The Justin Hamilton Podcast Richard Fidler - Viking Lives
Mar 11, 2026
Richard Fidler, broadcaster and author known for narrative history, discusses Viking Lives with co-producer Kári Gíslason. They explore Odin and Norse myth, the slippery line between legend and history, saga heroes like Gunnar and Gudrun, medieval worldviews and Iceland’s conversion, and how Vikings are reshaped in modern pop culture.
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Icelandic Sagas Are Cultural Castles
- The Icelandic sagas function as the cultural 'castles' of a poor nation and preserve real family histories across generations.
- Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason use these sagas as the backbone for Viking Lives to trace Viking history through linked life stories.
Viking Legends Merge Myth And History
- Medieval Norse narratives blend the real and supernatural without distinction, so legendary and historical Ragnar stories intermix in source material.
- Fidler contrasts the mythic saga Ragnar Lothbrok with contemporary chronicles describing a historical raider who besieged Paris.
Beware Presentism In Historical Storytelling
- Modern storytelling often imposes present-day values onto the past, a problem Fidler calls 'Braveheart Syndrome'.
- He argues Vikings portrayals later in TV series suffer when creators retrofit contemporary ideals onto historical characters.