Audiobooks narrated by Phil Schempf

[English] - The Fall of the Nibelungs Audiobook

"The Nibelungenlied (Middle High German: Der Nibelunge liet or Der Nibelunge nôt), translated as The Fall of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The Nibelungenlied is based on an oral tradition of Germanic heroic legend that has some of its origin in historic events and individuals of the 5th and 6th centuries and that spread throughout almost all of Germanic-speaking Europe. Parallels to the German poem from Scandinavia are found especially in the heroic lays of the Poetic Edda and in the Völsunga saga. The poem is split into two parts: in the first part, Siegfried comes to Worms to acquire the hand of the Burgundian princess Kriemhild from her brother King Gunther. Gunther agrees to let Siegfried marry Kriemhild if Siegfried helps Gunther acquire the warrior-queen Brünhild as his wife. Siegfried does this and marries Kriemhild; however Brünhild and Kriemhild become rivals, leading eventually to Siegfried's murder by the Burgundian vassal Hagen with Gunther's involvement. In the second part, the widow Kriemhild is married to Etzel, king of the Huns. She later invites her brother and his court to visit Etzel's kingdom intending to kill Hagen. Her revenge results in the death of all the Burgundians who came to Etzel's court as well as the destruction of Etzel's kingdom and the death of Kriemhild herself. The Nibelungenlied was the first heroic epic put into writing in Germany, helping to found a larger genre of written heroic poetry. The poem's tragedy appears to have bothered its medieval audience, and very early on a sequel was written, the Nibelungenklage, which made the tragedy less final. The poem was forgotten after around 1500, but was rediscovered in 1755. Dubbed the 'German Iliad', the Nibelungenlied began a new life as the German national epic. The poem was appropriated for nationalist purposes and was heavily used in anti-democratic, reactionary, and Nazi propaganda before and during the Second World War. Its legacy today is most visible in Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which, however, is mostly based on Old Norse sources. In 2009, the three main manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied were inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in recognition of their historical significance. It has been called 'one of the most impressive, and certainly the most powerful, of the German epics of the Middle Ages'."

Margaret Armour (Author), Michael Wolf, Phil Schempf (Narrator)

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The Ascent of Mount St. Elias, Alaska

"Although Mount St. Elias had been known to native Americans for thousands of years and to Europeans since 1741 when Vitus Bering saw the peak and gave it its current name, it was not successfully climbed until 1897 by a party lead by Prince Luigi Amadeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi. This is the story of that expedition. Mount St. Elias was not climbed again for another 50 years when the advent of air support made the logistics of the climb less daunting. - Summary by Fritz"

Filippo De Filippi (Author), Phil Schempf (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Odysseys of Homer

"The Odysseys are a collection of stories about Ulysses' journey home from the war at Troy purportedly written in the 8th century BCE by Homer, a blind poet thought to have lived in the Greek colonies in Asia Minor, possibly at Smyrna. The events described are thought to have occurred centuries before being recorded by Homer, handed down orally since the twelfth century BCE, the golden era of the Greek Bronze Age when the world was populated by heroic mortals and often visited by the Gods. This verse translation in couplets by George Chapman was originally published in 1616, the first translation from the ancient Greek directly to English, although likely influenced by previous Latin translations. Chapman's translation has been admired by many, including John Keats and others. Many of these stories are familiar to us, Ulysses and the Sirens, Circe turning his crew to swine, their escape from the Cyclops on the bellies of his sheep, but Chapman's version includes violent episodes and suggestive innuendo that I don't recall from my childhood days. (Introduction by Fritz)"

Homer (Author), Phil Schempf (Narrator)

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The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald

"A tale from Iceland, 800 years ago. In a dream of quarrels and death The birth of fair Helga is told Cross the north seas ventured for fame At the call of kings, hearth bereft Wounded pride, spawn'd of a sensed slight When tongues fail, sharper blades prevail Falcon soothes the cloak wrapt wound Fair one pines and fades from the light. - Summary by Fritz"

Anonymous (Author), Phil Schempf (Narrator)

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Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex

"Owen Chase (October 7, 1797 – March 7, 1869) was First Mate of the whale ship Essex, that was struck and sunk by a sperm whale on October 28, 1820. Chase wrote about the incident in Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex. This book, published in 1821, would inspire Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick. (Summary from Wikipedia)"

Owen Chase (Author), Phil Schempf (Narrator)

Audiobook

Woodcraft

"George Washington Sears, who many know better by his pen name "Nessmuk", was an outdoor writer during the last half of the 19th century, writing most often for the magazine "Field and Forest", the predecessor of today's "Field and Stream". "Woodcraft" is his book for "outers" with his tips on how to "smooth it" rather than rough it in the woods. Although some of his methods, equipment and mores may be out of date or objectionable to modern readers, his stories of true wilderness travel tinged with his subtle humor still have messages for those venturing out of doors. His small stature and compromised health made him a proponent of lightweight backpacking and canoe travel with only essential gear, a lesson still relevant today. There is a reason why "Woodcraft" and the slightly abridged, "Woodcraft and Camping", have been continuously in print since its original publication. - Summary by Fritz"

Nessmuk (Author), Phil Schempf (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Phil Schempf