Saga Thing8 Loka 2015

Episode 16d - Grettir's Saga (Part 4)

In the thrilling conclusion to Grettir’s Saga, we follow the slender armed Thorstein Dromund on his quest to avenge his brother. Thorstein’s adventures carry him from the shores of Norway to the bustling city of Constantinople, where the exiled King Harald Hardrada leads a rag tag bunch of Scandinavians called the Varangian Guard. And if you thought the Grettir’s Saga author would pass up the chance to throw in another giant of saga literature, you were sorely mistaken. Sadly, Harald is only featured in a cameo. The real story of the Grettir’s Saga epilogue is the love affair of Thorstein and Spes. Often referred to as the Spésar þáttr (The Tale of Spes “Hope”), the epilogue contrasts the epic ethos of the saga world with the more playful spirit of the continental romances. If you have ever encountered the famous story of Tristan and Isolde, where the two lovers consistently outwit Isolde’s bumbling husband, King Mark, you’ll feel right at home in the Spésar þáttr. Join us as we review this deceptively simple epilogue and discuss its potential value for understanding the rest of Grettir’s Saga.

Along the way, we make reference to a few items of interest. First among these are the blog sites featuring Drangey Island. There are some pretty impressive pictures on these blogs and stories about Drangey:

1. http://stuckiniceland.com/north/the-outlaws-paradise/

2. http://fooface.blogspot.com/2006/07/epic-climb.html

And if you want to take our advice and visit Drangey for yourself, tours are available here: http://www.drangey.net/

Interested in the Brother Robert's 13th century Saga of Tristram and Isond?

Or perhaps you'd like to start with Béroul’s The Romance of Tristan:

And finally, we make reference to one of our favorite scholarly articles on Grettir's Saga, Kathryn Hume's "The Thematic Design of Grettis Saga" from The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 73.4 (1974): 469-86. It's quite fascinating and worth a read. Free to everyone with access to JSTOR.

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Episode 37e - The Saga ofHavard of Isafjord (Judgments)

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 Bloodsh...

15 Marras 20231h 35min

Episode 37d - The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 19-24)

While Havard and his band of merry cousins and bloodthirsty tweens hides out at Atli's, his good friend Steinthor is heading to the Althing to work his magic on a settlement for all the killings. But ...

1 Marras 20231h 24min

Episode 37c - The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 11-18)

What do you do after a successful killing spree? Kill some more! At least that seems to be Havard of Isafjord's motto. There's a certain logic to it as one killing begets another. But Thorbjorn has a ...

28 Syys 20231h 28min

Hwæt a Movie! - Episode 1 - Beowulf (1999)

As part of our 10th Anniversary extravaganza, we are launching what could become a new podcast: Hwæt a Movie! It's a movie review podcast focusing on films with a medieval (or medieval adjacent) setti...

18 Syys 20231h 58min

10th Anniversary of Saga Thing (Part 2) - How Well Do You Know Your Co-Host (with Totalus Rankium)

One episode wasn't enough to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. In this special bonus episode, you get double the podcast hosts! We're joined by our good friends Rob and Jamie from Totalus Rankium for...

18 Syys 20231h 7min

10th Anniversary of Saga Thing

Join us as we celebrate our 10th Anniversary with some reminiscing, listener interaction, ridiculous bits, and a lot of laughs. There might even be a hilarious surprise guest appearance here as well. ...

18 Syys 20232h 7min

Episode 37b - The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 6-11)

[Quick Note: This episode appears to be over 8 hours long. It's a cruel joke by the podbean upload. The actual length is just over 90 minutes. It will end where it's supposed to.] We’re back with anot...

16 Elo 20232h 16min

Episode 37a - The Saga of Havard of Isafjord (chapters 1-5)

Saga Thing returns with a brand-new episode for a brand new saga from late medieval Iceland. In this episode, we dip our toes into the first five chapters of Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings, The Saga of Hava...

30 Heinä 20231h 55min

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