Podcasts about Norse

What if the end was not a possibility, but a promise? In this episode, we delve deep into the epic Norse myth of Ragnarök, the prophesied "Twilight of the Gods." We journey from the first chilling signs of Fimbulwinter and the moral decay of the world, to the breaking of Fenrir's chains and the sounding of Heimdall's horn. Follow the final, fated battles of gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki against monstrous foes. Witness the destruction of the Nine Realms by fire and flood, and discover what—and who—rises from the ashes. Is this a story of ultimate despair, or one of profound, cyclical hope? Plus, stick around for our "Focus on Language" segment where we break down advanced vocabulary like "harbinger," "inexorable," and "Pyrrhic victory" to elevate your English, and offer a speaking challenge to help you master the art of storytelling. To unlock full access to all our episodes, consider becoming a premium subscriber on Apple Podcasts or Patreon. And don't forget to visit englishpluspodcast.com for even more content, including articles, in-depth studies, and our brand-new audio series and courses now available in our Patreon Shop!

Continuing the classic Norse tales from The Children of Odin, tonight is the tale of Loki the Betrayer & Foreboding in Asgard. If you enjoy this tale, please scroll through our back catalogue to find more. If you would prefer a version without our relaxing sleep music, scroll up to the next Mysteries at Midnight episode. Please leave a 5-star review & SUBSCRIBE on Apple and Spotify. Sleep Cove Premium Become a Premium Member for Bonus Episodes & Ad-Free listening: Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.sleepcove.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and become a Premium Member. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get Instant Access⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and sign up in two taps. The Sleep Cove Premium Feed includes: - Access to over 400 Ad-free Episodes - Regular Exclusive Bonus Episodes - A Back Catalogue of Dozens of Exclusive Episodes - Full Audiobooks like Alice in Wonderland - Your name read out on the Show - Our Love! Get your 7-day free trial:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://sleepcove.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ For Apple users, click the TRY FREE button for a 2-week free trial and become a Premium Member Today. Support our Sponsors: This episode of Sleep Cove is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠betterhelp.com/sleepcove ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and get on your way to being your best self. Our Sister Shows: - Calm Cove - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bgSKfkbt⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- Relaxing Music & Ambient Sounds - Mysteries at Midnight - Mystery Bedtime Stories -⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/skj6YFah⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Let's Begin - Daytime Meditations with wake sections at the end -⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/Z--DgSH4 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ - YouTube Bedtime Story Channel -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://rb.gy/t7wyjk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - YouTube Sleep Hypnosis & Meditation Channel -⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClE6WJgPYRBtwVQ1qDBrbqw⁠ Connect: - Join the Newsletter for a Bonus Meditation -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.sleepcove.com/bonus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://rb.gy/azpdrd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sleep_cove/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - TikTok:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@sleepcovechris⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Recommended Products: Comfortable Sleep Headphones -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.sleepcove.com/headphones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Best Mattress from Puffy:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepcove.com/puffy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our Sister Shows in more detail: ⁠Calm Cove⁠ is our music channel, where you can find Relaxing Music, White Noise and Nature Sounds - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bgSKfkbt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Let's Begin⁠ is our brand new Day Meditation podcast. Start your day feeling relaxed and positive, or take some time out to unwind with these calming meditations with wakeners at the end so that you can continue your day. If you love our bedtime stories, check out⁠ Mysteries at Midnight⁠, our brand-new podcast dedicated to the mystery stories our listeners love so much. Enjoy even more from Poirot, Sherlock and more classic mystery tales. _______________ All Content by Sleep Cove is for educational or entertainment purposes and does not provide or replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical professional before making any changes to your treatment and if in any doubt, contact your doctor. Please listen in a place where you can safely go to sleep. Sleep Cove is not responsible or liable for any loss, damage or injury arising from the use of this content. _________________ Sleep Cove content includes guided sleep meditations, sleep hypnosis (hypnotherapy), sleep stories (visualizations) and Bedtime Stories for adults and grown-ups, all designed to help you get a great night's sleep Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With me today are Big Dave Martel, Imperium Press, and Tristan Powers, three practicing Pagans who insist they believe in the reality of the Gods as they're depicted in Norse mythology. As people/beings who live *somewhere* that is real, and a place we may go to when we die, if we live our lives in accord with their Will.Most of the show is spent explaining what Paganism is, what they believe, and how and why it is appropriate and applicable for 21st century Americans to convert to paganism.This is NOT a “paganism versus christianity” episode, rather it's an opportunity for sincere pagans to present their beliefs and make an argument for why it's a viable spirituality and religion for the right. We do, however, address a few contentions the differing religions and faiths have between each other.You must visit Hearthfireradio.com to hear more from these guys, I am a huge fan of their work and have learned a ton from them over the years.

In this engaging conversation, the hosts discuss their favorite books from the first half of 2025, sharing insights into their reading habits, the challenges of completing long series, and the impact of audiobooks. They delve into their top five book recommendations, exploring various genres and themes, including humor in literature, character development, and the importance of endings in series. The discussion highlights the influence of BookTube trends and the joy of engaging with a reading community. In this engaging conversation, the participants delve into their favorite reads of the year, exploring a variety of genres including literary fiction, graphic novels, fantasy, and more. They share insights on the works of Cormac McCarthy, Norse-inspired fantasy, the history of gaming studios, and the impact of magical realism. The discussion also touches on the evolution of genres, the power of unique storytelling, and the emotional depth found in literature. Each participant highlights their top picks, providing a rich tapestry of recommendations for listeners.Send us a messageSupport the showFilm Chewing Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2235582/followLens Chewing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lenschewingSpeculative Speculations: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/speculative-speculationsSupport the podcast: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/7EQ7XWFUP6K9EJoin Riverside.fm: https://riverside.fm/?via=steve-l

A fun episode that just happened to be recorded on Friday the 13th!We chat about some of the monster-like entities that surround the myths and mythology of Norse and similar cultures. From the Draugr to Fenrir, we delve into just the shallow surface of the stories, but have a good time doing so.Grab a mead and listen in as we discuss (likely part one) The Monsters of Mythology!Who is YOUR favorite monster of old? Let us know in the comments or leave us a voicemail at Speakpipe.com/drinkinghorn

An airhacks.fm conversation with Jonathan Ellis (@spyced) about: brokk AI tool for code generation named after Norse god of the forge, AI as complement to experienced programmers' skillsets, age and productivity in programming, transition from JVector to working on Cassandra codebase, challenges with AI in large codebases with extensive context, building tools for historical Java codebases, comparison of productivity between younger and older programmers, brute force coding vs experienced approach, reading code quickly as a senior skill, AI generating nested if-else statements vs better structures, context sculpting in Brokk, open source nature of Brokk, no black boxes philosophy, surfacing AI context to users, automatic context pulling with manual override options, importing dependencies and decompiling JARs for context, syntax tree based summarization, Maven and Gradle dependency handling, unique Java-specific features, multiple AI model support simultaneously, Claude vs Gemini Pro performance differences, Git history as context source, capturing commits and diffs for regression analysis, migration analysis between commits, AI code review and technical debt cleanup, style for code style guidelines, using modern Java features like var and Streams, Error Prone and NullAway integration for code quality, comparison with Cursor's primitive features, branching conversation history, 80% time in Brokk vs 20% in IntelliJ workflow, sketching package structures for AI guidance, data structures guiding algorithms, Git browser by file and commit, unified diff as context, reflection moving away from due to tooling opacity, Jackson serialization refactoring with DTOs, enterprise features like session sync and sharing, unified API key management, rate limit advantages, parallel file processing with upgrade agent, LiteLLM integration for custom models, pricing model based on credits not requests, $20/month subscription with credits, free tier models like Grok 3 Mini and DeepSeek V3, architect mode for autonomous code generation, code button for smaller problems with compile-test loop, ask button for planning complex implementations, senior vs junior programmer AI effectiveness, self-editing capability achieved early in development, no vector search usage despite JVector background Jonathan Ellis on twitter: @spyced

Sleep comes easily when gods behave badly and fate is a tangled mess. Tonight, Norse mythology drones on about Odin's questionable parenting, Thor's hammer issues, and Loki being Loki. Drift off to tales older than your insomnia. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on Norse Mythology, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia - Norse Mythology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a full moon on the rise, and so Charles and Cassie have bolted the doors, stocked up on silver bullets, and armed themselves with any knowledge on Werewolves they can find. Going all the way back to the Paleolithic, they search for signs of wolf men hiding among cave people, Proto-Indo Europeans, Ancient Greeks and Romans, the Norse, and the Medieval Irish, before investigating the infamous Wolf Trials from the 15th century onwards. https://www.patreon.com/theHistocrat https://bsky.app/profile/thehistocrat.bsky.social Mythillogical logo + Thumbnail art by Ettore Mazza. You can find more of Ettore's excellent artwork below: https://www.instagram.com/ettore.mazza/ https://ettoremazza.tumblr.com/ Thumbnail Art by Gunnar Creutz, Falbygdens museum (CC BY-SA 3.0) Suonatore di Liuto Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  

In this powerful and soul-nourishing conversation, HeatherAsh welcomes beloved teacher, osteopath, and shamanic guide, Cissi Williams, to the podcast. Together, they explore the profound teachings behind Cissi's new book Your Heart Knows How to Heal You.Cissi shares the deeply personal story of her spiritual awakening after a heart attack, and how it led her into the mythic, embodied landscape of healing through the feminine. From witnessing ancestral wounding in the chambers of her heart to receiving fierce guidance from the Norse goddesses, Cissi offers a brave and beautiful roadmap for transforming pain into power.This episode is an invitation to stop trying to “fix” yourself—and instead begin listening with humility, reverence, and curiosity to the wisdom that already lives inside you.Key ThemesShamanic healing through the heartAncestral wisdom in the bodyFeminine descent & rebirthMyth as a guide for transformationListening to the soul, not fixing the selfAwakening the Wise Woman withinSurrender as spiritual practiceAbout CissiCissi Williams is a Swedish-born Osteopath, Naturopath, and Shamanic Practitioner who bridges science and spirit through her work in energy medicine, mysticism, and Norse shamanic healing. Initiated as a Priestess of Freyja and Tradition Keeper of the Völva, she weaves together grounded bodywork, NLP, hypnosis, and soul-deep wisdom. With over 25,000 healing sessions and a widely loved podcast and body of written work, Cissi has guided hundreds of thousands to connect with their inner knowing. Her ancestral roots span the Sami people of Lapland, the Vikings, and the ancient Celts. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in a small village in the Cotswolds, England. Her new book, Your Heart Knows How to Heal You: The Sacred Medicine of the Four Chambers of the Heart, is available now.Connect with CissiGet Cissi's book: Your Heart Knows How to Heal YouLearn more about Cissi: www.cissiwilliams.com

Back this week with one final, somewhat nautical episode to round out the month of June. This week we're talking about the Great Flood of Noah's Ark fame. It's one of the best known bible stories. But did you know, it doesn't end there? Almost every other major culture or religion that we know of has almost the same flood myth. The ancient Babylonians, the Greeks, Hindu, Buddhist, Aztec, Chinese, Norse, Aboriginal Australian, various Native Americans groups, and the list goes on and on. This story is everywhere. But is it just a freakishly common legend, a recurring myth meant to teach a lesson, or did it actually happen? Let's fix that. Support the show! Join the Patreon (patreon.com/historyfixpodcast)Buy some merchBuy Me a CoffeeVenmo @Shea-LaFountaineSources: National Center for Science Education "Yes, Noah's Flood May Have Happened, But Not Over the Whole Earth"ABC News "Evidence Noah's Biblical Flood Happened, Says Robert Ballard"How Stuff Works "The Great Flood: More Than a Myth?" The Jerusalem Post "Durupinar Formation radar scans reveal hidden structures associated with Noah's Ark"PBS Independent Lens "A Flood of Myths and Stories"Wikipedia "Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis"Columbia University Record "Noah's Flood: Evidence of Ancient Disaster is Linked to Biblical Legend"Mini Museum "Revisiting the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis"World History Encyclopedia "First Wave/Earliest Civilizations"Shoot me a message!

