Friday, 6 June 2025

Jive Talk: Neoplatonism and ethnicity with Aarvol




 

Eric Orwoll is an American Christian Platonist known for his YouTube channel. Eric's beliefs are more compatible with those of pagans than those of typical Christians are. I asked him about how a Platonic view of the One and objective good is compatible with a scientific view of evolution or a pagan view of tribal loyalty. We also discussed transhumanism and the anti-Platonist philosophies of Karl Popper and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Monday, 26 May 2025

Jive Book Review: The Culture of the Teutons

A review of Vilhelm Grønbech's seminal work on the religion and culture of ancient Germanic peoples. Grønbech, professor of the history of religion at the University of Copenhagen, looks at Norse, Lombardic, Anglo-Saxon, Gothic and Roman sources to identify a common Teutonic culture focused on luck, honour, shame, kinship, and a unique perspective on the afterlife and the soul. My review includes favourite quotes from volume 1 of the two part book republished by Antelope Hill.

Monday, 12 May 2025

Jive Book Review: HOLY EUROPE by AKi Cederberg


 

Pagan Finnish author ‪Aki Cederberg joins me as we discuss his latest book Holy Europe (PYHÄ EUROOPPA), published in English in 2024 by Arcana Europa. The book is a travelogue in which Aki invites the reader to join him on a spiritual exploration of the continent, looking at ancient pagan holy sites, as well as places relevant to artists and esotericists who have sought the holy within Europe in various ways. He addresses the spiritual crisis of Western man by showing how the sacred is still accessible in Europe today.

Tuesday, 29 April 2025

Documentary: LOST GODS: The Future of Christianity and Paganism in The North

 

While I was filming “Sagas of the Raven Land” my colleague Matt Eng of North Hugr was making his own film called Lost Gods. It’s truly brilliant. It includes interviews with me as well as a Danish Lutheran theologian and the TikTok influencer Ian Byington. 

It's is a philosophical exploration of the problem of disenchantment in the West, with a focus on Icelandic and Norwegian nature to tell the tale. Highly recommended viewing!

Sunday, 27 April 2025

Sagas of the Raven Land: Viking History Documentary




To gain a deeper understanding of medieval Icelandic stories called sagas, historian Tom Rowsell journeys to Iceland, immersing himself in the landscapes that inspired these tales. He rides native horses across the fells, bathes in hot springs, and traces the footsteps of legendary Viking heroes like Eirik the Red and Egill Skallagrimsson.

Monday, 10 March 2025

Interview and painting of Survive the Jive by Rory Paints

 

 

This is a fun interview with me in a Celtic roundhouse while the interviewer, Rory, paints a humorous caricature of me. Watch to the end to see the hilarious art.