In this soft spoken ASMR bedtime story, I tell you about the History of the Norsemen in the Middle Ages. At the end of the Eighth Century, they embarked on raids, explorations and conquests farther and farther from their homelands in Scandinavia. This took them as far east as the Volga River in Russia and Byzantium, and as far west as America, even though they did not stay there for long. They founded colonies such as Iceland or Vineland in Newfoundland, Canada, created new states such as the Kievan Rus', and settled in regions like Yorkshire or Normandy. We explore the reasons why they suddenly became outward looking, what their societies were like, and how things unfolded until christianisation and the formation of larger kingdoms in Scandinavia (in Norway, Sweden and Denmark), that put an end to the Viking Age.

Videos on Norse Mythology:
- by The French Whisperer: https://youtu.be/KlIrQSOUTAs
- by Sarah on Lights Out Library: https://youtu.be/P9Un3e8Y0YQ

Links to Nights Out Library:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LightsOutLibrary
- Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lights-out-library
- Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/42yWO1K
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5855877e-3e91-4c70-ac41-00e128958897/lights-out-library
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9lMjQwNDBjNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Credits: Script and narration by the French Whisperer, visuals by the French Whisperer, under Wikipedia Commons, or under license from Panthermedia, Canstock, Shutterstock and Freepik. Sound effects and music from the YouTube Audio Library for Creators.

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Free trial link to the Aura App: https://aurahealth.io/guestpass/the-french-whisperer
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Timestamps:
0:00 Dawn of the Viking Age
9:17 The Norsemen
18:12 Out of Scandinavia
30:16 From the Volga River to Vinland
40:35 Christianisation and Political Changes
48:38 Norse Society and Epilogue
1:02:00 Campfire Sounds, No Talking