Ever wondered what happens when your cleric starts a cult, your paladin questions their god, and your podcast host thinks he is one? Tune in and find out. In this episode, the RPGBOT.Podcast crew dives deep into the divine—and the deranged—as they tackle the topic of religion in tabletop RPGs. From the celestial bureaucracy of the Forgotten Realms to Pathfinder's heavily codified pantheon, the hosts examine how religion shapes settings, drives character motivation, and complicates moral choices. The discussion explores the roles of deities, demigods, and divine casters, while also indulging in some theological tomfoolery—particularly Randall's growing obsession with founding his own religion (again). The team debates the practicality of divine mandates, the game balance implications of cleric subclasses, and the power fantasy baked into faith-based character classes. The conversation also touches on real-world mythology, the narrative utility of gods behaving badly, and the delicate balance between satire, reverence, and good storytelling. They offer advice for players looking to roleplay pious characters, and for GMs aiming to weave religion into their campaigns without derailing the plot—or sparking a holy war at the table. Heroforge (affiliate link) RPGBOT.Podcast Episodes RPGBOT.Podcast Episode 6 – The Tarrasque Keith Baker on Eberron – RPGBOT.Masterclass S3E3 Fate of the Norns – RPGBOT.News S3E33 Uncaged Goddesses – RPGBOT.News S2E85 Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e – New Multiclass Build Handbook: Bugbear-y Me In Damage Other Stuff Call of Cthulhu DragonLance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (affiliate link) Eberron Forgotten Realms Key Topics Covered What is religion in RPGs, really? A look at how deities and religious systems function mechanically, thematically, and narratively in TTRPGs. Clerics, paladins, and divine magic users Breaking down how divine spellcasting differs from arcane, and why worship matters when you're trying to resurrect someone. Pantheon building for GMs Advice on how to craft believable deities, religious orders, and mythologies without creating a 500-page cosmology document. Pathfinder vs. D&D: Theological Smackdown Comparing how each system handles religion, from domain mechanics to deity portfolios. Randall's "cult" update A recurring segment where Randall outlines the tenets of his latest personal religion, now featuring more bureaucracy and glowing robes. Real-world inspiration Drawing from world mythologies—Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and more—to inform homebrew pantheons and religious conflict. How to roleplay faith without being a jerk The dos and don'ts of playing religious characters respectfully and effectively, whether they're humble missionaries or fire-and-brimstone zealots. Religion as a plot device Using divine conflict, prophecy, and religious institutions to drive compelling story arcs and moral dilemmas. Key Takeaways Religion in RPGs should serve the story, not dominate it unless you're running a full-on holy crusade campaign (in which case, go nuts). Clerics and paladins aren't just healbots and smite machines—their connection to a divine force can be a powerful roleplay and plot development tool. Pathfinder 2E provides more mechanical granularity for divine casters, including strict deity rules, domains, and edicts, while D&D 5E often leaves more interpretive space. Don't be afraid to create your own gods—as long as the players buy in, custom pantheons can be more meaningful than official lore. Faith can be funny, dramatic, or both—as Randall proves, religion doesn't always have to be serious to be significant. Avoid real-world controversy by keeping fantasy religion grounded in the game world, and respecting your table's comfort levels. NPC clergy can serve as guides, foils, or villains—well-developed religious characters can offer a moral compass or a righteous threat. Religious conflict can enhance drama—whether it's interfaith strife, fallen paladins, or rogue prophets with too much divine backing. Closing Thoughts Divine intervention is just another storytelling tool—sometimes it's literal lightning bolts, and sometimes it's a quiet moment of purpose for your character. Use it well, and you'll find that gods can add more than just healing spells to your game. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

Ever wondered what happens when your cleric starts a cult, your paladin questions their god, and your podcast host thinks he is one? Tune in and find out. In this episode, the RPGBOT.Podcast crew dives deep into the divine—and the deranged—as they tackle the topic of religion in tabletop RPGs. From the celestial bureaucracy of the Forgotten Realms to Pathfinder's heavily codified pantheon, the hosts examine how religion shapes settings, drives character motivation, and complicates moral choices. The discussion explores the roles of deities, demigods, and divine casters, while also indulging in some theological tomfoolery—particularly Randall's growing obsession with founding his own religion (again). The team debates the practicality of divine mandates, the game balance implications of cleric subclasses, and the power fantasy baked into faith-based character classes. The conversation also touches on real-world mythology, the narrative utility of gods behaving badly, and the delicate balance between satire, reverence, and good storytelling. They offer advice for players looking to roleplay pious characters, and for GMs aiming to weave religion into their campaigns without derailing the plot—or sparking a holy war at the table. Heroforge (affiliate link) RPGBOT.Podcast Episodes RPGBOT.Podcast Episode 6 – The Tarrasque Keith Baker on Eberron – RPGBOT.Masterclass S3E3 Fate of the Norns – RPGBOT.News S3E33 Uncaged Goddesses – RPGBOT.News S2E85 Content from RPGBOT.net DnD 5e – New Multiclass Build Handbook: Bugbear-y Me In Damage Other Stuff Call of Cthulhu DragonLance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (affiliate link) Eberron Forgotten Realms Key Topics Covered What is religion in RPGs, really? A look at how deities and religious systems function mechanically, thematically, and narratively in TTRPGs. Clerics, paladins, and divine magic users Breaking down how divine spellcasting differs from arcane, and why worship matters when you're trying to resurrect someone. Pantheon building for GMs Advice on how to craft believable deities, religious orders, and mythologies without creating a 500-page cosmology document. Pathfinder vs. D&D: Theological Smackdown Comparing how each system handles religion, from domain mechanics to deity portfolios. Randall's "cult" update A recurring segment where Randall outlines the tenets of his latest personal religion, now featuring more bureaucracy and glowing robes. Real-world inspiration Drawing from world mythologies—Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and more—to inform homebrew pantheons and religious conflict. How to roleplay faith without being a jerk The dos and don'ts of playing religious characters respectfully and effectively, whether they're humble missionaries or fire-and-brimstone zealots. Religion as a plot device Using divine conflict, prophecy, and religious institutions to drive compelling story arcs and moral dilemmas. Key Takeaways Religion in RPGs should serve the story, not dominate it unless you're running a full-on holy crusade campaign (in which case, go nuts). Clerics and paladins aren't just healbots and smite machines—their connection to a divine force can be a powerful roleplay and plot development tool. Pathfinder 2E provides more mechanical granularity for divine casters, including strict deity rules, domains, and edicts, while D&D 5E often leaves more interpretive space. Don't be afraid to create your own gods—as long as the players buy in, custom pantheons can be more meaningful than official lore. Faith can be funny, dramatic, or both—as Randall proves, religion doesn't always have to be serious to be significant. Avoid real-world controversy by keeping fantasy religion grounded in the game world, and respecting your table's comfort levels. NPC clergy can serve as guides, foils, or villains—well-developed religious characters can offer a moral compass or a righteous threat. Religious conflict can enhance drama—whether it's interfaith strife, fallen paladins, or rogue prophets with too much divine backing. Closing Thoughts Divine intervention is just another storytelling tool—sometimes it's literal lightning bolts, and sometimes it's a quiet moment of purpose for your character. Use it well, and you'll find that gods can add more than just healing spells to your game. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. It's a quick, free way to support the podcast, and helps us reach new listeners. If you love the show, consider joining us on Patreon, where backers at the $5 and above tiers get ad free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT.Podcast, can chat directly to members of the RPGBOT team and community on the RPGBOT.Discord, and can join us for live-streamed recordings. Support us on Amazon.com when you purchase products recommended in the show at the following link: https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati

For this week's episode, we're heading over to the Nordic Isles for something a little spooky, but also a bit nice and looking at the ethereal Fylgja! How can you tell the difference between this monster and their evil counterpart? What was the first animal to cross YOUR placenta, and why does that relate? Find out this week!Send us a textSupport the showYou can find us on: Myth Monsters Website Spotify Apple Podcasts GoodPods Amazon Music Social media: Twitter BlueSky Instagram Facebook TikTok

A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on June 25th, 2025. You can hear more reports on our homepage www.radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio. Presenter/Producer: Kris Boswell.

In folklore, a werewolf, or occasionally lycanthrope, is an individual who can shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf–humanlike creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction, often a bite or the occasional scratch from another werewolf, with the transformations occurring on the night of a full moon. Did and do these mysterious changelings exist, or is it merely a form of madness of the human mind? Hop into the history books with Joel as he looks at lycanthropy and its indelible mark on not on the ancient world but modern times as well. He starts with Sabine Baring-Gould's Book of Werewolves, one of the pillars of exploration into the myth of the werewolf. He explores the ancient world of Greek, Roman and Norse mythology where the lycanthrope seems to have originated. Lastly, he looks at the Biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar II and if he was truly just mad or something far more wolf-like. Buy Me A Coffee: Donate Website: https://linktr.ee/joelthomasmedia Follow: Instagram | X | Facebook Watch: YouTube | Rumble Music: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music Films: merkelfilms.com Email: freetherabbitspodcast@gmail.com Distributed by: merkel.media Produced by: @jack_theproducer INTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Free The Rabbits YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify OUTRO MUSIC Joel Thomas - Imposter YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify

Guest: Justin Thompson, Senior Artist at Charles M. Schulz Creative AssociatesOn LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-thompson-91a47339/On Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mythtickle/_____________________________Host:  Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast & Audio Signals PodcastOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli_____________________________This Episode's SponsorsAre you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?

In this soft spoken sleepy bedtime story, I invite you around a campfire in the Black Forest and tell you the story of the Ring of the Nibelung. We will follow a cycle of 4 operas by Richard Wagner (the Rhinegold, the Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods) as a starting point to explore Germanic and Norse mythology, the origins and importance of Germanic Peoples, the creation of national narratives in the 19th Century, the legacy of Wagner, and more. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style bedtime stories read in a calming ASMR voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Listen ad free and get access to bonus content on our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/LightsOutLibrary621⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Listen on Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibraryov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ¿Quieres escuchar en Español? Echa un vistazo a La Biblioteca de los Sueños! En Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1t522alsv5RxFsAf9AmYfg⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-biblioteca-de-los-sue%C3%B1os-documentarios-para-dormir/id1715193755⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ En Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@LaBibliotecadelosSuenosov⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #sleep #bedtimestory #asmr #sleepstory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest: Justin Thompson, Senior Artist at Charles M. Schulz Creative AssociatesOn LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-thompson-91a47339/On Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mythtickle/_____________________________Host:  Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast & Audio Signals PodcastOn ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli_____________________________This Episode's SponsorsAre you interested in sponsoring an ITSPmagazine Channel?

One of the most popular fruits in the world are apples.  Apples are associated with the Garden of Eden, pleasing your teacher, and the story of Snow White. They play a role in Greek and Norse mythology, and they have lent their name to famous record and computer companies. However, apples are unlike almost every other fruit in that there are thousands of different varieties. The reason why there are so many different varieties is because of the uniqueness of the plant. Learn more about apples, where they came from, and how they have been used in history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. ***5th Anniversary Celebration RSVP*** Sponsors Newspapers.com Get 20% off your subscription to Newspapers.com Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Stitch Fix Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you stare at one of the giant planets of the outer solar system long enough, with a big enough telescope, you’re likely to find some moons. That was certainly the case a couple of years ago for Saturn. A research team scanned the space near Saturn with a large telescope in Hawaii. And earlier this year, the team reported its results: a haul of 128 previously unseen moons. That brought the planet’s total to 274. That’s three times the number of moons for second-place Jupiter – at least for now. The newly found moons are small and faint – no more than a few miles in diameter. They follow odd orbits, including some that orbit backwards – in the opposite direction from Saturn’s rotation. Some of the moons may be chunks of space rock that were captured by the giant planet’s gravity. Others may be the remains of larger moons that were blasted apart by collisions. About a third of the moons may be the remnants of a single impact. They form a group named Mundilfari for a Norse god related to Saturn. It’s possible the impact took place within the past hundred million years – adding lots of little moons to Saturn’s family. Look for Saturn near our own moon the next couple of mornings. The planet looks like a bright star. It’ll stand to the lower left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow, and closer to the right of the Moon on Thursday. Tomorrow: a passel of planets for a nearby star. Script by Damond Benningfield

Gwyn and Ode (+Jax!) discuss our local Pride event, what the vibe was like, and bringing more queer energy into your practice. Discord Link: discord.gg/ENF867k GoFundMe for Balthazar: https://gofund.me/c2715872 Special Guest: Jax.

