Echoes of the North: The History Behind Norse Gods, Ragnarok, and the Viking Afterlife

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Strange History Podcast. I am your host, Amy.

0:04 Speaker 1: There is a short story of my dive down my

0:07 Speaker 1: DNA rabbit hole. I subsequently spent two solid years investigating

0:11 Speaker 1: my own lineage. I had my DNA done a few

0:14 Speaker 1: years back. When everyone was hopping on the my ancestry bandwagon,

0:18 Speaker 1: I discovered a tale about my ancestors. I did not expect.

0:22 Speaker 1: It was full of ancestors from Finland to Russia, on

0:25 Speaker 1: to Norway and more. It led me to having a

0:28 Speaker 1: mild fascination with Vikings. So today let's talk about the

0:32 Speaker 1: Nourse and their gods and all of the fascinating things

0:35 Speaker 1: that go along with it. The mythology of the Norse

0:38 Speaker 1: people was deeply woven into their daily lives. The Vikings

0:43 Speaker 1: who lived across Scandinavia from the eighth to the eleventh

0:46 Speaker 1: century were not only fearsome warriors, but also traders, explorers,

0:52 Speaker 1: and poets. Their sagas and stories passed from one generation

0:57 Speaker 1: to the next, evolving as they travel across Europe, from

1:01 Speaker 1: the fiords of Norway to the rivers of Russia. Their

1:05 Speaker 1: gods were not distant beings. They walked among them, influenced

1:10 Speaker 1: their fates and demanded their loyalty. Unlike the gods of

1:14 Speaker 1: some other religions, the Norse deities were not omnipotent. They

1:18 Speaker 1: had flaws, emotions, and destinies they could not escape. This

1:23 Speaker 1: made them relatable and perhaps more human. Odin the All

1:28 Speaker 1: Father is the chief deity of the Norse pantheon, a

1:32 Speaker 1: god of war, wisdom, and the dead. He was worshiped

1:37 Speaker 1: by Viking warriors and rulers, who sought his favor before battle.

1:41 Speaker 1: His symbols, such as the walknut and ravens, Hugen and

1:45 Speaker 1: Munin were found on Viking artifacts, reinforcing his role as

1:49 Speaker 1: a god of fate and knowledge. Odin's cult was widespread

1:54 Speaker 1: in the Viking Age, with numerous temples and sacrifices made

1:58 Speaker 1: in his honor. Believed that those who fell in battle

2:02 Speaker 1: were chosen by Odin to reside in Valhalla, his great Hall,

2:07 Speaker 1: where they would train for Ragnarok. Archaeological evidence suggests that

2:11 Speaker 1: rituals involving hanging and spear sacrifices were performed to emulate

2:16 Speaker 1: Odin's self sacrifice on Igdrasil, the World Tree in his

2:20 Speaker 1: pursuit of wisdom. Although his hammer wielding son Thor is

2:24 Speaker 1: more often thought of as a god of war, Odin

2:27 Speaker 1: is very much associated with conflict, battles, and victory. He

2:32 Speaker 1: rides around the nine realms on an eight legged horse

2:35 Speaker 1: called slipe Near, accompanied by two wolves and two ravens,

2:39 Speaker 1: whilst wielding gung Near his long spear. Odin often travels

2:44 Speaker 1: the world in disguise, often appearing as an old man,

2:48 Speaker 1: interacting with mortals and sharing wisdom or knowledge. As the

2:53 Speaker 1: protector of fallen heroes, Odin leads the Einherjar, which were

2:57 Speaker 1: chosen warriors, to Valhalla, his hall in Asgard. Odin is

3:02 Speaker 1: destined to fight and be killed by the wolf Fenrear,

3:05 Speaker 1: during the cataclysmic event of Ragnarok, which is the end

3:08 Speaker 1: of the world in Norse mythology. In some myths, Odin

3:13 Speaker 1: and his brothers play a role in the creation of

3:16 Speaker 1: the world from the corpse of the primordial giant Emir.

3:20 Speaker 1: Norse cosmology is made up of nine realms, and according

3:25 Speaker 1: to legend, they surround and spread out from the Igdrasil,

3:29 Speaker 1: a sacred cosmic tree at the center of the universe.

