Full disclosure: I have had a rune reading done by Sarenth Odinsson, but I am not receiving anything for this review.
Sarenth Odinsson, Jim Two Snakes, and Caitlin Storm Breaker host Around Grandfather Fire, the podcast of all things Pagan and all things gamer geek. The three hosts are spiritual workers of different paths that include Heathen and Peruvian spirit worker. Each episode is a loosely structured conversation either around a topic and/or guest. Guests have ranged from Gwion Raven discussing his newest book to Phil “Satyros” Brucato. Not all of the guests identify as pagan, as there have been an anthropologist who discusses topics relating to paganism and a mystical Christian.
The three hosts play off each other quite well. After the addition of Caitlin Storm Breaker the podcast has a marked improvement. Jim has the neighborhood goofy dad that still has wisdom to be listened to vibe, Sarenth as the slightly more serious wise one, and Caitlin is the storyteller that cuts through bull. All three are honest about the joys and price of their paths and spirit work, which is always a good thing. Too often we focus on one or the other. I liked the mixture of pagan and academic topics. The series is very informal. I am guessing from the title they are trying for “friends chatting around the campfire and sharing a drink” type of vibe. While there are a handful of questions from the audience, there really isn’t much of a focus.
While the podcast has some wonderful conversations, the lack of focus can be a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective. I don’t mind the hosts doing a check in at the start of the podcasts to talk about how they are doing on their current projects and real life stuff, but when it goes off into a geek discussion and lasts 30 minutes to an hour that is just too much. Many episodes push past the 2 hour mark.
In an early episode Jim Two Snakes talked about how excited he was they no longer had a time limit unlike his previous podcast, which lead me to groan. When you have a set length—writing or podcast—that forces you to choose what is relevant and have a cleaner product. I know other podcasts will post extended interviews for Patreon subscribers, so the people really into it will get the 2 hour version while the casual listener gets the tighter version. While I enjoy listening, 2 hours is too long for a podcast.
The other drawback is AFG really isn’t accessible to a beginner pagan. The hosts don’t stop to define or explain many topics that come up that could be confusing to a beginner. This is definitely for an advanced beginner or intermediate pagan, because they don’t discuss beginner pagan topics.
While 3 Pagans and a Cat is the podcast I would recommend for a beginner wanting to learn more, AFG is the podcast I would recommend for a practicing pagan who wants to deepen their practice or just listen to pagans talk about pagan stuff. As they long as they don’t try to listen to an episode in one sitting.