Join Samantha Tennant for an engaging episode of Fresh Fiction Video Book Club featuring special guest Asa Maria Bradley. Dive into the world of Viking romance, as Asa shares her journey from writing women's fiction to becoming a celebrated romance author, including nominations for the RWA's Rita Award and winning the Holt Medallion. Discover the creative process behind her immersive worlds filled with Vikings, shifters, and rich Norse mythology. Learn about her inspiration, character development, and upcoming projects set to enthrall readers. Plus, enjoy a fun segment with personal insights from Asa. Don't miss this insightful and entertaining conversation!   00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:04 Asa Maria Bradley's Writing Journey 01:49 Discovering Romance Writing 04:24 Viking Romance and Norse Mythology 08:36 World Building and Character Development 13:56 Characters and Their Stories 19:36 Fresh Fiction Facts 19:45 Swedish Influences and Childhood Favorites 21:37 Fresh Fiction Facts: Quickfire Questions 28:04 Favorite Books and Authors 30:59 Current and Upcoming Projects 34:10 Where to Follow and Final Thoughts Asa Maria Bradley: https://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=38481 Norse Warriors Protection: https://freshfiction.com/series.php?id=8178

How did Vikings and Inuits interact in Greenland? When was the last record of Norse settlers in the region? How did climate change affect the decline of Viking settlers in Greenland, and why is their disappearance shrouded in mystery?  William and Anita are joined once again by Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of The Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age, to explore the last of the Norse Settlers. ----------------- Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, our exclusive newsletter, and access to our members' chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. ----------------- Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Senior Producer: Callum Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's episode of Local Legends, the very last episode of Series 6, Martin is joined around the campfire by award-winning storyteller, performer, author, poet, lyricist, and very nice man, Hugh Lupton!Hugh's career spans over 40 years, both in terms of his solo projects and his partnerships with other artists, writers, musicians, illustrators and performers.As we discussed on Monday's episode, there is a sense in which Hugh is the golden thread that binds together modern British storytelling and several folk traditions, with his glimmer and shine helping to guide the oral tradition into the 21st century.He has, of course, toured both nationally and internationally, and has performed at the RSC, the National Theatre, and the Barbican. His repertoire ranges from Greek epics to the Grimms Fairy Tales, from Norse and Celtic myth to East Anglian folk-tales, and from the Great War to John Clare.Plus, in addition to his award-winning songwriting work, he has also written several excellent books, including Norfolk Folk Tales. You can learn more about Hugh and his work on his website, https://hughlupton.co.uk/, and do check the Diary section - he gets about, so do try to go and see him!For now though, let's gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire, have a sip of whatever's in your nut brown bowl, and listen in, to a chat about the life and work of perhaps the most influential storyteller alive today, the county of Norfolk, and tales such as the Peddlar of Swaffham, Black Shuck, those of fenland folk hero Tom Hickathrift, and so much more, with a true Local Legend: Hugh Lupton!Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate today's occasion, we took the opportunity to look at the importance of divine immanence as well as the power and pervasiveness and superstition: first, we discussed the Norse and Biblical origins of the Western fear of the number 13, and the fear of Friday as being Venus' day, a day of decadence, sense indulgence and beauty, which are things that all feared and avoided by transcendelist "father sky only" type traditions.We discuss the two types of reclamation: first, by practitioners in the Goddess tradition who are reframing this day at the celebration of the Divine Mother and Femininity since there are 13 lunar cycles & usually 13 or so menstruation cycles as well Friday being associated to Freya, that is, Laxmī/Aphrodite/Venus etc. and second, by the horror movie buffs who want to celebrate the macabre elements of life! This was a wonderful time for me! Thank you all who came live!Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

On this episode, we talk about ShadowDark monsters! We look at a number of monster bestiaries, a zine dedicated to creating and adapting monsters for the game, and two dedicated monster-finding tools. What more ShadowDark? We've got more ShadowDark! d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19) d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Unboxing Cursed Scrolls 3: Midnight Sun for ShadowDark Chapters 00:00 Introduction00:54 Monster 2403:02 VALHOLL!04:21 Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary05:24 Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark14:16 The Monster Overhaul15:12 Ruincairn Bestiary17:20 ShadowDark Monster Tools19:34 Conclusion and Future Discussions Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Monster Resources on YouTube. Show Notes ShadowDark specific Monster Resources Monster 24 Cost: $2 (pay what you want) 250 monsters by Tom Phillips, who spent 2024 creating monsters and publishing them to Reddit. This compiles his various critters into one document. Includes gaggles of hags (forest hags, tomb hags, venom hags), plenty of plants (carnivorous cave moss, blood orchid, vampire grass), and oodles of oozes and slimes (chaos pudding, green slime, umber jelly) VALHOLL! Nashcraeft #1 Cost: $6.99 A fanzine that builds on Cursed Scrolls #3: Midnight Sun. Introduces a bunch of monsters as well as a “lot system” as alternative to carousing, new magic items, new blessings, and 4 classes. Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary Cost: $25 (PDF) $29 (POD+PDF) as part of the Kickstarter Every PF 1E bestiary, #1-6, converted for Shadowdark RPG. The kickstarter is over; hopefully they'll release this for sale when the Kickstarter-created book releases in October 2025. Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark Cost: $5 (pay what you want) Very handy, fan-created rules for making your own monsters (or converting them from other systems). Advice on creating monsters including “VIBES OVER COMPLEXITY”, “USE NATURAL LANGUAGE”, “MONSTER SPELLS ARE WEIRD”, and “RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN” Options include: BUILD BY EQUIVALENTS If your monster is like a knight, bugbear, or zombie … just use the stat block as is. BUILD BY ADAPTATION Say you want to recreate the 5e Bandit Captain, you take the ShadowDark bandit, and beef it up.  BUILD BY BENCHMARK E.g. converting Yakfolk warrior. Look at the CR (in this case, CR 3, compare it to CR3 monsters in ShadowDark, and start building. It has a talent bank describing all kinds of monster capabilities and a big list of monster spells.  It includes a bunch of horrors as well, including blink dogs, ettins, pseudodragons, unique horrors like the  “Eyeball Wall”, and a number of NPCs (pyromancer, cultist, etc.). ShadowDark adjacent Resources Runecairn Bestiary Cost: $13.49 100 Norse-inspired monsters for Runecairn, an Old School Renaissance RPG. The OSR stat blocks are close enough to ShadowDark to make conversion pretty easy. Includes sabertooth cats, grave newts, ogres, and giant octopi. The Monster Overhaul Cost: $30.00 (PDF) $60 (PDF+Print) Come for the 200+ monsters, stay for the ecology and random table pieces. Uniformly praised online. It's got entries for NPCs (adventurers, barbarians) each with d100 names and character traits. For monsters, it delves beyond the stat block. Goblins get the same d100 names and traits PLUS physical descriptions, motivations, mounts, elite weapons, and loot.  Plus there are random tables like “50 mercenary jobs” and generic maps of locations like a wizard tower and a village. ShadowDark Monster Tools ShadowDark Tools: Monster Reference Filter monsters from the ShadowDark core rules + the first three Cursed Scrolls. Criteria include monster level, environment, type (e.g. angel, aberration), movement type (burrow, climb, fly), attack (blood drain, petrify, venom),

How did the Norse settlers in Greenland adapt to the harsh Arctic environment, and what did their diet consist of beyond fish? What role did walrus ivory play in their trade with Norway? And who were the "horny zombies" encountered in the Vinland sagas? In the first chapter of the new series on the history behind Trump's Shopping List, William and Anita are joined by Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of The Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age, to discuss how the Norse made their way westwards to Greenland. ----------------- Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, our exclusive newsletter, and access to our members' chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. ----------------- Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Senior Producer: Callum Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's grid had a few surprising entries. One that in particular caught our eye, because it has never caught our eye, was 30A, Altar constellation, ARA. It is located in the southern hemisphere, and, alas, never visible from Northeast Wisconsin (and when we've been in the southern hemisphere, we forgot to look). We also liked 44A, Flim-________, FLAM, mainly because of its origin story: it came from the Norse, flim, which at some point, for reasons unknown, became yoked to flam. Really, that's no flim-flam!Show note imagery:  To ARA is human, to forgive (including for bad puns like this one), divine

Get ready for an electrifying episode of The MisFitNation with host Rich LaMonica as we welcome US Army and Law Enforcement Veteran Christopher Roper, aka Valhalla Viking! A man of many titles—Army vet, former Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate, and co-creator and co-owner of the highly anticipated TV series Echoes of Asgard—Christopher has taken his passion for leadership, service, and Norse mythology to the big screen, where he embodies the legendary Odin himself. After years of serving in the military and law enforcement, Christopher has transitioned into the entertainment industry, bringing authenticity, discipline, and powerful storytelling to his latest venture. His journey is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless drive, proving that warriors never stop fighting—they just change the battlefield. In this episode, we dive deep into: ⚔️ His military and law enforcement career and what shaped his leadership style

