History Profiles

In the early medieval era, Mercia emerged as a dominant kingdom in Britain, founded by Icel, the first King of the Mercians. His lineage traced back to ancient Germanic royalty. Around 515 AD, as Roman influence waned, Icel led his people across the North Sea into a land ripe for conquest, establishing a formidable dynasty, the Iclingas.
His descendants included Penda, the last great pagan king, and Offa, a powerful ruler who shaped the English economy. Despite the lack of written records from his time, Icel's legacy lives on in genealogies and the enduring power of his descendants.
Music by Alexander Nakarada - CreatorChordsTrack: Celtic Music → "Grundar" by Alexander Nakarada (Royalty Free)Listen here

00:00:00: Introduction00:02:07: Ancestry00:04:24: Life00:07:15: Opinion of Historians00:09:19: Legacy and the Iclingas
#Icel #Mercia #Anglo-Saxon #Iclingas #Penda #Offa #Englishhistory #MedievalBritain
See show notes: https://inlet.fm/history-profiles/episodes/6985bbcf17fabf32cc99396e
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In the early dawn of post-Roman Britain, Cerdic emerges from legend and history. Recognized by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the first king of Wessex, he ruled from approximately 519 to 534 AD. His legacy links him as the ancestor of subsequent Wessex kings. However, Cerdic's origins, ethnicity, and very existence are subjects of intense debate, straddling myth and historical memory.
Cerdic, in his time, was not known as a “West Saxon” king but as the leader of the Gewissae—a tribal group believed to be Germanic mercenaries settling in Britain post-Roman era. Fascinatingly, Cerdic's name might not be Germanic but Brittonic, possibly derived from Caratīcos, hinting at his potential native Briton roots, with his lineage becoming Anglicised over time. This theory is supported by the names of his descendants—Ceawlin, Cedda, and Cædwalla—reflecting a fusion of cultures.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, composed over three centuries after Cerdic's death during Alfred the Great’s reign, is influenced by time, politics, and myth-making. Still, it immortalizes Cerdic as the first king of Wessex, tracing his lineage back to Woden, the chief god of the Germanic pantheon. Whether Cerdic was a man, myth, or something in between, he remains a pivotal figure in England's formation, where legends melded with kingship.

00:00: Introduction02:09: Cerdic in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle04:57: Opinions of Historians08:14: Legacy
#Cerdic #Wessex #Anglo-SaxonChronicle #Englishkings #Gewissae #Cerdic'sancestry #mythandhistory #Brittonicorigins #Woden #Anglo-Saxonhistory
See show notes: https://inlet.fm/history-profiles/episodes/6982b670000ba87757641613
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Explore the legendary tales of Ragnar Lothbrok's five famous sons. Delve into riveting stories of Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Ubba Ragnarsson, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, and Björn Ironside.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction - Ragnar Lothbrok
02:26 Ivar the Boneless - The Cursed Heathen
19:12 Halfdan Ragnarsson - The First Viking King of Northumbria
33:58 Ubba Ragnarsson - Legendary Viking War Lord
42:56 Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye - The Mythical Ancestor of Kings
52:58 Björn Ironside - The Warrior Champion
Music by Alexander Nakarada - CreatorChordsTrack: Celtic Music → "Grundar" by Alexander Nakarada (Royalty Free)Listen here
Sources:

