Best Tell Me RUNE Podcasts (2024)

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68. Witold Tyborowski: Finding a job during Hammurabi's reign 38:48

26d ago38:48

38:48

Witold discusses the labour market under Hammurabi of Babylon. What kind of work could you get, and what would you be paid in exchange? Who would be looking for employment, who would take them on, and who held the balance of power? 1:45 how we know about getting a job 2:54 who are the job seekers? 3:48 how common was it? 4:58 what jobs are there be…

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Episode 37 - Dead Women in Black 39:15

1M ago39:15

39:15

After a nice, long break, NMTUG is back to cover a relatively obscure topic in Norse mythology: the dísir. What makes the dísir distinct from valkyries, norns, and other death-entangled women? Let's fin Sources: “The Merseburg Spells” by Joseph S. Hopkins, 2023 “Dísir” by John Lindow in Pre-Christian Religions of the North volume III, 2020 “Diction…

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67. Amy Gansell: Dressing Assyria's queens 42:28

3M ago42:28

42:28

Amy discusses the multi-sensory presence of the queens of Assyria. What was queenly dress and what meaning did each part of it convey? How does the evidence from art compare to what we learn from archaeology? Can we identify personal choice? She also talks about what it's like to wear queenly clothes, and what experimental archaeology can tell us. …

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66. Rune Rattenborg, Seraina Nett, Gustav Ryberg Smidt: Geomapping Cuneiform 41:35

4M ago41:35

41:35

Rune, Seraina, and Gustav discuss their recently completed project on geomapping cuneiform. Where were inscriptions found and where are they now? How many tablets are there? What counts as a tablet anyway? They reveal the challenges of integrating datasets, and explore the potential opened up by knowing where inscriptions really come from. 4:18 GLo…

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65. Omar N'Shea: Masculinities in Mesopotamia 36:06

5M ago36:06

36:06

Omar discusses the importance of studying gender as part of assyriology. What are the big themes now, and how did we get here? He focuses on two areas of special interest: masculinity, and eunuchism. What can we expect from the conference on gender studies (GeMANE) hosted in Malta this April? And what is the context of assyriology in Malta? 0:37 In…

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64. Ali Kadhem Ghanem: Managing the site of Ur 29:02

6M ago29:02

29:02

The site of Ur is easily one of the most important in Iraq. In this interview, originally recorded in late 2021, we hear from the person responsible for managing that site. Ali talks about Ur's significance, and its role in local life. What are the plans for the development of this key site? 4:18 introducing Lina 7:02 importance of Ur 7:34 what tou…

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63: Enrique Jiménez: the electronic Babylonian Library 31:39

7M ago31:39

31:39

Enrique introduces us to a major new resource in digital assyriology: The electronic Babylonian Library. What does it offer and what are its aims? He discusses the issues facing the field and the potential of digital tools, including AI, to help solve them. To what extent can Babylonian literature be reconstructed now, and what we can do with it? 2…

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62. Prize-winning assyriology 30:55

9M ago30:55

30:55

At the Rencontre in Leiden this summer, the IAA awarded its annual prizes celebrating the excellence of early career scholars. There were prizes for the best dissertation, best first article, and a research subsidy. I tracked down the prize winners to ask them about their work. 2:17 Clélia Paladre 2:57 thesis on Iranian glyptic 4:38 the Proto-Elami…

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61. Shigeo Yamada: Yasin Tepe: on the margins of empire 27:53

10M ago27:53

27:53

Shigeo shares the results of fieldwork at a site that was once a key city on the edges of the Assyrian empire. How do we know which city it was? He describes the key finds, and interprets their significance. What can we learn from a necklet? 2:22 Yasin Tepe 4:54 goals 6:38 identification as Dur-Ashur 9:12 results 12:44 who lived there? 13:44 inscri…

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60. Susanne Paulus: Back to School in Babylonia 46:19