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 3 A New family. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 7 That evening, Andy and the girls decided to curl up in bed and watch some television with Niko asleep next to them. At first, Andy was worried that the volume would be high enough to wake up their newest addition, but Aisling assured him nothing was going to stir her from her slumber. Sure enough, despite the volume of the show “ a Spanish Netflix crime drama called La Casa De Papel “ Niko didn't budge an inch. Andy fell asleep with Aisling pressed up against his right side and Lauren pressed up against his left, both of their heads resting against his chest. When he'd first started sleeping with Aisling in his bed, he'd had trouble falling asleep easily. It wasn't something his body had any regular experience with, so it had to be trained. He'd had similar trepidation when Lauren joined them. But now, having had both of the girls for nearly three weeks, he'd grown comfortable with their bodies nestled against his. In the middle of the night, he was in the middle of a strange sex dream only to be woken to find Niko bobbing her head up and down on his cock, her lips latched around it firmly. Neither Lauren or Aisling had woken. Andy couldn't see Niko well in the low light of the wee hours, but her head was feverish, her mouth suctioning on his member until he popped a load against the back of her throat, a thankful, almost vulgar moan coming from the woman, as her tongue lathered over his cock to make sure no droplet remained. She was still spasming in orgasm long after he was done. Once she'd finished licking his cock clean, she crawled back up into the bed, and moved to lay against Lauren's side, folding one arm over the Aussie. Andy fell back asleep almost immediately. When dawn broke, Andy awoke to find Niko straddling his hips, his cock lodged up inside of her snatch. He often woke up with a hard on, but Ash and Lauren had agreed to let him at least wake up in the morning before having a go at him. Clearly no one had informed Niko. He didn't feel bad taking a better look at her now, her tits pressed together between her arms as her hands rest against his chest, while her hips snapped back and forth. Her skin was a deep tan, her nipples a chocolate brown, her hair a jet black. She wasn't tall, about the same height as Aisling so half a foot shorter than Andy, and a full foot shorter than Lauren. She was muscular, toned, a life of military training having kept her very in shape. His orgasm wasn't strong, but it came on quick. By this point, Andy was a little surprised he wasn't cumming dust. As soon as his orgasm hit, she fell forward against his chest, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Aisling and Lauren were both already awake, each with a hand on one of Niko's thighs affectionately. "God damn, sorry about that, sir," Niko laughed, breathy and still shaking. "2nd Lieutenant Niko RedWolf, reporting for her new life, sir. I think my head's finally clear again." "Wasn't it before?" Andy asked. She shook her head, lifting her head up enough so she could look down and smile at him, her hair threatening to spill out of her ponytail at a moment's notice. "Would you believe this is the first time it's actually registered to me what you look like, sir?" She had a mischievous smile and kind brown eyes. "They may have told me your name, but I don't think it cut through the fog. Who are you?" Andy blanched. "My name's Andy Rook. What do you mean, you don't think it cut through the fog?" Niko looked over at Lauren, who scooted a little bit to one side, so Niko could slide off of the top of him and in against his side. "I serve on the Air Force base where they were testing the vaccine, and I agreed to be a test candidate. The two men who were injected with it died immediately, but I and the other female officer seemed fine. At first. Within a few days of it, I started feeling, well, pardon my saying so, sir, but I started feeling horny all the time. The other female officer as well." Aisling smirked over at Niko. "Permission to swear freely is habitually granted in this home, 2nd Lieutenant. In fact, Andy likes a girl with a filthy mouth," she giggled, slapping his thigh. He wilted a little bit, but then nodded in confirmation to Niko. "It's true." "Duly noted, sir," Niko answered. "Anyway, they didn't know about the side effects during the early testing stages, but it started to become pretty fucking apparent to them when I would continually get all fidgety. I tried to resist as long as I could, but eventually I was jilling off in bathroom stalls every chance I could get. Within a week or two, they had an answer, and the program was born." "The Air Force developed the vaccine?" "You think those morons in private research were going to do it this fast? Hell no." Niko snuggled in, trying to get as comfortable as possible pressed up against his chest. "So they figured out that they could introduce the vaccine to men by sexual contact with a vaccinated woman, and that it seemed to help quell the insane need to fuck all the time that women given the vaccine were feeling." "If you were one of the first people to be given the vaccine, then why weren't you partnered up with someone immediately?" Lauren asked. "I wasn't fond of being subservient to a man, so I told them I wanted someone who would keep me on equal ground. But because the nature of my work with Air Force, I also needed someone who would have Top Secret level clearance." Andy's eyes widened. "I sure as hell don't have that." "No, you don't, but you'd mostly been vetted for it Your friend Phil Pak has been trying to get you to come and work with him for a long while, so they'd done all the legwork, and decided to call it good enough." "I also happen to have a mess of partners, Niko. Are you sure that's going to be okay?" "It's all been taken care of, otherwise they wouldn't have sent me here." Niko's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god, I haven't even introduced myself to your other partners." Aisling winked at her. "You had hard fucking to do, love. I'm Aisling Blake, I'm from Dublin originally. Everyone around here calls me Ash. I do graphic design." She shook Niko's hand, but Niko pulled her over Andy's head and pressed a kiss against Aisling's lips above him, one which Ash was perfectly happy to reciprocate. "And who's the giantess surfer behind me?" Niko said, pulling back and turning around. "Lauren Herron. I'm a personal trainer for the '49ers." "An Irish girl and an Aussie. About time you got some American blood in this mix." Andy laughed. "That's what my roommate's partner Lily said." "Where are you from, Niko?" "The Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. I'm half Lakota, one quarter Mexican and one quarter Japanese. I know, it's quite the cocktail, but we've all got stories." It was nearly noon when they all got out of bed. Niko was the youngest of all of them, only twenty two. Ash was twenty seven, Lauren thirty five and Andy himself just shy of forty. Andy was worried that Niko might consider him too old, but Niko assured him that his age was not a concern for her. As a matter of fact, she liked older men. She found younger men too emotionally volatile for her tastes. She'd actually read one of his books, but the problem was that it was "The Trouble With Were Bears," the book he was least proud of. She'd said she found the main character interesting, but the plot rather confusing. He assured her the other ones were better, and she seemed eager to read them. The fuck lust, as Niko described it, would be with the girls for the rest of their lives. The longer they went without reconnecting with Andy, the more their judgment would be compromised, the harder it would be to think clearly. They would become like junkies in need of a fix. They would be easily agitated, quick tempered and even violent if they felt it would get them back to their pusher “ Andy. When Niko had arrived at Andy's condo, she had been so out of it that even now she couldn't recall the events he related back to her. Her first memory in weeks had been being in bed with him this morning, even as she crawled atop of him. She knew that he was her mate. She wasn't sure how she knew that, but she could feel it, sense it. And when he'd had his third orgasm inside of her within less than a day, the imprinting had finally settled in and peeled back the cloud from her consciousness. While Lauren was on leave until the pandemic had receded, Niko would be working from the condo. Although she was a qualified pilot, her service in the Air Force was as a data analyst, and a secure connection was being set up on site for her to use. Until then, she had a bit of a break. It was a Saturday, and the girls decided they wanted to work on their tans. The condo had a small back yard that was fenced off. While the neighbors in the condos on either side would be able to peer down and see them, the girls had decided to sunbathe topless. Lily had even decided to join them, although she bitched about the heat, which was pushing over a hundred. Andy spent the afternoon filling Eric in on all the information he'd gotten over the last two days “ what Phil had told him, what Niko had told him, all of it. Eric, in return, had filled in Andy with what he'd learned from work over the last few weeks. While Lily, Andy and Eric all knew who Eric worked for, they'd been a little bit vague with the girls, always joking that Eric worked for a think tank that didn't do anything interesting, but soon they were going to have to fill them in. Eric worked for a company called Long Thought Research and Development, but the truth of the matter was that they were a remote analyst cell for the CIA. Long Thought handled problems that were overwhelming in the abstract and deadly in application “ they were responsible for terrorist profiling, weapons migration modeling, political theater simulations and a whole lot more. Over the last few weeks, they'd been working on building a new model, one which had Eric worried. Theoretically, every member of Long Thought was supposed to be sectioned off, working on only a singular aspect of the problem so that no one analyst could get an idea of what the simulation was intended to determine. It was supposedly to avoid confirmation bias, but Eric had considered that explanation bullshit as of late. So he'd done a little bit of data gathering from his coworkers on the sly, and come up with a working theory. The model was designed to see how the world's new normal would pan out if 37.5% of the male population of Earth died out to a pandemic. This pandemic. Niko had wandered in before the rest of the girls, while Andy and Eric stood in the kitchen, staring at one another. Then she'd offered her own information, to help talk Andy out of what he'd been thinking about. Because Andy had been thinking about going to the press. She'd explained to him that for the time being, all of the information had to remain secret, or a nationwide panic would ensue. The vaccine that the Air Force had developed was starting to be deployed to major metropolitan areas on a very specific basis. And when a mayor, a governor, a representative or a senator had put up a fuss, Niko hinted that that particular politician had been exposed to the virus and then offered a choice “ they could take the vaccine, and be mated for life to one (or in some cases many) person, or they could deny the vaccine worked, and would be allowed to die. Only one governor had chosen to decline the vaccine, and while the Air Force had respected their wishes, they didn't allow the governor to tell anyone about the vaccine and its side effects. They did allow the governor to die, though. Niko explained to the two men that there were probably only a hundred or so people in the country with the full picture of what was going on, and that was by design, because already the virus was starting to take its toll on other countries. While some countries had done excellent jobs at containing the spread of it, others were on the verge of collapse. And the CIA was debating on what countries were worth saving and which weren't. England, Ireland and Australia were already in the process of being brought up to speed about the vaccine, but the complete details were only being given to them on an as needed basis. The pairing program had been confirmed to the outside world, but the side effects of the vaccine had been kept hush hush. On some level, the Air Force was convinced that foreign governments would laugh themselves at being told that the vaccine had crazy sexual side effects until they had gotten a chance to experience them for themselves. "Shit," Andy grumbled. "The ex-journalist in me feel like I'm sitting on the story of the century here, and I can't tell anybody." Niko squeezed his hand softly. "You're a good man, Andy Rook, which is why I'm happy to be mated to you, but you have to consider the ramifications of what would happen if you revealed all of this to the public." "The whole goddamn world would explode," Eric sighed. "I know. I've seen the data. And that's not the worst of it." "What's the worst of it then?" Andy asked. "The worst of it is that we're going to have to let a billion men die off for the planet to stabilize. It's going to be the biggest culling since World War Two, and even that wasn't a drop in the bucket compared to what this is." The three stood in silence for a long time. "How does anyone make these kinds of decisions?" Andy whispered. "You don't have to. We don't have to," Niko said, wrapping an arm around him. "You can't save the whole world, Andy, but you can save us. Hell, you've already saved those two amazing women out there. And they've been so nice to me, even though I apparently fucked you at your desk before even introducing myself." She blushed a little. "I still don't remember that. Did you watch, Eric?" Eric laughed, lifting the Collins glass full of scotch to his lips. "Are you kidding? Lily would've kicked the shit out of me if I did." "Oh, I dunno," Andy chuckled. "If you asked, she might let you watch." "Well, I don't intend to ask. She already has me waking up sore most mornings." "That's just the exercise from all the fucking you're doing," Andy said. "You're out of practice, just like me, and hell, I've got three women to satisfy." "Soon to be four," Niko giggled. "I'm sure it's every man's dream." "I'm just waiting for the first big fight to occur, because I know it's coming sooner or later." "That's future Andy's problem," Niko said, turning his face down so she could kiss him for a moment. "Besides, Ash made it pretty clear just because you're tired of giving me my medicine doesn't mean you get to skimp out on your promise to her." Andy groaned playfully. "I'm going to be running dry in a few days at this rate." "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that, Andy," Eric said with a laugh. "The fall will probably kill you." "Yeah, well, you just keep thinking, Butch," Andy countered. "That's what you're good at." "What are the cats' names?" "The Russian blue is Muninn, and the black one is Huginn." "Odd names." "It's the name for Odin's two ravens, thought and wisdom," Eric said. "We were on a Norse mythology kick when we got them as kittens." "They friendly?" "Oh sure," Andy said. "They're just getting used to this many people being in the house at one time. If you put out their food enough times, they'll start cuddling up to you any chance they get. Ash decided she was going to befriend them right after she got here, and Muninn'll hop up into her lap when she's working at the table some days and just settle there. That's why Eric built her the foot rest, so she can put her legs up and Muninn'll sit there quietly." Niko looked back and forth between the two men for a minute. "How the hell were you two single before any of us showed up?" "Women don't like nerds," Eric grumbled. Andy raised a finger, arguing the point. "No, they like nerds alright, but they don't seem to understand that nerds like aggressive women and are terrible at making the first move. So nerds don't get the love they deserve." Niko looked out into the back yard, where the girls were gathering up their things, wrapping towels around their waists. "I dunno. You two seem to have done pretty well for yourselves at this point." Andy smirked, cocking his head to one side. "Sure, but luck is like the weather. Wait a few minutes and it'll change." A storm of bad luck was, indeed, just over the horizon. Chapter 8 The next few days involved a lot of time getting settled, as Andy learned more about the girls who now shared his life. They also spent time learning about each other. Andy spent time trying to get some writing done on another Druid Gunslinger novel, and when he got into a zone, the girls made a pact not to disturb him, especially if he started typing away badly. That gave them plenty of time to dig into each other's history, and the girls began to scheme and plan. They took great fun in learning each other's turn ons and offs, and to figure out how to quell their own wild desires, to try new experiences. The girls also took an interest in reading the seven books Andy had written in the Druid Gunslinger series, with Aisling going so far as to even mock up a movie poster for one of them, which delighted Andy to no end. It was starting to become obvious that the condo wasn't designed to hold this many people, however. At night, things were fine because everyone was packed in their beds, but during the day, people were having to work around one another. Aisling and Niko set up their laptops at the dining room table, while Lauren spent much of the day either working out in the backyard, or reading in a deck chair. Andy and Eric each had their own desk, Andy's in the dining room and Eric's in the living room. Lily seemed perfectly comfortable coding in the living room on the couch. When Andy's last partner showed up, she would have to either share space in the backyard or the couch in the living room. The dining room table might fit a third workspace, but it would be a very tight fit. There had been nice surprises, however. Both Lauren and Aisling were excellent cooks, each with radically different styles. Lauren focused on healthy cooking, while Ash was the master of lush, savory cooking that threatened waistlines just from the very smell of it. The cats had taken well to their new housemates, keeping themselves entertained while everyone was working. From time to time, they would hop onto people's laps, or walk across their laptops, but for the most part, they were just happy to have people to be around who might be willing to pet them in a spare moment. But they were starting to feel the limitations of the condo, and the heat wasn't helping. They had fans running nonstop, but the condo didn't have centralized air conditioning. When it had just been the two of them, they were able to manage by closing the windows and drawing the drapes, because the condo was nicely shaded by trees. But with six people, that wasn't holding up as well. By the time it started to cool down in the evening, a light funk had started to fill the place. And there was still one more person to show up. The camaraderie between them all had helped diffuse the tension, even as they delved into each other's past. Andy had gotten to know some of Aisling's siblings, especially Dermot, who had refused to let Andy off the line the first time they'd talked until he'd promised to send him an advance reader copy of "High Noon At Stonehenge," the upcoming Druid Gunslinger book that had started Andy down this whole journey. Turning on the news every night had been hard to watch, simply because it didn't jibe with the information they had at their own fingertips. As Phil had predicted, the government was doing its best to downplay the casualties, reporting false numbers to make it sound like everything was under control. And while reports of the vaccination program were starting to get out to the masses, nobody was talking about the side effects. Why, Andy kept asking himself, why oh why was nobody talking about the side effects? They were wrapping up a day's worth of work when Niko looked over at Andy with a soft smile. Aisling and Lauren had headed upstairs a few minutes earlier. "I've sort of been monopolizing you for a few days, Andy, so Ash and Lauren have a little surprise cooked up for you while I work late tonight. I'll be up in a few hours to crawl into bed, but you should go up to your room and enjoy what they've got up their sleeves." "You okay with that?" Andy said. He'd been navigating a whirlwind of emotions since the girls had come into his life, and was doing his best to make sure nobody ever felt left out, and that everyone also got a turn being the center of attention. "Oh relax. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have said so. And I did demand a mess of attention when I got here, so it's only fair I tap out of a couple of play sessions. Gimme a kiss and then go have your fun." She tilted her head upward as he smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. He'd meant to give her a quick kiss, but she folded her hand against the back of his neck and pulled him in to make it much more intense, practically searing him with the heat. "And Lauren's going to be a little nervous, and you're going to want to go easy on her. Don't, okay? She wants what she's offering, so don't deny her that. You'll know what she wants. Give it to her." "Yes ma'am." He offered her a mock salute and she reached over and swatted his ass. "Don't be a smartass. Now get your butt upstairs." Andy shutdown his desktop and then headed up the stairs. The door to his room was closed. Eric and Lily had been in their room for about an hour already, and he could hear the sounds of moans behind their closed door. Lily and Eric both started and ended their days earlier than Andy and his girls. Whenever a door was closed in the house, the rule was that you always knocked. So there was Andy, once again, knocking on the door to his own bedroom. "Come on in, luv," Aisling said. Andy stepped into his own bedroom, and saw Aisling sitting on the corner of the bed. On her knees on the floor next to her was Lauren, with her hands folded together in front of her. She wore absolutely nothing, except for a collar attached to a leash, the end of which was in Aisling's hand. He closed the door behind himself, feeling Huginn skitter in just before he did. "So what's all this then?" "Well love," Aisling said, "Lauren has a request. A couple of requests, actually. Don't you, slut?" Lauren licked her lips nervously, not speaking, but nodding in agreement. Aisling took the leash by the midpoint and used the end to give Lauren a smack on the back like a mock lash. "I asked you a question, Lauren. Answer me." "Sorry, Mistress," Lauren said. "Yes, Master, your slut would like to make a coupla humble requests, if that's good." What Niko had told him just a few minutes rung in his ears once more before he spoke. "You may ask. Whether I'll grant them or not remains to be seen, but if you don't ask, you risk nothing, you gain nothing. Speak." "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. The other birds and I were talkin', and Aisl, Mistress Aisling was telling' us about her first time being taken in the back, an' I wanted to have a go at it." "Taken in the back?" Aisling gave her another playful smack with the leash end. "What did I tell you, whore? Speak plainly and dirty, otherwise he's not going to know what you want." "The ass, sir. I wanna be fucked in the ass." "That's one request. What's the other?" Andy said, moving a little closer to the two women. "You've been so wonderful and kind with me, Andy, but I want to see the other side of ya. I wanna rough go at it. Pull me hair, spank my ass, pinch me nips, ride my hard, pound me hard, make it hurt. Don't break me, but take me right up to that edge." Andy reached down and pinched one of Lauren's nipples between his fingertips, his grip holding firm and clamping even tighter than he would've normally. He expected to hear a whimper of pain from Lauren, but instead, a deep throated moan poured from her, and her hips almost rutted forward. "That what you're looking for?" "Fuck yes, Master." "If you want to be fucked in the ass, Lauren, you're going to need to get my cock good and slick. Going in dry would do some damage." Aisling giggled a little bit, and reached behind her, grabbing a tube of lubricant, handing it down to Lauren. Andy peeled his shirt off and felt Lauren's hands prying his jeans open, nearly ripping them