Saga Thing: Recent Episodes
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Though Guðmund the Powerful has been laid to rest, tensions between the Möðruvellings and the Ljósvetnings continue into the next generation. In a bold move toward peace, Eyjólf Guðmundarson (the new leader of the Möðruvellings) attempts to create peace by forming an alliance with Þorvarð Hóskuldsson (grandson of Þorgeir Lawspeaker and leader of the Ljósvetnings). But there’s a dark cloud on the horizon.
A surprise pregnancy, questions of paternity, and a contested ordeal plunge the region into renewed chaos. As a result, Eyjólf soon finds himself defending his honor in an epic battle against Þorvarð and some pretty overwhelming numbers. Will he do his father proud and claim victory? Or will he lose more than just reputation in the fight? And do we even want Eyjólf to come out on top here?
Join us for the most exciting and action-packed episode of this series. Along the way, we explore the finer points of trial by ordeal and medieval Icelandic paternity tests as well. There’s so much content here, your head will be spinning!!!
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This special Saga Brief interview with Anna Melsteð (of the Eyrbyggja Saga Society) was recorded at the foot of Helgafell on a drizzly afternoon following a full day of exploring key sites from Eyrbyggja Saga with Anna, Eyberg, and Guðlaug as our guides.
Our day began with a quick viewing of the original site of the Þórsnessþing, mainly to get a view of where drítsker might be.
We followed that up with a rugged hike to Vigrafjörður, where the Thorbrandssons and Thorlakssons famously clashed on the ice in chapter 45 of the saga.
From there, we trekked to Bólstað on Álftafjörður to pay our respects to Andy’s thingman Arnkell.
We were even greeted with a rainbow, a generous gift from the best man in the saga.
But the biggest highlight was walking the paths carved (allegedly) by the Swedish berserks Halli and Leiknir, followed by a brief rest at the overgrown ruins of Killer-Stýr’s sauna, where their tale ended in steam and the tip of Stýr’s spear.
It was, of course, one of the most rewarding days we’ve ever spent in Iceland. The stories of Eyrbyggja Saga came alive in a powerful new way as we stood in the places where they unfolded.
The day concluded at Hraunháls, where we enjoyed Icelandic hospitality, a tasty homemade cake, and a glimpse of the proofs for the incredible Eyrbyggja Saga tapestry.
Can you tell who these two lovebirds might be? Also note the way the upper and lower registers contribute to the story.
As evening approached, we finally drove over to the base of Helgafell to sit down with Anna for a chat about her work, the power of landscape in the sagas, and the growing community of saga enthusiasts on Snæfellsnes. We also got some more help with our Icelandic pronunciation.
Be sure to check out what the Eyrbyggja Saga Society is up to on their webpage and follow them on Facebook.
You can also stay at Hraunháls through Airbnb and enjoy the hospitality of Eyberg and Guðlaug.
Music Credits:
Opening song – “Rúnatal” by An Danzza
Introduction –from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
In this special Saga Brief, we visit historic Reykholt, once home to Snorri Sturluson, for a fascinating conversation with Sigrún Guttormsdóttir Þormar, department manager at Snorrastofa. This interview is the second installment in our four-part series recorded on-site during our recent trip to Iceland.
Sigrún generously met with us on a Saturday to talk about Snorri’s life, legacy, and the important work being done at Snorrastofa to continue the long tradition of learning at Reykholt on the site. Along the way, she shared insights into Snorri’s role as a chieftain, writer, and political figure in 13th-century Iceland, offering a more nuanced portrait of the man we often call “infamous.”
If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, we can’t recommend a stop in Reykholt highly enough. In addition to its rich history, the Snorrastofa cultural and medieval studies center offers an engaging exhibition on Snorri’s life, an inviting research library, and an exceptional gift shop.
For more about Snorrastofa, including visitor info, exhibitions, and ongoing research, visit: https://snorrastofa.is
Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think about Snorri’s legacy after hearing from someone who engages with it every day.
Music Credits:
Opening song – “Rúnatal” by An Danzza
Introduction –from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
With Þórir Helgason freshly outlawed, Guðmund inn ríki (the Powerful) turns his attention to Þorkell hák (Bully) to sate his thirst for revenge. Speaking of thirst, Þorkell lands one of the sickest burns we’ve heard in a long while at Guðmund´s expense.
After butting heads since the first chapters of the saga, these two finally come to blows in a thrilling and hilarious climax. Who comes out on top? You’ll just have to listen to find out.
Along the way, you’ll meet some interesting characters, like Þorbjörn rindill (Wren?), a no-account assassin from the Eastfjords, and Drauma-Finni (Dream-Finni), who excels at John’s favorite profession: dream interpretation.
We also close the book on the first half of the saga, and on Guðmund inn ríki as well. How will Guðmund’s life come to a close? Will he go out in a blaze of glory? Or will he pass peacefully with a hot cup of milk in hand?
Listen and share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
On our recent trip to Iceland, we had the pleasure of speaking to a variety of fascinating people about their interest in the sagas. Our goal was to get a sense of how these individuals read and engage with these medieval texts in a modern context.
Saga Brief 27, a 4 part interview series, is the result of those efforts.
In this first episode, we chat with Björn Júlíus Grímsson, an Icelandic tour guide who loves to share the stunning landscapes and rich culture of his country on sightseeing tours and excursions all over Iceland. He’s also a regular Saga Thing listener!
Though the interview itself is regrettably brief, we spent a great deal of time at lunch and after the interview chatting with Björn and his lovely wife Zoe about the sagas, about the logistics of running a tour in Iceland, about audio production, and about life in Iceland and America. It was such a pleasure getting to know them, being welcomed into their home, playing with their son, and sharing that time together.
And Björn was kind enough to join us for a walk through Þingvellir the following day. By the end of our visit, it felt like we’d known them for ages even though we had really just met right before this interview.
As we begin working on our official Saga Thing tours, we plan to take full advantage of Björn and Zoe’s expertise and talents.
If you can’t wait for the Saga Thing tour, you can get in touch with Björn through his website www.allovericeland.com and follow him on Instagram.
You should also check out Zoe’s music on Spotify. We’re all big fans now!
Music Credits:
Opening song – “Rúnatal” by An Danzza
Introduction –from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
Tensions have been building in Eyjafjörður as nearly everyone in the north seems to have it out for Guðmundr inn ríki. Across the last few episodes, Guðmundr has taken loss after loss when pitted against some of the region’s heavy hitters. Perhaps things will turn out differently for him when he embarks on a campaign of legal vengeance against Þórir Helgason, a rival chieftain whose been spreading rumors about Guðmundr’s masculinity (or lack thereof). Guðmundr being Guðmundr, he will stop at nothing to . . . prosecute his opponents in court.
You’re in for a treat with this one, dear listeners. Things are finally starting to pop off in chapters 13-17 of Ljósvetninga Saga! Oh, and this episode has some steamy goats in it.
Also, this episode marks the occasion of our 200th episode and a moment when we cross the 3 million download boundary for the podcast. Not bad for such a niche subject! Thank you to everyone out there who is listening, re-listening, and spreading the good word about Saga Thing.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
We return with the tale of Vöðu-Brand, another entertaining þáttr from the opening section of Ljósvetninga Saga. This is the story of a troublesome young man who is bored with life the farm in northern Iceland. His restlessness carries him across the sea for a brief and somewhat turbulent stay in Norway. Once back in Iceland, young Brand can’t seem to get out of his own way, causing a spot of trouble for himself that might just change the political landscape for our old friend Guðmund the Powerful. But don’t worry, it all ends happily ever after. . .for most of the players in this fun little drama.
This episode also features several familiar faces from Saga Thing past, including Þorkell Geitisson, Bjarni Brodd-Helgasson, and Þorstein Síðu-Hallsson.
We also discuss the role of the þættir inserted into the saga, the rules and regulations of legal residency in medieval Iceland, the problems of finding the right voice for our characters, and the quality of Vöðu-Brand’s character (or lack thereof).
