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67: A Lover Scorned pt.1: Heads Will Roll

Updated: Jul 21


Think your breakup was messy? Wait till you meet Olga of Kiev. In this explosive (and only technically shorter) episode of Well, I Laughed, Grant and Maia dive into the blood-soaked legend of a woman scorned who didn’t just clap back—she burned entire cities to the ground. After her husband, Prince Igor I, is gruesomely executed by the Drevlians (spoiler: it involves birch trees and a “human hammock”), Olga goes full medieval mastermind. We’re talking trench burials, surprise bathhouse infernos, mead-soaked massacres, and a flaming pigeon airstrike that would make any war strategist weep. The chaos doesn’t stop there, Olga heads to Constantinople, outsmarts an emperor’s proposal, converts to Christianity on her own terms, and rewrites the rulebook for women in power. With plenty of mic-tech mishaps, irreverent tangents, and sharp reflections on revenge, legacy, and saint-level rebranding, this episode proves once again that history is never boring, and sometimes, it’s downright savage.


Key takeaways to listen for

  • [00:00:00] Catch-Up

  • [00:21:55] Heads Will Roll

  • [00:24:04] Viking Roots: “Kievan Rus” and those Norse founders who built a dynasty

  • [00:26:51] Teen Princess OG: Olga of Pskov flexing power in a man’s world at 15

  • [00:38:38] Tribute Backfires: The Drevlians “shop local” on tribute

  • [00:47:01] Hammock of Horror: Igor’s limbs tied to bent birch trees

  • [01:00:06] Mead-Fueled Massacre: Mourning feast turns into a bloodbath

  • [01:13:05] Pigeon Pyro Squad: Every rooftop goes up in flames

  • [01:22:01] Baptism Power Move: The Emperor dunks Olga before she flips her faith

  • [01:31:16] Queen to Saint: A Christian send-off and eventually earns sainthood

 

Photos Referenced:

Saint Olga, Princess of Kiev - courtesy of Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images
Saint Olga, Princess of Kiev - courtesy of Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty Images
Olga's first revenge on Drevlians by Fyodor Bruni, 1839 - Public Domain
Olga's first revenge on Drevlians by Fyodor Bruni, 1839 - Public Domain

Quotes:

  • "History is not just about dates and names, but about understanding movements and their real-world consequences." - Grant Thomas

  • "We have moved away from needing to instruct on dates and even, to a lesser degree, names." - Grant Thomas

  • “A burden shared is a burden halved.” - Maia Warner

  • "She's a saint now in the Orthodox Church, the patron of widows and converts."- Maia Warne


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