Saga Thing

In the third part of Njal's Saga, we find Gunnar suffering an identity crisis after being pulled into a series of feuds.  As Njal tells him, this is the beginning of Gunnar's career in killing.  In addition to a lot of fighting, this episode also features a discussion of saga-age masculinity, cheese theft, horse fighting, and famine survival.  Yes, that's right.  I said cheese theft.  Listen and learn, people.  Listen and learn.  Click here if you're interested in any of the bibliography we mention. Get in touch with us if you'd like to get involved in the bibliography and resource building for this or any other saga. If you're an academic type who wants to write about women in the sagas for our panel "The Second Sex: Women and Power in Old Norse-Icelandic Literature" at the Medieval Congress at Western Michigan University, submit an abstract and paper proposal form to sagathingpodcast@gmail.com Music Credits Intro Music Prelude and Action by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Previous Episode Review Duke Ellington Orchestra - "Jubilee Stomp" Episode Summary Wardruna - Solringen Outro Music Stormfront by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In this episode, we introduce Gunnar Hamundarson and his wise friend Njal Thorgeirsson.  We'll follow Gunnar on a few adventures before he settles down with the lovely, but dangerous Hallgerd Hoskuldsdottir.  If you thought Hallgerd was harsh in Part 1 of our summer saga, just wait until you see what she's up to this time around.  Will the friendship of Njal and Gunnar survive the escalating violence spurred on by their wives, or will they be consumed by it and destroyed?  There's only one way to find out.   For anyone who's interested, we've put together a select bibliography for Njal's Saga.  We have mentioned a few of these, but there's plenty more here for your perusal. Obviously, you'll need a good library to access most of these. Music Credits: Intro Music Prelude and Action by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Previous Episode Review Iron Horse by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Episode Summary Voces Thules - Varizk ér Ok Varizk ér Outro Music Stormfront by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In this first part of our epic summer saga, we introduce Njal's Saga and the initial section where marriage, gender roles, and female independence are the central themes.  We begin with the story of Hrut Herjolfsson, who leaves his bride-to-be in Iceland to fetch an inheritance in Norway.  Along the way, the handsome young Hrut finds himself more involved in the royal family than is proper.  Scandal!  After getting ensnared in the web of the Norwegian queen mother, Gunnhild, Hrut will bring home a curse that will set the whole action of Njal's Saga into motion.  We also meet Hrut's lovely and dynamic niece, Hallgerd Hoskuldsdottir, a fiercely independent woman who will play a significant role in the development of this saga. When we first meet her, we learn that she has the eyes of a thief, which never bodes well.  This episode covers Hallgerd's first two marriages, both of which involve domestic violence followed by a visit from Hallgerd's vengeful foster-father Thjostolf.  Hallgerd may be beautiful, cunning, and seductive, but she's hardly the passive female of most medieval literature.  We look forward to spending some time with her this summer and hearing how you all feel about her character.   Don't forget to check out our blog for links to the scholarship we discuss in this episode.  

In this fun-filled episode, John and Andy offer their judgments on The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta.  Listen and learn how a leather thong can really improve your spear-throwing distance.  It’s true.  You’ll also learn about the wonders of hearth bread with butter and be introduced to the BCDM, our newest method for calculating a saga’s body count.  It’s an action packed episode with plenty of laughs and some good discussion of history and literature.  Those of you who prefer a steady flow of action and laughs will have to forgive us for our scholarly tangents, but those with a genuine interest in saga literature will get what they came here for. For those interested in the ankyle, we recommend the following: “Throwing the Greek Dory: How Effective is the Attached Ankyle at Increasing the Distance of the Throw” There are a number of videos featuring the use of the ankyle/amentum.  We’ve selected the following two as the most reasonable illustrations of the tool. Ankyle for distance Slo-mo ankyle As promised, I’m including the recipe for hearth bread that John mentions in Notable Witticism: Thorgeir Butter-Ring’s Bread Ingredients 3 cups whole wheat or rye flour 2 cups white or all-purpose flour 3/4 cup steel-cut or rolled oats 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 2 cups water   Items Needed Baking Stone Large Bowl Wooden Spoon Oven (I mean, go ahead and hearth-bake the bread if you want to be a stickler for accuracy).   Instructions Mix together both kinds of flour, the oats, the salt, and the baking soda in a large bowl. Gradually add water while stirring with a wooden spoon until it is stiff and difficult to stir further. NOTE: do not use an automatic mixer for this step. Seriously, how many 10th century Icelanders do you think had a KitchenAid? On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough (you may want to wet or flour your hands for this step). Stop when dough is malleable and thoroughly integrated. Form the dough into a round or oval shape on a baking stone and plac

Come to Mývatn, where the scenery stuns, the flies bite, and swords sting! In this episode, we welcome Killer-Skúta back to Iceland.  Not bound by the conditions of the settlement established by Áskel on his deathbed, Skúta is free to wreak vengeance upon those who dishonored his family.  He’ll also have to contend with the various families in the region who don’t take so kindly to his handling of their kin folk. And that’s the story, more or less.  Killer-Skúta certainly earns his nickname in this one.  Along the way, you’ll also learn the worst way to die in Mývatn.  It's really unpleasant.  Enjoy!