The Gesta Danorum

The Saga of Ragnar Lodrok and his Sons

Annals of Ireland

Annals of Ulster

Vulsunga saga

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

00:00:00: Introduction - Ragnar Lothbrok00:02:26: Ivar the Boneless - The Cursed Heathen00:19:12: Halfdan Ragnarsson - The First Viking King of Northumbria00:33:58: Ubba Ragnarsson - Legendary Viking War Lord00:42:56: Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye - The Mythical Ancestor of Kings00:52:58: Björn Ironside - The Warrior Champion
#RagnarLothbrok #IvartheBoneless #HalfdanRagnarsson #UbbaRagnarsson #SigurdSnake-in-the-Eye #BjörnIronside #Viking #Vikinghistory #Norsemythology #Vikinglegends
See show notes: https://inlet.fm/history-profiles/episodes/697d707ca0b588c7d4f588d2
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Across the cold lands of the Viking Age, funerals were more than farewells; they were rituals of power and transformation. These traditions are revealed through Old Norse poetry, Icelandic sagas, and astonished travelers from the Muslim world, who watched these events in disbelief.
A warrior's resting place was dictated by their status. Farmers returned to the soil, while chieftains and heroes required grander send-offs. Status influenced death as it did life, yet beneath the Norsemen's iron pride lay a deeper dread of what awaited beyond.
Funerals intertwined theater and terror. Sacrifices were staged, woven into narratives where the dead played their final roles. These rites extended for days, characterized by feasting, drinking, and rituals that blurred the line between worlds; drums, chants, and songs echoed beneath the sky.
Central to these rites were fire and ships—cremation liberated the spirit, while ship burials carried the dead to eternity. Each rite declared death not as an end, but a passage into legend. Burial mounds became lasting testaments to a chieftain's life, enshrining their deeds and memory.
Join us as we delve into Norse funeral practices, exploring their rituals, beliefs, and fears, and discover why, to the Vikings, death and burial held as much significance as life.

00:00: Introduction02:34: Burial Mounds or Barrows05:33: Ship Burials09:19: Ibn Fadlan's account of A Varangian Funeral20:24: Legacy
#Vikingfunerals #Norserituals #OldNorsepoetry #Icelandicsagas #VikingAge #shipburials #cremation #burialmounds
See show notes: https://inlet.fm/history-profiles/episodes/6978fd4f7e9685ce71cd9f28
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Before Christianity's arrival, England thrived with gods, spirits, and ancient rituals. The Anglo-Saxons, who settled between the 5th and 8th centuries AD, practiced a rich tapestry of beliefs now known as Anglo-Saxon paganism—a Germanic faith shared across northwestern Europe.
This religion originated from northern Europe's Iron Age traditions and reached Britain with the Anglo-Saxon migrations in the mid-5th century. For centuries, it influenced daily life, from seasonal cycles to kingly authority. As Christianity spread in the 7th and 8th centuries, remnants of the old faith lingered, merging into folklore and memory.
We learn about these ancient practices mainly from Christian chroniclers like Bede and Aldhelm, who documented a world their faith aimed to replace. Temples and altars were destroyed, sacred groves vanished, and rituals stopped. Yet, the old beliefs left enduring marks: in the days of the week, named after gods like Woden and Thunor; in royal genealogies linking kings to divine ancestors; and in archaeological treasures like Sutton Hoo, where a helmet with dancing warriors reflects the spiritual imagination of a people who revered both natural and supernatural realms.
Join us on a journey to uncover what remains of this once-dominant religion in England: its gods, sacred traditions, and magical rituals that guided life, death, and the invisible forces surrounding them.
00:00 Introduction02:11 Woden (God of Wisdom)04:31 Týr (God of War, Law & the Sky)06:38 Thunor (God of Thunder)08:31 Frīg (Goddess of Marriage, Childbirth & prophecy)10:30 Ing (God of Fertility)12:52 Ēostre (Goddess of Spring & Renewal)14:40 Siġel and Mōna (The Solar and Lunar Deities)16:34 Seaxnēat (The Warrior God of the Saxons)17:53 Shamanism, magic, and witchcraft21:07 Legacy
Music by Alexander Nakarada: Grundar (Royalty Free)

00:00: Introduction02:11: Woden (God of Wisdom)04:31: Týr (God of War, Law & the Sky)06:38: Thunor (God of Thunder)08:31: Frīg (Goddess of Marriage, Childbirth & prophecy)10:30: Ing (God of Fertility)12:52: Ēostre (Goddess of Spring & Renewal)14:40: Siġel and Mōna (The Solar and Lunar Deities)16:34: Seaxnēat (The Warrior God of the Saxons)17:53: Shamanism, magic, and witchcraft21:07: Legacy
#anglo-saxon #paganism #gods #woden #thunor #frīg #ing #Ēostre #Seaxnēat #shamanism #magic #witchcraft #archaeology #folklore #Christianity
See show notes: https://inlet.fm/history-profiles/episodes/697192d86f54d6b81f81bf87
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