**This podcast contains descriptions of sexual violence, enslavement and human sacrifice**

"I have never seen more perfect physical specimens, tall as date palms, blond and ruddy. Each man were tattooed with dark-green figures from fingernails to neck."

These are the first observations of Vikings from the Arab traveler and diplomat Ibn Fadlan.

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Thorir Jonsson Hraundal to explore Ibn Fadlan's extraordinary observations of a Viking ship burial during his journey to the Volga Bulgars in 921 CE. From the initial preparation of the body to the final emotionally and culturally charged moments of cremation, Ibn Fadlan provides a rare and vivid description that offers unparalleled insights into Viking funerary practices. This riveting account paints a picture of ritual, belief, and cultural intersection.

The Rise of the Vikings

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MNLrJxc5ri920VjZ2mqKv

The Viking Age: New Discoveries

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aChBL6wP2qPpSz5al8tp2

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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Edward of Woodstock, famously known as the Black Prince, was held up as the epitomy of Medieval Chivalry. Matt Lewis is joined by the Black Prince's biographer, Michael Jones to discuss King Edward III's eldest son; how he took command of the English vanguard at the Battle of Crécy at just 16 years old, captured the French King at Poitiers, his potential as a king, and the enigmatic origins of his nickname.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. It was edited by Amy Haddow. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Does a four-winged leopard, a woman riding bareback on a monstrous serpent-like beast and giants having a good chat signal the beginning of the apocalypse? Medieval folk certainly thought so.

Dr. Eleanor Janega and Prof. James Palmer delight in these terrifying - and sometimes comical - figures and how they served both as religious symbols and as interpretations of worldly evils, reflecting the medieval fascination with the unknown and the stark moral lessons intended by these vivid depictions.

The discuss the meanings of apocalyptic monsters like the dragon and the beast of the abyss, as well as their artistic representations in illuminated manuscripts, church walls, and maps from the medieval period.

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Eleanor's new documentary uncovering how medieval people understood the end of days, from the terrifying visions of Revelation to the vivid warnings painted onto church walls, in Medieval Apocalypse on the History Hit channel.

Sign up to History Hit for this and hundreds more original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on