In this episode, we follow Thorolf Skallagrimsson to Norway with his newfound friend, Bjorn Brynjolfsson. While visiting Bjorn's father-in-law, Thorir the Hersir, they encounter a young Eirik Bloodaxe, heir to the throne of an aging King Harald Fairhair. Eirik and Thorolf soon become close friends and history appears poised to repeat itself. But there's something different about the future King Eirik. He's willing to befriend Thorolf against his father's better judgment. And he even offers his father's former foe, Skallagrim Kveldulfsson, a fine axe as a gesture of friendship. Perhaps things will turn out different this time? Along the way, we'll also encounter an old Saga Thing favorite, Queen Gunnhild Mother of Kings. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a refresher on Gunnhild's greatest hits from previous episodes of Saga Thing.

We don't cover a lot of chapters in this one, but we make up for it in discussion. You'll hear our first impressions of Egil, discussion of the parallel structuring of Egil's Saga, a listener theory about the three seashells Egil received from his grandfather, and several interpretations of King's Gift, the axe King Eirik sends to Skallagrim. Here are the promised images of the Mammen axe head:

Thanks, as always, to Matt Smith for the great Egil's Saga character portraits. 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 - "The Vamp" by the Rega Dance Orchestra

Preview Music - "Gungnir" by Danheim

Poetry Music - "Ulfhednar" 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/

We finally made it! The fourth episode of Egil's Saga actually takes place in Iceland (for the most part)! After burying his father, Skallagrim quickly establishes himself in Borgarfjorð, distributing land to all and sundry. We also get to meet his sons, Thorolf and Egil. That's right, Egil is on the scene. And young Egil makes quite a splash, providing us with some impressive poetry and a few killings to keep us entertained. This episode may not be packed with the same kind of adventure and action you've gotten used to in the past few chapters, but it's got plenty to offer all the same, including an abduction and secret marriage, the boyish hi-jinks of Egil, a family feud, and some disturbing deaths as Egil and Skallagrim go tit-for-tat to annoy each other. Enjoy!

And since I visited Borgarfjorð and young Egil's stomping grounds this past August, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the monument to the slave, Thorgerd Brak, killed by Skallagrim in his feud with Egil.

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

As always, thanks to Matt Smith, our Saga Thing illustrator for providing us with yet another series of original portraits from Egil's Saga.

And a very very special thanks to Sebastian Anderson (Andy's son), for providing the voice of young Egil.

Music Credits:

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

Summary Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jockers Dance Orchestra

Preview Music - "Gripir" by Danheim, from the album Mannveigr

Poetry Music - "Hefja Blot" by Danheim, from the album Fridr

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/

Those pesky Hildiridarsons are up to their same old tricks in this episode, causing further tension between King Harald Fairhair and the rapidly rising Thorolf Kveldulfsson. When King Harald learns that Thorolf has a large cargo ship laden with expensive English goods returning to Norway, he dispatches his most-trusted henchmen, Sigtrygg Travel-quick and Hallvard Travel-hard, to intercept and seize the ship. With that betrayal things reach a breaking point between the two men. Will Thorolf make the right moves and restore his lord's faith in him, or will he light the match that brings about his own destruction?

Along the way, we talk about the theme of kingship in the saga, the logic (or lack thereof) behind Thorolf's choices, the value of understanding Scandinavian geography, some interesting nicknames, and the effects of a berserker rage. Somewhere in there we manage to toss in some references to old movies, Thundercats, and "Yakety Sax." Join us for the fun.

If you'd like to better appreciate the action and landscape of the sagas, we highly recommend Dr. Emily Lethbridge's fantastic Icelandic Saga Map. It allows you to get a sense of distance, landscape, and place.

Because we talk about berserks briefly in this episode, you might want to learn more about the subject. While we have talked a lot about berserks over the years, we've never devoted an episode to them. But you're in luck. For more on berserks, check out Noah Tetzner's interview with Roderick Dale on The History of Vikings Podcast.

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

As always, thanks to Matt Smith, our Saga Thing illustrator for providing us with the above image of the Travel Brothers.