In this episode, we travel to the northern districts of Thingey and Eyjafjord where the Askel the goði spends most of his time working out settlements to save the skin of his nephews.  You won't meet a more saintly Icelander than the wise Askel goði, but you might question his loyalty to Vemund Fjorleifarson.  But, as Vemund's uncle, poor Askel is caught between a rock and a hard place.  Will his support of Vemund cost Askel the ultimate price in the end, or will he make an honest man of his wayward nephew?  Find out as Saga Thing takes on the first half of The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta. Note: In the introduction, we mention the excellent blog The Saga-Steads of Iceland.  You can visit Emily Lethbridge's post on Reykjadal here.

It's time to put The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong on trial.  Join us as we review the saga's more violent moments, count up the dead, and shed some light on a few nicknames.  Who will be outlawed? Who will be chosen as thingman?  Will Andy and John agree on the quality of the saga? You'll learn all this and more in the Final Judgments.

Join us for the thrilling conclusion of The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong.  In the first part of this episode, we discuss Finnbogi's evolving relationship with the Norwegian Earl Haakon, his trip to Constantinople, and his pursuit of Alf's daughter Ragnhild.  Yes, Finnbogi's got his eye on the daughter of the man he killed on the way to Haakon's court.  The second part of this episode takes us back to Iceland, where Finnbogi finds that fame isn't all its cracked up to be.  With rivals emerging everywhere he goes, Finnbogi is forced to move from district to district in search of peace.  That turns out to be a real challenge after he crosses a powerful lunatic like Jokul Ingimundarson, who you might remember from the second part of our episode on Vatnsdæla saga.  There are many many feuds and fights in this part of the story.  We do our best to cover the ones that really matter.  We hope you enjoy this final part of our summary of The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong.  It was a lot of fun for us, which is why this episode ended up so long. Incidentally, since Finnbogi does make his way down to Constantinople and we often find ourselves in Byzantium, our listeners might be interested in The History of Byzantium podcast.  He hasn't covered Emperor John yet, but he's getting closer to the period of the Varangian Guard.  We're looking forward to that.  In the meantime, check out his special episode on the city of Constantinople.  It covers the founding of the city, it's geographical significance, and the daily life of its people.  Great stuff!

In this episode, we celebrate the life and accomplishments of the historical Rollo.  Known to many as the envious brother of the incomparable Ragnar Loðbrok in the History Channel’s Vikings.  While the historical Rollo may not have been Ragnar’s brother, Vikings gets a lot of things right.  As an exile from his homeland, Rollo earned the nickname “the Walker” by wandering throughout northern Europe raiding and conquering everything in his path.  Among his most significant conquests would come to be known as Normandy, a territory in northern France named for the Northmen led by Rollo in the late 9th or early 10th century.  Fearing further Viking aggression, the French King Charles the Simple turned over the city of Rouen over to Rollo and his men.  This simple act (get it?) provided the French with a buffer against future Viking attacks from the north.  Or so they hoped.  In this case, it worked out nicely.  Rollo and his fellow Vikings quickly rebuilt the territories they had ravaged and assimilated into French culture.  Rollo’s descendants would go on to play a very significant role in European history.  As the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror, Rollo’s blood flows through many veins of later European royalty.  If you’re interested in learning more about that part of the story, we recommend the following episodes of Rex Factor, our very favorite podcast:   http://rexfactor.podbean.com/e/17-william-the-conqueror/   http://rexfactor.podbean.com/e/18-william-rufus/Looking for more Vikings and Saga Thing cross-over?  We've got a few episodes that might interest you: The Saga of Ragnar Loðbrok and His Sons - where we review the medieval stories behind the Vikings hero. The Blood Eagle - where we discuss the Viking practice of splitting a man open and its historical veracity. The Krákumál - a detailed look at the famous death song of Ragnar

The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong tells the tale of a farmer’s son who overcomes an ignoble birth and rises to become one of Iceland's greatest men, or so the saga author would have you believe.  This obscure and rarely discussed 14th century saga is thought to have been written in response to Vatnsdæla Saga, where Finnbogi comes off rather poorly.  In his own saga, Finnbogi proves to be an upright and noble figure who almost always does the right thing.  With superhuman strength, he’s capable of dispatching an angry bull with his bare hands, snapping the spine of an angry Norwegian bear, and coming out ahead in a seemingly endless feud with Vatnsdæla Saga’s brutish Jokul Ingimundarsson.   Finnbogi’s Saga deserves more attention than it has gotten in the past.  And that's why you come to Saga Thing.    References:John Kennedy, Review of Bachman/Erlingsson Translation of The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong, in Scandinavian Studies 64 (1992), 149.Phillip Pulsiano and Kirsten Wolf, Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia (1993), 194.Paul Schach, Icelandic Sagas (Boston, 1980), 155-56.Music for the brief summary: "Nerves" by Kevin MacLeod (incopetech.com).  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