11M ago46:19

46:19

Susanne pulls back the curtain on how exhibitions are made. She explains how the topic was chosen, and how that vision is translated into reality. How long does it take, how many people are involved, and just what needs to be done? 2:17 about Back to School 3:27 goals 5:37 what's on show? 7:16 star pieces 10:10 recreating an ancient school 11:05 ho…

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Episode 36 - Blue as Hel 31:46

1y ago31:46

31:46

Time for another deep dive! This time into the mysterious origins of the one called Hel: the daughter of Loki and the sister of two giant monsters. Who does she own upon death? The answer may not be quite as simple as you think. Sources: “Dictionary of Northern Mythology” by Rudolf Simek, 2007 “Gesta Danorum” transl. by Karsten Friis-Jensen and Pet…

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59. Louise Pryke: Ishtar then and now 30:21

12M ago30:21

30:21

Louise discusses Ishtar, one of the most enigmatic and fascinating deities of the ancient Middle East. What characteristics were assigned to her, and what stories were told about her? What happened when Ishtar met Gilgamesh? Louise also discusses the reception of Ishtar and Gilgamesh. What do people find interesting about them now? She explains how…

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Episode 35 - Volsunga Saga Part III: The Fearless Heart 1:03:47

1y ago1:03:47

1:03:47

In our final installment of Völsunga Saga (for now), it's what you've all been waiting for: We finally cover the tale of Sigurðr, the most famous of all Norse heroes who slew the dragon Fáfnir, and his tragic love with the valkyire Brynhildr. There's fire, murder, mayhem, and one ring to curse them all. Don't miss it! Sources: “Dictionary of Northe…

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58. Looking back at RAI Leiden: on conferences, and catching up with guests 36:08

1y ago36:08

36:08

This special episode is a follow-up on the big annual conference. I offer some thoughts on what happened, and on how things might be in the future. As part of this, I catch up with three colleagues who have appeared as guests. Two were among the very first guests, who kindly helped me start the podcast. It was a leap in the dark for all of us. Sinc…

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57. Looking forward to Leiden 22:55

1y ago22:55

22:55

The organising team of RAI 68 Leiden introduce us to what we can expect from the conference. Why did they pick inequality as a topic? And how do they address inequality in the conference design? What role does live-streaming play in a modern Rencontre? 2:03 about RAI 68 Leiden 2:52 what's different? 3:33 childcare support 4:23 why "inequality" as t…

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Episode 34 - Volsunga Saga Part II: To Serve the Boatman 32:12

1y ago32:12

32:12

Story time continues with our second installment of the Saga of the Volsungs wherein another character goes to Valhöll without dying in battle, a valkyrie causes countless deaths for her own gain, and Sigmund's magic sword finally receives a name. Don't miss it! Sources: “The Saga of the Volsungs”, transl. by Jesse Byock, 2004, supplemented by some…

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56. Nicholas Reid: The Big House 30:53

1y ago30:53

30:53

Nicholas explains about imprisonment in ancient Iraq. Were there prisons? Who would be confined, how long for, and why? What would someone do in prison? And whose interest did confinement serve? 2:08 confinement in ancient Iraq 5:11 were there prisons? 7:45 why would you be confined? 8:53 for whose benefit? 10:01 the religious dimension 14:11 sourc…

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55. Agnès Garcia-Ventura: The historiography of assyriology 35:11

1+ y ago35:11

35:11

Agnès discusses the history of the field, and why that matters now. Cast collections were an important part of Spain's early interest in ancient Iraq. How did these collections form? Who was interested? What were they interested in? And why? The history of the field has also impacted how we interpret objects, and how we read ancient texts. What les…

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Episode 33 - Volsunga Saga Part I: The Sword in the Tree 56:36

1+ y ago56:36

56:36

It's story time again! And this time we're digging into what might be the most famous legendary saga ever to come out of Scandinavia: The Saga of the Vǫlsungs. As we dig in, it'll become clear how all of the principles we've talked about on the show so far come together to produce a story with a distinct Norse flavor, and one that has inspired trop…

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54. Eckart Frahm: A new history of Assyria, the world's first empire 47:26