3:33 Speaker 1: The Igdrasil grew from the void of Ginungagop, which is

3:37 Speaker 1: enclosed on one side by the fiery Muspelheim and the

3:41 Speaker 1: other side by the frosty Niffelheim. The flames of Muspelheim

3:45 Speaker 1: melted the ice of Niffelheim, leading to the creation of

3:48 Speaker 1: two entities known as Emir the Giant and Audhumla the Cow.

3:54 Speaker 1: These creatures triggered a series of events that saw the

3:57 Speaker 1: birth of Odin and his brothers. Vili the Trio killed

4:02 Speaker 1: Emir and his various entrails were spread out and thus

4:05 Speaker 1: created the Norse universe. Next, let's start with a look

4:09 Speaker 1: at Loki. Loki is an enigmatic figure in Norse mythology,

4:14 Speaker 1: embodying chaos and transformation. Unlike other gods, Loki was neither

4:19 Speaker 1: entirely good nor evil, but played a disruptive role that

4:23 Speaker 1: often led to the reshaping of the cosmos. Loki's role

4:27 Speaker 1: in Norse religion remains debated by scholars. While he is

4:31 Speaker 1: a major figure in mythological texts like the poetic Eta

4:35 Speaker 1: and prose Eta, there is little evidence of his direct

4:39 Speaker 1: worship among the Vikings. Some theorists suggest Loki was a

4:42 Speaker 1: later addition to the pantheon, influenced by interactions with other cultures.

4:47 Speaker 1: His trickster nature reflects a common archetype seen in many mythologies,

4:52 Speaker 1: serving as a necessary force of upheaval. Hell, keeper of

4:56 Speaker 1: the Dead, is an interesting one. Hell the daughter of Loki.

5:00 Speaker 1: He governs the realm of the same name, where those

5:03 Speaker 1: who die of natural causes find their after life. Unlike

5:07 Speaker 1: the Christian concept of Hell, Hell's domain was not a

5:11 Speaker 1: place of torment, but a neutral resting place for the dead.

5:15 Speaker 1: Archaeological digs of Viking burial sites suggests that the Norse

5:20 Speaker 1: people had complex beliefs about the afterlife. Some graves contained

5:25 Speaker 1: weapons and treasures, indicating a belief in an afterlife of status,

5:31 Speaker 1: while others contained humble offerings. Written records suggest that Hell's

5:36 Speaker 1: realm was viewed with both reverence and fear, as it

5:40 Speaker 1: was separate from the heroic afterlife of Valhalla. Let's explore

5:45 Speaker 1: the powerful and mysterious goddess Freya. She is the goddess

5:50 Speaker 1: of love, beauty, war, magic, and even death. A figure

5:55 Speaker 1: as complex as she is fascinating, Freya meaning Lady, is

6:01 Speaker 1: one of the most revered deities in Norse mythology. She

6:05 Speaker 1: belongs to the Vanir, a group of gods associated with

6:08 Speaker 1: fertility and prosperity, but after a great War between the

6:12 Speaker 1: Vanir and the Acern, the gods of war and order.

6:16 Speaker 1: She became part of the Aesir pantheon alongside Odin and Thor.

6:22 Speaker 1: She is the twin sister of Freyer and the daughter

6:24 Speaker 1: of Njord, the sea god. But Freya's domain extends far

6:29 Speaker 1: beyond love and beauty. She is a powerful practitioner of sadar,

6:33 Speaker 1: a form of Norse magic involving prophecy and fate weaving.

6:38 Speaker 1: In fact, legend says she taught Odin himself the art

6:42 Speaker 1: of sadar, making her one of the most influential figures

6:46 Speaker 1: in all of Norse mythology. But Freya isn't just about

6:50 Speaker 1: love and magic. Half of all warriors who die in

6:54 Speaker 1: battle go to her great hall folk Vanger, while the

6:57 Speaker 1: other half go to Odin's Valhalla. A goddess of war,

7:01 Speaker 1: a leader of valkyries, and a force to be reckoned with. Now,

7:05 Speaker 1: let's talk about some of the most legendary stories surrounding Freya,

7:09 Speaker 1: and trust me, she has some wild adventures. One of

7:14 Speaker 1: the most famous myths about Freya involves her prize necklace

7:17 Speaker 1: bries and Gommon. The story goes that Freya came across

7:20 Speaker 1: four dwarfs, forging the most exquisite golden necklace she had

7:24 Speaker 1: ever seen. She had to have it, but the dwarfs

7:27 Speaker 1: had no interest in gold or silver, only in Freya herself.

