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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
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
In the final episode of our epic journey through Fóstbrœðra saga (The Saga of the Sworn Brothers) Thormod wraps up his business in Greenland and heads back to Norway and the loving companionship of his new BFF King Olaf. Unfortunately for Thormod and Olaf, there's another would-be king of Norway lurking out there with plans to seize the throne. Will Olaf and Thormod link arms and defeat the aggressor? Or will the loyal warrior-poet follow his king in death? There's only one way to find out!
Stick around for the end of the episode where answer a question from the Runesack and talk about our favorite translations of Beowulf.
Here we see Grima's vision of doom for Thormod and his friends. How will he get out of this one? Thanks to Jacob Foust, aka @skarphedin_illustrator on Instagram, for his work on this one.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music - “Teller of Tales” by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
In this episode, Thormod Kolbrun's-Poet sets out to avenge his sworn brother Thorgeir. But Thormod's in no hurry. First, he stops in Norway to bond with King Olaf. Then he travels to Greenland with a mysterious man called Gest to track down Thorgrim the Troll, one of Thorgeir's killers. Along the way, Thormod gets distracted by an attractive woman and things get a little messy. Eventually things get back on track and Thormod gets down to business in a most fantastic way.
This one may start a little slow but it finishes really strong with a dramatic fight on a cliff and one of the more hilarious poems we've seen since Egil's Saga. You won't want to miss it.
For the runesack, we share a comment about angelica (wild celery) and its role in the life of King Olaf Tryggvason (not the same King Olaf from The Saga of the Sworn Brothers). We also respond to a question from Sam about the recent film adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Thanks to @skarphedin_illustrator on Instagram for capturing the final scene of this episode so brilliantly for us. This one was a special request made right after recording and Jacob came through!
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Poetry Music - "Floki's Last Journey" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
Sunday Sep 05, 2021
In this episode, Thorgeir heads home to Iceland against King Olaf's advice. Despite being a known outlaw, things go pretty well for Thorgeir at first. His visit takes a turn for the worst when he encounters Gaut Sleituson up north. Their brief meeting triggers events that will change the course of their lives and the trajectory of the saga itself.
Before that though, we revisit a section of Grettir's Saga we had previously skipped where Thorgeir and Thormod butt heads with Iceland's most famous outlaw. We also discuss the physical characteristics of a courageous heart, investigate a few scenes from The Saga of the Volsungs and the Prose Edda, wonder about the jiggliness of a horse heart, chat about vin-berries in Vinland, and laugh at John's attempts to ferment fruits and other garbage in his youth. As if that's not enough, we pitch a saga-inspired idea for an Icelandic ultramarathon with an unforgettable name. We had a lot of fun recording this one. We hope you enjoy!
Thanks, as always, to Jacob Foust for sticking with us through the Saga of the Sworn Brothers and sharing his talents. Check out more of his work by visiting his Instagram page.
Oh, and if you make it to the end of the episode and want to know more about Patricia Gonsalves and her amazing Archery camp and classes, visit Lykopis Archery. You can listen to our interview with Patricia and Stephen Fox by revisiting Saga Brief 14: Medieval Archery.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Poetry Music - "Skjoldborg" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Sunday Aug 08, 2021
Sunday Aug 08, 2021
We're diving back into chapters 7-13 of The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (better known as Fóstbræðra saga). This time, we're featuring Thormod's side of the story. Whereas Thorgeir spends his time hacking and slashing his way toward a bad reputation, Thormod is exploring his romantic side, making moves on several local ladies who catch his eye. Will Thormod settle down to a quiet life of marriage and farming? Or will he love 'em and leave 'em for further adventures with his sworn brother? There's only one way to find out!
In addition to the normal saga discussion, we also chat about dried fish, warrior poets, and the finer points of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. If that's not enough for you, we open up the runesack and answer a series of questions about medieval studies. We may not cover a lot of chapters here but it's a full episode.
Thanks as always to Jacob Foust for a pair of great illustrations for this episode. Check out more of his work at instagram.com/skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Saturday Jul 10, 2021
Saturday Jul 10, 2021
When last we left you, Thorgeir and Thormod had decided to go their separate ways. In this episode, we follow Thorgeir on his travels as an outlawed exile from Iceland. As you'd expect, Thorgeir gets up to some things that would make a Viking like Egil Skallagrimsson shake his head in frustration. Needless to say, he doesn't make a lot of friends along the way. He does, however, find one rather important figure who's willing to take a chance on him. When Thorgeir finally returns to Iceland, he does so as an agent of the Norwegian crown. I wonder how he handles this responsibility...
Thanks, as always, to @skarphedin_illustrator for yet another brilliant addition to the corpus of Icelandic saga illustrations. Check out more of his work on Instagram and visit his Etsy page.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Poetry Music - "Virtutes Instrumenti" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4590-virtutes-instrumenti
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license