down his legs. It wasn't until she'd gotten them down there that she realized he was still wearing his shoes from having walked out to the mailbox earlier. "Oh, you useless cunt, girl," Lauren said to herself. "Forgot to get his runners off." He certainly didn't go easy on her, and she certainly seemed to enjoy herself. Niko had slipped into bed with them an hour or so later, and the four of them drifted off to sleep. But it wasn't going to be a long and restful night for Andy. There was a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Aisling and Lauren were on his left and Niko was on his right, so he only had to move past her to get to the door. He saw her stir a little when he crawled out of bed, but he was able to avoid disturbing her too much. He pulled on a pair of boxers, tugged on a t shirt and opened the door to his room to see Eric and Lily standing outside. Eric curled his fingers at Andy to come out of his room. Andy nodded and stepped out into the hallway, then followed Eric and Lily downstairs to the living room. "Andy, we," Lily started, then paused, then started again, "I need your help." "Help?" Andy said, looking over at Eric. "What kind of help can I provide? I'm a writer, for fuck sake." "My roommate, well, my former roommate, she was given the vaccine, but,” Lily motioned for Andy to sit on the couch, so he did. "Look, Jenny's a nice girl. She's a little naive, and occasionally she's a bit daft, but she's a nice girl. She wasn't prepared for this." "Prepared for what?" Andy said. "What's happening?" "They delivered her to the man who was supposed to be her partner, and he took a swing at her, said he wanted to put her in her place before he'd let her have a taste of his seed. He tried to hit her, the fucking bastard. But Jenny's been studying aikido since she was six, and she broke his arm defending herself and ran. Even as horny as she was, she wasn't going to let someone push her around. So she fled and she's in hiding, and I can't let that stand, so we need to go and get her." "Go get her? Go and get her? And do what with her?" "I don't know, alright?" Lily said, raising her voice for a second. "I'm thinking we can take her to one of my coworkers and pair them up." "Isn't the government doing match ups? Aren't they going to be pissed that she isn't with who she's supposed to be?" "Look at me, Andy," Lily said, pointing her fingertips at her eyes. "Do I look like I give a shit what the government thinks? They didn't even do a proper check on the guy they were connecting her to. They paired her up with some abusive asshole with a history of violence towards partners. That isn't going to fly, okay?" "Let's go get her, and then we can figure out what to do with her, okay?" Eric suggested. "I'm sure one of us is going to regret this," Andy said, heading back upstairs to grab his socks and shoes. Before the plague had hit, even at three in the morning, there would've been at least a few cars on the road, but now, everyone was staying at home nearly all the time, which meant the freeway felt like a ghost town. That was for the best, because despite it not raining that much in the Bay Area, tonight it was pouring like a flood was coming. And people in the Bay were terrible drivers in the rain. It wasn't a short drive, and after a bit, Andy started to get a bit nervous. "How far up into the hills are we going, Lily? We're more than half way up to San Francisco at this point." "She's up here in Hillsborough, camped out in someone's vacant house since she fled from the asshole. I'm more worried that the cops have shown up to haul her ass to jail." "Or us," Eric said., They're gonna arrest us for being out under curfew." "Quit whining, baby," Lily said to him. "Right up there, on the left, 2885." There were in a very posh neighborhood in Hillsborough, with mansions on either side of them. There was plenty of space in between the houses, something that was mostly at a premium in the Bay. "You wait here with the engine running, Andy, in case we have to bolt quickly. Eric and I will be right back with her." Lily and Eric hopped out of the car, closing the doors and heading over to the house, and left Andy to wait. A minute or so later, a helicopter flew overhead, low and with a spotlight shining down, but it was off to the side and the beam of light cut through some back yard three or four streets over. Andy wasn't sure if they were looking for Lily's friend Jenny or not, but he hoped the police had other things on their mind. The wait was nearly unbearable. After ten minutes, Eric and Lily came back out of the house, a third person between them, hanging on, covered in a blanket it looked like had probably been stolen from whatever house she'd been hiding in. Eric held open the door and Lily loaded the woman into Andy's back seat before Lily ushered the girl into the car, crawling in after her as Eric slid into the front passenger's seat. "I think the cops are close, Andy," Lily hissed at him. "Fucking drive already!" As soon as both doors slammed shut, Andy's foot was off the brake and the car was in motion. It was hard to look back behind him, but after a few blocks he had to stop at a red light and glanced over his shoulder as he had to wait, and saw a familiar face resting her head in Lily's lap. "Jesus Lily, you didn't say your roommate was Jenny Carnero!" "Who's Jenny Carnero?" Eric asked. "She's the goddamn weather forecaster for channel 2." "How the hell would you know that?" Lily asked. "Neither of you strike me as Fox News watchers." "It's the only thing they had on over at 24 Hour Fitness when I went to work out, so I saw her all the time." "It was a job, Andy," Lily said. "I also didn't expect you to hold a grudge." "It's not that, Lily," Andy sighed. "She's going to be noticed missing. It's not like she's somebody we can just keep hidden without people knowing where she is. The minute she goes into work, the guy she's supposed to be with will know where to fucking find her, and that means they'll come for her." "By that point, she'll already be imprinted on someone, so it won't fucking matter," Lily growled. "And it won't be that asshole who tried to hit her." The girl whimpered, her head squirming in Lily's lap. "Lily," she whined, "Lily, it hurts. Need cock." "Soon, Jenny, soon. It won't be long." "Not long, Now," Jenny said, her voice starting to sound almost violent. "Give cock." "Oh shit, her nose is bleeding," Eric said, his eyes back on Jenny's face. "Just pull over and Andy can fuck her." "Excuse me, but I've already got three girls, and supposedly one more on the way. Why don't you fuck her?" "Because Lily says I can't." "Andy, stop the car," Lily said. "Eric, get back here." "But you said,” "I know what I fucking said, you little shit, but I'll have to fucking learn to deal with it, won't I? Get back here and let her suck you off while Andy's driving us home." Andy brought the car to a stop at the next red light, and Lily swapped places with Eric. As soon as Eric was sitting in the back seat, Jenny was practically ripping his pants off, fishing out his cock before slamming her mouth down on it. "Lily, are you sure about this?" Eric said, nervousness apparent in his voice. "Give it to her, Eric. She and I were good friends, we will be again. It'll just be an adjustment." Andy kept his eyes pointing forward for the rest of the drive as Eric got blown in his back seat. Chapter 9 The next day Andy was struggling to figure out a plan. He'd been running it around in his head for hours, trying to see some easy way through this, but he kept coming back to the same inevitable point “ he needed Phil's help. God, he was tired of having to ask Phil for help. "You're vexed, Andy," Niko said to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. He'd been sitting at his desk, and he looked back over his shoulder to her. "How can you tell?" "You've been looking at that computer screen for almost an hour and haven't typed a word, babe," she said, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "That's vexed. We haven't been together long, but I recognize when you're vexed. I do the same, when I'm thinking very hard about something. I stare and I fret, while I'm vexed." "You seem rather like a badass, Niko. You sure you're going to be okay, being saddled with a square like me?" She laughed. It was a sound he was quickly learning to love, confident and yet still somehow a little cheeky. "You've been keeping this house together despite all the chaos. That doesn't seem square to me." "You know I'm like a dozen years your elder, right?" "I won't tell anyone if you won't. So how can I help? What are you vexed by?" "Last night, our little voyage out, we brought back a new girl for Eric. She's Lily's former roommate. She was supposed to be with someone else, but apparently the man she was paired up with has a history of domestic abuse, and so Lily insisted we rescue her and paired her up with Eric so no one could pull her away." "So you're trying to figure out how to tell the government about how she's paired up with someone different? What makes you think they're even going to notice?" "She's a weather reporter on one of the local news stations, so people are going to notice. I think I've got a solution, but I just hate to do it. I feel like I'm always leaning on this friend to help us out." "Oh? Someone you've told me about?" "Phil. I've mentioned him. In fact, you should probably meet Phil. I'm just tired of constantly asking him for help." "Do you really ask him for help a bunch, or does it just feel like it and you're overreacting?" she grinned. "Probably the latter, but it doesn't always feel like that." Andy grabbed his phone and loaded up the Signal messenger app. He and Phil used it to keep their communication private. “Meet up in an hour at the usual spot? Almost immediately he got a response. “Make it 2. "Okay, looks like I've got a meeting set up. Phil's been our man on the inside for this whole pandemic. He works for a company that contracts for the military, and while he can't tell us exact details about what's going on, he can help paint in some of the corners. Phil will know how to get all this sorted out." "How long have you two known each other?" "Nearly 20 years? He's good people. Why don't you come with me?" "Sure, lemme go throw some pants on." A couple hours later, Andy and Niko had headed back to the park to meet up with Phil, who didn't bring Audrey with him. He was dressed wrapped in head to toe, much like he was the last time, a mask over his face and goggles over his eyes, with a ball cap pulled down over his jet black hair. Andy was dressed much the same. Niko didn't feel the need to wear goggles, and had her hair drawn back into a ponytail. Phil kept a good distance from them, pushing his vape pen behind his mask to take a drag from it, then tugged the mask down briefly to blow out a cloud of vapor into the air. "So what's the 911 call about, Andy?" "First, let me introduce you, "2nd Lieutenant Redwolf," Phil said, cutting him off. "Mr. Marcos," Niko replied. "Didn't know your name was Phil." "I'm surprised you even remember me, Redwolf. You were pretty out of it when I sort nudged you towards Andy." Andy cocked his head. "You sent her my way?" "She's part of our tribe, Andy. Geek cred through and through, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have her kept in the family, so I just made a connection in the system. She had decent odds to end up with you anyway, but why take a chance, right?" "Guess I owe you one then, Mr. Marcos," Niko said. Phil swiped his hand in the air. "Then I'll call in that favor to insist you never, ever call me Mr. Marcos unless we're at work. Deal?" "I can make that promise." "This what you called me about, Andy?" Phil said, finally stepping a little further back, pulling off his mask so he could just continually draw from the vape pen. "Nah. I've got a bigger problem. So Eric's picked up a runaway." Phil frowned a little bit. "How do you mean?" "So Eric's partner, Lily. She had a roommate before the whole pandemic, name of Jenny. Now apparently Jenny was set up with some guy." "That's how it works, Andy." "I get that, Phil. But it turns out the guy she was set up with was some kind of domestic abuser." "Wait, what?" Phil scowled. "That sort of thing should've shown up before he got paired up with anyone." "I dunno. Maybe it didn't get reported before, maybe this was his first time and he was trying it on. But before Jenny could get imprinted on him, he tried to take a swing at her." "Fuck. She okay?" "She's got some self-defense training, so she got away from the guy unscathed and went into hiding." "You get the guy's name?" "I can have Eric send it to you. But that's not the big concern. The big concern is that once we rescued her, she imprinted onto Eric. And she's a talking head." "Shit," Phil said, taking another drag. "News?" "Weather." Phil swiped a hand back in the air again. "Send me her name. I'll get it taken care of. Don't even trip about it. That's the least of our problems right now." "Shit getting bad, sir, I mean Phil?" Niko asked. "You have no idea." "How bad?" Andy asked. "We're looking at ten to twenty before it's all done." "Ten to twenty million people dead? Jesus!" "No, percent. We're talking ten to twenty percent of America dead, mostly men. We're guessing it'll end up around sixty million dead before the vaccine's in full effect in the middle of next year." Phil took a heavy drag, and the news hung in the air like a guillotine's blade. "The news is going to break any day now how fatal the new mutation of the virus is getting, and then everything'll be crazy. The army's going to be deployed here on US soil and martial law's going to go into effect. President Pelosi's at least been quick about it, and she's bunkered down. News hasn't broken yet, but the orange gooomba died on the operating table a couple of hours ago. Looks like milquetoast will be next in a couple of days." "Forty or fifty million men dead? That's nearly half of the male population!" Niko said. "How the hell are we going to recover from that?" "We're going to have to pair up a lot more women with the remaining men, and encourage them to have a whole shitload of kids," Phil sighed. "But even with that, it's going to be a fucking mess for a generation. Which reminds me, when you go home, I want you to start packing up your things." "Packing?" Andy asked. "What do you mean?" "I mean, start figuring out the absolute minimum you would need to take with you if you had to leave in a hurry, and then get anything that might take a few minutes packed up. Anything else, just have it at the ready." "Should I be worried?" "Nah, but it wouldn't hurt to be a little prepared." "What's happening, Phil?" "I can't tell you that yet, but the world's gonna keep on changing, and it doesn't hurt to be ready for it." "Yeah, okay." "You'll actually be very happy after it happens, man. Trust me." "If you say so." "Trust Big Daddy Phil." Andy rolled his eyes. "I trust you about as far as I can throw you, and that ain't very far." "You'll see." His watch beeped and Phil turned it up to look at it. "I gotta get back into the office. Send me Eric's new girl's name and the guy she was supposed to be hooked up with, and I'll make a few edits into the system." "You know Phil, there are days it feels like you're seriously into some black bag shit." "Only some days?" Phil said, taking one final drag off his vape pen before blowing a huge cloud up and into the air. It smelled vaguely of cinnamon buns, Andy noted. "Then I gotta up my game again. I'll see you soon, brother." He pulled his mask back up and headed back to his car. Andy and Niko watched him go, stretching out a little bit. "So you worked with Phil, huh?" Andy asked her. Her face scrunched up a little. "I was part of their security detail until I got exposed to the virus and then got quarantined. When the symptoms started to get severe, they used us as test cases for vaccinations and tried to pair us off. They were having trouble finding someone to match me with, based on my stated preferences before I got drugged." Andy smirked a little behind his mask. "I knew I wasn't exactly what you were looking for." "You're a little older than I initially wanted, Andy, but I don't have any complaints now that I'm with you. I was also a bit leery about sharing a partner with anyone, but it seems like that's going to be S O P moving forward." "S O P?" "Standard Operating Procedure. If Mr. Mar” if Phil's right about those casualty numbers, they're going to have to pair up a Lot of women to individual men. I bet you're going to get a bunch more than just the one more you're expecting." "Jesus, that's a whole lot of personalities to keep in balance," Andy grumbled. "I dunno if I'm up to that." "You don't have to do it alone, stupid head," she teased. "You've got Ash and me to help manage the cavalcade of women you're going to be saddled with. We'll try and keep everyone from killing one another and manage your time, although we're definitely going to have to continue getting you into better shape." "Lauren's started in on that, but frankly, I probably need to eat better." "And cut down on the soda. You've got a full nest to look after." "This scares the shit out of me," he sighed, leaning his back against a tree. "You know that, right?" Niko strolled over to him, a coy playfulness to her stride, as she moved close. "I know how to relax you." Andy arched an eyebrow beneath the goggles. "What, here?" "Who's going to see?" "We're in a public park, Niko!" "Ask me if I give a fuck," she said, as she dropped down to her knees, nuzzling her face against the crotch of his jeans. "Alright," he laughed, "Niko, do you give a fuh " His sentence was cut off as she pressed her mouth down along the length of his cock until the head of it was pressed against the back of her throat. She held it there for a good moment, long enough that he could feel her suppressing her gag reflex, straining back tears before she drew her head back and gasped in a deep breath of air. A playful giggle rolled from her lips, saliva dripping from them. "No sir, I fucking do not. But the faster you give me what I want, the faster we can go home," she said, moving to kiss at his balls, suckling on his nuts for a moment before moving her lips back to wrap around the head of his cock. "Now hold my hair back and fuck my face." Andy reached down and grabbed her silky ponytail with one hand, the other moving to curl his fingers against the back of her head as he pushed her face back down onto his cock. In response, she let out a wanton moan onto his cock, her hands reaching back to grab his ass, helping push her lips down to the base of his shaft, his balls pressing right against her chin. His hand holding her ponytail pulled her back, sliding her lips back to the head of his cock before pushing her face back down again, feeling her fingernails sinking into his jeans a bit more in response. He could swear he saw her hips thrusting forward beneath him, her legs spread wide, her knees almost pressed to the inside of his ankles. The pace quickened, as he thrust forward into her face while tugging her down onto each shove, whimpers that sounded delighted shivering across his skin between the sloppy sounds. He finally pulled her head back, letting her pop her head off his cock, just in case she wanted to tell him to stop, tell him she'd changed her mind, or whatever. Instead, she turned her eyes up to him. "Don't fucking stop. Fuck my face. Gimme that load of hot cum right against the back of my fucking throat. Please?" Her brown eyes were peering up at him as she licked her lips, and he could feel her struggling to try and lean even closer to him. He started to pump his cock into her mouth again, and suddenly he felt one of her hands slide away from his hips. He could see it push down the front of her jeans, and almost immediately, it came back up again and raised into the air towards his face. Her fingers were glistening, practically soaked, and he could smell her cunt on them as he leaned forward to lick them clean. Just as he did, he felt his balls draw up and his hand on the back of her head pressed her face down to the base of his cock as that orgasm shredded through him. He knew his cum was blasting into her throat, and could feel her spasming and trembling against him. It still boggled his mind, knowing that his orgasm triggered one immediately in his partner, and far more intense than he'd ever been able to bring a woman to before. His hands let go, giving Niko back control as she drew back, groaning in a carnal sound he hadn't yet grown accustomed to. Instead of pulling away, though, she started licking up, making sure to catch any loose jism or spittle from his shaft, her gaze never once leaving his, as she smirked while her tongue slathered him up. "See? Don't you feel less vexed?" He couldn't help it and started laughing, and it was infectious, because she immediately began giggling with him, even while she was lapping up the last of his spunk. "Okay, yes, you got me, I am certainly less vexed. How about you?" Niko smirked a bit, giving his cock one final lick before she pulled his boxers and jeans back up, rezipping and buttoning them up for him. "By now, you have to understand that your sperm is like a magic formula to us, your partners. It's exactly what we need and want every day. It's like giving a junkie a fix. Of course I feel better." She tugged up his shirt and kissed his stomach before pulling herself back up onto her feet. "I'd have kissed you but, "I don't mind that you just blew me, Niko," Andy chuckled. "Oh, that's not it at all. I just didn't want to share," she said with a wink, tapping one of her fingertips on his nose. "Girl's gotta keep every drop to herself any chance she can. Normally we try and pass a little of each load around, but here I get one all to myself. So I'm savoring that taste lingering on my lips. But we should get back to the house." "Fair enough." As soon as they got back to the house, Lily was waiting for them by the garage door. "Are we okay?" Niko smiled at her and gave the plump girl a huge. "Andy's got you covered, don't worry." She rubbed her spiky hair and then headed into the house, leaving the two together. "So get me the jackass's name from Jenny, and I'll get it to our friend Phil, who'll make sure it gets entered into the record that he's a domestic abuser." "Hopefully that means he won't get paired with anyone then." "Well, based on what Phil said in the Discord channel a week or so back, it's more likely they'll pair him with someone who can beat the shit out of him," Andy sighed. "Or, someone who's into that kind of thing. People are into all sorts of weird things out here." "You don't have to tell me twice," Lily said, exhaling a deep breath. "Jenny's been nuzzled up to Eric all morning, practically unwilling to let him go. I wasn't planning on sharing him with anyone, but if I have to share him with someone, I guess Jenny will be okay." Andy realized a second later, his face must have given something away. "What's with that look? You heard something else from Phil, didn't you?" "Yeah, it's pretty fucking scary out there, Lil." He shook his head then looked up. "You're probably going to be sharing Eric with quite a few other women. Men are dying left and right, and they're going to have to figure out how to keep the country afloat. That means the traditional family unit design is out the fucking window." "How bad can it really be if they're keeping it quiet?" "It's about to boil over. The estimate is we're going to lose nearly half the men in America." Her eyes looked to him as if she was waiting for the joke. When it didn't come, and the silence had hung in the air an uncomfortably long time, she finally spoke again. "Half? Fucking half? Fucking Half?" "Yeah, I can't say I'm thrilled about it either, Lily. I've got a lot of guy friends, and the idea of half of them just being fucking gone isn't exactly news I wanted to hear when I got up this morning, but I got it anyway." Andy tossed his hands up into the air. "And we can't fucking tell anyone! The news will out in a few days, but we have to be quiet about it until it is. Also, apparently we need to start packing." "Packing? What for?" "I guess we're going to be moved at some point. I guess we'll find out soon enough." Soon enough came the very next day. Andy and his usual gang of friends had a Discord channel they hung out on regularly, and they'd been using it for news on each other. And Phil poked his head in just before noon with a simple message: "@DruidGun 15 minutes." The household had spent part of the da

