Saga Thing

Saga Thing
  • 4.9 (415)
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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.

  1. 7h ago

    Saga Brief 29 - Interview with Ármann Jakobsson on Minor Characters in Icelandic Sagas

    In this very special Saga Brief, we sit down with Ármann Jakobsson (one of our favorite saga scholars) to discuss his latest book, Minor Characters in Icelandic Sagas (Palgrave Macmillan). Following the theme of the book, we dive into the many overlooked and often nameless characters who so often breathe life and meaning into the sagas. Since we have mentioned Ármann so many times on the podcast, we also take advantage of the opportunity to revisit his extensive bibliography, including The Troll Inside You, A Sense of Belonging: Morkinskinna and Icelandic Identity c. 1220, and his reimagining of the life of Þórólfr bægifótr in Glæsir.  Of course, it wouldn't be a Saga Brief interview without a little discussion of the sagas and their place in Icelandic culture. And all of this leads to a brief philosophical exploration on the power (and potential peril) of doubt as a driving force in human society.  All of this and more awaits you (like which great saga character Ármann finds most boring)! Once you've listened, reach out via our social media and let us know about your favorite minor characters in the sagas we've covered. Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord Music Credits: Introduction –from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur Outro – Ólafur Liljurós

  2. 6d ago

    Episode 41g – Viga-Glum’s Saga (Judgments)

    It's finally time--time to bring the saga of Viga-Glúm before the Saga Thing for judgment. Join us as we hand out the awards for Best Bloodshed, Notable Witticism, Best Nickname, and more. Can Andy forgive this story for its wanton cruelty to animals? Will John reward or punish the saga for the weaselly trickery of Thorvard Pot-Stirrer? Who will the two judges choose to join their mead halls? And just who the heck was that masked Thundarbenda, anyway? Listen and let us know what you think on our various socials: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/

  3. Jun 26

    Saga Short 16 - The Tale of Thorvald Chatterbox

    We want to share this little treat of a þáttr with you all before we release the Judgments episode for The Saga of Víga-Glúm. The Tale of Thorvald Chatterbox (Þorvalds þáttr tasalda) is a gem from the Flateyjarbók biography of King Ólaf (Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta). If Thorvald's fantastic revivification and battle prowess with a ship's oar left you wanting more, then this fast-paced Saga Short might just satisfy your craving. Thorvald journey's to Norway starts out like many other tales of Icelanders visiting Norwegian royalty. And, of course, with King Ólaf Tryggvason involved, this one includes plenty of pressure to abandon the Norse gods in favor of the much stronger and kinder (sometimes) Christian god. The story follows Thorvald as he sets off on a mission to prove himself to the king by tracking down Bárð the Stout, a fiercely independent figure who has already made two of the king's troops of emissaries disappear.  Will Thorvald live up to the reputation of the capable Icelandic retainer so thoroughly established in other tales? Or will he succumb to the strength and will of the powerful Bárð the Stout? And what's all this about Bárð's beautiful daughter Thora? There's only one way to find out (assuming you don't want to just read the story yourself). Grab your headphones and enjoy Saga Thing's retelling of The Tale of Thorvald Chatterbox! Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord Music Credits Intro Music - from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom Outro Music - From “Óðinn” by Krauka

  4. Jun 15

    Episode 41f - Víga-Glúm's Saga (chapters 24-28)

    When last we left Glúm, he was enjoying the fruits of his violent labors against the men of Espihóll and sharing an enigmatic verse about his personal body count. When Þorvarð the Troublemaker hears about this, he's quick to set Þórarin on the case, forcing Glúm to swear an oath that he played no part in the killing of Þorvald Hook. Will this oath clear Glúm of any guilt in the matter or will his clever phrasing prove to be his undoing? Listen and find out for yourself (though if you've been listening to the past 5 episodes, you should have a pretty good idea of where this is heading for our story's hero). We may have missed our March deadline for finishing Víga-Glúm's Saga but we got there in the end. Enjoy this grand finale! Listen and let us know what you think on our various socials: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/ Poetry Music - "Bittersweet" and "Nerves" 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/

  5. May 22

    Episode 41e - Viga-Glum's Saga (chapters 20-23)

    At long last, we return . . . to the prophecy about the cousins Steinólf and Arngrím. Oddbjörg. What could possibly break the bond of these BFFs? Hopefully Arngrím’s wife can make some sense of their little feud and help heal the fracture in their relationship. Speaking of fractures, this is the episode where things really pop off between Glúm and the men of Espihóll and we begin rushing headlong toward the climax and conclusion of this saga. Here’s a little map of the region to help you make sense of the major locations featured in this episode. Along the way, we talk about the sudden appearance of a skytningr (an inn or tavern) in the saga and fall into a discussion of how exactly that word works in the contexts of Víga-Glúm’s saga, with special reference once again to Jesus Fernando Guerrero Rodriguez’s dissertation Old Norse Drinking Culture. Rodriguez, Jesús Fernando Guerrero. Old Norse Drinking Culture. PhD Dissertation. University of York, 2007. Check out the oldest surviving manuscript copy of Víga-Glúms saga on handrit.is. There’s also stuff here for fans of dream interpretation and even Norse mythology, specifically Thor’s battle with Hrungnir the jötunn. Thor and Hrungnir by Carl Emil Doepler Listen and let us know what you think on our various socials: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/ Poetry Music - "Dark Times" 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/

  6. Apr 15

    Episode 41d - Viga-Glum's Saga (chapters 16-19)

