Tristan Hughes

Or maybe a story about the spirits that lived in the world around them, in the beaches, atop the mountains, even in their own houses.

Or maybe, just maybe, the shaman will talk about the majestic beast that crosses land and sea, covered in white fur, able to stand on two legs, protective of its young, with razor-sharp teeth and claws that could easily end the life of a human.

The dangerous yet fascinating bear that calls this polar world its domain.

The children hoped for an exciting story, but tonight their luck is out.

As the Shaman begins, it's soon clear that tonight's tale is not one of their favourites.

Slowly their eyes begin to close.

Soon they are fast asleep.

Perhaps tomorrow the Shaman will treat them with a more thrilling tale of valiant heroes.

Perhaps.

Welcome to the Ancients and our brand new episode about prehistoric Greenland.

About the people who have called this great arctic island their home for centuries, who learnt to thrive in this cold climate and about whom we know a remarkable amount.

This is a story of incredible archaeology, of prehistoric settlements preserved along the coastlines of Greenland, of organic materials, clothing, food, human remains that have survived in the permafrost.

But this is also a story about mythology.

Tales passed down for centuries that reveal more about what these communities believed in.

Together, these fields help tell the fascinating story of Greenland's prehistoric populations, how they lived, and how they viewed the Arctic world around them.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and this is the story of prehistoric Greenland.

Our guest is Dr. Asta Munster, visiting researcher at the University of Copenhagen.

Asta, it is such a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

You're more than welcome.

And to explore the prehistoric story of Greenland, I mean, Asta, with everything that's going on in the world at the moment, it feels very important to highlight the long history the people of this land have.