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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 Feb 16, 2024
Friday Feb 16, 2024
We return to the tale of Thorstein as seeks fame, honor, and a bit of respect from his father. He's already defeated the great Viking known as Ljot the Pale, which is a big feather in his cap. Unfortunately, he lost his brother Thorolf in the battle. Eager to bury his beloved brother in style, Thorstein heads for the shores of Sweden where he'll meet an aging jarl with a problem that only the bravest of men could possibly resolve. This episode features a nice blend of all that good medieval literature has to offer.
Along the way, we navigate around a little lacuna at an important moment in the text and then get sucked into the gaping maw of the big lacuna that separates the two parts of this saga. It's a pretty wild ride.
If you're interested in learning more about the rules of the holmgang as it appears in the Icelandic sagas, check out this old Saga Brief on the subject: Saga Brief 2: Holmgang, or The Icelandic Art of Dueling
Share your thoughts on the saga so far and join in on the conversations 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 Jan 19, 2024
Friday Jan 19, 2024
We begin the new year with a saga that has been compared to the works of Shakespeare himself. Not necessarily in a favorable light, but definitely compared. As we hinted in our 10th Anniversary episode, we're jumping into the sagas of Eyjafjörður in Northern Iceland (including Svarfdæla saga, Valla-Ljóts saga, Víga-Glúms saga, and Ljósvetninga saga).
Up first is Svarfdæla saga, a surprisingly compelling (but sometimes frustrating) narrative that Jónas Kristjánsson described as "one of the greatest oddities among the sagas of Icelanders" in his book Eddas and Sagas (244). And if that doesn't sell you on it, then how about this fine quote from Fredrik Heinemann from his paper "Svarfdæla saga: The Norwegians and the Swedes," the saga efficiently characterizes minor and major figures with the deft brush strokes of saga writing at its best" (237). We think you'll agree after listening to this episode covering the first six chapters of the saga.
In this episode, we meet two brothers called Thorolf and Thorstein. One is a typical saga golden boy, the other is a kolbítr. But if you know your saga tropes, you know that big things are in store for that lazy coal-eater.
Along the way, we talk about other brothers we've met in the sagas, the sudden appearance of a castle in the narrative, and one of the more unbelievable candidates for Best Bloodshed we've seen in a while. We also get back to the listener runesack to address a question from our Discord page about Viking weddings.
There's all that and more in our first episode of 2024. It's good to be back!
If you're interested in doing your own word usage research, check out The Dictionary of Old Norse Prose.
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/
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Sunday Dec 24, 2023
Gleðileg jól frá Saga Thing! We're back with another exciting holiday discovery for you. This time, we share a bit of backgroundy stuff about the famous Yule Lads of Icelandic tradition before premiering a brand new poem about them. This may or may not be the oldest surviving poem about the Yule Lads, though we have some suspicions about the nature of the manuscript we were working from for the translation. Either way, it's a lot of fun.
Merry Christmas!
If you're interested, here's the original poem (in Icelandic) by Jóhannes úr Kötlum
“Jólasveinarnir” by Jóhannes úr Kötlum
English translation by Hallberg Hallmundsson
Let me tell the story
of the lads of few charms,
who once upon a time
used to visit our farms.
Thirteen altogether,
these gents in their prime
didn´t want to irk people
all at one time.
They came from the mountains,
as many of you know,
in a long single file
to the farmsteads below.
Creeping up, all stealth,
they unlocked the door.
The kitchen and the pantry
they came looking for.
Grýla was their mother –
she gave them ogre milk –
and the father Leppalúdi;
a loathsome ilk.
They hid where they could, with a cunning look or sneer,
ready with their pranks
when people weren´t near.
They were called the Yuletide lads
– at Yuletide they were due –
and always came one by one,
not ever two by two.
And even when they were seen,
they weren´t loath to roam and play their tricks – disturbing
the peace of the home.
The first of them was Sheep-Cote Clod.
He came stiff as wood,
to pray upon the farmer´s
sheep as far as he could.
He wished to suck the ewes,
but it was no accident
he couldn´t; he had stiff knees –
not to convenient.
The second was Gully Gawk,
gray his head and mien.
He snuck into the cow barn
from his craggy ravine.
Hiding in the stalls,
he would steal the milk,
while the milkmaid gave the cowherd
a meaningful smile.
Stubby was the third called,
a stunted little man,
who watched for every chance
to whisk off a pan.
And scurrying away with it,
he scraped off the bits
that stuck to the bottom
and brims – his favorites.
The fourth was Spoon Licker;
like spindle he was thin.
He felt himself in clover
when the cook wasn´t in.
Then stepping up, he grappled
the stirring spoon with glee,
holding it with both hands
for it was slippery.
Pot Scraper, the fifth one,
was a funny sort of chap.
When kids were given scrapings,
he´d come to the door and tap.
And they would rush to see
if there really was a guest.
Then he hurried to the pot
and had a scrapingfest.
Bowl Licker, the sixth one,
was shockingly ill bred.
From underneath the bedsteads
he stuck his ugly head.
And when the bowls were left
to be licked by dog or cat,
he snatched them for himself –
he was sure good at that!
The seventh was Door Slammer,
a sorry, vulgar chap:
When people in the twilight
would take a little nap,
he was happy as a lark
with the havoc he could wreak,
slamming doors and hearing
the hinges on them sqeak
Skyr Gobbler, the eighth,
was an awful stupid bloke.
He lambasted the skyr tub
till the lid on it broke.
Then he stood there gobbling
– his greed was well known –
until, about to burst,
he would bleat, howl and groan.
The ninth was Sausage Swiper, a shifty pilferer.
He climbed up to the rafters
and raided food from there.
Sitting on a crossbeam
in soot and in smoke,
he fed himself
on sausage fit for gentlefolk.
The tenth was Window Peeper,
a weird little twit,
who stepped up to the window
and stole a peek through it.
And whatever was inside
to which his eye was drawn,
he most likely attempted
to take later on.
Eleventh was Door Sniffer,
a doltish lad and gross.
He never got a cold,
yet had a huge, sensitive nose.
He caught the scent of lace
bread while leagues away still
and ran toward it weightless
as wind over dale and hill
Meat Hook, the twelfth one,
his talent would display
as soon as he arrived
on Saint Thorlak´s Day.
He snagged himself a morsel
of meet of any sort,
although his hook at times
was a tiny bit short.
The thirteenth was Candle Beggar –
´twas cold, I believe,
if he was not the last
of the lot on Christmas Eve.
He trailed after the little ones
who, like happy sprites,
ran about the farm with
their fine tallow lights.
On Christmas night itself
– so a wise man writes –
the lads were all restraint
and just stared at the lights.
Then one by one they trotted off
into the frost and snow.
On Twelfth Night the last
of the lads used to go.
Their footprints in the highlands
are effaced now for long,
the memories have all turned
to image and song
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
It's time for another installment of our side quest podcast, Hwaet a Movie! In this episode, we review the other Beowulf movie from 1999. That's right, there were two. This one stars Antonio Banderas as the far-traveled Ahmed Ibn Fadlan, an unlikely hero and perhaps originator of the Beowulf legend. Sure . . . that's the ticket. Join us for a rather exhaustive overview of The 13th Warrior, Saga Thing style.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
After 4 episodes of reviewing The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings), it's time to take it to the Saga Thing. In this episode, we pass judgment on the usual categories: Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, Notable Witticisms, Outlawry, and Thingmen. This saga proved to be more interesting in some categories than in others, but does Havard's Saga have what it takes to earn a good score from John and Andy in Final Ratings? Listen and find out.
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/