Saga Thing

It's time to put the Saga of Bard the God of Snowfell on trial! Critics and saga enthusiasts are often divided on this one. Where will John and Andy rank Bard's Saga? Who will win Best Bloodshed? Why is Andy suddenly contributing to Nicknames? And which of the heroic figures in this saga will be honored with the title of Thingman? Listen and find out!
 
Thanks again to Bryan Foust, our guest illustrator for Bard's Saga. We look forward to working with him more in the future. You can find his work here: https://www.instagram.com/skarphedin_illustrator/
 
And, if you enjoy Saga Thing, we think you'll also enjoy The Maniculum Podcast, which we highlight at the end of this episode. It's available on your favorite podcast app.
 
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Snati the Wonder Dog Theme - Original composition by John (vocals) and Elsa (keyboard)
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 
 
 

Before we judge Bard's Saga, we take a short break to speak about this crazy story with our good friend Will Biel, a PhD candidate in Medieval Studies at the University of Connecticut. Will brings his expertise on Bard's Saga, medieval European romance literature, and Dungeons and Dragons to our table for a fascinating discussion. We think you'll enjoy this fun interview!

In the thrilling conclusion to Bard's Saga, Gest makes his way to the court of King Olaf Tryggvason in Norway. Despite the king's best efforts to convert his Icelandic guest, the son of Bard is reluctant to abandon the old gods. Gest's faith will be tested when he accepts a mission to break into the burial mound of an old Viking called Raknar in Greenland. Along the way, he'll encounter Odin, argue with a priest, battle against 500 undead oarsmen, and wrestle with Raknar himself. Does Gest have what it takes to defeat the devilish draugr? Will the old gods provide the strength he needs to claim the treasure? Or will Gest discover the true power of the Christian god? Find out on this exciting episode of Saga Thing!
Thanks again to Bryan Foust for illustrating Bard's Saga for us. Check out his work on Instagram where he is skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Ever wonder what happens when trolls, giants, and ogres get together for a party? Be our guest in this fun episode as we follow Bard's son Gest to a Yule feast hosted by a troll-woman and then to a wedding bash in the cave hall of Kolbjorn the ogre. Learn all about fun party games like "skin-throwing" and "joint-toss." And if that's not enough for you, we've also got missing sheep, a damsel in distress, a heroic dog, and a battle for the ages! All that and more in one episode of your favorite podcast about medieval Icelandic literature, Saga Thing!
Thanks again to Bryan Foust for his exciting illustrations for this saga. You can see more of his work on his Instragram page, where he is @skarphedin_illustrator. Click on the link and follow him!
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 

In this short episode, John and Andy got together for a drink and a chat to celebrate after Saga Thing reached the 1 million downloads milestone. Sure it took 7 years to get there. But we're still surprised that anybody's listening. Thanks for joining us on this journey.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, we begin our summary and discussion of the fantastical Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, The Saga of Bard the Snowfell God. This saga is set in the rugged and fantastic landscape of Snaefellsnes in West Iceland. Here you'll discover how trolls and giants migrated to Iceland alongside the humans. One of them, Bard Dumbsson, becomes a guardian spirit who wanders the land "in a grey cloak and hood with a belt of walrus-hide, carrying a two-pronged staff in his hand with a long spike for walking on the ice." We follow the saga of Bard and his family through multiple generations and quite a few calamities.
A special thanks to our guest illustrator, Jacob Foust, who will be working with us through Bard's Saga. You can find on Instagram as @skarphedin_illustrator. Jacob just recently started sharing his illustrations of the sagas and Norse myths. We find them absolutely delightful. Follow him on Instagram and let him know how much you love his work.
If you haven't seen it already on social media, here's Bard and giving his nephews a piece of his mind.
I'd put the bibliography John mentioned in right here if John had given me any. Alas, John left me hanging. Oh well.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poetry Music - "Plaint" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4224-plaintLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 
 

In this episode, John and Andy sit down (virtually) with Dana Dalicsek to talk about sailing in the Viking Age, life onboard a ship, and the methodologies of modern maritime archaeologists who dive deep beneath the ocean's surface to excavate and study the shipwrecks the Vikings left behind. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
Music Credits
Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós

It's time to put the Saga of Hord and the Holm-Dwellers on trial. As usual, we'll select winners in the following categories: Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, and Notable Witticisms. We'll also offer a Body Count for this surprisingly bloody saga. Plus there's Outlawry, Thingmen, and Final Ratings!
Does Hord have what it takes to make it into our group of Thingmen? Or has he pushed things too far and earned himself an official Saga Thing sentence of outlawry? There's only one way to find out!
 
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It's time for the thrilling conclusion to The Saga of Hord and the Holm-Dwellers. In this episode, Hord and his followers continue to raid the farms of Hvalfjord like a bunch of unruly Vikings. Things don't go as planned when they target the livestock of Indridi, husband of Hord's sister Thorbjorg. Things get heated as Hord attempts to set fire to his kinsman's home. And while those flames are soon extinguished, the embers of hostility soon flare up into a wildfire that threaten to consume Hord and his outlaw companions.
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Preview Music - "The Descent" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4490-the-descentLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poetry Music - "Vega" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 

 
 In this exciting and action packed episode, Hord returns to Iceland with a rich wife and an enhanced reputation. After he inherits land from his father, Grimkel, things seem to be looking good for Hord and his young family. But things take a turn for the worse when the gods turn their backs on him and Hord's luck quickly begins to run out. An incident with some horses and a very sharp sword send him into outlawry. But Hord won't be going into the wilderness alone. Find out who goes with him and how they set up a base of operations on the island now known as Geirsholm (featured in the photo I took from the shore near Bjarteyarsundur).
If you're interested in visiting the stomping grounds of Hord and his men, then I highly recommend you spend the night at Bjarteyarsundur farm. You can camp in the field or stay in one of their cottages for a very reasonable price. And you can't beat the views and hospitality.
For those of you who like to hike, then you'll want to experience the nearby Glymur Falls hike. Here's one of many amazing vistas you get to see on the way up to one of Iceland's tallest and most beautiful waterfalls (note Geirsholm in the distance).
Finally, if you make it all the way through the episode you will hear us talk about resources for studying Old Norse. I recently created a page on our blog site specifically for Old Norse Language Resources. Check it out!
Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-actionLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Preview Music - "The Descent" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4490-the-descentLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poetry Music - "Gungnir" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfrontLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/