7:32 Speaker 1: They struck a deal. She could have the necklace, but

7:35 Speaker 1: only if she spent one night with each of them. Freya,

7:40 Speaker 1: knowing the power and beauty of Bries and Gommon, agreed.

7:43 Speaker 1: She took the necklace and wore it with pride. But

7:47 Speaker 1: when Loki, the trickster god, found out about her dealings,

7:51 Speaker 1: he reported it to Odin. Odin, being a bit of

7:54 Speaker 1: a judgmental god, ordered Loki to steal the necklace. Loki,

7:58 Speaker 1: using his shape shifting skins, snuck into Freya's chamber and

8:02 Speaker 1: took it while she slept. When Freya woke to find

8:05 Speaker 1: Briest and Gamin missing, she was furious. She demanded it back,

8:10 Speaker 1: and Odin agreed on one condition. She had to stir

8:14 Speaker 1: up a great war between two kings, ensuring bloodshed before

8:18 Speaker 1: she could reclaim her treasure. And so Freya, Goddess of

8:22 Speaker 1: love and war, set her plan into motion, proving once

8:26 Speaker 1: again that she was a goddess who could influence the

8:29 Speaker 1: fate of men as easily as she could capture hearts,

8:34 Speaker 1: there was trickery amongst them when it came to the

8:36 Speaker 1: giant who wanted Freya. There was an arrogant giant who

8:40 Speaker 1: demanded Freya as his bride. The story goes that a

8:43 Speaker 1: frost giant named Thrim stole Thor's mighty hammer, Mulnir, and

8:49 Speaker 1: refused to return it unless the gods gave him Freya

8:53 Speaker 1: as a wife. The gods panicked, but Freya she lost it.

8:58 Speaker 1: When they suggested he might have to go along with

9:01 Speaker 1: the plan, she erupted in rage, shaking the very halls

9:05 Speaker 1: of Asgard. Do you think I would ever marry such

9:08 Speaker 1: a brute? She roared? And with that the gods knew

9:12 Speaker 1: they had to come up with a different plan. That's

9:15 Speaker 1: when Loki, ever the mischief maker, had a brilliant and

9:19 Speaker 1: ridiculous idea. Instead of sending Freya, they would dress Thor

9:24 Speaker 1: up as her, Yes, the great god of Thunder, in

9:28 Speaker 1: a bridal gown, veil and all so. Thor, grumbling but determined,

9:34 Speaker 1: went to the giant's hall disguised as Freya. Thrim, eager

9:38 Speaker 1: to wed her, was delighted, but when he lifted the

9:42 Speaker 1: veil and saw Thor's blazing eyes. It was too late.

9:46 Speaker 1: Thor grabbed mule near and well, let's just say there

9:50 Speaker 1: wasn't much left of Thrim after that. Freya's influence extends

9:55 Speaker 1: far beyond the Viking Age. Many modern day pagans and

9:58 Speaker 1: practitioners of no Norse mythology still honor her, especially those

10:02 Speaker 1: who follow Sadar and Norse magic. She represents independence, strength,

10:08 Speaker 1: and the blending of love and war, beauty and ferocity.

10:13 Speaker 1: In a way, she's one of the most complex and

10:15 Speaker 1: relatable deities of the Norse pantheon. And let's not forget

10:20 Speaker 1: her name lives on. The word Friday actually comes from

10:24 Speaker 1: Freya's day, proving that her legacy still lingers in our

10:27 Speaker 1: daily lives. And that's the story of Freya, Goddess of love,

10:33 Speaker 1: war and magic. Whether she was riding her chariot pulled

10:37 Speaker 1: by cats, leading warriors into battle, or outwitting gods and giants,

10:42 Speaker 1: Freya was a force to be reckoned with. Some of

10:45 Speaker 1: you may be wondering why her chariot was pulled by cats,

10:48 Speaker 1: of all things. In Norse mythology, cats were often associated

10:53 Speaker 1: with the supernatural and the wild, and were considered sacred

10:56 Speaker 1: to Freya. Now, I am sure you have all heard

10:59 Speaker 1: of ragn in Iraq, which alludes to the end of

11:02 Speaker 1: all things. Ragnaro, the very word sends shivers down the

11:07 Speaker 1: spine of those who know its meaning. It comes from

11:09 Speaker 1: Old Norse, roughly translating to fate of the gods or

11:14 Speaker 1: twilight of the gods. But this is no simple war.