Music Credits:

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

Summary Music - "Rainy Day Blues" by Joseph C. Smith Orchestra

Preview Music - "Holmgang" by Danheim, from the album Mannveigr

Poetry Music - "Syrgja" by Danheim, from the album Fridr

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/

Our journey through Egil's Saga continues with chapters 7-15. This time, we're following the meteoric rise of Thorolf Kveldulfsson. Against his father's better judgment, Thorolf makes his way to the court of King Harald soon-to-be Fairhair. It's no surprise to anyone when Thorolf distinguishes himself and becomes Harald's most trusted and successful follower. But like Icarus, Harald flies too close to the sun. With all his success, he's managed to gather extensive landholdings, abundant wealth, and a lot of followers. Before long, rivals at court are working to undermine him and sully his good name with King Harald. Who are these rivals? What cause do they have to hate this paragon of Norwegian virtue? And will King Harald fall under their spell? There's only one way to find out!

This episode includes the famous and decisive Battle of Hafrsfjord, where King Harald vanquishes his enemies and unites Norway (at least a significant portion of it) under a single crown (or so legendary history would have us believe). The battle places Thorolf, Olvir Hump, Eyvind Lamb, and their new fried Bard Brynjolfsson at the prow of King Harald's ship. We've covered this battle before, but never from this perspective. Perhaps you'll encounter a familiar face on the enemy side if you pay attention.

Sverd i Fjell monument in Stavanger, Norway

If you'd like to dive into the scholarship used to prepare this and other Egil's Saga episodes, visit the bibliography page on our blog site.

Thanks again to Matt Smith for another original illustration. If you enjoy Matt's work for Saga Thing, you'll want to keep up with his latest doodles, drawings, and projects on Twitter.

Music Credits:

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

Summary Music - "April Showers" by Eddie Elkins' Orchestra

Preview Music - "Black Vortex" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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/

A few months ago we once again put the fate of Saga Thing in your hands. You had the option to choose our next saga, selecting between two of Iceland's greatest literary monuments and The Saga of the Foster-Brothers. The will of the people was made manifest and we got to work. You've been waiting patiently. Join us now for the first of many episodes on our listener selected saga of 2019, Egil's Saga.

In this episode, we cover chapters 1-6. Here the dramatic tension revolves around King Harald Tangle-Hair's rise to power as he seeks to become sole ruler of Norway. One by one, the best men of Norway fall like dominoes before him, dying in battle, fleeing to new lands, and even burying themselves in mounds to avoid submitting to King Harald. Some embrace the seemingly inevitable and join the swelling ranks of King Harald's supporters. 

You won't run into Egil Skallagrimsson in this episode. This one is all about setting up the world into which he will be born. But you will meet Egil's grandfather, Kvelduf, his father, Grim, and his uncle, Thorolf. You'll also meet Kari of Berle, Kveldulf's best friend, and his sons Eyvind Lamb and Olvir Hump. How will these men respond to calls to either join Harald or risk their lives fighting against him? There's only one way to find out (assuming you can't read the saga yourself for some reason). 

Please feel free to submit any questions or comments you'd like us to address from this episode. We'll set aside some time at the end of each episode going forward to tackle those. You can send them to us via email, twitter, or facebook.

When you're finished, be sure to check out our Select Bibliography for Egil's Saga on our blog site. There you'll find citations for all the articles and books we mention throughout our journey through Egil's Saga. We'll be adding to it as we go.

As always, a special thanks to our Saga Thing illustrator, Matt Smith for the portraits of Kveldulf and his sons.  We look forward to seeing what he does with the rest of Egil's Saga. If you like the work Matt's been doing for us, check out his latest project Metal Quest, a collaboration with Tom Pappalardo. You can keep up with Matt's latest doodles, drawings, and progress on Twitter.