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
While we don’t make major progress through Ljósvetninga saga in this episode, we have a great time talking about two of the three þættir that fill a gap in the manuscript. Another gap in a manuscript? Indeed. We open the episode with a very brief discussion of the A and C manuscripts to help explain what’s going on there.
At the heart of this episode are two tales. The first is known as Sörla þáttr Brodd-Helgasonar, about a young man called Sörli and his quest to make Guðmund the Powerful’s daughter his bride. Unfortunately for Sörli, Guðmund isn’t too happy about the prospect of their marriage.
The second tale is Ofeig’s þáttr, which tells of the trouble men in Reykjadal have with Guðmund the Powerful’s visits. During a meeting of the rather interesting group of bændir known as the hreppr, Ofeig Jarngerdarson steps up with a cunning plan that just might work.
As if that weren’t enough, we cap the episode by revisiting the discussion of bookprose vs freeprose theory as it relates to Ljósvetninga saga.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
It’s time to begin our series on Ljósvetninga Saga! In this episode, we introduce the saga and work our way through the first four chapters.
While Ljósvetninga Saga focuses on the career of Guðmundr inn ríki (Gudmund the Powerful), he plays a small role in this episode. Instead, we focus on a conflict between Thorgeir Lawspeaker and his sons over the fate of an outlaw. This one is the apéritif served to get you in the mood for an expansive and rather interesting saga that puts the elite chieftains of medieval Iceland on trial.
If you’re curious about the locations, here’s a useful little map to show you who is living where in chapters 1-4. The image is adapted from the site locations map on the Icelandic Saga Map page.
Throughout this series, we’ll be making reference to Law and Literature in Medieval Iceland by William Ian Miller and Theodore M. Andersson. It is the translation we’re using and it’s full of valuable footnotes and discussion.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode, we review the second Tale of Halldor Snorrason (Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar inn síðari) from the 13th-century Morkinskinna (moldy or rotten skin/parchment). If you enjoyed the first of Halldor’s tales, we think you’ll like this one even more. Last time, Halldor pushed his relationship with King Harald Hardrada to the brink but in this episode he may just push things over the edge. One thing’s for sure, these BFFs are heading for a nasty breakup.
Along the way, we talk about a place called Kaupangr and delve into the naming history of Trondheim. If you’re curious about the appearance of Kaupangr/kaupangr in AM 66 fol. that we discuss in the first section, you are welcome to have a look for yourself:
Take a moment to explore AM 66 fol., also known as Hulda (Hidden Manuscript). Why AM 66? Because there’s a lacuna that cuts off the beginning of Halldor’s tale in the Morkinskinna. Manuscripts be like that sometimes.
We also talk about an interesting little detail in the story concerning King Harald’s efforts to introduce a coin-based economy into 11th-century Norway. The tale tells of Haraldsslátta (Harald’s coins) and Halldor Snorrason’s less than enthusiastic reception of these coins as a form of payment. Here are a few samples of the coins in question:
As if that weren’t enough, we also get to talk about drinking horns and the feasting obligations, adding to our previous Saga Briefs on Drinking in the Viking Age – What They Drank and How They Drank.
This tale is full of fascinating little details about the culture that we don’t often get in the more sparsely told sagas of Icelanders. We stop throughout the episode to appreciate some of these, so be warned that this episode has a fair amount of digressions. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music – “Morgana Rides ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Gleðileg jól frá Saga Thing! Long before Charles Dickens penned his beloved A Christmas Carol, a well-known and infamous Icelander seems to have had a similar idea. While less wholesome and optimistic than the Dickens classic, there’s surely a lesson somewhere in this tale that we’re calling Egil’s Yuletide Carol.
Inspired by the 1930s radio dramatizations of A Christmas Carol starring Lionel Barrymore, we’ve tried our hand at producing a radioplay of our own here. Such an undertaking involves a lot of help from friends and family. Our thanks to all who contributed.
Cast (in order of appearance)
John Sexton: Egil, Old Egil, Narrator, and Servant Woman 2
Andy Pfrenger: Ketil Cratchet, Olaf Peacock, Thorolf Skallagrimsson, Skallagrim Kveldulfsson, Snorri Sturluson, and Other Voices
Wendy Pfrenger: Thorgerd Egilsdottir
Heather Nabbefeld: Thorgerd Brak
Sebastian Pfrenger: Grim Heggjason and Servant 2
Johnny Sexton: Very Young Egil
Carl Sexton: Young Egil
Gwen Pfrenger: Bera Yngvarsdottir (Egil’s Mother) and Other Kid
Joshua Eyler: Arinbjorn
With Rex Factor’s own Graham Duke guest starring as King Athelstan
Share your thoughts on this holiday special through our social media and let us know what you think the moral of the story might be.
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod (now with sleigh bells)
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
Egil’s Yuletide Carol Theme Music – “Canon and Variation” by Twin Musicom
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Narrator’s Music – “Drømde mik en drøm i nat is” performed by Mare Balticum
Brunanburh Party Music – “Cantina Band” composed by John Williams and performed on hammered dulcimer by TheEadgyth and Kravik Lyre – Nordic Folk Music (instrumental) by A Tergo Lupi
Egil’s Poetry Music – “Einvaldi” by Herknungr
Hwæt a Movie returns with Beowulf: Prince of the Geats! Given how hard this one is to find, we’d be surprised if any of you have seen it.
Released in March 2007, shortly after SYFY’s Grendel and ahead of Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf, this Scott Wegener-directed indie film dives into the epic tale with a unique take on the hero and his legendary battles. And while the film’s limited budget and production constraints might be apparent, its dedication to the original text shines through. Making the film more charming and admirable is the fact that the production team and actors all worked for free on this passion project. All proceeds from the sale of the DVDs for Beowulf: Prince of the Geats went to aid both the American and Norwegian Cancer Societies. Get a sense of the film by watching the trailer here.
The film stars both Jayshan Jackson and Damon Lynch III as the younger and older Beowulf. Wegener’s decision to depict Beowulf as the son of an adventuring African fisherman offers some interesting possibilities and an approach to the character that we haven’t seen yet. It’s also one of the few film adaptations to follow Beowulf home to Geatland after his time in Denmark.
As always, our episode includes an exhaustive summary of the film, a Q&A discussion, and our final ratings. How do these versions of Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel’s Mother stack up against those we’ve seen before? And how does this quirky, low-budget film score on its fidelity to the source material and its overall entertainment value?
As the length of the episode might suggest, we’ve got a lot to say about this one. This was a delightful film to unpack, and we hope you enjoy hearing about it as much as we enjoyed discussing it.
If you’re interested in reading more about Wegener’s decision to cast black actors to play Beowulf and the responses it prompted, check out the following articles and discussions:
Clark, David. “Race/Ethnicity and the Other in Beowulf”. In Beowulf in Contemporary Culture, edited by David Clark, 31-50. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
Nokes, Richard Scott. “Beowulf: Prince of the Geats, Nazis, and Odinists”. Old English Newsletter. 41, no. 3 (2008): 26–32.
Listen to our overview, watch the trailer (or find the film if you can), and let us know what you think on our social media:
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Saga Thing returns once again to the tales of Icelanders from the sagas of Norwegian kings with a surprise double feature of tales involving Halldór Snorrason, the son of Snorri goði and longtime companion of King Harald “harðráða” Sigurdsson.
We open with The Tale of the Story-wise Icelander [Íslendings þáttr sögufróða], a fun little story about an Icelander who makes a name for himself telling tales and sagas in the court of an older King Harald. But how will the notoriously grumpy king react when the Icelander begins telling the saga of Harald’s own adventures as a member of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople? And where might an Icelander who’s never met King Harald have learned so many detailed stories about the king’s life?
But that little þáttr is just an appetizer. The real meal here is The First Tale of Halldór Snorrason [Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar]. Set during the early years of King Harald’s reign in Norway, this tale shows what happens when Halldór steps in to defend an Icelander from Harald’s wrath. Then things get real messy when Halldór has a run in with a kinsman of the powerful chieftain Einar Paunch-Shaker [þambarskelfir]. It’s a real “out of the frying pan and into the fire” kind of story for Halldór in this one. How will Halldór manage to get out of this mess?