11:18 Speaker 1: This is the end of an age, the destruction of

11:20 Speaker 1: the world as the Norse knew it. Unlike many other

11:24 Speaker 1: myths that speak of an eternal cosmos, Norse mythology embraces

11:28 Speaker 1: the idea of cyclical time, that everything must end for

11:32 Speaker 1: something new to begin. The gods themselves know that Ragnarok

11:36 Speaker 1: is coming. It has been foretold. Odin has spent his

11:40 Speaker 1: existence seeking wisdom to prevent it. But fate is an

11:44 Speaker 1: unbreakable chain, and destiny must run its course now. According

11:49 Speaker 1: to legend, Ragnarek doesn't just happen out of nowhere. The

11:53 Speaker 1: world gives us warnings, big, terrifying, unmistakable signs that things

11:59 Speaker 1: are going very wrong. Sign number one the death of Balder,

12:04 Speaker 1: the first big red flag. The death of Balder, the

12:07 Speaker 1: most beloved of all the gods, This guy is basically

12:10 Speaker 1: the Golden Child, handsome, pure, loved by everyone, but Loki,

12:15 Speaker 1: being Loki, tricks Balder's blind brother into killing him with

12:19 Speaker 1: a mistletoe arrow, and just like that, the world starts

12:23 Speaker 1: to tilt toward chaos. Sign number two the Long Dark Winter.

12:29 Speaker 1: Next up, fimble Winter. That's not just any winter. It's

12:33 Speaker 1: three years of brutal cold with no summers in between.

12:37 Speaker 1: Crops fail, people turn on each other. It's like Game

12:40 Speaker 1: of Thrones. Winter is coming on steroids. By the end

12:44 Speaker 1: of it, society is basically in ruins. Sign number three,

12:49 Speaker 1: the wolves catch the Sun and Moon. Then, to make

12:52 Speaker 1: things worse, two giant wolves, Skull and Hati, who have

12:56 Speaker 1: been chasing the Sun and moon forever, finally catch them.

13:00 Speaker 1: The sky goes black, no sun, no moon, just darkness.

13:07 Speaker 1: Sign number four the horn blows, and then the final signal, Heimdall,

13:13 Speaker 1: the ever watchful guardian of the gods, blows the galler horn.

13:17 Speaker 1: This is basically the cosmic alarm clock telling everyone wake up,

13:22 Speaker 1: it's time to fight for your lives. Okay, so at

13:26 Speaker 1: this point it's go time. The gods strap on their armor,

13:30 Speaker 1: grab their weapons, and march to Vigrid the battlefield where

13:33 Speaker 1: it all goes down, and let me tell you, this

13:36 Speaker 1: battle is insane. Leading the charge for Team Chaos is

13:41 Speaker 1: Serter the fire Giant. This dude is huge and his

13:44 Speaker 1: sword it burns brighter than the sun. He's not just

13:48 Speaker 1: here to fight, He's here to burn the entire world

13:51 Speaker 1: to the ground. And now we get into the one

13:54 Speaker 1: on one battles that everyone's been waiting for. We start

13:57 Speaker 1: with Odin against fen Rearden goes up against Fenrear the

14:02 Speaker 1: Giant Wolf, and honestly, it's not even a close fight.

14:06 Speaker 1: Fenriar straight up swallows Odin whole. Just like that, the

14:10 Speaker 1: all Father is gone. Thor versus Yurman Gander. Thor faces

14:15 Speaker 1: off against the world serpent Yerman Gander. It's an epic battle,

14:20 Speaker 1: and Thor wins, but he only gets to take nine

14:23 Speaker 1: steps before the Serpent's venom finally takes him down. Thor

14:28 Speaker 1: is indeed dead. Loki versus Himdahl, Loki the trickster God

14:33 Speaker 1: throws down with Himdahl. It's a brutal fight and in

14:37 Speaker 1: the end they kill each other the final blow and

14:41 Speaker 1: then comes the real end. Serter, still standing, lifts his

14:45 Speaker 1: flaming sword and boom. He sets the entire world on fire.