    In this episode, we catch up with an old friend called Killer-Skuta. You might remember him from The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and of Killer-Skuta. We'll revisit a familiar story from that saga where Killer-Skuta makes an attempt on the life of Killer-Glum and try to make sense of how it ended up in this saga (and that one). That leads to an inevitable conversation about saga writing, manuscript collecting, and art. Once we put Killer-Skuta to bed, we're right back into the main narrative of Viga-Glum's Saga. The main focus of this episode is the mysterious case of the missing livestock. The prime suspect is a wily freedman named Hallvard who sets up a farm between the properties of Halli the Old and his son Bard. And while everyone else in the district would like to see Hallvard put in his place, there's one man standing in the way of justice and he's got a powerful father. How will Glum escape the clutches of the violent Killer-Skuta? And will Hallvard get fat on the livestock of his neighbors or will he finally face justice? And when will we ever get back to those kindly cousins who are destined to kill each other? Find out in this episode of Saga Thing! Listen and let us know what you think: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/

  7. Feb 25

    Episode 41c - Víga-Glúm's Saga (chapters 10-15)

    In this episode, Glúm continues to establish himself as a leading figure in southern Eyjafjörður. We start with a brief overview of the many marriages that take place at this stage of the saga, including: Glúm - Halldóra Thórir of Espihóll - Thórdís Thórarinn of Espihóll - Thorgerd Thorvald Hook of Espihóll - Thorkötla Of course, the real trouble starts when Thórir's son Thorgrím sets his heart on the lovely Thórdís. Things get interesting from there. Check out the Víga-Glúms saga genealogy Andy's been building here. All these marriages naturally result in the arrival of many new characters to the saga. Among them are Már, the son of Glúm and Halldóra, and two special little cousins, Arngrím and Steinólf. These two boys get along better than anyone in Iceland. Surely they have a bright future ahead of them. Right? We also dive into a fun little story about Ingólf, a very large man who finds a home at Þverá with Már and Glúm. Through no fault of his own, Ingólf gets caught up in a somewhat precarious feud between Glúm and a no-good neighbor known as Kalf of Stokkahlaðir. There's a horse fight, some hurt feelings, and then thing leads to another. Before you know it, there's a lawsuit against Ingólf at the Althing. As usual, we've got plenty of digressions to distract you from the story. We talk about ice storms in Mississippi, snow storms in Massachusetts. We go on for too long about formalist approaches to the structure of Víga-Glúms saga and how we approach building an episode of Saga Thing. This actually leads to a brief discussion of the role of minor characters in the sagas, a subject that the great Ármann Jakobsson covers in his new book (grab a copy here): We discuss the fascinating subject of children and toys in medieval Iceland. While there's not much info out there, we found just enough to get John excited about a possible Saga Brief on the subject ;). At some point, I mention a small toy carving found at Seydisfjordur (a great spot to visit in the East fjords). What kind of animal is this? Read the article in Smithsonian for more information. As you'll hear, this episode is very digression heavy as we work our way through a transitional moment in the saga. There are many many references to Gabriel Turville-Petre's edition of the saga, which provides plenty of useful insights and discussion points for us. Listen and let us know what you think: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/

  8. Jan 5

    Episode 41b - Viga-Glum's Saga (chapters 6-9)

    Saga Thing returns after a much-needed holiday to pick up the story of young Glúm Eyjólfsson, better known to history as Víga-Glúm. When last we left you, Glúm's father (Eyjólf, who some called Lump) had passed away. Seeking any advantage they could get in the district, Thorkel the Tall and his son Sigmund claimed the best land at Thverá for themselves, pushing Ástrid and Glúm to the margins of the property. With no help coming from her eldest son Thorstein, Ástrid is forced to rely on her youngest, Glúm. Unfortunately for her, Glúm is a known coalbiter who prefers laying by the fire to working or pursuing justice for his family. As the situation worsens, Glúm heads to Norway hoping to gain some experience and recognition from his maternal grandfather Vigfús. Of course, things don't go exactly to plan when he arrives. How does this family reunion go for Glúm? Does grandpa Vigfús the hersir embrace his Icelandic grandson and raise his status? And who will help Ástrid deal with increasing pressure from Thorkel and Sigmund to leave Thverá? All the answers are in this episode of Saga Thing. Along the way, we talk about the place of religion in Víga-Glúm's Saga, highlighting some places to look for signs of pagan influences in the text. For example, is old Vigfús a figure of Óðin? Does this saga explore a tension between cults of Óðin and Frey? Is it all about fate? Or is this simply a story about human beings who make their own choices and have to live with the consequences. Speaking of pagan influences, we go on a brief tangent to talk about the dísablót, a special holiday and sacrifice to honor the household gods. As always, we dig into some genealogies. Please have a look at the family tree Andy's been building for Víga-Glúm's Saga on FamilyEcho. And if that's not enough, we also share some interesting stories about corpses getting dug up to face legal consequences for their actions. If you're into that kind of thing, you'll definitely want to check out the episode on Pope Stephen VI from our friends at Pontifacts. If you're interested in reading Víga-Glúm's Saga for yourself, you can find the 1866 translation by Edmund Head for free on the sagadb. We're using the John McKinnell translation, which is available in the Complete Sagas of Icelanders collection and as a stand alone text from The New Saga Library. As with most modern scholarship on this saga, much of what we have to say about this text begins with the edition by Gabriel Turville-Petre. Listen and let us know what you think on our various socials: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky 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/ Poetry Music - "Dark Times" 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/

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4.9
out of 5
415 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Saga Thing
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2026
  • Episodes
    221
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2013 . All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Saga Thing

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