Saga Thing

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...

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 trou...

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 þátt...

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 ser...

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....

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 Barr...

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 product...

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 t...

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 le...

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 Sa...

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 Powerf...

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 Svarfd...

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...

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...

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 soci...

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 a...

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 i...

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. Join in on the conversation here: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sa...

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...

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 l...

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 n...

We return to the tale of Thorstein as 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 brav...

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 comp...

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 tr...

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 Th...