As our fourth season draws to a close, we've got an apocalyptic, 2-part ending lined up. That's right, we're talking Armageddon, and we don't mean the 1998 Bruce Willis blockbuster. And of course, if we're going to delve into the end of everything, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu are going to need the help of our ever popular archaeology expert and author, Hannah Liu, MEd. As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing, the failed Soviet-era Kosmos 482 lander that was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere but never actually let Earth orbit and finally just came crashing back home on May 10, just a few days after we recorded this episode! Chuck, Allen and Hannah ponder the possibilities of cataclysmic destruction that the more than half-ton object could produce. Then, without missing a beat, Hannah takes us all the way back to Greek mythology and the Titanomachy, the legendary fights between the Gods and the Titans that were possibly inspired by catastrophic volcanic eruptions that laid waste to the ancient Mediterranean. Chuck jumps continents to discuss the Norse apocalypse known as Ragnarök – casually dropping that is inspired the massively popular Baldur's Gate 3 as he does. Not to be outdone, Hannah brings us all back to the original Armageddon itself: the final battle between good and evil that is foretold in the Book of Revelations to take place at Har Megiddo, the “Hill of Megiddo” in Hebrew. You'll also hear about where the word apocalypse comes from, and why it's become associated with the end of the world, as Hannah gives us all a quick lesson in eschatology, or the study of the end of the world. Our first question comes from Ahmed, who asks, “What are the odds that a killer asteroid will kill us all?” Allen gets a little excited about asteroid 2024 YR4, an asteroid the size of a 15-story building, that is predicted to pass safely by Earth in 2032 but at one point had as high a chance of hitting us as 4-5% – and still has about a 3% chance of hitting the Moon. Chuck explains that the odds of a true “dinosaur-killer” extinction event asteroid impact from an object at least a mile across is about 50 million to 1 in any given year. Hannah points out that it's far more likely that Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that inundated Pompeii, will erupt again. The last one was in 79AD, and since it tends to blow its top every 2,000 years or so, we're due. Moving back further, Hannah tells us about the Minoan Eruption that devastated the isle of Santorini in the Mediterranean, wiping out the city of Akrotiri, around 1600 BCE and was reported as far away as China. And that's just a few of the disastrous historic collapses Hannah shares with us, including the Hekla 3 eruption in Iceland that had may have had something to do with the Bronze Age Collapse. It turns out that the apocalypse is too big for a single episode! Join us in two weeks for Part 2 of our journey into all things apocalyptic. We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: The Kosmos 482 lander probe reentered Earth's atmosphere on May 10 at 06:24 UT over the Indian Ocean. Because the Russian probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible it survived reentry, but has landed in the ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia.– Credit: NASA On March 26, 2025, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of asteroid 2024 YR4 that indicate the asteroid is about the size of a 15-story building. – Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Andy Rivkin (APL) Santorini island, Greece. Satellite image of Thera. The bay in the center of the island is the caldera created by the Minoan eruption.– Credit: NASA EOS Excavation of Akrotiri in 2018– Credit: Creative Commons: By Rt44 - Own work The Bull-Leaping Fresco from the Great Palace at Knossos, Crete – Credit: Creative Commons / Gleb Simonov Detail of Abraham Ortelius' 1585 map of Iceland showing Hekla in eruption. The Latin text translates as "The Hekla, perpetually condemned to storms and snow, vomits stones under terrible noise". – Credit: Creative Commons / Abraham Ortelius #liuniverse #charlesliu #allenliu #hannahliu #sciencepodcast #astronomypodcast #hannahliu #apocalypse #armageddon #doomsday #kosmos482lander #asteroid2024yr4 #titanomachy #ragnarak #baldursgate3 #bookofrevelations #harmegiddo #eschatology #mountvesuvius #pompeii #minoaneruption #hekla3 #bronzeagecollapse