Along the way, we talk about the life of Halldór and some of his more noteworthy descendants. We also spend some time discussing his place in the various sagas of King Harald Sigurdsson. If you want to read the infamous Snorri Sturluson’s version, which includes several episodes featuring his great-great-great-grandfather Halldór Snorrason, you’ll want to pick up a copy of the Heimskringla or the stand-alone Penguin edition King Harald’s Saga.
We’ll be back soon with The Second Tale of Halldór Snorrason where his relationship with King Harald is once again tested.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music – “Morgana Rides ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Hwæt a Movie returns with the Beowulf film you didn’t know you needed to see: SYFY’s Grendel. Released at the start of 2007, ahead of Beowulf: Prince of the Geats and Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf, Grendel rides the wave of Beowulf-mania that was sweeping nation back then. Or perhaps it started the craze?
And while you might think based on the title that this film picks up where Beowulf and Grendel left off with a more nuanced and sympathetic approach to this epic medieval monster, you’d be wrong. Grendel gives us the more violent and aggressive side of this famous shadow-walker.
Chris Bruno stars as Beowulf in this Nick Lyon directed film adaptation of our favorite Old English poem. As you’ll see, no one can spin a tale of exposition or spin round and round in combat this Beowulf. With Ben Cross as King Hrothgar and Marina Sirtis as his queen, Onela—wait, Queen Onela? If you know your Beowulf, or your Swedish history, then you may have spotted a problem here. But hey, the film also features a crossbow that shoots magic exploding arrows. Realism and textual fidelity isn’t what makes this movie fun!
Each episode of Hwaet a Movie includes an exhaustive summary and discussion of the film, a brief Q&A, and then our final ratings categories for the film’s take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its entertainment value.
This one was a real pleasure to discuss. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Once you’ve listened, reach out and let us know how we did. Was this the perfect Beowulf? Or is there still room for improvement? Have you seen Grendel? Share your thoughts on our social media:
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All music taken from the film for this episode is by Nathan Furst.
It’s time to put Valla-Ljot’s Saga on trial. How will this brief story that’s less than a single Hrafnkel hold up under scrutiny? Is there enough violence for a proper round of Best Bloodshed and Body Count? With only a few nicknames, how will John stretch his section out to the usual length? What kind of surprise reveal does John drop on Andy at the start of Thingmen? And how does Valla-Ljot’s Saga perform when all is said and done? Does it have what it takes to compete with the greats of Saga Thing past? There’s only one way to find out!
While you’re waiting for the next episode of Saga Thing, check out The Partially Examined Life.
Did we get things right? How would you have judged Valla-Ljot’s Saga? Who would you have chosen for thingman? Share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
We’re back, and not a moment too soon! After the pot-stirring life and unceremonious death of Halli Troublemaker at the hands (and axe) of Valla-Ljöt Ljotolfsson, Halli’s older brother Hrolf Jaw retaliated by having Ljöt’s nephew Thorvard killed by a squad of murderers at a market. Now the whole valley’s on edge, waiting to see whether a carefully-brokered truce between Ljöt and Guðmund the Powerful can bring peace to the Tumultuous Valley. But men on both sides are looking for an excuse to shatter the peace once more.
What happens when Halli’s younger brother and son return from overseas to find out what’s been happening in their absence? Why is Thorvard’s foster-brother Sigmund skiing all over the valley in a snowstorm and disturbing everyone’s sleep? Can Havarð the Norwegian companion survive among all these pugnacious Icelanders? And why is Ljöt hiding a golden spear from his own family?
Join us for the conclusion to Valla-Ljöts saga!
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
While we may have finished Svarfdaela Saga, we’re not done with the most tumultuous valley of medieval Iceland just yet. In this episode, we pick up with the next generation. The lead actors in this little drama are Halli, the grandson of Karl the Red, and Ljot (aka Valla-Ljot), the son of Ljotolf the godi. And though the tensions between Karl and Ljotolf’s families had cooled at the end of Svarfdaela Saga, it doesn’t take Halli long to get things boiling once again.
This saga also features the return of Gudmund the Powerful (Guðmundr inn ríki Eyjólfsson), who we’ve seen pop in from time to time in other sagas as a power broker. He’s going to be playing a big part in this saga and then again in Ljósvetninga saga. Now’s as good a time as any to start forming an opinion on this guy.
We hope you enjoy this one!
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
It’s time for the third installment of our side project known as Hwaet a Movie! In this episode, we give the Saga Thing treatment to the 2005 Canadian-Icelandic film Beowulf and Grendel. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it (even if our review might not cast it in the brightest light). The film stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, and Sarah Polley as Selma the witch. Don’t worry if one of those characters doesn’t sound familiar. And while the film could be better in a number of ways, we do appreciate much of what they were attempting here.
As an added bonus, the film was shot in Iceland. That means that no matter what’s happening at the front of a scene, there’s always a beautiful backdrop for this interesting interpretation of the epic Old English poem about a monster-fighting Geat in Denmark.
Each Hwaet a Movie episode includes an exhaustive summary and discussion, a brief Q&A, and then our final ratings categories for the film’s take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its entertainment value.
This one takes a while to get through, but that’s because this one offers a lot of grist for the mill.
We’ll be back after Valla-Ljot’s Saga with the next installment of Hwaet a Movie. And don’t worry, we’ve only scratched the surface of Beowulf movies so far.
Though Svarfdaela Saga itself is behind us, the story of the inhabitants of the Tumultuous Valley continues. In this episode, we follow Thorleif Asgeirsson, one of Klaufi’s killers and the brother of Yngvild.
As you’ll discover, Thorleif has that independent spirit that Icelanders carry with them into the courts of Norwegian rulers. He’s also got a talent for poetry, which serves him well both at home and abroad. But his real talent is magic, which he learned from his uncle and father. All of this combines for some interesting encounters with Jarl Hákon Sigurdsson.
This short story is both shocking and hilarious. It’s got everything you could ask for, including a young man chasing his hopes and dreams, a robbery, some senseless violence, black magic, plenty of poetry, and even a golem-like construct with a vengeful heart. Oh, and it’s pretty funny too. Needless to say, it’s one of our favorite þættr.
Join us as we explore the Tale of Thorleif Earl’s Poet!
Richard Cole’s “French Connection, or Thorr versus the Golem.”
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music – “Morgana Rides ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Join us for an in-depth interview with Dr. Rebecca Merkelbach, Assistant Professor of Old Norse-Icelandic Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany. Her latest book, Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas, offers a fresh perspective on the often overlooked “post-classical” sagas. We delve into the complex and fascinating nature of these sagas, exploring their social and artistic dimensions, as well as the rich tapestry of the “saga-verse.”
Our discussion spans many of your favorite sagas featured on the podcast. And given that we just finished recording our series on Svarfdæla saga before this interview, there’s plenty of talk about that saga in particular.
It was a great pleasure speaking to a fellow saga enthusiast, especially one so knowledgeable and passionate about Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Dr. Merkelbach’s enthusiasm for the sagas comes through clearly in this interview, as does her remarkable ability to recall intricate details and character names from many different sagas. We think you’ll find that she fits right in here at Saga Thing.
Pick up a copy of her book here: Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas by Rebecca Merkelbach
Music Credits
Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
After 7 exciting episodes (they were exciting, right?), we’re finally ready to put Svarfdaela Saga on trial. As usual, we drag the text to the Saga Thing and review it through our judgment categories:
Best Bloodshed
Body Count
Nicknames
Notable Witticisms
Outlawry
Thingmen
Final Ratings
How does Svarfdaela Saga stack up against the 30+ other sagas we’ve reviewed so far? Do we judge it as harshly as the scholars who came before us? And how can the Big Lacuna not walk away with Best Bloodshed????
There’s only one way to find out. Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This is it. We’ve reached the end of Svarfdaela Saga.
