Saga Thing

Join us for the second half of the epic tale of the Vatnsdal chieftains and their family over six generations. In this episode, we clumsily attempt to trace the final three generations of this remarka...

23 Mai 20151h 11min

The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal tells the story of one family over 5 generations (though John will insist on counting 6).  We begin with Ketil the Large challenging his son, Thorstein, to find out ...

8 Mai 20151h

After a brief discussion of betrothal customs in medieval Iceland, John and Andy put Viglund's Saga on trial.  Will Viglund's axe juggling skills win him an award? Or will he be upstaged by his own ho...

3 Apr 20151h 10min

The story of Viglund the Fair and his lady Ketilrid is a saga for lovers.  This fifteenth century tale, the last of our warrior poet's sagas, covers several generations.  Each generation features a ca...

26 Mar 20151h 12min

Krákumál is an autobiographical poem of the legendary Viking hero Ragnar Loðbrók, composed and spoken while Ragnar awaits his death in the snakepit of King Ælla.  We discuss the content and form of th...

5 Mar 20151h 6min

In the second part of Saga Thing’s look at The Saga of Bjorn Champion of the Hitardal People, John and Andy discuss the merits of the text, argue over the size and ferocity of the dragon, investigate ...

12 Feb 20151h 13min

The title is a mouthful, but some might call this saga an underappreciated gem of medieval Iceland.  Like the other warrior poet's sagas, we’ve got a love triangle.  This time Bjorn, a dashing swashbu...

30 Jan 20151h 27min

In this episode, John and Andy discuss the problem of Thorveig's curse, Kormak's efforts to woo Steingerd, and the excellence of Bersi the Dueller.  It's time to judge Kormak's Saga.  Who will be chos...

15 Des 20141h 12min