In this episode (again riddled with editing issues), the guys discuss a plethora of topics, to include, reasons the Norse People were able to divorce. Time codes provided below.00:00 Introduction and Catching Up08:06 The Importance of Mental Health Conversations20:26 Concerns Over Religious Freedom and Censorship25:59 Judgment and Acceptance in Religious Spaces30:55 Mental Health and Societal Expectations37:07 Understanding Abuse in Relationships42:53 The Importance of Speaking Out48:13 Misconceptions About Death and Afterlife56:21 The Fallacy of Original Sin01:08:02 Understanding the Havamal and Its Wisdom

With two of the three bartenders hanging around near or above the arctic circle this week, this is an official Northern Exposure episode of 3WHH, with Lucretia, instead of channeling her usual Barry Corbin disposition, actually has some nice things to say about many of her usual targets, including KJP, Dread Coward Roberts, and even Ka-tan-ji! Something in the Alaska air must be affecting her!John Yoo offers his usual expert opinions (not meant sarcastically) about the entirely unexpected trifecta at the Supreme Court this week, which we all agree augurs something important not only for the big cases remaining this term, but also for the judicial epoch in which we current find ourselves. We also quickly dispatch with the Trump-Musk breakup, and briefly introduce a new segment, "What's Wrong with John Yoo?", since he insulted both Steve and Lucretia several weeks ago by referring to both as "political theorists." Them's is fightin' words; he might as well have called them Anglophiles or something worse.Finally, AI outdid itself this week, and an Norse-style epic poem that amazing described your three whisky bartenders with surprising accuracy:First came the Bold One, with thunderous laugh,Whose tongue split the silence like Odin's own staff.He spoke of Islay, of smoke and peat's sting,A connoisseur forged in the cask of a king.Then came the Wise One, in cloak of soft tone,With tasting notes ancient as Midgard's old stone.She sipped and she pondered, then spake with deep grace:“This dram bears the oak and the wind from some place.”The third was the Trickster, sharp-witted and sly,Who'd jest at the gods as the crows passed him by.With metaphors wild and a glint in his eye,He'd toast to Valhalla, then laugh till he cried.

It's always great to catch up with Johannes from Avatar. I think this is my third or fourth time interviewing him. Full disclosure: I'm an Avatar fan! Their new single “Captain Goat” is a wild ride—both musically and visually. The video dives deep into Greek and Norse mythology, Scandinavian folklore, and includes a very sexy siren (his words). “When a song is really, really good, it gives you these strong visual hallucinations,” he explained. “This was one of those. It’s a spiritual journey through the dark, complete with water, goats, and mythological creatures. Hendrik plays the siren, Jonas is tied to cliffs like Loki, and Tim is a Nixie, this water spirit thing.” Oh, and they filmed underwater in a rehab swimming pool. “Toward the end of the shoot, I couldn’t really open my eyes anymore—but the face paint covers the pain.” “We’re All Gonna Die… Let’s Disco.” When I brought up how Avatar mixes darkness with this weird sense of fun, Johannes nailed it: “We’re a heavy metal band that wants to be a good time. But we also dig deep into the dark rooms of the soul. That duality—that’s where Avatar lives. We’re all gonna die… let’s disco.” About the New Album… Kind Of A new album is coming. Johannes knows the release date, but can’t share it yet. “They won’t let me say the date, but it’s an excellent date,” he teased. “The album’s finished. It sounds amazing. Visually and sonically, we’re almost there.” I pressed him for the album title, but no luck. “It’s a beautiful title that lures you into forbidden places… a meadow between the trees.” Yeah, he’s not giving it up—but it sounds like classic Avatar mind-bending stuff. Metallica, Maiden, and Full Circle Moments In the span of 12 months, Avatar will have opened for both Iron Maiden and Metallica. “Honestly, there wouldn’t be an Avatar without Metallica,” Johannes said. “John broke his leg skiing when he was 12. His mom bought him Metallica CDs. He became obsessed, started drumming, met Jonas—and boom, Avatar.” He’s pumped for the Metallica shows, but also honest about the pressure. “When you’re on that big round Metallica stage, it’s theirs. But for those 45 minutes, I have to own it. I’ve got to walk out there and go, ‘This is mine now.’ It’s a challenge… but a fun one.” Cooking Battles in a Castle They recorded the new album in a castle. Yes, an actual castle. “We had this massive industrial kitchen with a frying pan bigger than your face,” he laughed. “Our chef got sick, so I stepped in and made pasta bolognese. I think I won.” Apparently, cooking has become “a pissing contest between bandmates,” and yes, it’s a very Swedish man thing. Enjoy!

The Flat Earth Conspiracy: Ancient Beliefs, Modern Movement

Gwyn and Ode talk about what options exist for leaving the country, what options do not exist for leaving the country, how to move from a conservative to a progressive area, the spiritual aspects of doing so, and how you can stay where you are mindfully, as an act of resistance. Balthazar, the podcast cat, needs some health care! If you'd like to help, here's a GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-beloved-balthazar-eat-again?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link)

John Yoo hosts this week where there is so much free trade in ideas that you'd need a 1,000% tariff to slow it down. Which the U.S. Court of Intenational Trade attempted to do for about six hours, during which time the 3WHH panel chews up the ruling and spits it out like a bad piece of Icelandic cod. (Which happens to be where Steve, now dubbed as the "International Man of No-Mystery" happens to be at the moment, which is why this episode comes with more than the usual amount of viking jokes and Norse epic poetry.) Anyway, the gang predicts this issue is likely to be another win for Trump when the dust settles.But first the gang also ponders whether Trump is overdoing it with his attack on Harvard. Is it possible to overdo the attack on Harvard? You'll have to give a listen to this ad-free episode to find out.

We sit down with Greg Weisman to discuss the journey the Eye of Odin made as a MacGuffin introduced in the Sega Genesis game, being brought into the series as a trinket, then revealed to have magical powers… all the way to introducing Odin, himself. We discuss adapting the Norse god into “Gargoyles”, his wisdom along with his hubris; when Loki was briefly considered and why he ultimately wasn't used. The inadvertent Kirby influence. We talk about just how cunning Angela is in the face of making Goliath the villain for the episode as absolute power corrupts absolutely. And much... Continue reading

The Dokkrsdottir is not your ordinary Norse woman of the Viking age. One of the great warriors of her time, she soon learns that the hardest battles are not always those fought with a sword and shield. Through countless trials and tests, she is led by visions and omens on numerous adventures with the help of steadfast friends and family to discover her mysterious supernatural destiny, one more extraordinary than anyone could ever have imagined.Myrgjol the Dokkesdottir's path may be fraught with physical dangers and battle, but some wars are fought with whispered words and deceitful lies. While in Saxon lands, she must learn to maneuver the battlefield as well as her position on the board in the game of Saxon politics. Will she be successful?And though she is blind to all the pieces in The Game, a Saxon gamemaster plays on her behalf as well as his own against many others, and the enormity of the risk spirals out of control for everyone.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/houseofmysteryradio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the barrier between the living and the dead was never real? And can we face dark forces through the use of Shadow Work? In this gripping episode, spiritualist and lifelong paranormal experiencer Kaedrich Olsen joins me to expose the mystifying truth about The Veil—and the secrets that need to be revealed. We also explore Shadow Work and the Paranormal, from ancient Norse wisdom to the voices of unseen entities, we confront the idea that some hauntings aren't tied to places... they're tied to us. Unhealed trauma. Repressed emotions. Entities that feed on both. For more information on our guest visit: www.Kaedrich.com Tearing the Veil & Shadow Work - The Paranormal 60 PLEASE SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS THAT SUPPORT THIS SHOWZelmin's Minty Mouth - Get more info and 15% off at www.Zelmins.com/P60 Factor Meals - Get 50% off your first order & Free Shipping at www.FactorMeals.com/p6050off & use code: P6050off at checkout Mint Mobile - To get your new wireless plan for just $15 bucks a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for FREE, go to www.MintMobile.com/P60 Shadow Zine - https://shadowzine.com/ Tarot Readings with Winnie Schrader - http://lovelotustarot.com/ PLEASE RATE & REVIEW THE PARANORMAL 60 PODCAST WHEREVER YOU LISTEN! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to episode 211 of the Campus Comics Cast as we dread the day Loki becomes the god of podcasts. In this episode we discuss the first five appearances of Loki, talk about several comics we have been reading, and wrap it up with a CLZ shake. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Opening Music 00:00:24 Intro 00:03:40 First Five Loki 00:45:55 What We Have Been Reading 01:14:20 CLZ Shake 01:21:50 Next Episode 01:22:24 Outros 01:23:17 Stinger Have you ever wondered how Loki transformed from a classic comic book villain into one of pop culture's most complex and beloved antiheroes? If you're a fan of Marvel, the MCU, or just love a great character evolution, understanding Loki's journey from his earliest comic appearances to his current status can help you appreciate how storytelling and fandom have changed—and why Loki continues to capture imaginations today. Discover the origins and first five comic book appearances of Loki, and how they shaped his mischievous persona. Learn how Loki's character evolved from a stereotypical villain to a nuanced figure, both in comics and on screen. Gain insights into the connections between Loki's comic roots, Norse mythology, and his modern-day pop culture impact. Press play now to unlock the secrets behind Loki's transformation and find out why he remains Marvel's ultimate trickster!

