In this kickoff episode we will get into the famous Lindisfarne Raid in 793, which was a thunderbolt to the spine of the Christian world and is considered to be the 'starting point' of the Viking Age, after which we'll get into what this podcast is, and how I'm creating it, as well as who I am and why this series will be worth listening to.

Music rights granted to me by Firebird Industries

Reference Images

Image 1: The Lindisfarne Gospel is a 516-page manuscript made in the Lindisfarne monastery scriptorium between 715 and 720 a.d. by the Bishop Eadfrith of Lindisfarne. It was made from ~150 calf skins worth of vellum, and is unique in having Germanic ‘interlace’ patterns (i.e., twisting and interwoven animal figures). This image shows the book’s famous ‘Chi Rho’ page, with Matthew 1:18 illuminated.

Image 2: Chapter opening page for the Gospel of Matthew, with the first few words of the gospel illuminated

Image 3: A Lindisfarne Gospel ‘carpet page’ (i.e., a purely artistic page containing Christian-themed Germanic interlace patterns

Image 4: Another Lindisfarne Gospel ‘carpet page’

Image 5: Another Lindisfarne Gospel ‘carpet page’

Image 6: Chapter opening page for the Gospel of Luke, with the first few words of the gospel illuminated