14:50 Speaker 1: The earth cracks, the seas rise, everything burns, the world

14:54 Speaker 1: sinks beneath the waves. It's over But is it really

14:59 Speaker 1: over all? Right? So that's it right? The gods are dead,

15:04 Speaker 1: the world is gone, the end of everything? Or is

15:06 Speaker 1: it not? Life finds a way. See here's where Norse

15:11 Speaker 1: mythology throws us a curveball, because even though the world

15:14 Speaker 1: is destroyed, something new rises from the ashes. Two humans

15:19 Speaker 1: Leaf and Lifthriseer survive by hiding deep in the world

15:22 Speaker 1: tree Igdrasil. They emerge once the flames die down, ready

15:27 Speaker 1: to start again. And remember how the sun got eaten? Well,

15:32 Speaker 1: good news. Her daughter survives and takes her mother's place

15:35 Speaker 1: in the sky. And then the biggest twist of all, Balder,

15:40 Speaker 1: the god of light, who was killed at the start

15:42 Speaker 1: of all this, he comes back. He returns to rule

15:46 Speaker 1: the new world alongside the few surviving gods. So Ragnarok

15:52 Speaker 1: isn't just the end, It's a reset. The old gods fall,

15:55 Speaker 1: a new world rises, and life begins again. Kind of

15:59 Speaker 1: poetic right. Unlike other mythologies that offer an eternal afterlife,

16:04 Speaker 1: Norse mythology views existence as cyclical, with destruction giving way

16:10 Speaker 1: to renewal. So the end is not exactly the end,

16:14 Speaker 1: it is really just a new beginning. Some historians believe

16:18 Speaker 1: that Ragnarok was influenced by real world events such as

16:21 Speaker 1: the harsh winters and famines of the Viking Age. Climate shifts,

16:26 Speaker 1: particularly the Fimble Winter, a legendary great winter that precedes Ragnarok,

16:32 Speaker 1: may have been based on actual weather patterns observed by

16:35 Speaker 1: the Norse people. Additionally, stories of divine battles may have

16:40 Speaker 1: mirrored real conflicts among Viking tribes. You know, we have

16:44 Speaker 1: to talk about how Ragnarok has made its way into

16:46 Speaker 1: pop culture. I mean, Marvel's Thor Ragnarok gave us a flashy,

16:51 Speaker 1: if very different version of the story God of War.

16:55 Speaker 1: Ragnarok took it in a darker, grittier direction. And let's

16:58 Speaker 1: not forget Assassin Creed Valhalla, which absolutely leans into the

17:03 Speaker 1: whole end of Day's vibe. But no matter how it's adapted,

17:07 Speaker 1: one thing stays the same. Ragnarok is one of the

17:10 Speaker 1: most epic end of the world's stories ever told. Let's

17:15 Speaker 1: move on to the Aurora Borealis, the Bridge of the Gods,

17:19 Speaker 1: the Northern Lights or Aurora borealis are very prominent in

17:23 Speaker 1: the Northern hemisphere and were seen as an extension of

17:27 Speaker 1: the divine realm in Norse mythology. Some believed they were

17:31 Speaker 1: reflections of the shields of the Valkyries, while others thought

17:34 Speaker 1: they were glimpses of byfrost, the burning bridge between worlds.

17:39 Speaker 1: Norse seafarers may have used the aurora as a navigational aid,

17:43 Speaker 1: interpreting them as signs from the gods. Their presence in

17:47 Speaker 1: folklore across different Scandinavian cultures suggests that these lights were

17:52 Speaker 1: both awe inspiring and a source of mystical interpretation. Even today,

17:58 Speaker 1: remnants of these beliefs persist in Scandinavian folklore. The Aurora borealis,

18:04 Speaker 1: or Northern Lights, has fascinated people for millennia, and the

18:08 Speaker 1: Vikings were no exception. These Norse seafarers and warriors who

18:13 Speaker 1: lived between the late eighth and early eleventh centuries had

18:17 Speaker 1: their own myths and interpretations of this dazzling natural phenomenon.

