Saga Thing

In this episode, we leave behind Thorstein's noble adventures in Ireland and return to Iceland to Iceland and check in on the goðorð he left in the hands of his onetime rival, Thorhadd. And while Thorhadd proves to be a capable goði in Thorstein's absence, two things tend to rub him the wrong way: not getting what he wants, and being asked to hand the goðorð back upon Thorstein's return. As you'll hear, this saga has more similarities to Njal's saga than just the Ireland stuff. Plus, it's got the highest dream density measurement of any saga (which you know tickles John's fancy).  What dreams may come when Thorhadd sleeps? Tune in to find out!  Listen and let us know what you think on our various social media: 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/

". . . and they both were killed." This promising but enigmatic sentence fragment opens Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar as it comes down to us. Let's be honest, the Saga of Thorstein Siðu-Hallsson has had a rough time surviving the centuries. This one only survives in a few paper manuscripts from the 17th century, and even these are missing the beginning and ending. The fact that we've got any part of this saga to cover on the podcast is something of a minor miracle.  And despite all of that, this saga still has an interesting story to tell. Join us as we work our way through the first two chapters. Only two chapters? Sure, but look at all we accomplish along the way: We introduce the saga and its critical reputation We dive into some manuscript studies to find out what exactly happened to the this saga We tell the story of Thorstein's family, including that of his famous father Siðu-Hall, and imagine what might have come before in the saga's opening chapters We also revisit the famous Battle of Clontarf where King Brian Boru met his fate and the Vikings lost their hold over Ireland. You might find that there's a bit more Njal's saga here than you expected, but it doesn't hurt to visit old friends to help you better appreciate new ones. At some point, we mention the supposed raven banners of the Bayeux Tapestry and pause to look at some pictures. As promised, here they are so you can judge for yourself. So, while we may only cover two chapters of this brief saga, we still cover a lot of ground. Plus, there's plenty of bad voice acting (as always). Listen for yourself 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/ 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/  

In this special Saga Brief recorded live at the University of Central Oklahoma, we explore an often-overlooked pillar of Viking Age society: the horse. (John wanted to call this presentation "A Horse for the Norse, with Sources (of course)," but Andy shot that down.) While our discussion is grounded in saga narratives and archaeology, we offer a wide-ranging discussion of how horses helped shape the literature, culture, and history of medieval Iceland. Along the way, we cover the following categories: Everyday Use Status Masculinity Horse-Fighting Ritual Action and Religious Belief Of course, any one of these could be a book-length study on its own. We’ve done our best here to provide a broad overview of the horse’s place in medieval Iceland and beyond. Naturally, that “beyond” allows us some wiggle room to talk a little about Anglo-Saxon England (and to maybe squeeze in a Beowulf reference or two). As you’ll hear, horses are far more than livestock and convenient tools. They emerge across the literary, historical, and archaeological record as vital mediums for social, political, and spiritual identity. More than that, this talk explores a relationship between the human and horse that is deeply personal. We hope you enjoy! A very special thanks to Reid Weber and the sponsors of this event: The Medieval Society at the University of Oklahoma University of Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts Scandinavian Club of Oklahoma Sons of Norway The slides for this presentation, including a brief bibliography, are available as a .pdf in our show notes for this episode at sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com. Once you’ve listened, reach out via our social media and share your thoughts on horses in the sagas: 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

Hwæt a Movie! returns with yet another adaptation of the epic Old English poem Beowulf. This time, we've got Outlander, a surprisingly fun tale of an alien crash-landing in 8th century Norway as he hunts down the monstrous Moorwen that killed his family. Of course, the Moorwen had some cause to be angry after a genocidal attack on the Moorwen planet. But let's not dwell on how it all started. Outlander is also a Beowulf story wrapped up in a neat little sci-fi package! This time around, Jim Caviezel stars as Kainan (our space Beowulf). You might know Caviezel from 2002's The Count of Monte Cristo or from 2004's The Passion of the Christ. He's joined by the beloved John Hurt as Rolhgar (I legitimately thought he was called Hrothgar through the whole movie and I'm only learning as I write this that he was Rolhgar...), the talented Sophia Miles as Freya, the dreamy Jack Huston as Wulfric, and the inimitable Ron Perlman as Gunnar. As always, we provide an extensive summary (prepared with exhaustive detail by John) and discussion, a brief Q&A inspired by the film, and then our final ratings categories for the film's take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel's mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its overall entertainment value. Like some of our other Hwæt a Movies, this one runs a bit long. There's just so much to talk about as we get deeper and deeper into the Beowulf movie swamp. As of right now, you can watch Outlander for free on YouTube here. Let us know what you think on our social media: Sagathingpodcast on Facebook Sagathingpodcast on Instagram Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky Or join others like you on Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord

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