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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
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Join us for an in-depth interview with Dr. Rebecca Merkelbach, Assistant Professor of Old Norse-Icelandic Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany. Her latest book, Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas, offers a fresh perspective on the often overlooked "post-classical" sagas. We delve into the complex and fascinating nature of these sagas, exploring their social and artistic dimensions, as well as the rich tapestry of the "saga-verse."
Our discussion spans many of your favorite sagas featured on the podcast. And given that we just finished recording our series on Svarfdæla saga before this interview, there's plenty of talk about that saga in particular.
It was a great pleasure speaking to a fellow saga enthusiast, especially one so knowledgeable and passionate about Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Dr. Merkelbach's enthusiasm for the sagas comes through clearly in this interview, as does her remarkable ability to recall intricate details and character names from many different sagas. We think you'll find that she fits right in here at Saga Thing.
Pick up a copy of her book here: Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas by Rebecca Merkelbach
Correction: This episode is Saga Brief 26, despite the label on the file saying 25.
Music Credits
Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur
Outro – Ólafur Liljurós
Sunday Jun 23, 2024
Sunday Jun 23, 2024
After 7 exciting episodes (they were exciting, right?), we're finally ready to put Svarfdaela Saga on trial. As usual, we drag the text to the Saga Thing and review it through our judgment categories:
Best Bloodshed
Body Count
Nicknames
Notable Witticisms
Outlawry
Thingmen
Final Ratings
How does Svarfdaela Saga stack up against the 30+ other sagas we've reviewed so far? Do we judge it as harshly as the scholars who came before us? And how can the Big Lacuna not walk away with Best Bloodshed????
There's only one way to find out. 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/
Thursday Jun 06, 2024
Thursday Jun 06, 2024
This is it. We've reached the end of Svarfdaela Saga.
In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of Karl the Red's death. Will Ljotolf step up and retake control of the valley? Or will a new contender emerge to challenge his authority? And what becomes of Skidi and Yngvild? The answers may shock you.
Seriously. This is a tough one for a number of reasons. We've mentioned that the end of this saga is pretty brutal. Now that we've arrived, it's worth saying it again. This episode features the abuse of Yngvild that we've warned you about.
Listen and then join in on the conversation here:
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/
Friday May 03, 2024
Friday May 03, 2024
In this episode, things come to a head between the factions of Thorstein the Tumultuous and Ljotolf the godi (quite literally). Listen in and find out what happens as Karl the Red learns about the death of his best friend and the whole valley is thrown into chaos. We're in the heart of the saga now and things are getting real juicy.
Join in on the conversation here:
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/
Poetry Music - Adapted from "Vega" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
In this episode, Klaufi rescues his friend Karl the Red from a terrible Viking called Atli. But don't get too excited about Klaufi becoming the hero of this saga. He also kills a whole bunch of people, causes general havoc, and even gets married by dubious means. We also get to see him in full berserker mode, which can be fun (if viewed from a distance).
All of this makes one wonder, just how long will the people of Svarfaðardalur continue to put up with Klaufi and his shenanigans?
Along the way, we talk about the tendency of this saga narrative to dip out when it's time for action. We look a little deeper into the question of Gris and his motivations. And we dip our toes briefly into the subject of medieval Icelandic dying herbs and mosses.
If you're interested in learning more about club moss and its uses in medieval Iceland, check out the following:
Using Clubmoss as an Alum Mordant
And, since Andy mentions it in the episode, grab yourself a copy of the Eyrbyggja Saga graphic novel.
Join in on the conversation about Klaufi, medieval Icelandic textiles, and creative works inspired by the sagas here:
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/
Poetry Music - Adapted from "Vanheimr" by Danheim
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/