Fluent Fiction - Norwegian: Whispers of the Past: Together in the Ruins of Lofoten Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/no/episode/2025-05-26-22-34-02-no Story Transcript:No: På Lofoten-øyene, midt i det myke lyset av sen vår, ruver ruiner av en gammel norrøn landsby.En: On the Lofoten-islands, amidst the soft light of late spring, the ruins of an ancient Norse village loom.No: Under de bleke nordlige skyene, hvisker steinene historier om fortidens liv.En: Under the pale northern skies, the stones whisper stories of past lives.No: Lars, en lidenskapelig historiker, og Astrid, en fri fotograf, befant seg blant disse ruinene.En: Lars, a passionate historian, and Astrid, an independent photographer, found themselves among these ruins.No: De var begge på jakt, men etter noe forskjellig.En: They were both on a quest, but for something different.No: Lars var besatt av tidligere tider.En: Lars was obsessed with ancient times.No: Han ville finne et artefakt som kunne bekrefte hans teori om norrøne bosettinger.En: He wanted to find an artifact that could confirm his theory about Norse settlements.No: Astrid, derimot, lette etter inspirasjon.En: Astrid, on the other hand, was searching for inspiration.No: Hun håpet å fange ruinenes essens i bilder, for å bryte gjennom sin kreative blokkering.En: She hoped to capture the essence of the ruins in images, to break through her creative block.No: Det var 17. mai, Norges grunnlovsdag, men feiringen var langt unna.En: It was May 17th, Norway's Constitution Day, but the celebration was far away.No: Her blant ruinene, med bølgene som rytmer i bakgrunnen, var det stille og ensomt.En: Here among the ruins, with the waves as a rhythmic backdrop, it was quiet and lonely.No: De to utforskerne hadd ingen andre enn hverandre.En: The two explorers had no one but each other.No: "Sørg for å holde deg på stien," rådet Lars mens han klatret over ujevne steiner.En: “Make sure to stay on the path,” advised Lars as he climbed over uneven stones.No: Men hans egen fokus var dypt i historien, så han la ikke merke til at terrenget ble vanskeligere.En: But his own focus was deep in history, so he didn't notice that the terrain was getting tougher.No: Astrid, på jakt etter den perfekte vinkelen, ignorerte betydningen av rådet.En: Astrid, in search of the perfect angle, ignored the significance of the advice.No: Hun lente seg for langt over kanten av en stein.En: She leaned too far over the edge of a stone.No: Plutselig mistet hun balansen og falt.En: Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell.No: En skarp smerte skar gjennom ankelen hennes.En: A sharp pain shot through her ankle.No: "Au!" ropte hun.En: “Ouch!” she cried out.No: Lars snudde seg raskt.En: Lars turned around quickly.No: Han så Astrid sitte og holde seg til ankelen, ansiktet var vridd i smerte.En: He saw Astrid sitting and clutching her ankle, her face twisted in pain.No: Til tross for ønsket om å fortsette søket alene, var Lars motvillig til å forlate Astrid i en slik situasjon.En: Despite the desire to continue the search alone, Lars was reluctant to leave Astrid in such a situation.No: Han knelte ved hennes side.En: He knelt by her side.No: "La meg hjelpe deg. Vi finner en vei gjennom dette sammen."En: “Let me help you. We'll find a way through this together.”No: Astrid kjempet mot tårene.En: Astrid fought back tears.No: Hun stirret på kameraet sitt og tilbake på Lars.En: She looked at her camera and back at Lars.No: Kanskje var dette øyeblikket en del av hva hun lette etter.En: Perhaps this moment was part of what she was looking for.No: "Hvis du blir her, kan vi fange dette. Din jakt, mitt fall. Det er en historie i dette."En: “If you stay here, we can capture this. Your quest, my fall. There's a story in this.”No: De ble et team.En: They became a team.No: Lars støttet Astrid mens de beveget seg langs ruinene.En: Lars supported Astrid as they moved along the ruins.No: De la merke til en stein de tidligere hadde oversett, som var dekket av mose.En: They noticed a stone they had previously overlooked, which was covered in moss.No: Med Astrids instruksjoner, renset Lars bort mosen og avslørte en stein med norrøne runer.En: With Astrid's instructions, Lars cleared away the moss and revealed a stone with Norse runes.No: "Dette er enormt!" Lars' øyne fyltes med glød.En: “This is huge!” Lars' eyes filled with excitement.No: Oppdagelsen, hans og Astrids, var mer enn han kunne ha drømt om alene.En: The discovery, theirs together, was more than he could have dreamed of alone.No: En smil sprede seg over Astrids ansikt.En: A smile spread across Astrid's face.No: Hun begynte å fotografere. Ikke bare steinen, men også Lars som støttet henne.En: She began to photograph, not only the stone but also Lars supporting her.No: Det var ikke bare bildene som fanget sjelen til ruinene, men også øyeblikket av samarbeidet deres.En: It was not just the pictures that captured the soul of the ruins, but also the moment of their collaboration.No: På slutten av dagen, da solen sakte snek seg ned mot horisonten, sto Lars og Astrid sammen.En: At the end of the day, as the sun slowly crept toward the horizon, Lars and Astrid stood together.No: De hadde lært noe verdifullt.En: They had learned something valuable.No: Samarbeid kan skape noe stort.En: Collaboration can create something great.No: Lars visste nå at å dele opplevelser kunne bringe glede, og Astrid visste at kreativitet kan få en ny glød gjennom felleskap.En: Lars now knew that sharing experiences could bring joy, and Astrid knew that creativity could find new spark through fellowship.No: De forlot ruinene med både fysiske og metaforiske skatter, begge rikere enn de var da de kom.En: They left the ruins with both physical and metaphorical treasures, both richer than they were when they arrived. Vocabulary Words:amidst: midt iruins: ruinerancient: gammelloom: ruverwhisper: hviskerpassionate: lidenskapelighistorian: historikerindependent: friquest: jaktobsessed: besattartifact: artefaktconfirm: bekreftetheory: teorisettlements: bosettingerinspiration: inspirasjonessence: essensrhythmic: rytmeruneven: ujevneterrain: terrengetsignificance: betydningenbalance: balansereluctant: motvilligclutching: holde seg tilcollaboration: samarbeidoverlooked: oversettmoss: moserunes: runercreativity: kreativitetfellowship: felleskapmetaphorical: metaforiske

Reconnect with nature for healing, creativity, and expanded awareness• Presents receptivity techniques and forest bathing protocols to help you cultivate a sensitivity to nature• Shares the author's awakenings within an ancient redwood forest, including prescient dreams and telepathic tree communication• Shows how forest bathing can calm, soothe, and heal our bodies, minds, and spiritsAdvancing the practices of forest bathing and nature therapy to mystical levels, Ellen Dee Davidson explores the profound healing, heightened creativity, and intuitive states of consciousness available to us when we commune deeply with nature.Weaving together environmental science, wilderness adventure, goddess mythology, and the sentience of old growth redwoods, the author shows how to cultivate a sensitivity to the forest and open a channel to its wisdom. She presents simple techniques of receptivity, some from her Buddhist mindfulness practice, along with forest-bathing protocols, showing how forest bathing can calm, soothe, and heal our bodies, minds, and spirits. She also recounts her own remarkable healing after twenty years suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.Revealing how ancient trees can help expand our consciousness, the author shares her awakenings within an ancient redwood forest, including prescient dreams and telepathic tree communication. She also explores deities, elementals, and spirits connected to forests and trees, including dryads, the Norse goddess Freyja, and Elen of the Ways, one of the earliest goddesses in Britain.This book shows how, when humans listen deeply to nature and allow the living biosphere to be our guide, restoration of ourselves and our world is possible.Ellen Dee Davidson has worked as a creative writing, piano, and elementary school teacher and is the author of a number of children's books, including Wind, which won the Nautilus Gold Award, and The Miracle Forest. She is a member of TreeSisters, Awakening Women, and the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project. She lives in Bayside, California.https://www.ellendeedavidson.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Gwyn and Ode (+Jax!) talk about re-exploring the magic of childhood summers, and also beauty and hotness, and also camping indoors. Special Guest: Jax.

The prevailing theme of polarization within fandoms is vividly illustrated in our discourse on the perennial conflict between elves and dwarves. As I engage with esteemed Tolkien scholar and former host of our show, Nick Polk, we delve into the intricate nuances of this rivalry, which transcends mere animosity and reveals deeper societal reflections. Throughout our exploration, we uncover the historical context that underscores the dynamics between these two races, illuminating how their contrasting attributes embody broader themes of identity and collaboration. In a world rife with division, our dialogue seeks to extract the virtues inherent in both factions, emphasizing the potential for understanding and unity amidst discord. Ultimately, we aspire to inspire our audience to find solace in the narratives of reconciliation that echo within the realms of fantasy and beyond.The discourse centers on the enduring rivalry between elves and dwarves within various fandoms, particularly as articulated in Tolkien's works. We delve into the historical context of this conflict, tracing its roots to Norse mythology and examining how these archetypes have evolved within contemporary narratives. The episode features an enlightening dialogue between Joshua Noel and esteemed Tolkien scholar Nick Polk, who provides a scholarly lens through which to view the dynamics between these two factions. The discussion highlights the misconceptions surrounding the dwarven character, often portrayed as brutish or greedy, juxtaposed with the ethereal and noble nature of elves. However, as the conversation unfolds, we uncover the deeper complexities of both races, revealing that dwarves, while often viewed as the 'stunted people,' possess a rich cultural heritage and a commendable resilience against corruption. This resilience is poignantly illustrated through their interactions with the One Ring, where they remain largely unaffected by its malevolent influence, thereby showcasing a strength of character that is often overlooked. Ultimately, the episode serves as a reminder that the binaries of good and evil within fantasy narratives are rarely absolute, inviting listeners to reflect on the nuances of both elven and dwarven cultures and their respective contributions to the overarching narrative of Middle-earth.The episode embarks on an exploration of the dichotomy between elves and dwarves, emblematic of a broader theme of polarization within fandoms. Through a nuanced discussion led by Joshua Noel and Nick Polk, we investigate the historical and literary foundations of this rivalry, particularly as portrayed in Tolkien's legendarium. The conversation reveals that the elves, often celebrated for their grace and wisdom, are not without their faults, just as the dwarves, frequently depicted as greedy and reclusive, possess admirable qualities of resilience and craftsmanship. Polk articulates a compelling argument regarding the dwarven identity, emphasizing their unyielding loyalty and integrity, especially in the face of temptation, as exemplified by their interactions with the Rings of Power. The dialogue further delves into how this rivalry is not merely a literary device but reflects real-world themes of xenophobia and the complexities of cultural identities. By examining various interpretations of these races across multiple intellectual properties, the episode encourages listeners to reconsider preconceived notions and find common ground, embodying the overarching theme of the series — 'Finding the Good.'Takeaways: This episode explores the long-standing polarization between elves and dwarves in various fandoms. The discussion highlights the historical context of the rivalry between elves and dwarves, particularly in Tolkien's works. We examine how the themes of xenophobia and reconciliation manifest in the relationships between these two races. The insights from this episode prompt...

Send us a textToday's episode connects ancient Viking history to today's global headlines. This is my seventh conversation with historian and political commentator Martyn Whittock—this time we dive into his brand-new book, “Vikings in the East: From Vladimir the Great to Vladimir Putin.”Martyn joins us from Bath, UK, where he's been tracking the strange but powerful ways history is being used—and misused—in modern politics. We explore how Viking warriors, Norse myths, and the baptism of Vladimir the Great in 988 C.E. are showing up in Putin's speeches and statues… and even in his justification for war. We'll ask: Is Russia the “true” heir of Western values? What's the story behind that giant Vladimir statue in Moscow? And why does ancient Kyiv play such a central role in today's geopolitical storm?We also turn our lens on the U.S.—trade wars, tariffs, Bitcoin, Christian nationalism, and wild predictions about our political future.Anyone who is thoughtful and just a little bit skeptical about the stories we hear will want to join us for this insightful, instructive exploration of history.    SHOW NOTESSupport the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

Can't sleep? Quiet your mind with chapters from Viking Tales by Jennie Hall. Support the podcast and enjoy ad-free and bonus episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts. For other podcast platforms go to https://justsleeppodcast.com/supportOr, you can support with a one time donation at buymeacoffee.com/justsleeppodIf you like this episode, please remember to follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite podcast app. Also, share with any family or friends that might have trouble drifting off.Goodnight! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time we dig into a rarely discussed aspect of Norse mythology: stealing your enemy's power by eating their heart or drinking their blood. But just who's power can be stolen by way of this gory ritual? Animals? Monsters? Humans? Let's find out together.Sources:“Heimskringla Volume 1, The Beginnings to Óláfr Tryggvason” transl. by Alison Finlay and Anthony Faulkes, 2011“Gesta Danorum” transl. by Karsten Friis-Jensen and Peter Fisher, 2015“The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki” transl. By Jesse Byock, 1998“The Dating of Eddic Poetry: Evidence from Alliteration” by Haukur Þorgeirsson, 2016“Dating the Old Norse Poetic Edda” by Christopher Sapp, 2022"Eaten hearts and supernatural knowledge in Eiríks saga rauða" by Andrea Maraschi, 2018“The Poetic Edda”, transl. by Edward Pettit, 2023“The Prose Edda”, transl. by Anthony Faulkes, 1995Contact:Write in: waelhraefn (at) gmail (dot) comJoin the Discord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/Nvw5hmkRsW⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music:Celebration by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Ivar the Boneless is renowned as a fearsome Norse leader who invaded England and Ireland. But beyond the myth-making, who was Ivar really? Was he a son of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok? How did he get his not very fearsome name? What was his role in the infamous Great Heathen Army and the Viking invasion of England?Dr. Eleanor Janega returns to the bloody, brutal, and often baffling world of the Vikings with Professor Clare Downham to try to uncover the truth behind one of the most mysterious and fearsome figures in Norse history.MORE:Ragnar Lothbrok: The Viking Legend:https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/ragnar-lothbrok-the-viking-legendHow to Live Like a Viking:https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DTRpIGPS9ygGa6pjodHnfGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Uncle Bob's turns five! In this very special episode, Lor packs her pipeweed and dives into the plot of 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to kick off an epic three-part journey through Middle-earth, while Leigh traces the Norse myth of Andvaranaut—the cursed ring that inspired Tolkien.CELEBRATE OUR ANNIVERSARY WITH SOME UBMC MERCH!NEWS & RESOURCES:https://www.npr.orghttps://www.bbc.comhttps://www.them.ushttps://translifeline.org/