Interview A YouTuber: Dr. Jackson Crawford, Old Norse Specialist

One of my favorite videos from Dr. Crawford.
• Drengskapr (Viking Man...
You can pick up Dr. Crawford's translation of the Poetic Edda, along with his other books (I have them all!) on Amazon.
www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-St...
I really like his translation of and commentary on the Hávamál, Odin's advice to young warriors.
www.amazon.com/Wanderers-Hava...

[@JacksonCrawford]

This conversation was a pleasure and I found myself really enjoying the re-listen. Matt you have a great talent as an interviewer and I'll look forward to more from this series!

[@totlyepic]

+1 on Matt's interviewing skills. Tons of channels do some non-zero amount of interview-style content at some point, and most are terrible at it. Matt feels like a natural.

[@maximfayez]

hello good sir! I have a question for you, and honestly, I'm just grabbing an opportunity. I'm half Ukrainian, and I remember my great-grandmother (from the Ukrainian side) drawing what looked like nordic runes on certain occasions over things. for example, when I was sick as a kid I remember her drawing something weird on my shoulder which looked like a rune. I was wondering if any of those runes were thought to have any mystical meaning or magical effect other than their use as letters? great interview BTW

[@PalleRasmussen]

Matt is a very intelligent man. And now I want to see you play D&D with Gun Jesus and Matt Easton and Jason Kingsley.

[@jackdubois1512]

Thanks for doing it, so interesting!

[@jasonhawkins6888]

Mr. Crawford, Mr. Colville, Excellent episode and great interview! I've been a fan of each of you since your beginnings and it's great to see you come together for this conversation!

[@mcolville]

You will occasionally see me looking off screen and you may hear the clacky-clack of my keyboard. That's because I'm taking notes! It means Dr. Crawford said something I thought was interesting and wanted to follow up with.

[@EchoLog]

When Dr Jackson Crawford and Forgotten Weapons did a video together, i squeeled like a school girl. Now MCDM?! EEEEEEEEEEE

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@EchoLog I am thinking Gun Jesus, Dr. Crawford and ??? play D&D...

[@All4Tanuki]

You've really improved as an interviewer since the last one! This was great

[@KarlKarsnark]

Excellent choice for a first guest!

[@warrenc6881]

The explanation is appreciated.

[@thecurlylockes4069]

The genuine laugh Dr. Crawford got out of Matt with the “euro-trash electronica” quip gave me such a big smile

[@pjwilson9274]

Timestamp?

[@parkieshark]

@@pjwilson927420:52

[@jpl1655]

36:50 Dr. Crawford: "It's a video about the oldest book in Norway" Me: "Guess I'll check it out" Me: *Finds the video*, "Oh shit! That's Johanne, she was my mentor when i was working at the national library of Norway." Small world

[@kirkbrown1267]

I am gob-smacked. I have followed the both of you for about the same amount of time. 2016 That would be roughly 6 almost 7 years. My kids had asked me to DM for them and a group of friends. I decided to familiarize myself with 5e rules and chose the Norse culture and mythology for my setting. A few KZbin searches brought the insights of two brilliant individuals into my game. The two of you are just as responsible, as myself, for what became the most epic campaign I have ever run. Thank you, both of you, for being the guiding inspiration to a table of 8 new players and one old school DM. Matt, I want you to know this as well, all eight of those players have become amazing DM's. Five of them now volunteer, with me, at the local game store. Once a week we run free to join, drop-in welcome, games for the public. Thank you for being a river to your people.

[@hawkthetraveler6344]

I too was just tickled to see two youtubers I follow together on one show, can't wait to watch!

[@robertrohr6538]

I love the whole "Idk if this format will be popular for much longer" Convo. People used to sit in a town square for literal hours on end nearly everyday to listen to learned men converse/debate and have been doing that since the birth of civilization

[@voland6846]

_Make KZbin the New Agora_ is certainly a movement I can get behind

[@iantaakalla8180]

Honestly, at its best, KZbin is basically like an agora, or a self-organizing online forum. For all KZbin sucks, it is still leagues above everything else save some Tumblr areas, and that is saying something considering it does not handle video processing nicely, it is still hostile to any creators, it still lets in far too many bad actors do their thing and in fact encourages it because it is attention, cliques form far too easily, bots infest any notable creator, the ability to restrict regional access to videos was not until two years ago, shorts exist, and support for KZbin creators is an active hindrance unless you can holler loud enough.

