Episodes

Friday Jul 08, 2016
Episode 20b - Njal's Saga (Part 2)
Friday Jul 08, 2016
Friday Jul 08, 2016


Friday Jun 03, 2016
Episode 20a - Njal's Saga (Part 1)
Friday Jun 03, 2016
Friday Jun 03, 2016


Friday May 06, 2016
Friday May 06, 2016

In this fun-filled episode, John and Andy offer their judgments on The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta. Listen and learn how a leather thong can really improve your spear-throwing distance. It’s true. You’ll also learn about the wonders of hearth bread with butter and be introduced to the BCDM, our newest method for calculating a saga’s body count. It’s an action packed episode with plenty of laughs and some good discussion of history and literature. Those of you who prefer a steady flow of action and laughs will have to forgive us for our scholarly tangents, but those with a genuine interest in saga literature will get what they came here for.
For those interested in the ankyle, we recommend the following:
There are a number of videos featuring the use of the ankyle/amentum. We’ve selected the following two as the most reasonable illustrations of the tool.
Ankyle for distanceSlo-mo ankyle
As promised, I’m including the recipe for hearth bread that John mentions in Notable Witticism:
Thorgeir Butter-Ring’s Bread
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat or rye flour
2 cups white or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup steel-cut or rolled oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups water
Items Needed
Baking Stone
Large Bowl
Wooden Spoon
Oven (I mean, go ahead and hearth-bake the bread if you want to be a stickler for accuracy).
Instructions
Mix together both kinds of flour, the oats, the salt, and the baking soda in a large bowl.
Gradually add water while stirring with a wooden spoon until it is stiff and difficult to stir further. NOTE: do not use an automatic mixer for this step. Seriously, how many 10th century Icelanders do you think had a KitchenAid?
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough (you may want to wet or flour your hands for this step). Stop when dough is malleable and thoroughly integrated.
Form the dough into a round or oval shape on a baking stone and place it in the oven. NOTE: The oven is still cold at this point.
Now set the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 Celsius), and bake for 55-70 minutes (depending on elevation and oven).
Take the bread out of the oven when it looks, you know, bready (I’m not a cook. Also, it’s unlikely that actual 10th century Icelanders, who cooked their bread in fire ashes or on a hearth-stone, were overly fussy about exact timing. Eyeball it). Let it cool on a rack.
Eat the bread while it’s warm. And of course, Thorgeir Butter-Ring recommends using plenty of butter, but I found cheese, honey, or apple slices works fine too.

Friday Apr 15, 2016
Episode 19b - The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta (Part 2)
Friday Apr 15, 2016
Friday Apr 15, 2016

Come to Mývatn, where the scenery stuns, the flies bite, and swords sting! In this episode, we welcome Killer-Skúta back to Iceland. Not bound by the conditions of the settlement established by Áskel on his deathbed, Skúta is free to wreak vengeance upon those who dishonored his family. He’ll also have to contend with the various families in the region who don’t take so kindly to his handling of their kin folk. And that’s the story, more or less. Killer-Skúta certainly earns his nickname in this one. Along the way, you’ll also learn the worst way to die in Mývatn. It's really unpleasant. Enjoy!

Friday Apr 01, 2016
Episode 19a - The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta (Part 1)
Friday Apr 01, 2016
Friday Apr 01, 2016
In this episode, we travel to the northern districts of Thingey and Eyjafjord where the Askel the goði spends most of his time working out settlements to save the skin of his nephews. You won't meet a more saintly Icelander than the wise Askel goði, but you might question his loyalty to Vemund Fjorleifarson. But, as Vemund's uncle, poor Askel is caught between a rock and a hard place. Will his support of Vemund cost Askel the ultimate price in the end, or will he make an honest man of his wayward nephew? Find out as Saga Thing takes on the first half of The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta.
Note: In the introduction, we mention the excellent blog The Saga-Steads of Iceland. You can visit Emily Lethbridge's post on Reykjadal here.