Saga Thing

In this episode, we follow Thorolf Skallagrimsson to Norway with his newfound friend, Bjorn Brynjolfsson. While visiting Bjorn's father-in-law, Thorir the Hersir, they encounter a young Eirik Bloodaxe, heir to the throne of an aging King Harald Fairhair. Eirik and Thorolf soon become close friends and history appears poised to repeat itself. But there's something different about the future King Ei...

We finally made it! The fourth episode of Egil's Saga actually takes place in Iceland (for the most part)! After burying his father, Skallagrim quickly establishes himself in Borgarfjorð, distributing land to all and sundry. We also get to meet his sons, Thorolf and Egil. That's right, Egil is on the scene. And young Egil makes quite a splash, providing us with some impressive poetry and a few kil...

Those pesky Hildiridarsons are up to their same old tricks in this episode, causing further tension between King Harald Fairhair and the rapidly rising Thorolf Kveldulfsson. When King Harald learns that Thorolf has a large cargo ship laden with expensive English goods returning to Norway, he dispatches his most-trusted henchmen, Sigtrygg Travel-quick and Hallvard Travel-hard, to intercept and seiz...

Our journey through Egil's Saga continues with chapters 7-15. This time, we're following the meteoric rise of Thorolf Kveldulfsson. Against his father's better judgment, Thorolf makes his way to the court of King Harald soon-to-be Fairhair. It's no surprise to anyone when Thorolf distinguishes himself and becomes Harald's most trusted and successful follower. But like Icarus, Harald flies too clos...

  A few months ago we once again put the fate of Saga Thing in your hands. You had the option to choose our next saga, selecting between two of Iceland's greatest literary monuments and The Saga of the Foster-Brothers. The will of the people was made manifest and we got to work. You've been waiting patiently. Join us now for the first of many episodes on our listener selected saga of 2019, Egil's...

In this episode, Thorhall Ale-Hood burns down his woodlands making charcoal. Unfortunately for him, he also burns down the neighboring woods that belong to 6 of Iceland's most powerful chieftains. The woods aren't terribly important to them, but when Iceland's bully chieftains see a financial opportunity, they take it. This short saga tells the story of Ale-Hood's attempt to defend himself against...

At long last, it's time to put Flóamanna saga on trial. In this episode we debate the literary merits of Flóamanna saga, trying to determine if there are any at all. Along the way, we highlight the saga's best moments, including some gems from little Thorfinn. There's also some of the usual bickering over the quality of our thingman selections. This was a fun one to record, probably because we wer...

In this episode, we tackle the life of Ragnar’s fiercest and most complex son, Ivar the Boneless. We begin with an investigation into Ivar’s birth and enigmatic nickname. From there we trace the path of his illustrious military career. Our journey will take us from Denmark to Ireland, where Ivar conquers Dublin and goes head to head with the High King of Ireland, Mael Sechnaill. From Dublin, we’ll...

In this episode we rejoin Thorgils Scar-Leg’s Step-son on the icy shores of Greenland. Of the 35 men and women who traveled with him to Greenland, his only companions are his son Thorleif and a pair of helpful brothers, Kol and Starkað. And then there’s the child, Thorfinn, nourished by his father’s love and bloody breast milk. Together these castaways must battle the elements on land and sea to m...

Just in time for Halloween, John and Andy return for the second part of Flóamanna saga. When last we left you, our hero, Thorgils had battled two restless spirits. This time around, he's taking on berserks, madmen, and everyone's favorite hammer-wielding deity. As if that wasn't scary enough for you, Thorgils also contends with a shipwreck in Greenland, starvation, the walking dead, and a hungry b...

This is the saga of the hero Thorgils Scar-leg's Stepson. In this episode, you’ll encounter a number of Thorgils’ ancestors, starting with Atli the Slender, who was given charge of Sogn in Norway by Halfdan the Black. The story of Thorgil’s family is tied to this land and their claim of sovereignty over it despite the objections of several generations of Norwegian royalty. You’ll also meet Thorgil...

Greetings from Iceland! In this episode, John and Andy sit down in the lobby of the beautiful Fosshotel in Reykholt to chat about the conference and Andy's travels around Iceland.  Music Credits: Intro:  Corvus Corax - Bibit Aleum Outro:  Rick Wakeman - Journey to the Center of the Earth

In this special episode of Saga Briefs, our side project here at Saga Thing, John and Andy sit down with Patricia Gonsalves and Stephen Fox for a chat about archery in the Viking world. But the conversation isn't limited to medieval Scandinavia. Patricia and Stephen, both experts in archery and its history, have travelled the world learning everything they can about the subject. We take full advan...

