Saga Thing

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 fro...

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 rev...

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 protecti...

As part of our 10th Anniversary extravaganza, we are launching what could become a new podcast: Hwæt a Movie! It's a movie review podcast focusing on films with a medieval (or medieval adjacent) setting. To get this little experiment off on the right foot, we are starting with a series on Beowulf movies. There are a lot of them and they aren't necessarily good representations of the poem. But that...

One episode wasn't enough to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. In this special bonus episode, you get double the podcast hosts! We're joined by our good friends Rob and Jamie from Totalus Rankium for another thrilling edition of How Well Do You Know Your Co-Host! Originally intended to be part of a single anniversary episode, we had so much fun that we had to break it off into its own special epi...

Join us as we celebrate our 10th Anniversary with some reminiscing, listener interaction, ridiculous bits, and a lot of laughs. There might even be a hilarious surprise guest appearance here as well. And if that's not enough for you, we've got two more bonus episodes to sate your appetite. As we say more than once in this episode, thank you for listening. Whether you've been listening for 10 years...

[Quick Note: This episode appears to be over 8 hours long. It's a cruel joke by the podbean upload. The actual length is just over 90 minutes. It will end where it's supposed to.] 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 t...

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 heroes of this episode are Olaf and his parents, Havard and Bjargey. The villains are Thor...

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 again without a scratch? Listen and find out! Warning: Andy goes a bit crazy with the maps and topogra...

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 engag...

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...

We were recently invited to speak at the University of Connecticut's Annual Medieval Studies/ECE Outreach Seminar on a variety of subjects related to the Viking Age. We prepared and recorded our morning presentation on Slavery in the Viking Age as a Saga Brief so that everyone in our listening audience could enjoy. It's a subject Andy's been thinking about a lot as we've been working our way throu...

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....

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...

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...

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 a...

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 cal...

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 Norwe...

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,...

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 wit...

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 scholarship on gender identity in the saga age. Music Credits Intro Music -...

While Andy's away, John will play...a recording of his interview with Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir of 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? Well, we found this picture of him: If that's not enough,...

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. If that's not enough for you, then you'll want to stay tuned to...

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? And what familiar figure from Saga Thing past pops in for a visit and a quick marriage...

We're back with the third installment of Laxdæla saga! In this 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 into a violent altercation that drags in the major power players of th...