[@reddevved]

Matt is now part of the Forgotten Weapons Cinematic Universe

[@Victini0510]

Gun Jesus and a bugbear walk into a bar...

[@CountsDigGraves]

The color thing in the beginning reminded me instantly of the homeric phrasing of the "bronze sky" and the "wine-red sea". If we accept that, blue ravens aren't the weirdest thing.

[@TotallyNotLoki]

well we have an idea that bronze is a kind of gold color, but really that's only when it is polished. Oxidized bronze gets a blue patina. no clue about the wine-red sea though.

[@GardensAndGames]

56:50 "they paint these vast, dim horizons." What an amazing phrase.

[@davidgrubbs6362]

This is like a planetary convergence. Well done, gentlemen!

[@zandermint6831]

Much agreed!

[@tuomasronnberg5244]

A syzygy, even.

[@CoffeePaladin]

I have a passing interest in Dr. Crawford as "that accessible old norse guy." This was such a fascinating, down to earth conversation. I am so looking forward to more of these, you really have an ability to make an interview feel comfortable and open.

[@rayganrambles]

I'm so glad you two finally had a chat like this. Years in the making. 😊

[@tanketom]

And to me he's first known as one of the only (and best) online educator's on the Norwegian poet Olav H. Hauge, then later I found his KZbin channel. Great guy!

[@Pompo5]

As someone from an academic background and a love for game design and this channel, its been an absolute pleasure to see this conversation and to be exposed to Dr. Crawfords Channel. Thanks Matt!

[@RobinBaggett]

What a super fun conversation! This was a blast to watch live. Thank you Dr. Crawford and Matt for this video!

[@nickroland4610]

The stars have aligned! I've worked in audiobooks and pronunciation research in the past, and Mr. Crawford was, hands-down, one of my most relied on sources. Super excited to give this a watch. Thank you both for making this happen!

[@michaelshelton5488]

Dr. Crawford doing crossovers all over the place! First Forgotten Weapons and now Matt Colville.

[@fakjbf3129]

When I saw this video in my subscription feed my first thought was “What does Matt Colville have to do with Icelandic gunpowder and why was this posted a day late?”

[@josephreynolds2401]

​@@fakjbf3129 Colville has spoken of him during livestreams during his more informal streams. A big influence on Matt's own channel.

[@dannyadamson7609]

Love Crawford's Poetic Edda!

[@among01]

Great interview! Jackson is one of my favorite youtube personalities. Very knowledgeable. And his presentation style is so chill and relaxing--I wish I could speak like that. Excellent work, Matt.

[@tonimojo5859]

Great convo. Thank you, guys, for gifting us with such a great piece. It's worth every moment.

[@steelydan1]

Damn. Never thought I'd be this early to a Matt Colville video! Awesome to see Dr. Jackson Crawford on the channel!

[@justinwatson16]

I recall Matt talking about wanting to interview Dr. Crawford way back-- I don't remember the year but I'm pretty sure the RTG series was in single digits. So glad they finally got a chance to talk on KZbin for our edification and entertainment. Creatives should never forget how inspiring engagement with topics like linguistics, history, etc. can be and what a positive effect they can have on your games, books, screenplays, and other works if you let them. It's one of my favorite things about Matt's particular brand as a KZbinr and Game Designer.

[@Ellebeeby]

Hell yeah, this. It’s so obvious when you are watching something written by someone who has never actually studied, read or explored a subject they’re writing about.

[@anthonywritesfantasy]

To use something Matt once said about Vance, Crawford's version of the Poetic Edda is "fire, writ upon the page!"

[@goodfish4856]

I welcome any content that Matt Colville is excited to make. It comes across the videos and it's quite enjoyable, and in this case, informative!

[@chaoshead87]

Very good conversation on both sides. Thanks for introducing me to Dr. Crawford.

[@Bunnokazooie]

Matt you're a great interviewer!

[@mcolville]

Aww, thanks! :D

[@jaytomioka3137]

“I will always feel like a White-belt…” is the essence of Zen: The beginner’s mind. It’s true for meditation, martial arts and anything technical… even video.

[@HeartofArcana]

I hope you continue this series! If possible, please have your interviewee record their audio locally! It makes such a big difference.

