The

The I'm not you know, I'm a lot of

you know Hello and welcome to the history of Vikings.

Across Old Norse literature, we can read about encounters with paranormal

beings, such as ghosts, zombies, and trolls. These figures appear in Icelandic texts from the

12, 13, and 1400s, but likely denote fantastical activity believed by medieval pagans to have occurred

during the Viking Age. In today's Halloween-inspired episode, we'll discuss the medieval

monsters of Scandinavia that influenced J.R.R. Tolkien as he crafted otherworldly characters, such as Gollum and the Nasgul,

for his famous series, The Lord of the Rings. Joining me to discuss Viking Age ghosts,

zombies, trolls, and more is returning guest Dr. Arman Jakobson.

Arman is professor of medieval Icelandic literature at the

University of Iceland and a published novelist. In the past, he has been a postman, high school teacher,

journalist, and reality TV star. He has invented names for the streets of Reykjavik and mainly loves to write, bearing many obscure

publications to his name. Before we get into my conversation with Armin, I want to tell you that we've

recently partnered with Medieval Warfare Magazine as a way to support this podcast.

Medieval warfare is the highest quality magazine dedicated to warriors and weapons of the

Middle Ages.

Every issue features specially commissioned artwork and original maps that bring medieval combat

to life.

If you've ever wanted to support the history of Vikings,

please consider doing so by signing up for a digital subscription to medieval warfare,

which is only $10 every six months. If you choose to sign up, please do so via the link

...