In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of Karl the Red’s death. Will Ljotolf step up and retake control of the valley? Or will a new contender emerge to challenge his authority? And what becomes of Skidi and Yngvild? The answers may shock you.
Seriously. This is a tough one for a number of reasons. We’ve mentioned that the end of this saga is pretty brutal. Now that we’ve arrived, it’s worth saying it again. This episode features the abuse of Yngvild that we’ve warned you about.
Listen and then join in on the conversation here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode, things come to a head between the factions of Thorstein the Tumultuous and Ljotolf the godi (quite literally). Listen in and find out what happens as Karl the Red learns about the death of his best friend and the whole valley is thrown into chaos. We’re in the heart of the saga now and things are getting real juicy.
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poetry Music – Adapted from “Vega” by Danheim
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode, Klaufi rescues his friend Karl the Red from a terrible Viking called Atli. But don’t get too excited about Klaufi becoming the hero of this saga. He also kills a whole bunch of people, causes general havoc, and even gets married by dubious means. We also get to see him in full berserker mode, which can be fun (if viewed from a distance).
All of this makes one wonder, just how long will the people of Svarfaðardalur continue to put up with Klaufi and his shenanigans?
Along the way, we talk about the tendency of this saga narrative to dip out when it’s time for action. We look a little deeper into the question of Gris and his motivations. And we dip our toes briefly into the subject of medieval Icelandic dying herbs and mosses.
If you’re interested in learning more about club moss and its uses in medieval Iceland, check out the following:
Viking Age Dyes
Using Clubmoss as an Alum Mordant
And, since Andy mentions it in the episode, grab yourself a copy of the Eyrbyggja Saga graphic novel.
Join in on the conversation about Klaufi, medieval Icelandic textiles, and creative works inspired by the sagas here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poetry Music – Adapted from “Vanheimr” by Danheim
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
With the Big Lacuna now behind us, we embark onto a new adventure in what may or may not be (but probably is) a new saga. Is this the same Thorstein we’ve come to grow and love? Or is it a different man altogether?
In the end, it doesn’t matter much because Thorstein shifts into the background as new characters take center stage, like Karl the Red, Gris the Merry, and Klaufi the Mauler. That’s a lot of nicknames. But this episode features more than just nicknames. We’ve got wrestling, murder, intrigue, and runes. That’s right, we’ve got runes!
Join us for Svarfdaela Saga, chapters 10-14a!
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode, we find ourselves navigating the murky depths of the massive gap in Svarfdæla saga that we call “The Big Lacuna.” What happened to Thorstein Thorgnirsson when he left Sweden? Why is he feuding with someone named Ljotolf in Iceland? How did he get to Iceland? Is that even the same Thorstein or is it Thorstein’s son or maybe his grandson? And what the hell is happening here!?!
But never fear, we successfully steer the Saga Thing ship through the dangerous waters of the Big Lacuna and reach the other side of the saga safely. Along the way, we explore how a lacuna this big happens, what its effects are, and how scholars work to fill the empty space left in the narrative. Good times!
Let us know what you think by getting in on the conversation here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
We return to the tale of Thorstein as he seeks fame, honor, and a bit of respect from his father. He’s already defeated the great Viking known as Ljot the Pale, which is a big feather in his cap. Unfortunately, he lost his brother Thorolf in the battle. Eager to bury his beloved brother in style, Thorstein heads for the shores of Sweden where he’ll meet an aging jarl with a problem that only the bravest of men could possibly resolve. This episode features a nice blend of all that good medieval literature has to offer.
Along the way, we navigate around a little lacuna at an important moment in the text and then get sucked into the gaping maw of the big lacuna that separates the two parts of this saga. It’s a pretty wild ride.
If you’re interested in learning more about the rules of the holmgang as it appears in the Icelandic sagas, check out this old Saga Brief on the subject: Saga Brief 2: Holmgang, or The Icelandic Art of Dueling
Share your thoughts on the saga so far and join in on the conversations here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
We begin the new year with a saga that has been compared to the works of Shakespeare himself. Not necessarily in a favorable light, but definitely compared. As we hinted in our 10th Anniversary episode, we’re jumping into the sagas of Eyjafjörður in Northern Iceland (including Svarfdæla saga, Valla-Ljóts saga, Víga-Glúms saga, and Ljósvetninga saga).
Up first is Svarfdæla saga, a surprisingly compelling (but sometimes frustrating) narrative that Jónas Kristjánsson described as “one of the greatest oddities among the sagas of Icelanders” in his book Eddas and Sagas (244). And if that doesn’t sell you on it, then how about this fine quote from Fredrik Heinemann from his paper “Svarfdæla saga: The Norwegians and the Swedes,” the saga efficiently characterizes minor and major figures with the deft brush strokes of saga writing at its best” (237). We think you’ll agree after listening to this episode covering the first six chapters of the saga.
In this episode, we meet two brothers called Thorolf and Thorstein. One is a typical saga golden boy, the other is a kolbítr. But if you know your saga tropes, you know that big things are in store for that lazy coal-eater.
Along the way, we talk about other brothers we’ve met in the sagas, the sudden appearance of a castle in the narrative, and one of the more unbelievable candidates for Best Bloodshed we’ve seen in a while. We also get back to the listener runesack to address a question from our Discord page about Viking weddings.
There’s all that and more in our first episode of 2024. It’s good to be back!
If you’re interested in doing your own word usage research, check out The Dictionary of Old Norse Prose.
Join in on the conversation here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Gleðileg jól frá Saga Thing! We’re back with another exciting holiday discovery for you. This time, we share a bit of backgroundy stuff about the famous Yule Lads of Icelandic tradition before premiering a brand new poem about them. This may or may not be the oldest surviving poem about the Yule Lads, though we have some suspicions about the nature of the manuscript we were working from for the translation. Either way, it’s a lot of fun.
Merry Christmas!
If you’re interested, here’s the original poem (in Icelandic) by Jóhannes úr Kötlum
“Jólasveinarnir” by Jóhannes úr Kötlum
English translation by Hallberg Hallmundsson
Let me tell the story
of the lads of few charms,
who once upon a time
used to visit our farms.
Thirteen altogether,
these gents in their prime
didn´t want to irk people
all at one time.
They came from the mountains,
as many of you know,
in a long single file
to the farmsteads below.
Creeping up, all stealth,
they unlocked the door.
The kitchen and the pantry
they came looking for.
Grýla was their mother –
she gave them ogre milk –
and the father Leppalúdi;
a loathsome ilk.
They hid where they could, with a cunning look or sneer,
ready with their pranks
when people weren´t near.
They were called the Yuletide lads
– at Yuletide they were due –
and always came one by one,
not ever two by two.
And even when they were seen,
they weren´t loath to roam and play their tricks – disturbing
the peace of the home.
The first of them was Sheep-Cote Clod.
He came stiff as wood,
to pray upon the farmer´s
sheep as far as he could.
He wished to suck the ewes,
but it was no accident
he couldn´t; he had stiff knees –
not to convenient.
The second was Gully Gawk,
gray his head and mien.
He snuck into the cow barn
from his craggy ravine.
Hiding in the stalls,
he would steal the milk,
while the milkmaid gave the cowherd
a meaningful smile.
Stubby was the third called,
a stunted little man,
who watched for every chance
to whisk off a pan.
And scurrying away with it,
he scraped off the bits
that stuck to the bottom
and brims – his favorites.
The fourth was Spoon Licker;like spindle he was thin.
He felt himself in clover
when the cook wasn´t in.
Then stepping up, he grappled
the stirring spoon with glee,
holding it with both hands
for it was slippery.
Pot Scraper, the fifth one,
was a funny sort of chap.
When kids were given scrapings,
he´d come to the door and tap.
And they would rush to see
if there really was a guest.
Then he hurried to the pot
and had a scrapingfest.
Bowl Licker, the sixth one,
was shockingly ill bred.
From underneath the bedsteads
he stuck his ugly head.
