Stones & Bones

Deborah Brezina

A thousand years ago Emma of Normandy was on trial for adultery, treason and murder. The Stones & Bones podcast tells the tale of the first woman styled Queen of England who stood at the center of a dark era of history. And changed it. read less

Our Editor's Take

The Stones & Bones podcast tells the fascinating story of a lesser-known historic female heroine. This tale has it all: treachery, kidnapping, death, and medieval European royalty. Yet, Emma of Normandy's actions changed the course of the English royal lineage. Many compare her significance in shaping Western civilization to other English greats. These include the original Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary of Scotland, and Queen Victoria. Host Deborah Brezina tells Emma's story. In the process, she invites listeners into one of the darkest epochs in human history.

In Stones & Bones, Brezina paints a detailed picture of European life 1,100 years ago. Every episode features another fascinating chapter of Emma of Normandy's experience. Bit by bit, listeners learn more about her influence on the people around her and the English crown. However, the podcast starts long before the Norman-born queen arrives in Londinium. The location is the site of present-day London. That's because Emma's story begins with the Celtic warrior queen. Her name was Boudicea, and she lived another 1,000 years earlier.

Stones & Bones host Brezina first stumbled upon the story of Emma of Normandy on a research trip to England. At the time, the historian and author was working on a biography of Winston Churchill. "I wanted to write something to inspire my students," she revealed on Facebook Live in 2021. Upon returning to the US, she couldn't get warrior queen Emma off her mind. "She was a groundbreaker in every capacity."

Many months of detailed research followed. Then Brezina uncovered Queen Emma's written biography. Emma was the first of the English female monarchs to have one. The Stones & Bones podcast is a skillful compilation of these findings. Meanwhile, elements of historical fiction bring her story to life. The result is a mesmerizing listening experience. This limited-episode podcast aired in 2021 and 2022.

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The Fox and the Hedgehog

The Fox and the Hedgehog

From her first days in England, young Emma of Normandy had a formidable adversary. She could not imagine then how formidable. Soon she would know. The proverbial Fox and Hedgehog are about to square off.

Season 2

The Fox and the Hedgehog

The Fox and the Hedgehog

From her first days in England, young Emma of Normandy had a formidable adversary. She could not imagine then how formidable. Soon she would know. The proverbial Fox and Hedgehog are about to square off.

As the Vikings carve a path of fire and blood through Saxon England, its weak king flees at the first shout of battle. Is this the work of history’s first recorded wicked stepmother?

A woman desperate for her bloodline to continue fights at every turn for her sons to rise as kings. But first, she needs the oath.

It’s been said that home is where the heart is. But for Emma, only one place will do.

Even in the winter of life, love knows no yesterdays.

This figure is indispensable to British history and to Emma's story. But he didn't last long on her chessboard.

Birth of a Conqueror

Birth of a Conqueror

How did one of history’s most famous kings come to be? Yet without Emma of Normandy, he would be a fleeting figure through time.

The Northampton

The Northampton

Of Emma of Normandy, Sir Winston Churchill wrote: “Few women in history have stood at the centre of such remarkable converging forces.” But another powerful woman stood in her way.

Any mentor can only go so far. Eventually the hero – or heroine – MUST face the unknown ALONE.

Chess is battle on a board. There can only be one winner.

Samuel Johnson, considered England’s greatest man of letters, famously said: “When a man is tired of London, he’s tired of life.” London’s fascinating history is one reason why.

Almost two-thousand years ago, a Celtic queen proved the truth of the famous saying “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

Season 1

A scholar, a fighter, a passionate lover and a cunning political manipulator. The very model of a medieval ruler. But this medieval ruler was not a man. This power player was a woman. And England was her chessboard.

They sought her blood. They readied the rope. They dug her grave. What would remain as cold death beckoned her to churchyards filled with stones and bones?

Put Away the Playthings

Put Away the Playthings

For a half century she bent history to her will. Everything that turned touched her. And she turned everything she touched. But first, she had to put away her playthings.

What was crazy bread and why was it eaten by peasants to stave off hunger and give them a summer of love? Welcome to Y1K and the world of young Emma of Normandy.

Emma of Normandy prepares to sail across a narrow sea to wed a famous king. But is she ready to wed a king unready to fight, unready to rule, unready to save his kingdom?

A figure arose from the shadows. A crafty survivor who became more powerful than kings for he was a maker of kings. No one stood in his way. Not even the Queen of England.

Put It in the Bank

Put It in the Bank

Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James, John Dillinger. They robbed banks. But it was the most accomplished robbers in history who showed them where the banks were.

From the fury of the Northmen, oh Lord, deliver us! A prayer not for deliverance from a bunch of long-haired tourists who roughed up the neighbors. But a merciless scourge who executed the Blood Eagle.