AHF 2024 – Brave Spalpen by Nate Smith

Episode Credits Season 2 | Episode 17: AHF 2024 – Brave Spalpen by Nate Smith Release Date: March 29, 2025 Website: Ravens Vail Podcast Network Description:   In this episode, Master Storyteller Nate Smith performs his story “Brave Spalpen.”  The story follows Daniel McAllister, a young man from the Northern Irish islands, who was called to serve in the war. Like many soldiers, he returned with physical scars, but it was the emotional wounds, referred to as "heart-scalded" at the time, that cut deepest. This term, evoking a sense of profound emotional pain and soul-rending grief, would later be recognized as PTSD. Daniel witnessed unspeakable horrors during the war: dying men crying for their mothers, soldiers losing limbs and lives in brutal ways. Despite the trauma, he survived and returned home, while many others did not. The story highlights the enduring impact of war on those who live through its harrowing realities. Written and performed by Nate Smith Audio Engineering & Sound Design by Nick DeVan at Nicky D Sound Produced by Ed Bolden-Greer Podcast theme music: “Echoes of the Raven,” written by Jeryd Bolden-Greer and performed by The Coven Squared.  Ravens Vail is a production of Small Raven Media. ©Copyright 2025. All rights reserved All rights reserved.