And when the bowls were left
to be licked by dog or cat,
he snatched them for himself –
he was sure good at that!
The seventh was Door Slammer,
a sorry, vulgar chap:
When people in the twilight
would take a little nap,
he was happy as a lark
with the havoc he could wreak,
slamming doors and hearing
the hinges on them sqeak
Skyr Gobbler, the eighth,
was an awful stupid bloke.
He lambasted the skyr tub
till the lid on it broke.
Then he stood there gobbling
– his greed was well known –
until, about to burst,
he would bleat, howl and groan.
The ninth was Sausage Swiper, a shifty pilferer.
He climbed up to the rafters
and raided food from there.
Sitting on a crossbeam
in soot and in smoke,
he fed himself
on sausage fit for gentlefolk.
The tenth was Window Peeper,
a weird little twit,
who stepped up to the window
and stole a peek through it.
And whatever was inside
to which his eye was drawn,
he most likely attempted
to take later on.
Eleventh was Door Sniffer,
a doltish lad and gross.
He never got a cold,
yet had a huge, sensitive nose.
He caught the scent of lace
bread while leagues away still
and ran toward it weightless
as wind over dale and hill
Meat Hook, the twelfth one,
his talent would display
as soon as he arrived
on Saint Thorlak´s Day.
He snagged himself a morsel
of meet of any sort,
although his hook at times
was a tiny bit short.
The thirteenth was Candle Beggar –
´twas cold, I believe,
if he was not the last
of the lot on Christmas Eve.
He trailed after the little ones
who, like happy sprites,
ran about the farm with
their fine tallow lights.
On Christmas night itself
– so a wise man writes –
the lads were all restraint
and just stared at the lights.
Then one by one they trotted off
into the frost and snow.
On Twelfth Night the last
of the lads used to go.
Their footprints in the highlands
are effaced now for long,
the memories have all turned
to image and song.
It’s time for another installment of our side quest podcast, Hwaet a Movie! In this episode, we review the other Beowulf movie from 1999. That’s right, there were two. This one stars Antonio Banderas as the far-traveled Ahmed Ibn Fadlan, an unlikely hero and perhaps originator of the Beowulf legend. Sure . . . that’s the ticket. Join us for a rather exhaustive overview of The 13th Warrior, Saga Thing style.
After 4 episodes of reviewing The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings), it’s time to take it to the Saga Thing. In this episode, we pass judgment on the usual categories: Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, and Thingmen. This saga proved to be more interesting in some categories than in others, but does Havard’s Saga have what it takes to earn a good score from John and Andy in Final Ratings? Listen and find out.
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
While Havard and his band of merry cousins and bloodthirsty tweens hides out at Atli’s, his good friend Steinthor is heading to the Althing to work his magic on a settlement for all the killings. But there’s one more brother of the sons of Thjodrek out there. His name is Thorarin and he’s a chieftain of some consequence. He’s hatched a plot that could earn him a healthy settlement and a bloody revenge that depends on Atli being the kind of cowardly pushover his reputation suggests. Does Havard have what it takes to defend himself against these powerful men or will he fall victim to their cunning plan?
Join in on the conversation here:
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Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
What do you do after a successful killing spree? Kill some more! At least that seems to be Havard of Isafjord’s motto. There’s a certain logic to it as one killing begets another. But Thorbjorn has a lot of brothers and there’s only so much killing Havard can do before he needs to find a sweet spot to hide out. Perhaps that nice fella from the Althing who offered his help will provide the protection Havard needs?
This episode moves quick. We meet some new characters, see some familiar faces, and get a shocking surprise involving two young boys who stand up to a local bully. We also spend some time talking Old Norse poetry. All in all, a good time.
One more episode of Havard’s saga to go before we take it to the Saga Thing!
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music – – “Fornheim” by Danheim
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We’re back with another installment of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings, The Saga of Havard of Isafjord. This one is quickly becoming a new Saga Thing favorite. In this episode, Havard lays around, Bjargey gets busy, Thorbjorn takes a nasty fall, and Vak meets one of the more surprisingly stupid but realistic demises we’ve seen on this … Continue reading Episode 37b – The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 6-11)
Saga Thing returns with a brand-new episode for a brand new saga from late medieval Iceland. In this episode, we dip our toes into the first five chapters of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings, The Saga of Havard of Isafjord. It’s a story of good guys vs. bad guys in this surprisingly fun but little-known classic. The … Continue reading Episode 37a – The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 1-5)
With Laxdaela Saga behind us, we turn to the Tale of Bolli Bollason to bring the journey to a proper end. In this fun little story, Bolli Bollason finds himself swept into more than one conflict up in northern Iceland. Does he have the social and political (and warrior) savvy to go there and back … Continue reading Saga Short 11 – The Tale of Bolli Bollason
After a very close inspection and lengthy investigation, we are finally ready to put Laxdaela Saga on trial. As it’s been over a year since we started, John and I take our time reviewing the candidates for our usual Saga Thing categories:
- Best Bloodshed
- Body Count
- Nicknames
- Notable Witticisms
- Outlawry
- Thingmen
- Final Ratings
Our thanks to all of you out there who have listened, commented, and engaged with us as we worked our way through this massive and entertaining saga. We’re especially grateful to all of you who’ve been interacting over on our Official Unofficial Saga Thing Discord page. If you’re not involved over there, at least sign up and lurk. It’s pretty interesting stuff.
A very special thanks to Jacob for sticking with us through a whole year of illustrating for Saga Thing. It was a monumental effort and a pleasure to see his art evolve across the saga. Many thanks, Jacob! Check out more of his work on Instagram where he’s @skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We began our journey through Laxdaela Saga in April of 2022. A year and many many episodes later, we finally come to the end. Please join us as we discuss the final few chapters of the saga. It may be a little difficult to find the narrative thread if you’re expecting to follow Bolli or Gudrun through these last pages of the text. They’re certainly there, but the saga’s ending is designed to wrap up the story of Gudrun’s husbands and to look forward toward the genealogical connections to future generations.
Of course, Bolli and Gudrun get their moments in this conclusion, including Gudrun’s brief but riddling confession of who she loved most.
We wrap it all up with a lengthy summons of Gudrun and a detailed discussion of her character, something we’ve been waiting for a long time to do. I argued that we should devote a whole episode to Gudrun, but John reminded me that we’ve spent half a year commenting on her. Think of our summons as an invitation for further discussion, which you can do on our various social media platforms:
The Unofficial Official Saga Thing Discord
SagaThingPod on Twitter
Sagathingpodcast on Facebook and Instagram
We appreciate your patience as we worked through this amazing saga across the last year. We’ll be back soon with the Bolli Bollason’s Tale and the Judgments.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, Guðrún Ósvífsdóttir teaches Helgi Harðbeinsson all about loopholes in betrothal oaths. And if Helgi was feeling bad after getting let down by Guðrún, he feels that much worse when he sees his fylgja walking the opposite direction as he approaches the Althing. This episode also features a mysterious talking black cloak, Guðrún’s fourth wedding, and more machinations by Snorri goði.
We top it all off with a quick Saga Brief on the history of the famous sword known as Skofnung and an argument about how saga authors came up with the idiosyncratic rules for wielding Skofnung successfully.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
While 12 years may have passed since the slaying of Bolli, not a day passed that Gudrun wasn’t thinking of getting her revenge on the Olafssons and their companions. Now that her two sons, Thorleik and Bolli, are old enough to avenge their father, Gudrun arranges a secret meeting with Snorri godi to lay out a cunning plan. Unfortunately for Gudrun, Snorri doesn’t share her enthusiasm for attacking the Olafssons, or most of the other Bolli-slayers for that matter. There is one man, however, whose death could satisfy the demands of Gudrun’s revenge and the honor of young Thorleik and Bolli.
In this episode, we trace the evolution and flawless execution of Snorri and Gudrun’s cunning plan, witness the oaths sworn at Gudrun’s fourth betrothal, meet a strange man calling himself Killer-Hrapp, and discuss his apparent reference to Reynard in most English translations of Laxdaela Saga.
