritage site manager for Birka and Hovgården (two Viking Age power sites in Sweden). Check it out!