The Saga of the Greenlanders might be the shortest saga John and Andy have tackled, but that doesn't mean they don't have a lot to say about it.  In this episode, your stalwart hosts run through the usual categories and discuss the motivations behind Freydis' attack on Helgi and Finnbogi, debate the quality of Thorfinn Karlsefni's character, review some competing theories on Norse settlements in the North America, and share some recent scholarship that challenges our understanding of the conditions the Vikings dealt with in Greenland. There's a fair amount of nonsense as well.  Join us as we conclude our trip through the Vinland sagas. 

In this episode, John interviews Loretta Decker of L'Anse aux Meadows.  They discuss the archaeology of the site, the challenges of reconstructing Viking turf houses, and the value of the Vinland sagas for filling in the gaps.

Once again, the New World beckons.  In this episode, we travel with the children of Eirik the Red to Vinland.  Yes, every single one of Eirik's children make their own expedition to North America in search of fame and fortune.  This saga covers each of them.  Leif Eiriksson is the first of his siblings to make the trip, but he's not the first Viking to spot land in the New World.  According to this saga, that honor goes to Bjarni Herjolfsson (if you call it an honor, since he's later made fun of for not disembarking and checking things out).  Where's that spirit of adventure, Bjarni? That said, Bjarni may be wiser than we think, given how the journey turns out for most of the Viking explorers of Vinland.  Find out what happens when the Vikings meet the skraelings in the New World as Saga Thing takes on The Saga of the Greenlanders.If all of this sounds familiar, that's because we already traveled to Vinland and discovered America way back in episode 4 when Saga Thing covered The Saga of Eirik the Red.  You'd be wise to refresh your memory by listening to that one again, since The Saga of the Greenlanders is best enjoyed as a companion to The Saga of Eirik the Red.  You may also be interested in our supplementary post from that episode about Norsemen in the New World.    This episode also features Andy's most ridiculous brief summary.  He apologizes in advance.  He was no doubt tired and pressed for time.

At long last, it is time to put Grettir's Saga on trial.  Does the fight atop a whale carcass have enough appeal to win Best Bloodshed?  Will Grettir's Saga break the Body Count record currently held by Eyrbyggja Saga?  Will Andy and John outlaw Grettir or take him on as thingman?  Does Andy finally decide whether Grettir's Saga is better or worse than Gisli's Saga?  And will John ever stop talking about Nicknames?  This saga is full of memorable moments, witticisms, and wonders, which is why this judgment section ended up being so long.  But don't worry, there's plenty to laugh about and plenty to learn here.  We hope you enjoy this conclusion to Grettir's Saga as much as we enjoyed making it.  The journey's been long, but well worth the time spent.  We'll get to the Saga Brief about Grettir and Beowulf sometime soon.  For now, we need a break from this saga.  It's on to the Saga of the Greenlanders next and then Finnbogi the Mighty.  Until then!

In the thrilling conclusion to Grettir’s Saga, we follow the slender armed Thorstein Dromund on his quest to avenge his brother.  Thorstein’s adventures carry him from the shores of Norway to the bustling city of Constantinople, where the exiled King Harald Hardrada leads a rag tag bunch of Scandinavians called the Varangian Guard.  And if you thought the Grettir’s Saga author would pass up the chance to throw in another giant of saga literature, you were sorely mistaken.  Sadly, Harald is only featured in a cameo.  The real story of the Grettir’s Saga epilogue is the love affair of Thorstein and Spes.  Often referred to as the Spésar þáttr (The Tale of Spes “Hope”), the epilogue contrasts the epic ethos of the saga world with the more playful spirit of the continental romances.  If you have ever encountered the famous story of Tristan and Isolde, where the two lovers consistently outwit Isolde’s bumbling husband, King Mark, you’ll feel right at home in the Spésar þáttr.  Join us as we review this deceptively simple epilogue and discuss its potential value for understanding the rest of Grettir’s Saga. Along the way, we make reference to a few items of interest.  First among these are the blog sites featuring Drangey Island.  There are some pretty impressive pictures on these blogs and stories about Drangey: 1.      http://stuckiniceland.com/north/the-outlaws-paradise/ 2.      http://fooface.blogspot.com/2006/07/epic-climb.html And if you want to take our advice and visit Drangey for yourself, tours are available here: http://www.drangey.net/ Interested in the Brother Robert's 13th century Saga of Tristram and Isond