Step into the conversation on our social media:
SagaThingPod on Twitter
Sagathingpodcast on Facebook and Instagram
and
The unofficial official Saga Thing Discord
The above illustration of Bolli Bollason and Helgi Hardbeinsson was composed by Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator), our special guest illustrator for Laxdaela Saga.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, Bolli finds out what happens when you kill your foster brother. We discuss Thorgerd Egilsdottir’s lust for vengeance, how the avengers assemble, and Gudrun’s handling of yet another loss. This episode also features some special guest appearances by some familiar faces from Saga Thing past and the first appearance of Bolli Bollason.
When all is finished, we summons Bolli before the court and review the evidence to assess his character. Step into the conversation on our social media:
SagaThingPod on Twitter
Sagathingpodcast on Facebook and Instagram
and
The unofficial official Saga Thing Discord
The illustration above was composed by Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator), our special guest illustrator for Laxdaela Saga.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this thrilling episode, Kjartan asserts his presence in the district (and gets a taste of revenge) by humiliating Bolli, Gudrun, and the Osvifssons. I’d love to tell you more in this teaser about how he goes about that, but I don’t want to spoil the fun. And even as Kjartan pushes back against his rivals at Laugar, Gudrun pushes back harder. All of this sets up one of the saga’s most exciting and moving climaxes as Bolli and Kjartan finally come to blows.
Because this is the saga’s first major climax, we take our time setting it up. And when it’s all finished, there’s a special summons at the end where we consider the good and bad of Kjartan’s character. Find us on social media and let us know how you feel about Kjartan (sagathingpod on Twitter, sagathingpodcast on Instagram/Facebook, or on our unofficial official Discord page).
Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator) composed the above illustration of Bolli and Kjartan sharing a quiet moment. It’s quite touching, especially when you know the story. If you don’t know the story, then listen to the episode. What are you waiting for?
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Happy Holidays to all you amazing Saga Thing listeners out there! Over the past couple years we’ve put out a Holiday Special on or around Christmas Eve. It started with The Saga of Gudmund the Grunch. And then last year we gave you the little known origins of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in “A Visit From Glam.”
This year we managed to find a fun short story to share with you about a man called Frosti Jónsson, known affectionately to all in medieval Iceland as Frosti snjókarlinn. If you’re familiar with the Rankin/Bass Frosty the Snowman special, you’ll probably recognize some of the names and events of this long forgotten origin of the Frosti legend.
We hope you enjoy.
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod (now with sleigh bells)
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Frosty the Snowman” by Gene Autry
This episode is all about Kjartan coming to terms with Bolli’s betrayal. As he comes to realize his relationship with Gudrun came to an abrupt and unexpected end while he was overseas, Kjartan finds solace in his family and in the arms of a new (and much better) woman. But just when everything seems to be moving in the right direction, feast season begins and some rather important gifts from Norwegian royalty go missing. Now who would want to steal from Kjartan and his lovely new bride? Find out as Saga Thing takes on chapters 43-46 of Laxdaela Saga!
Thanks, as always, to Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator) for providing us with another original illustration for this episode of Laxdaela Saga. Here we see Kjartan bidding a fond farewell to his beloved Hrefna as he prepares to do some sort of manly business. You know these saga boys are always riding off, waving goodbye to their wives and mothers. Hopefully Kjartan makes it back in time for the next episode of our saga. He won’t want to miss it. Then again, he just might want to skip that one if he knows what’s good for him.
And I know that John promised some sort of bibliography would come with this episode. Email him and ask where it is, because he never sent it to me. Typical John.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, Kjartan and Bolli say goodbye to Gudrun and to the safety of Iceland as they travel overseas to make a name for themselves in Norway. Unfortunately for them, Norway is in the midst of a political and religious transition as the country and all who enter it find themselves under the influence of King Olaf Tryggvason. The new king is eager to convert all and sundry to Christianity, often by any means necessary. Along with all the other Icelanders in Nidaros, including our old friend Hallfred the Trouble-some Poet, Kjartan and Bolli are not allowed to leave the port until they turn their backs on the old faith and embrace Christ. Will Kjartan and Bolli resist the pressure to abandon Odin and Thor? Or will King Olaf charm them into accepting the new faith? And how does Gudrun feel about her new beau heading off to Norway for 3 years? There’s only one way to find out!
Thanks, as always, to Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator) for providing us with an original illustration for this episode of Laxdaela Saga.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode we go back to chapter 35 to pick up on the story of the Hebridean sorcerers. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to find out that they’re not exactly welcomed with open arms by the Icelanders. To be fair, this family of sorcerers are particularly bad.
As these illustrations by @skarphedin_illustrator suggest, it doesn’t turn out too well for them.
We also get a chance to check in with some old friends in Laxardal and put an end to a longstanding rivalry.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
It’s time to dive back into Laxdaela Saga! This time we’re going to wander away from Olaf Peacock and his family for just a little while. Why? Because it’s time to introduce Guðrún Ósvífsdóttir, one of the central figures of the saga! In this episode, we discuss Guðrún’s dreams, her troubled marriage, and some interesting … Continue reading Episode 36f – Laxdaela Saga (chapters 31-36)
While Andy’s away, John will play…a recording of his interview with Svanhildur Óskarsdóttirof the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavik. Join us for a discussion of Árni Magnússon’s status as the savior of saga literature and the work of the Institute still carrying on in his name. How important is Árni to Iceland? … Continue reading Saga Brief 25: Saga Manuscripts and the Árni Magnússon Institute (An Interview with Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir)
In this episode, Olaf Peacock takes center stage as Hoskuld’s life comes to a peaceful close. But don’t think Hoskuld shuffles off this mortal coil before getting one last jab in at his estranged brother Hrut. This episode features an impressive parade, a somewhat lackluster haunting, a trip to Norway, and funeral and wedding feasts. … Continue reading Episode 36e – Laxdaela Saga (chapters 24-31)
In this episode, little Olaf Peacock travels to Norway and then to Ireland on a journey to meet his grandfather Myrkjartan. But how will he pay for it? Traveling overseas in the 10th century isn’t cheap (it still isn’t). How will King Myrkjartan and the Irish welcome the Icelandic son of the long lost Melkorka? … Continue reading Episode 36d – Laxdaela Saga (chapters 20-24)
We’re back with the third installment of Laxdæla saga! In this lengthy episode, we meet a bunch of minor characters who play a role in the developing tensions in Laxárdalur (the Salmon River Valley). This surprisingly fun section starts with a little disagreement between two former friends over a stack of fish. That disagreement erupts … Continue reading Episode 36c – Laxdæla saga (chapters 14-19)
With the death of Aud the Deep-Minded and the marriage of her son Olaf Feilan at the end of last episode, you’d expect that we’d be following up on the trajectory of Olaf’s life in this one. Instead, we stick to the saga’s structure and dive into the life of Olaf’s nephew, Hoskuld, the son … Continue reading Episode 36b – Laxdæla Saga (chapters 7-13)
In this episode, John and Andy sit down with Robert Eggers and Sjón to chat about the stories behind their recently released saga-inspired film The Northman. That’s right, we’re talking to the director and co-writers of the biggest Viking film to be released since Kirk Douglas was a star! Stick around for the last 20-30 … Continue reading Saga Brief 24 – The Northman Interview with Robert Eggers and Sjón
Laxdæla saga holds a special place in the world of medieval Icelandic literature. Of all the Sagas of Icelanders, Laxdæla saga is second only to Njáls saga in the number of surviving manuscripts, suggesting an evergreen enthusiasm and interest in the saga from the time of its composition to the 21st century. While we don’t … Continue reading Episode 36a – Laxdaela Saga (chapters 1-7)
You voted for your favorites. Now it’s time to hear the results. We discuss your choices and then answer some listener questions. Check out the results for yourself on our Third Quarter Court Results page here. Here are the Rus sources we mentioned: The Russian Primary Chronicle The Place of the Rus in Medieval Europe … Continue reading Episode 35b – Third Quarter Court (Results)
Skál! It’s time for the second part of our Saga Brief series on Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas. We’ve already covered what they drank. Now it’s time to look into how they drank. In this episode, we discuss what they drank from and what they did while drinking. Of course, we can only scratch the surface here. There’s so much more to say.