1+ y ago47:26

47:26

Eckart has just published a new history of Assyria. What sources can we draw on? How reliable are they? He talks about Assyria's remarkable royal women and how they were remembered. What did the Assyrians achieve and what is their legacy? 3:39 how have we heard of the Assyrians? 6:42 biblical and classical texts as sources 9:36 what do we need to k…

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Episode 32 - Associated with Fire 40:34

1+ y ago40:34

40:34

How many times have you heard in the past that Loki is associated with fire? It's true, in fact, but how many people who told you Loki was associated with fire ever provided any examples of that association? In this episode, we'll dig in to why your answer to that last question is "none of them", and what this association with fire really means. By…

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53. Parsa Daneshmand: Consensus decision-making in divination 39:00

1+ y ago39:00

39:00

Parsa explains how decision-making took place in ancient Iraq. When you asked the assembly of gods for a yes/no answer to help you solve a difficult problem, how would they agree on what to reply? Why would these answers be time limited? And how would they make their answer visible in the entrails of the sacrificial sheep? 2:35 what is extispicy? 6…

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Episode 31 - Read Saxo with AtiWati 52:42

1+ y ago52:42

52:42

Our special guest today, AtiWati, has academic chops but prefers to keep his anonymity online. He currently moderates the r/Norse subreddit which is one of the largest academically-oriented internet communities focusing on Norse history and mythology. Today we'll be diving into Ati's specialty: the criminally under-discussed work Gesta Danorum by D…

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Episode 30 - The Dark Tale of Wayland 43:12

1+ y ago43:12

43:12

For our first excursion into Norse hero material, we'll be discussing two versions of a story about a character known across Norse, English, and German sources as Wayland the Smith. Prepare yourself for valkyries, dwarves, kidnapping, maiming, murder, intrigue, revenge, flying machines, and two surprising cameos from Sigurd the Dragonslayer and may…

1
Episode 29 - Spotting the Christian Influence 27:58

1+ y ago27:58

27:58

Some Norse mythology enthusiasts are strangely terrified of Christian influence in our sources. And some will even go so far as advise others to ignore some of our most important sources, believing them to be full of corruption. In this episode, we'll talk about why there is no real need to be afraid of Christian influence in Norse mythology, and a…

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52. Birgül Öğüt: phytoliths in west Asian archaeology 39:04

1+ y ago39:04

39:04

Birgül explains about her work using microscopic plant remains to understand life in ancient western Asia. What are phytoliths and how do we find them? How can such microscopic evidence tell us about building use, for example? And where do they sit in the archaeological toolkit? 3:12 what are phytoliths? 5:14 sampling method 8:02 dung 11:43 limitat…

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Episode 28 - Runes and Magic 38:43

1+ y ago38:43

38:43

ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲ! What does it mean? On this episode we'll cover everything you ever wanted to know about pre-Christian runic writing and, maybe even better, we'll talk about how the runes were used anciently for magical practices. Be warned! We're going to be dispelling a lot of myths in this episode, so get ready to toss everything you thought you already …

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Episode 27 - Myths and Symbols with Joseph S. Hopkins 1:03:09

1+ y ago1:03:09

1:03:09

On this episode we are joined by Joseph S. Hopkins, an expert who has been quoted frequently on this show, to help us wrap our heads around our sources, how they fit into a broader sphere of Germanic religion, the importance of trees in Norse mythology, and just for fun, the often overlooked symbol of antlers and stags. Sources: “The Norse Myths” b…

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51. Ali al-Juboori: Reflections 53:51

1+ y ago53:51

53:51

Ali reflects on his long career. How did he become an assyriologist? What are his achievements, and what is his legacy to the next generation? How was his academic career shaped by the twists and turns of political events? 1:56 from school to university 7:14 student life at Mosul 11:12 military service 12:39 research assistant 15:48 time in the UK …

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Episode 26 - Of Day, Of Night & Of Wolves 31:25

1+ y ago31:25

31:25

One of the more difficult things to do in Norse mythology is understanding the way the sun and moon relate to day and night. Each one seems to have its own origin, and figuring out where the distinction between a shiny object and a divine person really is can be tricky. Add to this the big mess of wolf and horse names scattered all over the story a…

