Saga Thing

Saga Short 13 - The First Tale of Halldor Snorrason


Listen Later

Saga Thing returns once again to the tales of Icelanders from the sagas of Norwegian kings with a surprise double feature of tales involving Halldór Snorrason, the son of Snorri goði and longtime companion of King Harald "harðráða" Sigurdsson.

We open with The Tale of the Story-wise Icelander [Íslendings þáttr sögufróða], a fun little story about an Icelander who makes a name for himself telling tales and sagas in the court of an older King Harald. But how will the notoriously grumpy king react when the Icelander begins telling the saga of Harald's own adventures as a member of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople? And where might an Icelander who's never met King Harald have learned so many detailed stories about the king's life?

But that little þáttr is just an appetizer. The real meal here is The First Tale of Halldór Snorrason [Halldórs þáttr Snorrasonar]. Set during the early years of King Harald's reign in Norway, this tale shows what happens when Halldór steps in to defend an Icelander from Harald's wrath. Then things get real messy when Halldór has a run in with a kinsman of the powerful chieftain Einar Paunch-Shaker [þambarskelfir]. It's a real "out of the frying pan and into the fire" kind of story for Halldór in this one. How will Halldór manage to get out of this mess?

Along the way, we talk about the life of Halldór and some of his more noteworthy descendants. We also spend some time discussing his place in the various sagas of King Harald Sigurdsson. If you want to read the infamous Snorri Sturluson's version, which includes several episodes featuring his great-great-great-grandfather Halldór Snorrason, you'll want to pick up a copy of the Heimskringla or the stand-alone Penguin edition King Harald's Saga.

We'll be back soon with The Second Tale of Halldór Snorrason where his relationship with King Harald is once again tested.

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

Poetry Music - "Morgana Rides " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro Music - From “Óðinn” by Krauka

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Saga ThingBy Saga Thing

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

391 ratings


More shows like Saga Thing

View all
Rex Factor by Rex Factor

Rex Factor

922 Listeners

The History of England by David Crowther

The History of England

4,354 Listeners

The British History Podcast by Jamie Jeffers

The British History Podcast

5,339 Listeners

The History of Byzantium by thehistoryofbyzantium@gmail.com

The History of Byzantium

4,213 Listeners

The History of Egypt Podcast by Dominic Perry

The History of Egypt Podcast

1,834 Listeners

History Is Sexy by History Is Sexy

History Is Sexy

183 Listeners

American Presidents: Totalus Rankium by Rob and Jamie

American Presidents: Totalus Rankium

732 Listeners

The Medieval Podcast by Medievalists.net

The Medieval Podcast

297 Listeners

History of Persia by Trevor Culley and HoPful Media

History of Persia

407 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,801 Listeners

History of the Germans by Dirk Hoffmann-Becking

History of the Germans

400 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,690 Listeners

Anglo-Saxon England by Evergreen Podcasts

Anglo-Saxon England

192 Listeners

Weird Medieval Guys by Weird Medieval Guys

Weird Medieval Guys

187 Listeners

Pirates: Totalus Rankium by Rob and Jamie

Pirates: Totalus Rankium

59 Listeners