Grab a glass of your favorite beverage and join us for another good time.
Music Credits
Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
Skál! It’s time for the second part of our Saga Brief series on Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas. We’ve already covered what they drank. Now it’s time to look into how they drank. In this episode, we discuss what they drank from and what they did while drinking. Of course, we can … Continue reading Saga Brief 23 – Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas (Part II – How They Drank)
After 5 action packed years, it’s time to meet once again at the Saga Thing Quarter Court. In this episode, we review the judgment winners and a few interesting facts about our journey through the last 10 sagas. Now it’s time for you to rank the sagas and vote. Visit our polls here (Third Quarter … Continue reading Episode 35a – The Third Quarter Court (Review)
After 5 action packed years, it’s time to meet once again at the Saga Thing Quarter Court. In this episode, we review the judgment winners and a few interesting facts about our journey through the last 10 sagas. Now it’s time for you to rank the sagas and vote.
Visit our polls here (Third Quarter Court in our Past Judgments Tab) and make your choices as you listen or after you’ve heard it all.
The polls are open until March 15th (The Ides of March!)
Pick your favorite moment of Best Bloodshed, the best Nickname, and the memorable Notable Witticism. You can also vote on which of our Outlawry candidates is worse than all the others. Most important, you get to choose which group of Thingmen you find most impressive according to whatever categories you think best. John’s got a lot of impressive bruisers this time around, led by none other than Egil Skallagrimsson, and Andy’s stocked his hall with the most loyal and capable men, women, trolls, and dogs he could find. Finally, you have the opportunity to share your opinions of our Final Ratings by ranking the top 3 sagas of the Third Quarter (or you can rank all 10). Among the sagas you’ll have to choose from are:
The Saga of Ref the Sly (Króka-Refs saga) – March 2018
The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Kjalnesinga saga) – June-July 2018
The Saga of the People of Floi (Flóamanna saga) – September-December 2018
The “Saga” of Ale-Hood (Ölkofra saga/þáttr) – January 2019
The Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson (Egils saga Skallagrímssonar) – February 2019-March 2020
The Saga of Hord and the Holm-Dwellers (Harðar saga ok Hólmverja) – May-August 2020
The Saga of Bard the God of Snowfell (Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss) – September-November 2020
The Saga of Thord Menace (Þórðar saga hreðu) – January-April 2021
The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (Fóstbrœðra saga) – June-November 2021
The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup (Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls) – January-February 2022
It’s been a lot of fun working our way through the first 30 Sagas of Icelanders. We’ve only got 10 left! And since we’re starting with Laxdæla saga, it could be another 5-10 years before we call the Fourth and final Quarter Court. Whatever happens, we know we’ll have a great time doing it. We’re glad you’re sharing this journey with us!
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this long overdue Saga Brief, we discuss drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas of Icelanders. This first part looks at what they were drinking and how it was perceived culturally. In the second part, coming soon, we’ll look into the culture of drinking as we explore where and how they drank.
Here is a short bibliography of the texts and studies referred to, either directly or indirectly, in this episode:
Etting, Vivian. The Story of the Drinking Horn: Drinking Culture in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. Publications of the National Museum of Denmark v.21, 2013.
Dineley, Graham, and Merryn Dineley. “Where Were the Viking Brew Houses?” EXARC 2013/2 (2013). https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10117
Hallgerður Gisladottir, ‘The Use of Whey in Icelandic Households’, in Milk and Milk Products from Medieval to Modern Times: Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Ethnological Food Research, Ireland. J992, ed. Patricia Lysaght (Canongate Academic, 1994), pp. 123-29.
Mark, Joshua J. “Norse Alcohol and the Mead of Poetry.” World History Encyclopedia. Published January 7, 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1307/norse-alcohol–the-mead-of-poetry/ .
Riseley, Charles. Ceremonial Drinking in the Viking Age. MA Thesis. University of Oslo, 2014.
Rodriguez, Jesús Fernando Guerrero. Old Norse Drinking Culture. PhD Dissertation. University of York, 2007.
Rood, Joshua. Drinking with Óðinn: Alcohol and Religion in Heathen Scandinavia. Háskoli Íslands, 2014.
Vuorisalo, Timo, et al. “High Lactose Tolerance in North Europeans: A Result of Migration, not In Situ Milk Consumption.” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 55:2 (2012), 163-174.
Winroth, Anders. The Age of the Vikings. Princeton UP, 2016.
Music Credits
Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Poetry music – Midnight Tale by Kevin MacLeod
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
In this long overdue Saga Brief, we discuss drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas of Icelanders. This first part looks at what they were drinking and how it was perceived culturally. In the second part, coming soon, we’ll look into the culture of drinking as we explore where and how they drank. Here … Continue reading Saga Brief 22: Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas of Icelanders (Part I: What Were They Drinking?)
It’s time to put The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup on trial! And as much fun as it is to say Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls, it’s not one of medieval Iceland’s better literary artifacts. We finally get to say what we’ve been thinking in our Final Ratings. But that’s not all! Listen in and … Continue reading Episode 34c – The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup (Judgments)
It’s time to put The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup on trial! And as much fun as it is to say Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls, it’s not one of medieval Iceland’s better literary artifacts. We finally get to say what we’ve been thinking in our Final Ratings. But that’s not all! Listen in and find out who wins Best Bloodshed, Notable Witticisms, and a hotly contested Nicknames. Speaking of hotly contested, you won’t want to miss a rare Saga Thing argument that develops over who is most deserving of Outlawry. Never fear, it all ends happily when John and Andy both get the Thingmen they were hoping for.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about the Body Count. This time around we get some help from a listener in rounding out the body count. We also wrestle once again with the blámaðr and the all important question of whether trolls should be included in the body count.
This is the last saga before our third quarter court. It’s been a long time coming.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
When last we left you, Gunnar had just killed a troll woman and a seemingly intelligent bear in an unknown frozen land (check out Jacob’s great illustration of this and more of his work on his Instagram page). The troll woman’s sister seemed kind enough and even warned Gunnar that there were more trolls about. In this episode, we find out how Gunnar does against a family of trolls and what kind of impression he makes on Fala’s father. From there, we’ll follow Gunnar to the court of Hákon Sigurðarson, the Jarl of Lade (Hlaðir). We’ve met Hákon before in the Saga of Finnbogi the Mighty. Things go pretty much the same for Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup as they did for Finnbogi. Whether he survives the encounter or not, this saga’s coming to a close pretty quickly. Listen and find out if Gunnar can impress the jarl with his wrestling skills or if he succumbs to the jarl’s ill-temper. This is a strange but fun one.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
When last we left you, Gunnar had just killed a troll woman and a seemingly intelligent bear in an unknown frozen land (check out Jacob’s great illustration of this and more of his work on his Instagram page). The troll woman’s sister seemed kind enough and even warned Gunnar that there were more trolls about. … Continue reading Episode 34b – The Saga of Gunnar of Keldugnup (chapters 6-11)
In this episode, we dive way down deep into the bag of Sagas of Icelanders to pull out a story that is rarely discussed or even read by experts much less casual fans of medieval Icelandic literature. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad saga, even if it’s a little rough around the narrative edges. This one’s got a lot of the fan favorites, including wrestling, surprise killings, a secret love affair, storms at sea, trolls, and a bear who understands Old Norse! Join us as we begin our journey through The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup (Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls).
As you can see from the illustration by Jacob Foust (aka skarphedin_illustrator), Gunnar is a real charmer!
