Between Two Ravens: A Norse Mythology Podcast

S6E1 - A Tale of Merlin

S6E1David kicks off Season 6 with a story of Merlin. Why Merlin you ask? Isn't this a Norse Mythology Podcast? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out.David talks about what has been interesting him lately and trying to catch up with Shawn's understanding of Anglo-Saxon history.Hey you're reading the episode description. You must really enjoy our content. Do you ever listen all the way to the end of the episode to see if we left any surprises?Give us some encouragement and support the podcast:Send us a donation and ask us a question we can answer on the air: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastSend us a message on Instagram and follow us for updates:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Check out David’s writing atThe Walled Garden: https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexanderBetween Two Ravens Blog: https://tworavenpodcast.wordpress.com/Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network. Contact us on Instagram if you are interested in advertising on this podcast.

S5E21: Volsung Poems: The Last Sons of Gudrun (Part 7 of 7)

S5E21 Volsung Poems: The Last Sons of Gudrun (Part 7)The conclusion of this meant to be short series, deep diving into the poems that underlie the Saga of the Volsungs. It has been quite a journey. If you have been following along, we have seen how the original sources are flawed. Some missing pages and stanzas. Some seem to be early poems, sometimes rearranged or reconstructed. Some are entirely new constructions at the time of their recording in the 13th century.It feels very fitting, this part of the poetic edda ends on what seems to be one of the oldest poems. The Lay of Hamdir. When I first read these poems, it was hard to see why this story has anything to do with Sigurd and the Norse Gods. It connects the Volsung clan to another historical legendary king, Ermanaric (Iormurekk), the 6th Century Gothic King in Scythia, before the Hun invasion.It seems to be a simple tale, connecting kings and legendary heroes to the gods. It contains a story of gruesome torture. Reflects the pain inflicted on the victims of marriages for political alliances. The fateful families formed by these agreements of men.Metaphorically it reflects why the hero has to die. Why does the hero have to die? Why can't he just have a nice retirement for once? I connect the meaning to the totality of Carl Jung's theory of the hero, the heroic ego. Overcoming the unconscious, separating the great mother from the anima. Learning to accept fate and connecting to The Self.It is the meaning of this entire journey from the origin of the gods. The destiny and fate of the hero.If you want to read more about the meaning I find in this poem and saga, this episode inspired me to write a new cryptic blog post: https://tworavenpodcast.wordpress.com/2025/08/15/the-death-of-the-hero/Ways to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn and David a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David’s writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement

S5E20: Volsung Poems: Two Poems of Atli (Part 6 of 7)

S5E20 Volsung Poems: Two Poems of Atli (Part 5)David continues his series of not so short solo episodes, deep diving into the Poems of the Poetic Edda which inspired the Saga of the Volsungs.In this episode:The Lay of AtliThe Greenlandic Lay of AtliThese poems connect the legends of Atli the Hun, to his wife Gudrun and the poems of Sigurd and his decent from the Norse Gods. Atli kills Gudrun's brothers. Some would say to avenge Sigurd and Brunhilde. Others would say to obtain Fafnir's Hoard of Gold. Either way, it is the curse of Andvari's gold, leading to the deaths of generations of fathers and sons.We see in these poems the author favors the Giukung family, Gudrun, Hogni and Gunnar. Where previous poems placed them as the betrayers of Sigurd, Sigurd has been mostly forgotten here. Gudrun does grieve the loss of her great love, but she also hangs on to the love of her brothers and the bonds of kinship.The Giukung family are Goths, a Germanic Tribe. Sigurd joined their clan. But he betrayed the love of Brunhilde, of the family of Atli and the Huns. Gunnar is too smart to allow the hoard of Fafnir to fall into the hands of the Huns. It is returned to the bottom of the Rhine River. But the curse lives through Gudrun and she sees to the death of her two sons by Atli. In the next and final short, she will be remarried to a third king, and see to the deaths of two more sons.The Greenlandic Lay of Atli seems to be a fan fiction. Another take on the same story. The Greenlanders wished to see Gunnar and Hogni as Greenlanders, falling into the same trap of Atli. Blindly trusting fate and the bonds of kindship.Ways to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn and David a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David’s writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement

New Podcast Announcement - Sagas w/Shawn - Gods and Kings

Shawn has launched a solo podcast: Sagas w/Shawn – Gods and Kings.Don't worry, Between Two Ravens is not ending. This new series explores legendary and historical figures from Norse mythology and beyond, tracing the line between gods and kings, myth and history. Sort of like my solo episodes on "historical" figures with more of my stupid voice.I'll eventually discuss other world mythologies and may even branch out into fictional worlds as well, like the Elder Scrolls, Legend of Zelda, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Lord of the Rings to name a few. If you've enjoyed the storytelling and research we bring to Between Two Ravens, you’ll feel right at home. Check out Sagas w/Shawn on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.Sagas w/Shawn - Gods and KingsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/sagaswshawn/Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@sagaswshawnYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@SagasWithShawnWays to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David’s writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement

S5E18: Ragnar Lodbrok VII: The Legacy of Ragnar's Sons

In this episode, Shawn and David wrap up the series on Ragnar Lobrok (cue dozens of solo episodes where Shawn and David have not in fact wrapped up their series on Ragnar Lodbrok), discussing chapters 18 - 20. In tandem with "The Tale of Ragnars Sons", you find out about the fates of the sons of Ragnar, including their deaths. There are then a couple of chapters of some nameless characters (well one is named), who in later years begin discussing the the heroic brothers either in their cups while getting drunk, or looking at monuments set to be reminders of them.The pair explore the descendents of these heroes, leading to the historical origins of 3 Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, tying together the legendary sagas with historical figures like Gorm the Old, Harald Fairhair, and Eirik the Victorious. There is also an interesting passing of the torch where in 1066 William the Conqueror supposedly dug up the grave of Ivar the Boneless (deciding to burn his body), which may represent the end of Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking Age.Ways to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David’s writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement