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Discover what Vikings did when they were at home in this fun medieval history and literature podcast about the Icelandic sagas. Hosted by two medieval literature professors with beards.
Episodes
Saturday Dec 07, 2024
Saturday Dec 07, 2024
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 production constraints might be apparent, its dedication to the original text shines through. Making the film more charming and admirable is the fact that the production team and actors all worked for free on this passion project. All proceeds from the sale of the DVDs for Beowulf: Prince of the Geats went to aid both the American and Norwegian Cancer Societies. Get a sense of the film by watching the trailer here.
The film stars both Jayshan Jackson and Damon Lynch III as the younger and older Beowulf. Wegener’s decision to depict Beowulf as the son of an adventuring African fisherman offers some interesting possibilities and an approach to the character that we haven’t seen yet. It’s also one of the few film adaptations to follow Beowulf home to Geatland after his time in Denmark.
As always, our episode includes an exhaustive summary of the film, a Q&A discussion, and our final ratings. How do these versions of Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel’s Mother stack up against those we’ve seen before? And how does this quirky, low-budget film score on its fidelity to the source material and its overall entertainment value?
As the length of the episode might suggest, we’ve got a lot to say about this one. This was a delightful film to unpack, and we hope you enjoy hearing about it as much as we enjoyed discussing it.
If you’re interested in reading more about Wegener’s decision to cast black actors to play Beowulf and the responses it prompted, check out the following articles and discussions:
Clark, David. "Race/Ethnicity and the Other in Beowulf". In Beowulf in Contemporary Culture, edited by David Clark, 31-50. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019.
Nokes, Richard Scott. "Beowulf: Prince of the Geats, Nazis, and Odinists". Old English Newsletter. 41, no. 3 (2008): 26–32.
Listen to our overview, watch the trailer (or find the film if you can), and let us know what you think on our social media:
Or join others like you on Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
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 tales and sagas in the court of an older King Harald. But how will the notoriously grumpy king react when the Icelander begins telling the saga of Harald's own adventures as a member of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople? And where might an Icelander who's never met King Harald have learned so many detailed stories about the king's life?
But that little þáttr is just an appetizer. The real meal here is The First Tale of Halldór Snorrason [Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar]. Set during the early years of King Harald's reign in Norway, this tale shows what happens when Halldór steps in to defend an Icelander from Harald's wrath. Then things get real messy when Halldór has a run in with a kinsman of the powerful chieftain Einar Paunch-Shaker [þambarskelfir]. It's a real "out of the frying pan and into the fire" kind of story for Halldór in this one. How will Halldór manage to get out of this mess?
Along the way, we talk about the life of Halldór and some of his more noteworthy descendants. We also spend some time discussing his place in the various sagas of King Harald Sigurdsson. If you want to read the infamous Snorri Sturluson's version, which includes several episodes featuring his great-great-great-grandfather Halldór Snorrason, you'll want to pick up a copy of the Heimskringla or the stand-alone Penguin edition King Harald's Saga.
We'll be back soon with The Second Tale of Halldór Snorrason where his relationship with King Harald is once again tested.
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord
Music Credits
Intro Music - from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music - "Morgana Rides " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Wednesday Oct 23, 2024
Wednesday Oct 23, 2024
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 left off with a more nuanced and sympathetic approach to this epic medieval monster, you’d be wrong. Grendel gives us the more violent and aggressive side of this famous shadow-walker.
Chris Bruno stars as Beowulf in this Nick Lyon directed film adaptation of our favorite Old English poem. As you’ll see, no one can spin a tale of exposition or spin round and round in combat this Beowulf. With Ben Cross as King Hrothgar and Marina Sirtis as his queen, Onela—wait, Queen Onela? If you know your Beowulf, or your Swedish history, then you may have spotted a problem here. But hey, the film also features a crossbow that shoots magic exploding arrows. Realism and textual fidelity isn’t what makes this movie fun!
Each episode of Hwaet a Movie includes an exhaustive summary and discussion of the film, a brief Q&A, and then our final ratings categories for the film's take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel's mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its entertainment value.
This one was a real pleasure to discuss. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Once you've listened, reach out and let us know how we did. Was this the perfect Beowulf? Or is there still room for improvement? Have you seen Grendel? Share your thoughts on our social media:
Or join others like you on Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord
All music taken from the film for this episode is by Nathan Furst.
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
Tuesday Oct 01, 2024
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 Saga perform when all is said and done? Does it have what it takes to compete with the greats of Saga Thing past? There's only one way to find out!
While you're waiting for the next episode of Saga Thing, check out The Partially Examined Life.
Did we get things right? How would you have judged Valla-Ljot's Saga? Who would you have chosen for thingman? Share your thoughts on our social media:
Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
Tuesday Sep 03, 2024
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 Powerful can bring peace to the Tumultuous Valley. But men on both sides are looking for an excuse to shatter the peace once more.
What happens when Halli’s younger brother and son return from overseas to find out what’s been happening in their absence? Why is Thorvard’s foster-brother Sigmund skiing all over the valley in a snowstorm and disturbing everyone’s sleep? Can Havarð the Norwegian companion survive among all these pugnacious Icelanders? And why is Ljöt hiding a golden spear from his own family?
Join us for the conclusion to Valla-Ljöts saga!
Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:
Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/