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, we dive way down deep into the bag of Sagas of Icelanders to pull out a story that is rarely discussed or even read by experts much less casual fans of medieval Icelandic literature. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad saga, even if it’s a little rough around the narrative edges. This … Continue reading Episode 34a – The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup (chapters 1-5)
In this special Christmas episode of Saga Thing, John and Andy share a curious discovery from a very old journal. Few people know this, but ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (aka A Visit from St Nicholas) by Clement C. Moore was originally inspired by a famous Viking saga about a grumpy outlaw tangling with a … Continue reading ’Twas the Night Before Christmas – A Visit from Glam
In this special Christmas episode of Saga Thing, John and Andy share a curious discovery from a very old journal. Few people know this, but ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (aka A Visit from St Nicholas) by Clement C. Moore was originally inspired by a famous Viking saga about a grumpy outlaw tangling with a supernatural monster. We discuss this exciting revelation and share the story in an effort to brighten your holiday season. Enjoy!
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod (now with sleigh bells)
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – Sleðaferð by Skapti Ólafsson
If you thought we were done with The Saga of the Sworn Brothers, you were mostly correct. In this episode, we fill in a few gaps in the story of what happened around Thorgeir Havarsson’s death. We start with Thormod’s þáttr, a tale about Thormod’s visit to the court of King Cnut and his first meeting with his future BFF, King Olaf of Norway. We follow that up with Thorarin the Overbearing’s þáttr, which tells of Thorarin’s activities following his ambush on Thorgeir.
Along the way, we talk about the messy manuscript traditions associated with each tale, the characterization of King Cnut in the tales and sagas of Icelanders, the wonders of quantum cake, and our vague memories of George Burns’ Oh, God! trilogy. We conclude the episode with a bit of fan fiction as we speculate on how the fragmentary tale of Thorarin the Overbearing might end and how it could tie into what we know from Fóstbrœðra saga.
Thanks to Jacob Foust for another great original illustration inspired by the stories of medieval Iceland. Follow him on Instagram where he’s @skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits:
Intro: from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music: “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Outro: From “Óðinn” by Krauka
The time has come to put Fóstbrœðra saga (The Saga of the Sworn Brothers) on trial. In this episode, we review the whole saga as we run through our favorite judgment categories: Best Bloodshed, Body Count, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, Thingmen, and Final Ratings. Making this even harder than usual is the fact that Fóstbrœðra saga featured some pretty fantastic examples of the combined Bloodshed/Witticism (bloodicism? wittished?). And as tough as those categories are this time around, we’ve got an even bigger problem when it comes to Outlawry and Thingmen. Will both Thorgeir and Thormod make it through the Outlawry section and be chosen as thingmen? Do John and Andy have a preference for one over the other? And will Fóstbrœðra saga rate as high as some of the greatest works of medieval Iceland? There’s only one way to find out!
Thanks as always to our buddy Jacob Foust for sharing his talents with us once again and producing a series of original illustrations for this saga. Check out more of his work on Instagram – @skarphedin_illustrator.
For those of you interested in digging into some of the sources that John mentioned on parasites in the Middle Ages or the story of how seals keep their testes cool, here you go:
Harvey, Katherine. “Medieval Parasites.” Aeon, 9 April 2019, https://aeon.co/essays/medieval-people-were-surprisingly-clean-apart-from-the-clergy
Rommel, Sentiel A., D. Ann Pabst, and William A McLellan. “Reproductive Thermoregulation in Marine Mammals.” American Scientist vol. 86, no. 5, 1998, pp. 440-448.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In the final episode of our epic journey through Fóstbrœðra saga (The Saga of the Sworn Brothers) Thormod wraps up his business in Greenland and heads back to Norway and the loving companionship of his new BFF King Olaf. Unfortunately for Thormod and Olaf, there’s another would-be king of Norway lurking out there with plans to seize the throne. Will Olaf and Thormod link arms and defeat the aggressor? Or will the loyal warrior-poet follow his king in death? There’s only one way to find out!
Stick around for the end of the episode where we answer a question from the Runesack and talk about our favorite translations of Beowulf.
Our illustration for this episode is Grima’s vision of doom for Thormod and his friends. How will he get out of this mess? Thanks to Jacob Foust, aka @skarphedin_illustrator on Instagram, for his work on this one.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music – “Teller of Tales” by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In the final episode of our epic journey through Fóstbrœðra saga (The Saga of the Sworn Brothers) Thormod wraps up his business in Greenland and heads back to Norway and the loving companionship of his new BFF King Olaf. Unfortunately for Thormod and Olaf, there’s another would-be king of Norway lurking out there with plans to seize the throne. Will Olaf and Thormod link arms and defeat the aggressor? Or will the loyal warrior-poet follow his king in death? There’s only one way to find out!
Stick around for the end of the episode where answer a question from the Runesack and talk about our favorite translations of Beowulf.
Here we see Grima’s vision of doom for Thormod and his friends. How will he get out of this one? Thanks to Jacob Foust, aka @skarphedin_illustrator on Instagram, for his work on this one.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music – “Teller of Tales” by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, Thormod Kolbrun’s-Poet sets out to avenge his sworn brother Thorgeir. But Thormod’s in no hurry. First, he stops in Norway to bond with King Olaf. Then he travels to Greenland with a mysterious man called Gest to track down Thorgrim the Troll, one of Thorgeir’s killers. Along the way, Thormod gets distracted by an attractive woman and things get a little messy. Eventually things get back on track and Thormod gets down to business in a most fantastic way.
This one may start a little slow but it finishes really strong with a dramatic fight on a cliff and one of the more hilarious poems we’ve seen since Egil’s Saga. You won’t want to miss it.
For the runesack, we share a comment about angelica (wild celery) and its role in the life of King Olaf Tryggvason (not the same King Olaf from The Saga of the Sworn Brothers). We also respond to a question from Sam about the recent film adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Thanks to @skarphedin_illustrator on Instagram for capturing the final scene of this episode so brilliantly for us. This one was a special request made right after recording and Jacob came through!
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music – “The Royal Vagabond Medley” by Jocker’s Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music –“Floki’s Last Journey” by Danheim
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
In this episode, Thorgeir heads home to Iceland against King Olaf’s advice. Despite being a known outlaw, things go pretty well for Thorgeir at first. His visit takes a turn for the worst when he encounters Gaut Sleituson up north. Their brief meeting triggers events that will change the course of their lives and the trajectory of the saga itself.
Before that though, we revisit a section of Grettir’s Saga we had previously skipped where Thorgeir and Thormod butt heads with Iceland’s most famous outlaw. We also discuss the physical characteristics of a courageous heart, investigate a few scenes from The Saga of the Volsungs and the Prose Edda, wonder about the jiggliness of a horse heart, chat about vin-berries in Vinland, and laugh at John’s attempts to ferment fruits and other garbage in his youth. As if that’s not enough, we pitch a saga-inspired idea for an Icelandic ultramarathon with an unforgettable name. We had a lot of fun recording this one. We hope you enjoy!
Thanks, as always, to Jacob Foust for sticking with us through the Saga of the Sworn Brothers and sharing his talents. Check out more of his work by visiting his Instagram page.
Oh, and if you make it to the end of the episode and want to know more about Patricia Gonsalves and her amazing Archery camp and classes, visit Lykopis Archery. You can listen to our interview with Patricia and Stephen Fox by revisiting Saga Brief 14: Medieval Archery.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Poetry Music – “Skjoldborg” by Danheim
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We’re diving back into chapters 7-13 of The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (better known as Fóstbræðra saga). This time, we’re featuring Thormod’s side of the story. Whereas Thorgeir spends his time hacking and slashing his way toward a bad reputation, Thormod is exploring his romantic side, making moves on several local ladies who catch his eye. Will Thormod settle down to a quiet life of marriage and farming? Or will he love ’em and leave ’em for further adventures with his sworn brother? There’s only one way to find out!
In addition to the normal saga discussion, we also chat about dried fish, warrior poets, and the finer points of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. If that’s not enough for you, we open up the runesack and answer a series of questions about medieval studies. We may not cover a lot of chapters here but it’s a full episode.
Thanks as always to Jacob Foust for a pair of great illustrations for this episode. Check out more of his work at instagram.com/skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license