Music Credits:

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

Preview Music - A blend of "Procession of the King" and "Mountain Emperor" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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/

In this episode, Thorhall Ale-Hood burns down his woodlands making charcoal. Unfortunately for him, he also burns down the neighboring woods that belong to 6 of Iceland's most powerful chieftains. The woods aren't terribly important to them, but when Iceland's bully chieftains see a financial opportunity, they take it. This short saga tells the story of Ale-Hood's attempt to defend himself against the chieftains. If you liked Bandamanna Saga, then you'll love The "Saga" of Ale-Hood. It's a quick one, but it's full of laughs.

Thanks, as always, to Matt Smith for another original drawing. This one depicts Thorkel Fringe, one of the saga's bad guys, in a compromising position. Listen to the episode to find out more. You can visit Matt's webpage and follow him on Twitter to see more of his work.

We managed to do both the summary and the judgments for this one. It's been a while since that happened. Judgments start at 1:03:31.

Music Credits:

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

Summary Music - "Crowd Hammer" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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/

At long last, it's time to put Flóamanna saga on trial. In this episode we debate the literary merits of Flóamanna saga, trying to determine if there are any at all. Along the way, we highlight the saga's best moments, including some gems from little Thorfinn. There's also some of the usual bickering over the quality of our thingman selections. This was a fun one to record, probably because we were finally finished with this wacky saga once and for all. Is this the saga that sets the low bar for all the family sagas? Will John and Andy punish it with a final rating of 1 for the pain it inflicted upon them while trying to prepare the summaries? Listen now and all will be revealed!

Music Credits:

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

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/

In this episode, we tackle the life of Ragnar’s fiercest and most complex son, Ivar the Boneless. We begin with an investigation into Ivar’s birth and enigmatic nickname. From there we trace the path of his illustrious military career. Our journey will take us from Denmark to Ireland, where Ivar conquers Dublin and goes head to head with the High King of Ireland, Mael Sechnaill. From Dublin, we’ll follow Ivar to Anglo-Saxon England with the Great Heathen Army. There Ivar and company topple kingdom after kingdom with ruthless efficiency. Join us as we dive deep into the medieval chronicles, legends, and tales to uncover the stories behind Vikings’ most compelling character, Ivar the Boneless, King of the Vikings in Ireland and Britain.

Previous Vikings Related Episode Links:

Saga Thing 7: The Saga of Ragnar Loðbrok and His Sons

Saga Brief 1: The Blood-Eagle

Saga Brief 3: Krákumál

Saga Brief 5: The Story of Rollo the Viking

Saga Brief 11: The Lesser Ragnarssons

Interested in learning more about Mael Sechnaill and the Irish side of the Viking invasions? Check out this episode of the Irish History Podcast – Vikings in 9th century Ireland.

Select Bibliography for this Episode:

Æthelweard. Chronicon Æthelweardi. Edited and Translated by Alistair Campbell. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Translated by Michael Swanton. New York: Routledge, 1998.

The Annals of Ulster. Edited and Translated by Pádraig Bambury and Stephen Beechinor. Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition. Cork: Ireland, 2000.

Asser, John. Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources. Edited and Translated by Simon Keynes and Michael Lapidge. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.

Brink, Stefan and Neil Price. The Viking World. New York: Routledge, 2008.

Clarke, Howard B. and Ruth Johnson. The Vikings in Ireland and Beyond: Before and After the Battle of Clontarf. Dublin, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 2015.

Crawford, B. E. Scandinavian Scotland. Leicester: Leicester University Press, 1987.

Downham, Clare. Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014. Edinburgh: Dunedin, 2007.

Fragmentary Annals of Ireland. Edited and Translated by Joan Newlon Radner. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1978.

Jones, Gwynn. A History of the Vikings. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968.

McTurk, Rory. Studies in Ragnars Saga Loðbrokar and its Major Scandinavian Analogues. Medium Ævum Monographs. New Series XV. Exeter: Short Run Press,  1991.

Saxo Grammaticus. The History of the Danes. Edited and Translated by Peter Fisher and H. R. Ellis Davidson. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 1996.

Smyth, Alfred P. Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles, 850-880. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.

