1 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh and 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and this is short stuff, just the two 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: of us, um with the Viking hordes. We've taken a 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: bunch of mushrooms and we're entering berserker mode. Now. Yeah, man, 5 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: this I remember. That was one of the early, early, 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: early stuff you should know episodes, was our episode on Vikings. 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: That was one of the great facts of the podcast 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: in the early days. Berserker in the mushrooms. Yeah yeah. 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: Can you imagine seeing a Viking with the battle axe 10 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: on mushrooms coming at you going crazy? Yeah? And I 11 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: know I think I mentioned it recently, but the guy 12 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: who did The Lighthouse, his his next movie is a 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: Viking movie. I just that's a good reason to build 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: a time machine so we don't have to wait around 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: for that. Yeah, Robert Egger's boy, that's gonna be good. 16 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: And I bet it's gonna be crazy. Yeah, I can't 17 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: wait because the Vikings were crazy. And if you watch 18 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: the History Channel show Vikings have not I haven't either, 19 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: but it was pretty popular. It ran for about six seasons. 20 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:06,400 Speaker 1: But there was a character in their name I have 21 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: are the Boneless uh And on the show, he was 22 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: a ruthless guy. He was sort of the leader on 23 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: the battlefield, and he had a medical condition on the 24 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: show that made his legs useless basically, so he would 25 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: crawl around and he would ride on chariots and stuff, 26 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: and he had crutches. Um. But he led what was 27 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: known as the Great Heathen Army on that show, and 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: he was actually a real person. But there's a lot 29 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: more mystery about who he was and whether or not 30 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: he even had this condition in real life. Yeah, so 31 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: I've are the boneless one of the great all time 32 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: nicknames ever. Um. But he he does pop up here 33 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: there in historic documents that chronicle the Vikings. Um. And 34 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: we're working from a house Stuff Works article that I 35 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: think makes a great point or one of the historians 36 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: that they interviewed very cast historians in this article, which great, Um. 37 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: But this this historian makes a really great point that 38 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: first off, let's let's kind of get across that the 39 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: Vikings and everything we understand about the Vikings were written 40 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: by our historic or cultural ancestors here in the States 41 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: and in the US or the UK and Australia and Canada, um, 42 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: who were the enemy and the sufferers at the hands 43 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: of the Vikings, so they didn't paint the most flattering 44 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: portrait of the Vikings around. And um, you know, you 45 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: can make a really good case that the Vikings were 46 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: no more violent or terrifying than anybody else. Um, during 47 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: the Medieval Age, it was a violent time. Like we're 48 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: not saying they were, you know, just super chill dudes 49 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: who had just hang around and and drink beer. But 50 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: it was just a violent time, like everybody was killing everybody. Charlemagne, 51 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: they you know, they point out this article ordered the 52 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: beheading of Sacks since and he was in one day. 53 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: He was the Holy Roman Emperor at the time too, 54 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: not a Viking. Yeah, so there were plenty of violent 55 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: cultures at the time, and this whole image of these 56 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: barbarians that we get. You're right, it's because it was 57 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: written by people who were their victims. And I'm sure 58 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: they were pretty scared, right exactly, Um and again rightfully, 59 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: So it's not that the Vikings weren't violent, it's just 60 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: that everybody was violent. And I feel like that was 61 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: such a mind blowing, paradigm altering part, Chuck, that we 62 00:03:37,360 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: should take a break real quick. Let's do it all right, 63 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: late ninth century. Ninth I said that weirdly, uh, something 64 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: came out called the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, which was this, 65 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: uh sort of a history book. It was a collection 66 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: of records about English history and it was you know, 67 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: update over over the next couple of hundred years. And 68 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: in that book we do find a notation for the 69 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: Great Heathen Army or the Great Army, which were the 70 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: Scandinavian invaders in this big Viking army basically that hit 71 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: the British Isles and eight right, So, um, this is 72 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: like the Viking Horde that you think of. Apparently, this 73 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: Great Heathen Army, which again they called it the Great 74 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: Army too, but I'm not going to call it anything 75 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: but the Great Heathen Army because it's just so much cooler. Um. 76 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: This was a number of different armies from different Scandinavian 77 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: lands that kind of um all work together. But over 78 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: the course of more than a decade of invasions and 79 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: conquerings and all that, they were just this kind of 80 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: fluid group um that collectively were called the Great Huthan 81 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: arm And it wasn't just one single solitary mass of 82 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: the same people over thirteen years who invaded England. So 83 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,679 Speaker 1: they are mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, and Ivar 84 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: himself has mentioned I believe in the Anglo Anglo Saxon 85 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: Chronicle as well, right, yeah, I think so it was Um, Well, 86 