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Episode 25 - Where Are the Nine Realms? 43:59

1+ y ago43:59

43:59

Way back in episode 1, I mentioned that the sources are not exactly as clear on what "the nine realms" are as popular media would have us believe. In this episode, we dig into all the ways the phrase "nine realms" is used in the sources, and try our best to put together a working model of how the Norse cosmos was really shaped. Sources: “Contradict…

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Episode 24 - The Valkyries, Freyja, and Fólkvangr 30:46

1+ y ago30:46

30:46

There's an intriguing stanza in one of our source poems mentioning a compromise between the goddess Freyja and the god Óðinn. It seems to tell us only half the slain warriors are received by Óðinn in Valhöll because the other half are chosen by Freyja for a place called Fólkvangr. But what does it really mean to choose the slain? Who decides who di…

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Corrections: Part I 4:51

1+ y ago4:51

4:51

Sometimes I make mistakes. We're all learning together from the experts here. This is a mini-episode addressing two mistakes I made in previous episodes that have been bothering me recently, and that I wanted to correct. There's nothing groundbreaking or foundational here, but I think it's good to fix mistakes when we find them. Contact: Join the D…

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Episode 23 - It's the End of the World As We Know It 44:38

1+ y ago44:38

44:38

The moment has finally arrived! The doom of the gods (or is it, fate of the gods? ...or twilight of the gods?) is upon us! Listen as your dedicated host tirelessly strings together a narrative crafted from The Prose Edda, Völuspá, Vafþrúðnismál, Grímnismál, and Fáfnismál to finally present a full picture of Ragnarök. But what does Ragnarök really m…

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50. Dr Basima Jalil Abed 28:31

1+ y ago28:31

28:31

Dr Basima talks about her new research on a Late Babylonian economic archive from Shatir. She explains about her teaching, and incorporating tablet handling sessions at the Iraq Museum. 2:03 an Achaemenid archive 7:15 confiscated tablets 9:53 locating ancient Shatir 11:39 publication plans 15:00 teaching at Baghdad University 21:06 how did Basima b…

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Episode 22 - Crime and Envy Part II: Loki Yees His Last Haw 31:39

2y ago31:39

31:39

Previously, Loki took it upon himself to orchestrate the murder of the gods' golden boy, Baldr. In this episode, Loki's actions finally come back to haunt him as the gods exact their revenge. We'll discuss how this story differs between accounts in the two Eddas, and even dig in to a lesser-known part of the story preserved mainly in Gesta Danorum.…

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Episode 21 - Crime and Envy Part I: Baldr's Death 29:56

2y ago29:56

29:56

In this episode, the most beloved of all the gods suffers a tragic death as the result of what appears to be another god's jealous rage. This story has everything: murder, zombies, flaming dwarves, and possible hints at something akin to suttee– everything except the consequences. Those will come next time. Sources: “Dictionary of Northern Mytholog…

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49. George Smith: the man behind the headlines 1:29:54

2y ago1:29:54

1:29:54

150 years ago, a young George Smith made headlines around the world. He had pieced together an Akkadian version of the Flood story found on fragments of clay tablets. Who was Smith, and why did his discovery have such a dramatic impact? What happened to him next? And what is his legacy? We're joined by guests Sophus Helle, Gareth Brereton, Strahil …

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49. George Smith: the man behind the headlines SHORT VERSION 50:04

2y ago50:04

50:04

150 years ago, a young George Smith made headlines around the world. He had pieced together an Akkadian version of the Flood story found on fragments of clay tablets. Who was Smith, and why did his discovery have such a dramatic impact? What happened to him next? And what is his legacy? We're joined by guests Sophus Helle, Gareth Brereton, Strahil …

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Episode 20 - The Worst Love Story Ever 31:36

