Saga Thing

This episode of Saga Thing is all about revenge. We conclude the Gunnar section of Njal’s Saga with a look into the aftermath of our hero’s death, the vengeance he demands, and the fate of his brother, Kolskeggi.  If Njal wants to avenge his friend and secure his position in the region, he'll have to act fast.  Fortunately, he's got his son, Skarphedin, and Gunnar's son, Hogni, as willing swords. ...

Gunnar has been told that he will live to be anold man if he can avoid killing two men from the same bloodline and if he neverbreaks a settlement.  Achieving this is easier said than done,especially since Gunnar’s personal body count increases every time a challengerappears.  In this episode, Gunnar’spatience will be tested as Morð Valgardsson, Thorgeir Starkaðarson, andThorgeir Otkelsson plot to...

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 l...

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 viole...

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.  Scand...

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 episod...

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...

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...

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...

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 Europ...

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...

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 t...

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 thi...

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 talkin...

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 ch...

The Saga of Grettir the Strong continues.  In this episode, Grettir arrives home in Iceland only to discover that his father has passed away, his brother has been slain by Thorbjorn Oxen-might, and that he himself has been outlawed for the accidental burning of Thorir of Gard's sons in Norway.  That's a lot to take in all at once.  As an outlaw, Grettir is forced to lurk in the wilds, hide in cave...

In this episode we follow Grettir through three of his most famous battles against an undead Kar the Old, a giant Norwegian bear, and Iceland's most famous draugr, Glam.  We also catch Grettir stumbling in a clumsy fight for fire that will eventually seal his fate as an outlaw forever.  This one runs a little longer than the average episode of Saga Thing, but with so much excellent material to cov...

The results are in and your votes have been tallied.  Listen to the Quarter Court Results show to find out how your favorite candidates did.  John and Andy also take time to answer your questions about podcasting, sagas, and which character they each resemble most.  We'll provide links to some of the websites and other podcasts we mention on our own webpage  www.sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com   As...

In this epic multi-part episode, we tell the story of Iceland’s most famous and longest surviving outlaw, Grettir Asmundarson.  Join us as we trace his life, from its tempestuous beginning to its tragic end.  Before we delve into his amazing exploits as an adult, we must look back to his origins. In traditional saga fashion, we begin with his great grandfather, Onund Treefoot.  We follow Onund’s e...

Join us as we gather at the Saga Thing law rock for a Quarter Court to review the judgments for the first 10 sagas of the podcast (Hrafnkel through Bjorn Champion of the Hitardal People).  After reviewing the greatest hits from each category, we turn it over to you, our loyal thingmen, to judge the winners.  Cast your vote for Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, and Thingmen b...

It’s time to put Vatnsdæla Saga on trial.  We've got plenty of bloodshed, a decent pile of bodies to count, too many nicknames for one episode, and much much more.  This saga also boasts the largest number of potential outlaws we've seen, which raises the question: Will Hrolleif's crimes continue to go unpunished?  John and Andy sift through all the villains and heroes for you.  But with so many e...

Join us for the second half of the epic tale of the Vatnsdal chieftains and their family over six generations. In this episode, we clumsily attempt to trace the final three generations of this remarkable family.  We’ve crammed a lot into this episode and we barely scratch the surface.  We pick up the story with the seven children of Ingimund Thorsteinsson (led by the bickering brothers Thorstein a...

The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal tells the story of one family over 5 generations (though John will insist on counting 6).  We begin with Ketil the Large challenging his son, Thorstein, to find out what's lurking in the woods and killing everybody.  Thorstein turns out to be a very lucky fellow who is soon married to the daughter of a famous earl in Gotland.  Thorstein's son, Ingimund, is the ce...