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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 Dec 20, 2019
Friday Dec 20, 2019
In this episode, we turn from Egil's exciting adventures abroad to more serious matters back home. After the tragic deaths of his sons Bodvar and Gunnar, Egil descends into a pit of despair. Cutting himself off from society and family, Egil locks himself in his room to await death. After a clever trick by his daughter foils his plans to end it all, Egil finds solace in poetry once again. In an effort to eulogize his sons and come to terms with his grief, Egil composes what might be his very best and most famous poem, the Sonatorrek (Loss of Sons).
With the mead of poetry once again flowing, Egil composes a praise poem to his best friend Arinbjorn. The Arinbjarnarkviða may not be as powerful as the Sonatorrek, but it's a great poem in its own right. As you'd expect, we spend most of our time discussing these two incredible poems.
If you'd like to hear the Sonatorrek sung, Wardruna has recorded the lament. It's worth listening to, especially if you read along with the Old Norse original and a good translation.
For those of you who want to go deep with the Arinbjarnarkviða, you can access the Old Norse version here. I also recommend you consult Þorgeir Sigurðsson's recent dissertation, The Unreadable Poem of Arinbjorn: Preservation, Meter, and a Restored Text. It's an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the poem.
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Summary Music – "The Vamp" by the Rega Dance Orchestra
Preview - "Fornheim" by Danheim
Poetry Music - "Valravn" by Danheim
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/
Friday Nov 08, 2019
Friday Nov 08, 2019
Put down the curds and loosen your belt. There's fancier fair on the menu today, friends. This episode provides a hearty feast of adventure and in-your-face surprises as Egil accepts an impossible mission to collect some long overdue tribute from Earl Arnvid in Varmland. After the king's men abandon him in hostile territory, Egil is forced to make his own way through the harshest of winter conditions toward the court of Earl Arnvid. Along the way, he'll make a few new friends and plenty of new enemies. Egil will also expose the dangers of playing with runes and make a little magic of his own.
At the end of the episode, we dip into the Rune Sack to share a few observations and insights from our devoted listeners.
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Summary Music – "The Great One Step" by The Victor Dance Orchestra
Preview - "Jotunheim" by Danheim
Poetry Music - "Fornheim" by Danheim
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/
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
This is our action packed dueling episode! Egil suits up for battle against a pale-skinned Swedish berserker hell bent on destroying the family of Arinbjorn’s sister. Then he tackles Atli the Short, whose magical invulnerability to weapons forces Egil to get creative in battle. And if the duels weren't enough, Egil and Arinbjorn go on a series of Viking raids in Saxony and Frisia.
Want to know more about the holmgang? Listen to our Saga Brief "Holmgang, Or the Icelandic Art of Dueling" and check out our further reading bibliography.
The image above is a sketch found in the 14th century Möðruvallabók (AM 132 fol. 61v). It reads: Hér berjast þeir Egill Skallagrímsson og Ljótur inn bleiki. [Here Egil Skallagrimson and Ljot the Pale fight.]
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Summary Music – "On the Mississippi" by The Prince's Band
Preview and Poetry Music - "Valravn" by Danheim
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/
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
Sunday Sep 01, 2019
In this episode, we welcome Hákon Aðalsteinsfóstri Haraldsson (aka King Haakon the Good) to the throne of Norway. And with the deposed Eirik trying to find a new life for himself in Northumbria, you'd think there wouldn't be time to mess around with ol' Egil Skallagrimsson anymore. But Gunnhild holds a grudge. Cursing Egil to a restless life until he crosses paths with her once more, Gunnhild makes sure that she'll get the chance to avenge her son's death. Of course, she'll have to accomplish this vengeance through her husband, Eirik, and things don't always go as planned when Gunnhild puts Egil's head in Eirik's hands. Find out what happens when Egil meets Eirik and Gunnhild in York.
You can read Egil's "head ransom" poem here in the original. Pick up a copy of Egil's Saga in translation here and read along with us.
You've probably noticed that our latest episodes have been lacking the brilliant illustrations of our pal Matt Smith. That's because Matt's a success. He's got plenty of paid work to do with real deadlines. We're excited to see all the stuff he's been working on and look forward to his eventual return to Saga Thing illustration. In the meantime, we'd love to see more illustrations of the saga scenes and characters we encounter here at Saga Thing. If you feel inspired to illustrate something you've heard on the podcast, please send it to us through social media or our email address. Use the hashtag #SagaThingArt when posting on social media. If we get enough, I'll put together a special gallery on our website organized by saga. Any scene or character from any saga we've covered is fair game.
Finally, for those of you looking for a deeper dive into what we're talking about, check out our updated bibliography page here.
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Summary Music – “Rainy Day Blues” by Joseph C. Smith Orchestra
Preview Music - "Floki's Last Journey" by Danheim
Poetry Music - "Fornheim" by Danheim
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/
Monday Jul 29, 2019
Monday Jul 29, 2019
In this episode, Egil mourns the death of his brother, Thorolf, at least until someone offers him enough money to feel better about the whole thing. Shortly after that, our hero heads home and slips into a love-sick depression. While composing poetry helps him deal with his feelings, he won't feel better until the wedding bells ring (or is it until the wedding horn blows in this case?). Meanwhile, a new rival arrives to challenge Egil for Asgerd's Norwegian inheritance. Berg-Onund has married Asgerd's sister and takes the property that belonged to their father, claiming Asgerd is nothing more than a king's slave-woman. This insult forces Egil into action, resulting in a number of significant deaths and a sentence of full-outlawry from King Eirik and Queen Gunnhild. The story is heating up. Come along for the ride!
Music Credits:
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Summary Music - "The Royal Vagabond" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Preview Music - "Vanheimr" by Danheim
Poetry Music - Asgerd Poem from "Bittersweet" by Kevin MacLeod and Berg-Onund Poem from "Lifa & Dauðr" by Danheim
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/