[@All4Tanuki]

Yeah, it would for sure be an improvement

[@russellhoughton2132]

The trouble yall had ending the conversation proved what the video suggested, there was genuine affection. Great first interview.

[@matthewhanson701]

"People just wanna fall in love, and you just gotta give 'em an excuse to do it." 💛

[@protoplasmicblue]

Pleasant suprise to see your interview. I have watched many...most of Dr Crawfords videos.

[@gho5trun3r68]

Oh wow. A Dan Carlin length video from Colville? Yes please! Now I've got another podcast like thing to listen to at work while I clean.

[@fredeuhrbrand3789]

I agree with Mat. Jackson you seem very credible because you refer to people when is not your primary area (martial art, woodwork, archeology.. Ect) - your detached relationship from the topic - the focus on data This is my ancient culture and language and I feel you present it better than many local Danish sources (they even removed old norse from the Danish stude at Aarhus University. Tak for hjælpen med at bevare og genopdage. And Matt. This is awesome! Good idea having a look at KZbin culture in general

[@laurencecoleman5832]

Im not deeply familiar with Dr Crawford or his subject. But this absolutely sold me. A nice relaxed coversation between interestig, modest guys

[@sephiroth2112]

My two favorite youtubers. This made an otherwise lame day super awesome.

[@whymthrad]

An unexpected suprise, but a welcome one indeed.

[@ianreclusado]

In regards to oral tradition versus writing things down, I think your earlier conversation about Dr. Jackson’s skills with lecturing, and how Matt makes his reading of scripts appear so natural, and all the muscles and skills involved in that, point to another reason that oral tradition would be preferred. Culturally, they had the muscles for that well developed. And suddenly bringing in writing, and having to read from a teleprompter, so to speak, would have appeared lifeless and dead.

[@Ki6FHX]

I absolutely love Dr. Crawford - his channel is so darn interesting

[@eleintblood]

Watched the live stream. I loved how he teased you at times, specially on your musical taste. You had great chemistry

[@BloodWolfXZ]

I am simultaneously surprised and not that Dr. Crawford played RPGs. It's always a pleasant surprise when you learn of consummate professionals who take part in our nerdy hobby. But at the same time, those professionals are people, with all the quirks that entails.

[@jeffreyadamo]

Totally a dream come true. I've been a fan of Dr. Jackson Crawford for about six years now. And a fan of Matt for three or so.

[@meowmixphd]

Great concept for a series/program. Like getting a song recommendation from someone who shares your musical taste. Of course, now the challenge is to find time to explore Dr. Crawford’s KZbin content.

[@Henrique-wy6cv]

Excellent interview, I enjoyed a lot the dynamic and appreciate the range of questions, Dr. Jackson is always great to hear!

[@dreic2381]

the best crossover i never expected or never knew i needed thank you so much for this !

[@lyvras]

Now that you did Dr. Jacksin Crawford you should do Luke Ranieri from Scorpio Martianus / Polymathy next!

[@Ipanophis]

Wait what?! Dr. Crawford is here! That's awesome!

[@zanthox]

I really enjoyed the questions - I wouldn't have thought of most of them myself so it was great to have things answered I didn't know I wanted to ask.

[@autumndidact6148]

As much as I can't help being a Star wars fan, I'm glad that more than half of this wasn't actually Star Wars. The stuff we got in the back half was so interesting and made me feel a bit smarter for listening. 💛

[@DM_Viking]

I've been subscribed to Dr. Crawford for years and I do own some of his books. Big fan. It's surprising to see two of my worlds collide like this.

[@theyonlycomeoutwhenitsquiet]

Norse stuff!!!!! I’m so happy! I have five sagas, the prose Edda, the poetic Edda, several books of myth, and a couple other books about Viking stuff. I once recognized a fragment in the Witcher 3 as an excerpt from the Lay of Vafthrudnis, and immediately went and found the section to show my wife. I was so proud. I love this stuff

[@xthewhiteponyx]

It's so awesome when two KZbinrs you love get together.

[@invisibledooley]

Cool idea for a series!

[@ReconKeeper212]

Glad the youtube audience finally gets to listen to this, it was great to watch live!

[@Leo979]

ars artem celare, baby! Thanks for introducing me to Dr. Crawford's awesomeness, Matt!