In this special episode, we pick up right where Kjalnesinga saga left off. Bui Andridson is lying dead on the ground, his ribcage crushed from the wrestling match with his son. Ashamed of his dastardly deed, Jokul Buason flees Iceland. And while Kjalnesinga saga assures us that there are no other stories about Jokul, one grouping of manuscripts appends a fun þáttr (tale) about where Jokul went and...

It's time to put The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes on trial. Listen in as Andy and John bicker over the severity of Bui's crimes. Will Bui be outlawed or redeemed and welcomed into the thingman group of one of your esteemed hosts? Will John find enough nicknames in the bare cupboards of this saga to fill his usual 20 minute lecture? And will Andy talk himself into another high score for a saga t...

In this episode, John and Andy continue to follow the adventures of the increasingly unlikable Bui Andridsson. We begin with a much needed change of scenery as Bui flees Iceland. I turns out that some people still hold a grudge for Bui's slaying of Thorstein. In Norway, Bui meets with a somewhat hostile King Harald Fairhair and his foster-father, King Dofri. Oh, and he happens to be a giant who li...

As we have mentioned recently on social media, the great Matt Smith has agreed to join the Saga Thing team and provide us with an original drawing for each saga episode. We’re excited to be working with him. You’ll get a fuller appreciation of each image he creates for us by listening to the episode. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to hear that this image was inspired by one of the climaxes of t...

In this special episode of Saga Thing, John sits down with Cat Jarman , bio-archaeologist at University of Bristol, for a Saga Brief about the Viking burials near Wystan's church at Repton in Derbyshire. The graves, containing roughly 300 individuals, have long been associated with the Viking Great Army that wintered in Repton in AD 873-74. While radiocarbon dating should have confirmed that link...

Which of Ref's many killings will be awarded Best Bloodshed? Where are all the Notable Witticisms? Will our protagonist survive the outlawry section? And how does this saga rank against the greats? There's only one way to find out. Join us as we pass judgment on The Saga of Ref the Sly. Picture: adapted from MS Stowe 17, “The Maastricht Hours” Music Credits: Intro Music -  "Prelude and Action" by...

Saga Thing returns with the wild adventures of Ref the Sly. Follow us as we track this wily character as he travels all throughout medieval Scandinavia leaving piles of wood shavings and bodies in his wake.  Picture: Taken from Grayson del Faro's recap of Ref the Sly on the Reykjavik Grapevine Music Credits: Intro Music -  "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Summary Music - "In...

  John and Andy return from a short break to update listeners on all the stuff that's been happening, what we've got planned for the immediate future, and to kick off the Saga Thing listener promotion contest. Yes, that's right, we're asking our loyal listeners to help us promote the podcast by spreading the word through creative expression. Evan Quinlan got the ball rolling without even realizing...

Before we get back to the sagas of the Icelanders, we're pausing once again to provide you with some of the more interesting history and stories behind the History Channel's Vikings. We've got two lengthy Saga Briefs for you chock full of Vikings goodness ripped straight from the medieval sources that inform the show. We've already covered The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok, his death poem, Rollo and the...

  Dr. Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson is a researcher in the department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University in Sweden. You might recognize her name as the lead author of the recent article,  "A Female Viking Warrior Confirmed by Genomics, " which identified the famous Birka warrior of grave Bj 581 as a woman. It's no surprise that this revelation attracted a lot of attention fro...

 In this Saga Brief, John and Andy visit Seminole State College to talk about Thor in all his incarnations, from the Proto-Germanic god of thunder to the hammer throwing stud of the Marvel Comic Universe.  You can access the PowerPoint slides here:  Thor Presentation . Special thanks to Michael Mendoza for inviting us and organizing this event. We are also grateful to Aaron Hanlin and the Grindle...

   The Second Quarter of our Saga Thing comes to a close with the results episode. In this special episode, John and Andy review your choices for Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, Thingmen, and Final Ratings. Will Skarpheðin emerge as the poster boy for Saga Thing's Best Bloodshed and Notable Witticism categories?  What role might the Russians have played in the Thingmen vot...