Stenton, Frank M. Anglo-Saxon England. 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Valante, Mary A. The Vikings in Ireland: Settlement, Trade, and Urbanization. Portland, OR: Four Courts Press, 2008.

Waggoner, Ben. The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok. New Haven, CT: 2009.

Episode Credits:

Intro - VioDance cover of "If I Had A Heart" by Fever Ray with Hardanger Violin

Closing Music - Logan Kendell's folk cover of "If I Had A Heart" by Fever Ray. To purchase a copy of the song, visit Logan Kendell's bandcamp page. Be sure to check out his other music while you're there. As a big fan of outlaws, I recommend his cover of "Not in Nottingham" from Disney's Robin Hood. 

In this episode we rejoin Thorgils Scar-Leg’s Step-son on the icy shores of Greenland. Of the 35 men and women who traveled with him to Greenland, his only companions are his son Thorleif and a pair of helpful brothers, Kol and Starkað. And then there’s the child, Thorfinn, nourished by his father’s love and bloody breast milk. Together these castaways must battle the elements on land and sea to make their way home again. Along the way they’ll encounter troll women, a polar bear, terrible Vikings, and more than one opportunity to duel. There’s even a guest appearance by everyone’s favorite grumpy pagan, Eirik the Red.

Nearly a decade after being shipwrecked in Greenland, Thorgils finally returns to Iceland. He’s greeted by his daughter Thorney, now grown into a beautiful young woman. In his absence, Thorny was married to Bjarni of Grof, an arrangement that Thorgils finds less than ideal. And when he attempts to take the lovely Helga as his own bride, Thorgils ends up feuding with a rival suitor, Asgrim Ellida-Grimsson, a familiar name from Njal’s Saga. This conflict threatens to disrupt the relative peace of the region and prompts one of John’s thingmen into action.

Will young Thorfinn survive the journey from Greenland? Does Thorstein the red-shirted Norwegian companion ever die? Will Thorgils manage to rearrange his daughter’s marriage to his liking? Does Helga choose Thorgils or Asgrim? Or is her opinion not worth a hill of beans? And which thingman emerges from John’s mead hall to settle the dispute over her hand?

Find out in the sometimes thrilling but poorly told conclusion to Floamanna Saga!

Thanks as always to Matt Smith for contributing another original drawing. Check out his webpage or Twitter account to keep up with Matt's latest projects.

Music Credits:

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

Review Music - "Some Smoke" by National Promenade Band

Summary Music - "Black Vortex" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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/

Just in time for Halloween, John and Andy return for the second part of Flóamanna saga. When last we left you, our hero, Thorgils had battled two restless spirits. This time around, he's taking on berserks, madmen, and everyone's favorite hammer-wielding deity. As if that wasn't scary enough for you, Thorgils also contends with a shipwreck in Greenland, starvation, the walking dead, and a hungry baby.

Along the way, we talk about keg duels, a lucky Norwegian companion, and male lactation. Check out some of our sources:

Oren Falk, "Bystanders and Hearsayers First: Reassessing the Role of the Audience in Duelling," in A Great Effusion of Blood: Interpreting Medieval Violence edited by Mark D. Meyerson, Daniel Thiery, and Oren Falk. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004: 98-130.

Caroline Walker Bynum. Jesus as Mother: Studies in the Spirituality of the High Middle Ages. Berkeley and Los Angeles: The University of California Press, 1982.

Barbara Orland. "Why Could Early Modern Men Lactate? Gender Identity and Metabolic Narrations in Humoral Medicine" in Medieval and Renaissance Lactations: Images, Rhetorics, Practices edited by Jutta Gisela Sperling. Burlington: Ashgate, 2013: 37-54.

Nikhil Swaminathan. "Strange but True: Males Can Lactate" Scientific American September 6, 2007.

A special thank you to Matt Smith, aka Barbarian Lord on Twitter, for sharing his talents with us once again. This original drawing will make more sense once you listen to the episode.

Music Credits:

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

Review Music - "On the Mississippi" by Prince's Band

Summary Music - A blending of "Classic Horror 2" and "Unease" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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/