[@Sufficient_Reason]

This was a lovely chat. I'd love to see move like this, and, heck, I'd love to see the two of you chat again. Thank you!

[@cholulahotsauce6166]

I wonder if Matt would interview Irving Finkel. Or Adam Savage. Adam might be up for it.

[@dbacon1975]

Wonderful interview. Very cool conversation. It did what you hoped which is keep my interest and pique it enough to make me visit Dr. Crawford's page and see if any of his videos interest me more. I'd absolutely watch more interviews like this. Keep up the amazing work!

[@craigsisco1894]

Matt, knowing from your earlier videos how influential Dr. Crawford was in your choice to KZbin, this conversation was awesome to be a part of. Thank you for sharing!

[@whymthrad]

Loved this conversation! You should talk to Esoterica about having him on. Lots of great Occult goodies on that channel.

[@justinmoser9661]

21:11 you can see Matt holding back the "I'll give you a smooth pill to swallow" comment 😂

[@Doombringer55]

I didn't know who Dr. Jackson was before watching this video, but i would absolutely love to watch more videos like this. It's always nice to get more insight into how creators do what they do, even if I don't know who they are.

[@willbiel1647]

Fellow academic medievalist here (worlds are really colliding for me in this vid), and at c. 1:11:00 Matt asks why societies that favor oral vs. literate transmission are resistant to writing. I also wanted to add it has to do with the "legitimacy" of writing, which is not obvious to people when they first encounter it. It's slightly different than preserving "job security," to use a modern term, as the conversation points out (not that preserving job security wouldn't be part of it, too). Think about how people initially treated the internet: things on it were (and in some cases still are) treated as "less real" than things found in other contexts. R.F. Green's "A Crisis of Truth" and M.T. Clanchy's "From Memory to Written Record" are excellent scholarly books on this topic from medieval Europe (though not Scandinavia specifically).

[@LongSurreal]

I love this interview and hope it becomes a series. Please don't let professional KZbinrs do interviews with an Airbud microphone

[@nathankeady272]

Discovered you through Dael Kingsmill thinking "man, I hope he makes more videos again." Eventually I *sort by newest* oh man! Still going strong! What a relief, I love the stories man

[@micklangan7544]

Thank you for allowing me to sit in on your conversation it was a great pleasure, there are so many people that would be great to hear you spend time with, certainly Alex from '52 Miniatures' would be amazing to see. The interview had a tone similar to a BBC Radio 4 series where the interviewers passed the next interview onto the next person it was called 'Chain Reaction' I believe. Great work, thank you Matt as always a joy.

[@phil_metal_jacket]

What a fantastic conversation to get to watch. And it's cool to see Ian McCollum shouted out because Forgotten Weapons is a really excellent channel, even for someone who is very skeptical of American gun culture.

[@Lord-Professor]

aha! another For a Few Dollars More fan! If I wasn't already gonna watch this whole video, I am now

[@theNunnceler]

this is the best crossover holy shit

[@bartmoss]

I found the part of the video regarding accents interesting. I am from the UK, I was born in a city with a very specific accent, Liverpool, and I came from an area with a reputation. However, the family left Liverpool when I was five and moved around various parts of Yorkshire, settling in the North of Bradford in West Yorkshire when I was twelve. I have only left here for short periods since then, the longest being in another part of Yorkshire, this time South Yorkshire for four years. So, I always thought I had a very Yorkshire-sounding accent. The pitch was a little higher, the only remnant of my background picked up from my parents. Recently I met someone at work with a background in linguistics who told me not only that I had a Merseyside accent but that my vowel sounds placed me in the area I had only spent five years of my life in!

[@Korica]

This is a crossover I never expected and I love it. Enjoy both of your content.

[@rudetuesday]

This is the type of conversation I like to eavesdrop on. There's plenty of space to breathe, good questions, some wondering. I'll definitely watch/listen again.

[@kalzakath57]

What an interesting conversation to have the opportunity to watch! Really fantastic!

[@wearywyvern3359]

Despite you mentioning you being a fan of Dr. Crawford in some videos, this isn't a crossover I was expecting. Very cool.

[@Weemadaggie]

Danish gal here. Should have seen me sit t.f. up and tab over to yt when Colville started in on the sound of 'Å'. Trying to teach my Canadian husband to pronounce the sounds of Æ, Ø, Å has made me think that an English speaker cannot hear the difference, literally cannot differentiate between, 'A' and 'Æ' or 'uhh'(?) and Ø and 'O' and 'Å', which I find fascinating. Perception is weird. Brains are weirder. ... ty for coming to this TED talk?