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: at least the brother of Ivar was mentioned with two rs, 87 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: which was would have been the North spelling of it. 88 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: So it's the brother of Ivar has mentioned. Therefore Ivar 89 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: has mentioned, right, and it actually makes Ivar seemed that 90 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: much more important if you're you're saying that somebody is 91 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: a brother of somebody else, you know what I'm saying. Otherwise, 92 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: who cares? So I guess that's the only time that 93 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 1: he pops up in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle. It's more 94 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: that he's associated as a leader um of the Great 95 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: Heathen Army in the Anglo sex and Chronicles. So we 96 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: have a contemporary piece of writing that basically chronicles, at 97 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: least in part, the Great Heathen Army coming from the 98 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:23,799 Speaker 1: North and messing stuff up pretty bad. Um. And Ivar 99 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: is in there, okay, right, And he's also mentioned in 100 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: some Irish records. The Annals of Ulster really cool, great read, 101 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: and they reveal a Viking by the name of Ivar 102 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: or Emar, who was the king of the Northman and 103 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: all Britain and Ireland when he died in eighty three. 104 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 1: And the thing here is, we just don't know if 105 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: that is the same person, but chances are it probably was. Yeah, 106 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: I think most historians of that period in that region 107 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 1: tend to think that this is the same Ivar. Think 108 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: the timing potentially works out. Um, And yeah, it's possible 109 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: there's more than one Ivar. But if he was a 110 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: leader of the Heathen Army in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles 111 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: and the leader of all the Great Army um in 112 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: the Ulster Annals or the Annals of Ulster, why not 113 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: it could be the same guy. Doesn't really matter if 114 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: it's not at this point really so, uh yeah, they 115 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: think that the same You know, it's England and Ireland. 116 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: They're close enough to where he was probably just conquering 117 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: everywhere he went. But none of this has anything to 118 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: do with his boneless nickname um that he that you 119 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: know that we hear on the TV show. Uh So, 120 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: now we need to talk about the Icelandic sagas which 121 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: were transcribed in the thirteenth and centuries. These are pros narratives. 122 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: These aren't history books. These are novels basically. Yeah, and 123 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: they were written um by the descendants of these same 124 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: vice king conquerors, who would have revered and looked up 125 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: to and probably exaggerated the legends of these guys. But 126 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,080 Speaker 1: it's apparently in the Icelandic saga's and they've been compared 127 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: to like historic novels, like definitely based on real things, 128 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: but just maybe a little more overblown. So you got 129 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: to take him a bit with a grain of salt. 130 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: But apparently it was in the Icelandic saga's that um 131 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: Ivar gets his boneless nickname. I guess that's boneless is 132 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: just because all I can think of his chicken. Sure, 133 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, boneless wing is awesome. Uh So this 134 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: is where you know, it could have been some transcription problem, 135 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: like boneless could have met legless maybe, which you know 136 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 1: that would make sense of if you've watched the TV show. 137 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: He wasn't legless, but he at least didn't have the 138 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: use of his legs, so they may have called someone 139 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 1: with that disability legless at the time. But Chuck, there's 140 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:59,439 Speaker 1: another potential transcription error that makes the History Channel interpretation 141 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: UM really unique or singular. I guess you could say, okay, 142 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,600 Speaker 1: let's hear it. So there's um two Latin words that 143 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: medieval transcriptionists may have UM mistaken. One is exos, which 144 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: means boneless. One is xo suss, which means detestable. So 145 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: it's possible that Ivar's nickname really was i've are the 146 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: detestable or i've are the hated, and that some medieval 147 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: monk got it wrong and he became i've are the boneless, 148 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: and then centuries after that some executive producers for History 149 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: Channel decided to actually take that literally and create this 150 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: character i've are the boneless, who did not have the 151 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: use of his legs. Even probably the likely story is 152 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: this great conqueror probably did not have no use of 153 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,040 Speaker 1: his legs, would be my guess, which makes it UM 154 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: kind of funny and TV way right. But from what 155 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: the historians are saying, it just it just doesn't jibe 156 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: with the Viking culture. That's just probably not the case. 157 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,079 Speaker 1: Although they do say it's possible the History Channel's interpretation 158 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,319 Speaker 1: is correct, it's also it seems to be doubtful. You 159 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,599 Speaker 1: never know, you never know. Uh, that's what this is 160 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: when we need the way Back machine, but it's in 161 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: the shop right now. Unfortunately. Yeah, we uh, we should 162 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: do a go fund me to pay that bill. We should, 163 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: although I think we might be convicted of fraud if 164 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: we actually collect any of those funny I think, So 165 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: you got anything else? I got nothing else? Short stuff 166 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: everybody is out. Stuff you Should Know is a production 167 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 168 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 169 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.