2y ago31:36

31:36

Today we dive into the god Freyr's most famous mistake: the time he traded his magic sword for the favor of a woman and, in so doing, sealed his fate in the coming battle of Ragnarök. We'll learn a little about rune magic, coercion, and the time-less behavior of mopey, love-sick teenagers. Sources: “Blótgyðjur, Goðar, Mimi, Incest, and Wagons: Oral…

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Episode 19 - The Goddesses Time Forgot 28:46

2y ago28:46

28:46

Our sources for Norse mythology are pretty male-centric. But even so, when we tally up the names of all the gods we have vs. all the goddesses, it turns out we actually have a lot more goddess names than gods. Goddesses certainly played an important role in the lived religion of ancient Scandinavians, so this episode is a tribute to a few of the go…

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Episode 18 - Fishing For a Monster 29:11

2y ago29:11

29:11

We've paid a lot of lip service to the idea of variation in myth, but in this episode we'll dig into a prime example as we have two full versions of the story where Thor goes fishing surviving from Iceland. This myth challenges some scholarly ideas, showcases some unusual relationships, and features what is probably our only attestation of Thor sha…

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Episode 17 - Finally, Some Real Giant Giants 29:32

2y ago29:32

29:32

Our story today is a big one, just like the jǫtnar it features, so we'll spend a lot more time story telling and a lot less time interjecting theories from scholars. But, not to worry. You'll finally get to listen to yours truly, one of the biggest Thor fans of all time, finally talk about some of Old Redbeard's famous failures. Sources: “The Poeti…

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48. Amanda Podany: A New History of the Ancient Near East 39:18

2y ago39:18

39:18

How can 3000 years of history, documented by a mountain of sources, be surveyed clearly in a single book? Amanda tells us all about her new history of the ancient Middle East. Why did she use micro-histories? Who among the people in her book made the biggest impacts on her? 3:36 why micro-histories? 7:46 finding the non-elites 11:38 who did Amanda …

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Announcement: Hurricane's a Comin'! 0:40

2y ago0:40

0:40

Just a quick update on the release cycle since it's going to be affected by the hurricane currently in the Gulf of Mexico. No need to worry! Contact: Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW You can also write me at waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) com

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Episode 16 - Loki and the Question of Gender 32:40

2y ago32:40

32:40

All Norse gods and goddesses are subject to some level of mischaracterization in popular media, but Loki's frequent shapeshifting into female form have made him a particularly attractive target for embellishment of the story. In this episode I won't be telling you what you should think about Loki, but I will be compiling every little detail we have…

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Episode 15 - Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones 29:14

2y ago29:14

29:14

Once upon a time, Thor made a journey into jǫtunheimr without his magic hammer. Or at least, that's one version of the story. So along the way he had to make due with other weapons. But do these other weapons preserve a more ancient memory of the thunder god's arsenal? And by the way, has Mjǫllnir always been a hammer? Let's dig in together. Source…

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Episode 14 - A Holmgang with Hrungnir 29:28

2y ago29:28

29:28

In which we cover Thor's legendary duel with Hrungnir. Unlike your average Norse duel, this one is actually intended to end in death. But the moral of the story is, whether you're nine miles tall or have a heart made of stone, you're just never a match for the awesome power of thunder. Sources: “Dictionary of Northern Mythology” by Rudolf Simek, 20…

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47. Louise Quillien: Textiles from Babylonia 35:01

2y ago35:01

35:01

Louise introduces us to the fascinating world of Babylonian textiles. How do we know about textiles when almost none survive? What were they made of and what did they look like? Who made them, and who washed them? What would someone's clothing say about them? 2:46 how do we know about textiles? 8:02 what materials were clothes made of? 11:17 how pr…

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Episode 13 - An Apple a Day Keeps the Jǫtnar at Bay 28:57

2y ago28:57

28:57

In this episode we dig into the kidnapping of Iðunn, a goddess whose magic apples keep the gods perpetually young. But this story is a lot less about the apples and a lot more about the goddesses. Join me as we focus in on both Iðunn and Skaði, a jǫtun who becomes a goddess by marriage, and the way Loki plays a prominent role in both of their stori…

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