In this episode, Egil arrives in Norway. While his brother Thorolf kisses up to Norwegian royalty and works his way into the families of Norway's most powerful influencers, Egil will travel to Atloy Island to help Olvir the Farmhand with a bit of rent collecting. When Atloy Bard, their gracious host tells them that there's no ale or meat to be spared, they happily make due with curds and whey. But something feels off. Atloy Bard is on edge and he keeps going in and out all night. Egil soon learns that Atloy Bard is also hosting King Eirik Bloodaxe and Queen Gunnhild in the main hall. And there's plenty of ale and fine food for everyone. Find out how Egil responds to his inhospitable host in this very special episode of Saga Thing.

We also talk about the culture and expectations of gift exchange in medieval Scandinavia, structural patterns in Egil's Saga, the quality of Egil's poetry, and the pronunciation of Egil's name. There's something here for everyone!

Thanks, as always, to Matt Smith for another brilliant illustration from Egil's Saga. We think he captured the mood of Atloy-Bard's party quite nicely. If you'd like to know more about Matt and his work, visit his website and follow him on Twitter.

And thanks to Danheim, a Nordic folk/Viking inspired music project, for letting us use his music. Check the credits below for links to the songs. If you're interested in hearing more from Danheim, visit his webpage or Youtube channel.

Music Credits:

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Summary Music - "Some Smoke" by National Promenade Band

Preview Music - "Ginnung" by Danheim

Poetry Music - "Berserkir" by Danheim

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Selections from music by Kevin MacLeod licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/