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The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor
The John Batchelor Show
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  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep767: Eleanor Barraclough offers a poignant look at the Norse settlement of Greenland, founded by Eric the Red in 985 AD. At the Herjolfsness graveyard, well-preserved organic material reveals the coarse, patched clothing of 15th-century inhabitants, indicat

    20/04/2026 | 8 mins.
    Eleanor Barraclough offers a poignant look at the Norse settlement of Greenland, founded by Eric the Red in 985 AD. At the Herjolfsness graveyard, well-preserved organic material reveals the coarse, patched clothing of 15th-century inhabitants, indicating their isolation and decline. As the climate cooled, the Norse struggled while the Inuit thrived, with the final records including a witch burning in 1407 and a wedding in 1408 — the last known activities before the colony vanished. (8)
    1946 RUNE. SWEDEN.
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep767: Eleanor Barraclough notes the Viking Age is often said to end in 1066 with the death of Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge — a legendary figure who served as an imperial bodyguard in Constantinople before returning to Norway to claim the Eng

    20/04/2026 | 10 mins.
    Eleanor Barraclough notes the Viking Age is often said to end in 1066 with the death of Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge — a legendary figure who served as an imperial bodyguard in Constantinople before returning to Norway to claim the English throne. Barraclough argues this date is Anglo-centric, noting Norse influence continued elsewhere, with another symbolic conclusion occurring in 1263 at the Battle of Largs, when Norway lost control of the Western Isles to the Scottish crown. (7)
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep767: Eleanor Barraclough recounts archaeological discoveries in the Surtshellir lava cave in Iceland, revealing it as a site for ritual offerings to the fire giant Surtr. Deep inside, researchers found a stone boat outline containing jasper fire-starters and a

    20/04/2026 | 9 mins.
    Eleanor Barraclough recounts archaeological discoveries in the Surtshellir lava cave in Iceland, revealing it as a site for ritual offerings to the fire giant Surtr. Deep inside, researchers found a stone boat outline containing jasper fire-starters and animal bones intended to placate volcanic forces. Remarkably, the final offering left after Christian conversion was a metal cross — a ritualized farewell to the old gods, as a saga poem uses volcanic imagery to represent the end of the pagan era. (6)
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep767: century Christian authors like Snorri Sturluson, requiring historians to be cautious when interpreting pagan beliefs. These stories describe the world's creation from fire and ice and its eventual destruction at Ragnarok, including the ship Naglfar constr

    20/04/2026 | 8 mins.
    century Christian authors like Snorri Sturluson, requiring historians to be cautious when interpreting pagan beliefs. These stories describe the world's creation from fire and ice and its eventual destruction at Ragnarok, including the ship Naglfar constructed from the nails of the dead. Snorri, a powerful politician and poet, was eventually murdered in his basement during a violent Icelandic civil war. (5)
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep767: Eleanor Barraclough explores how reliquaries — holy Christian containers — were stolen during raids and repurposed as jewelry for Norse women, suggesting early raids were driven by young men seeking wealth and status to establish households. Barraclough a

    20/04/2026 | 7 mins.
    Eleanor Barraclough explores how reliquaries — holy Christian containers — were stolen during raids and repurposed as jewelry for Norse women, suggesting early raids were driven by young men seeking wealth and status to establish households. Barraclough also addresses the theory of female infanticide as a potential driver for these male-dominated expeditions, alongside a human skull fragment carved with runes as a protective amulet against "dwarves," believed to cause sickness. (4)

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About The John Batchelor Show

The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
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