The Sacred Flame

Vikings on Mushrooms: A Note on Ritual Use of Psychotropics

June 28, 2024 Mathias Nordvig Season 2 Episode 5
Vikings on Mushrooms: A Note on Ritual Use of Psychotropics
The Sacred Flame
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The Sacred Flame
Vikings on Mushrooms: A Note on Ritual Use of Psychotropics
Jun 28, 2024 Season 2 Episode 5
Mathias Nordvig

In this episode I’ll take you on a trip through the historical components behind the idea that Vikings did mushrooms before battle. We will explore the context for why that claim emerged in the 1600s, when the Danish scholar Thomas Bartholin first put it out there, and why it’s the kind story that’s thoroughly a myth in the sense of something that's entirely made up. After that, I’ll offer some comments on the idea that psychotropic agents are helpful for the purpose of reaching a higher self, communing with spirit, ritual, whatever you’d like to call that connection we humans can make with the world around us.

Show Notes

In this episode I’ll take you on a trip through the historical components behind the idea that Vikings did mushrooms before battle. We will explore the context for why that claim emerged in the 1600s, when the Danish scholar Thomas Bartholin first put it out there, and why it’s the kind story that’s thoroughly a myth in the sense of something that's entirely made up. After that, I’ll offer some comments on the idea that psychotropic agents are helpful for the purpose of reaching a higher self, communing with spirit, ritual, whatever you’d like to call that connection we humans can make with the world around us.