Saga Thing

Episode 29j - Egil's Saga (Part 10)

 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/

Episode 29i - Egil's Saga (Part 9)

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/

 

Saga Brief 16 - The Battle of Brunanburh (with Rex Factor)

In this very special Saga Brief, we are joined by Graham and Ali of Rex Factor for a discussion of the Battle of Brunanburh. This decisive battle pitted the Anglo-Saxons of Mercia and Wessex against the Scots, the Welsh, and the Vikings of the Danelaw and the Hiberno-Norse. It was the largest battle to be fought on English soil up to that time. Five kings and thousands of men lost their lives that day as King Athelstan of Wessex eliminated the threat to his growing kingdom and secured Anglo-Saxon control of Northumbria. The Battle of Brunanburh served as a rallying cry to the Anglo-Saxons who sought to reassert their claim over Britain and the establishment of a new national English identity.

This episode opens with a reading of the poem found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for the year 937.  After that, the conversation ranges from the tensions leading up to the battle, including a Welsh prophecy of victory, to the mystery of the battle's location, the little we know of the battle itself, and then to its aftermath and legacy.

If you are looking for more information about the Battle of Brunanburh from the English and Scottish perspectives, you'll want to listen to Graham and Ali's coverage of King Athelstan from their English Monarchs series and King Constantine II from their Scottish Monarchs series.

For those looking to dive deeper into the source material, we recommend Michael Livingston's wonderful book, The Battle of Brunanburh: A Casebook, where you can read all the sources from the Welsh prophecy of the Anglo-Saxons' defeat to the later, more imaginative histories we talk about.

 Be sure to follow Graham and Ali as they review the royal consorts of the English monarchs. You can keep up to date with their latest adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also see what we're up to by checking in with Saga Thing's social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or send your comments to sagathingpodcast@gmail.com.

Music Credits:

Introduction – from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur

Battle of Brunanburh music - "Ivar's Revenge" by Danheim

 

Outro – Ólafur Liljurós

Episode 29h - Egil's Saga (Part 8)

In this episode, Egil and Thorolf arrive in King Athelstan's England. The good news - Athelstan really likes the Skallagrimssons. The bad news - Anglo-Saxon England is about to go to war with King Olaf and his massive army of Scots, Danes, Irish-Norwegians, and Welsh. We'll get a front row seat as Egil and Thorolf command Athelstan's Viking troops in the Battle of Wen Heath! If you're not familiar with the Battle of Wen Heath, then perhaps you know this incredibly significant engagement as the Battle of Brunanburh! That's right, Egil and Thorolf will both play a significant role in the battle that would seal England's fate. Are both Egil and Thorolf battle-savvy enough to survive the onslaught of King Olaf's forces? There's only one way to find out.

Along the way, we talk about the major figures of the Battle of Brunanburh and the saga author's fictionalized stand-ins. You'll hear all about King Olaf Guthfithson of Dublin, King Constantine II of Scotland, King Owain of Strathclyde, the earls of Northumbria, Godric and the swift-footed Alfgeir, and the earls of Britain, Hring and Adils. We also touch on the origins of Alfred the Great's famous epithet and the life of his dynamic daughter, Æthelflæd (see the picture from Matthew Paris' Additamentorum episode below). Click here for an excellent biography of Æthelflæd by the boys at Rex Factor.

Finally, we announce the identity of the very special guests we invited to join us for a Saga Brief on the Battle of Brunanburh. That's right, we've got a special episode coming for you soon with some guests we think you'll all love.

And thanks to Danheim, a Nordic folk/Viking inspired music project, for letting us use his music. Check the credits below for links to the songs. If you're interested in hearing more from Danheim, visit his webpage or Youtube channel.

Music Credits:

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Summary Music - "Wild Cherry Rag" by The Victor Orchestra

Preview Music - "Hringrás" by Danheim

Poetry Music - Poem 1 from "Vanheimr" and Poem 2 from "Hringrás" 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/

 

Episode 29g - Egil's Saga (Part 7)

In this episode, Egil and Thorolf go a-Viking across the Baltic Sea and then up the coast of Sweden. Along the way, Egil falls into a trap set by some clever Curonians, Thorolf makes friends with yet another nobleman, and Queen Gunnhild hatches a plot to kill the sons of Skallagrim. We also discuss torture in the sagas, Viking ethics, time fudging in saga narratives, and the character of the Branno Islands across multiple sagas. We don't cover a lot of chapters in this one (get used to it), but we have a lot of fun.

Music Credits:

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Summary Music - "Don't Be That Way" by the Chick Webb Orchestra

Preview Music - "Intended Force" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Poetry Music - Edited selection from "Skjolborg" 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/