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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
Sunday Apr 19, 2020
Sunday Apr 19, 2020
Knock knock.
You'd better not say "Who's there?" Strange things are afoot during the Winter Nights feast at Hall of Siða's homestead. Thorhall the Prophet warns everyone to stay inside. But some do-gooders simply can't help themselves when they hear a knock at the door. Find out who's there in this chilling episode of Saga Shorts.
Music Credits:
Intro: From “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Outro: From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
What happens when Thorarin Nefjolsson and his friend Thorstein Ragnhildarson leave the court of King Cnut to visit his rival King Olaf? One of them will have to prove his loyalty by submitting to a trial by ordeal. What is a trial by ordeal, you ask? How does it work? Listen and find out!
Music Credits:
Intro: From “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Outro: From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Sunday Apr 05, 2020
Sunday Apr 05, 2020
What happens when a stubborn Icelander enters an outhouse alone at night against the orders of King Olaf Tryggvason? Find out as Saga Thing takes on The Tale of Thorstein Shiver!
If you haven't read this one yet, you can find it in the back of your Penguin edition of Sagas of Icelanders or Icelandic Histories and Romances
Also, check out Vikings in 30 Seconds (mentioned by John in the conclusion).
Music Credits:
Intro: From “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Outro: From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
Sunday Mar 22, 2020
What happens when a few 19th century scholars, a baking powder magnate, a transcendental poet, and a pair of Norwegian archaeologist explorers start looking for the real site of Vinland? John and Andy spoke at Bridgewater State University and the Scandinavian Cultural Center in West Newton, MA to answer that question. In this live episode, we review the Vinland sagas and then explore the efforts of prominent 19th century gentlemen to locate Vinland in the Boston area. If you've never visited Norumbega Tower, Dighton Rock, or "Krossaness beach" in Duxbury, you'll want to after this. I'll include some images on our blog.
Our thanks to Bridgewater State University's English department for helping Andy travel from Oxford, Mississippi. And to the Scandinavian Cultural Center in West Newton, MA for hosting this live event.
There was a powerpoint that went along with this live show. You can find the presentation on our blog, sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com.
Music Credits
Opening song - Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Monday Mar 09, 2020
Monday Mar 09, 2020
After a full year of summary and discussion, the time has come to put Egil's Saga on trial. If you don't remember how judgments work, we totally understand. In this episode we review candidates for the following categories: Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, and Thingmen. We also provide a tally of the saga's untimely deaths and offer a final rating of the saga. Will your favorite moment of saga violence make the cut? Will John keep his Nicknames section under 20 minutes? Will Egil survive the outlawry section? And does Egil's Saga have what it takes to join Njal's Saga as a perfect 20? There's only one way to find out!
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Selections from music by Kevin MacLeod licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/