[@lemonZzzzs]

oh wow, another collab I didn't expect from you, involving a channel I've been a long time subscriber of 😲

[@Finey_S_K]

Thank you Matt and Dr Jackson Crawford. I look forward to more interview videos on this channel, any topic.

[@carahoglund5266]

Yay Dr Crawford!!! So glad to see my two worlds cross over here. As a modern Heathen and Old Norse fan, I highly recommend his channel for anything scholarly and Viking related. Such a great resource on KZbin.

[@BalzakTheD]

Within a week you've popped up with 2 of my other youtubers! First how to drink and now Jackson Crawford (bonus nod to Rick Beato and Adam Neely too!)

[@digitaljanus]

So great to see the stream up on KZbin so everyone can see it. It's a great interview!

[@cenycal]

Thank you for this conversation. It was very enjoyable!

[@bloementuintje9356]

i felt if i could just put a an extra chair at the table, and enjoy the conversation. So good!

[@dungeonmatron6027]

This was a fun video to watch. My husband is an avid RPG player and is also a historian and taught at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, USC, and the College of William and Mary. He is actually developing a campaign called Northlands. We really enjoyed listening to this interview. P.S. A good friend of mine has a KZbin channel and does this same thing where he interviews historians, RPG game developers, and tabletop crafters. It's a neat niche.

[@samuelbrunkow7737]

Jump Around Dr. Crawford! Wonderful discussion, very insightful!

[@harryduff1332]

I want to say that it genuine enthusiasm that can somehow be felt through the screen that makes MC so engaging! Thanks for a very interesting and engaging video, can't wait for another of this type!

[@jordanmartinetti8224]

I followed Crawford for a year on Patreon. He’s such an awesome guy!

[@samkiernan1677]

dope interview- 10 videos deep in crawford's channel. love it

[@bismuthbaker6433]

I adore Jackson Crawford's work and ethos and both his and your content have been amazing for my creativity and frankly the endurance of my creative and academic passions. Wonderful surprise to see you both chat together, your interview skills are so good

[@vecna4779]

Love it when two of my favorites combine forces.

[@generalnutt]

Oddly enough I found Dr Jackson Crawford from KZbin recommendation while watching Rush videos. So funny he had said that.

[@theslongone4489]

Great video. I like that you are adding new content. I have watched several of Dr. Jackson Crawford's videos. I am reading JRR Tolkien's Beowulf. It was a hard read but I read The Road to Middle-Earth. Watched his video on the subject middle-earth. As always thanks. I just wanted to say I had to cancel my Patreon with you. Cash is tight. Love your stuff. I will be back.

[@coolintruddle]

This is content I will watch. Carry on, please.

[@hendersonrichards4394]

I like seeing this more journalist content from you, keep up the great work!

[@honpolyo]

I always like hearing the nerds of one subject have intersecting interests in other nerdy subjects Firearms, history, language, metalurgy, manufacuring, mythology, culture, geography, modern fiction, ttrpg, music, poetry.

[@joartdz230]

Ohh so cool more!!! I got into his chanel from you, a couple of years ago on a q&a or live. I remember you said the scenary and the way he explains things wer so great… so i became a fan 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@thebigbo]

Dude, this video is GOLDEN. I've been an English teacher and people have always said that my enthusiasm is infective, after COVID I've changed my job but there's always been a voice in the back of my head whispering to make KZbin videos or something... And hearing you say that people want to fall in love and listen to enthusiastic people twisted my guts a bit. Anyway, once again, thanks again for your videos, rock on! Btw, if I may, make more "other RPG" videos, loved them so much!

[@PaladinFeora]

Favorite cross over youtube event ever. Well one of the many! Matt, I love this. hope you do more. I hope these videos gain traction!

[@Atrivion]

Two of my favorite youtubers to listen too in one video? Fantastic

[@exile1412]

Took a while since I watched this in parts, but I enjoyed the whole thing. Thank you for sharing this!

[@LeoxandarMagnus]

Two of my favorite gentlemen in one video? Truly we are blessed.

[@RuiSaltao]

I was not expecting to see this in one sitting. Super interesting!