18:22 Speaker 1: Their stories reflected their deep connection to the cosmos, their gods,

18:27 Speaker 1: and their warrior culture. To the vikings, the Northern lights

18:32 Speaker 1: were both awe inspiring and deeply spiritual. Living in the

18:36 Speaker 1: northern reaches of Europe, they frequently witnessed these dancing ribbons

18:40 Speaker 1: of green, red, and purple across the sky. The phenomenon

18:46 Speaker 1: became woven into their mythology, often linked to their gods, warriors,

18:51 Speaker 1: and the afterlife. The most famous Viking beliefs tied to

18:55 Speaker 1: the northern lights was the idea that they were reflections

18:58 Speaker 1: from the by Frost, the shimmering rainbow bridge that connected Midguard,

19:03 Speaker 1: the human world, to Asgard, the realm of the gods.

19:08 Speaker 1: This bridge was said to be guarded by Heimdahl, the

19:12 Speaker 1: ever watchful god, who could see and hear across vast distances.

19:17 Speaker 1: Some Norse people believed that the auroras were the light

19:20 Speaker 1: of Byfrost, shining through the heavens, signaling the presence of

19:24 Speaker 1: divine forces. Another common Viking legend associated the Aurora Borealis

19:30 Speaker 1: with the Valkyries Odin's warrior maidens, who chose which fallen

19:35 Speaker 1: warriors would be taken to Valhalla. In Valhalla, the chosen

19:40 Speaker 1: dead would feast and battle until the end of the

19:42 Speaker 1: world Ragnarok. According to some tales, the shimmering lights in

19:47 Speaker 1: the sky were believed to be reflections from the valkyrie's

19:50 Speaker 1: armor as they rode across the heavens on horseback, guiding

19:54 Speaker 1: the souls of slain warriors. A legend from Iceland tells

19:58 Speaker 1: of a Viking warrior named Hirvardar who saw the northern

20:02 Speaker 1: lights while dying on the battlefield. He is said to

20:05 Speaker 1: have smiled in his final moments, believing the Valkyries had

20:09 Speaker 1: come to take him to Odin's Hall. His men, inspired

20:13 Speaker 1: by this vision, fought even harder, convinced that their deaths

20:18 Speaker 1: would also earn them a place in Valhalla. While the

20:22 Speaker 1: auroras were often seen as a good omen, some Viking

20:26 Speaker 1: tribes feared them. The red Auroras, in particular, were considered

20:31 Speaker 1: a sign of impending doom, bloodshed, or war. In times

20:37 Speaker 1: when the lights were especially bright and red, Viking scalds

20:41 Speaker 1: poets warned that they were a signal from the gods,

20:45 Speaker 1: perhaps foretelling a great battle or an approaching catastrophe. A

20:50 Speaker 1: saga from Greenland tells of a chieftain named Halvdan the Black,

20:54 Speaker 1: who ignored the warnings of red auroras. He launched a

20:57 Speaker 1: raid against a rival clan, only to be ambushed in

21:00 Speaker 1: a snowstorm. His men perished, and the survivors believed the

21:05 Speaker 1: gods had sent the lights as a warning he had

21:07 Speaker 1: failed to heed. Though the Vikings had mythological explanations for

21:11 Speaker 1: the auroras, we now know they are caused by charged

21:15 Speaker 1: solar particles colliding with Earth's atmosphere. These interactions create the

21:20 Speaker 1: dazzling lights the Vikings revered. However, their interpretations of the

21:25 Speaker 1: auroras as messages from the gods, signs of battle, or

21:29 Speaker 1: paths to the afterlife, demonstrate their rich and imaginative worldview.

21:34 Speaker 1: Even today, the Northern lights continue to inspire awe much

21:38 Speaker 1: as they did for the Vikings over a thousand years ago.

21:42 Speaker 1: And so, dear listeners, our tale for today ends, but

21:46 Speaker 1: the echoes of the Norse gods remain in the wind,

21:49 Speaker 1: in the stars, and in the dancing lights of the Aurora.

21:53 Speaker 1: Join us next time for more legends from the North.

21:56 Speaker 1: Until then, may the wisdom of odin the wit of Loki,

21:59 Speaker 1: and the resilience of the gods guide you don't forget

22:03 Speaker 1: to subscribe like review, and if you have a topic

22:06 Speaker 1: you want me to cover, you can email Strangehistorypod at

22:10 Speaker 1: gmail dot com. Until next time, my adventurers, farewell at

22:14 Speaker 1: you