So, here's a change of pace. In this section, a small group of men are going to try to kill Thord Menace.

But since this is the final episode in our summary of The Saga of Thord Menace, there are only two possible outcomes. Will Thord finish off the endless string of men waiting to ambush him? Or will the countless relatives of Orm finally get their revenge? Either way, we're putting this violent saga to bed.

This action packed episode features the return of Skeggi of Midfjord, who quickly proves that he's no pushover. And when he draws, that legendary Viking sword, blood must flow. Will Eid once again be the voice of reason in the feud between his two fathers? Or will Skeggi and his crew put an end to the menace of Thord?

There's only one way to find out!

Thanks again to the brilliant Jacob Faust for his work illustrating this story for us. You can find more of his work on Instagram, where he's @skarphedin_illustrator.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

Lots of Viking style fun and medieval adventuring on this episode of Saga Thing. Join us for part 2 of The Saga of Thord Menace!

Orm is dead and Skeggi of Midfjord is unable to avenge his awful nephew. It's time to see where all of this leaves Thord Menace. If the original illustrations for this chapter by @skarphedin_illustrator are any indication, things are going to get a little messy.

Here's Thord getting to know Orm's business partner, Indridi.

And here's an action shot of Thord's meeting with Ozur.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra

Poetry Music - "Crowd Hammer" by Kevin MacLeod

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

Saga Thing returns from a much needed holiday break to tackle The Saga of Thord Menace. In this episode we meet the family of Thord, explore the formulas of saga writing, witness the assassination of Norwegian royalty, and learn how young Thord earned his menacing nickname. Oh, and we finally get to see some saga characters taking advantage of the lovely hot springs of Iceland. It's a great start to a saga that rarely gets the attention it deserves. Join us for The Saga of Thord Menace!

Our thanks to Bryan Foust for returning to share his talents with us once again. Check out his work on Instagram, where he's known as @skarphedin_illustrator.

And, as promised, some bibliography on saints and hagiography, courtesy of John. Blame any issues with citation style accuracy on him. I'm just cutting and pasting this time.

Dubois, Thomas A. Sanctity in the North: Saints, Lives, and Cults in Medieval Scandinavia. University of Toronto Press, 2008.

Egilsdóttir, Ásdis. “Happy Endings: The (Para)Normality of Miracles.” Ármann Jakobsson and Miriam Mayburd, eds. De Gruyter, 2020.

Egilsdóttir, Ásdis. “The beginnings of local hagiography in Iceland : the lives of Bishops Þorlákr and Jón.” Lars Boje Mortenson, ed. The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c.1000-1300). Museum Tusculanum Press (University of Copenhagen), 2006.

Grønlie, Siân. The Saint and the Saga Hero. Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Phelpstead, Carl. Holy Vikings. ACMRS Press, 2007.

Wellendorf, Jonas. “Ecclesiastical Literature and Hagiography.” Ármann Jakobsson and Sverrir Jakobsson, eds. The Routledge Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas. Routledge, 2019.

And if you’re looking for a more general introduction to the phenomenon of medieval saints’ cults, you really can’t do better than Peter Brown’s The Cult of the Saints (University of Chicago Press, 1981).

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

A holiday saga for all to enjoy

About Gudmund the Grunch, a very bad boy.

Forgive the bad rhymes and meters offbeat.

We're scholars, not poets, it's just a fun treat.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (now with sleigh bells)

Gudmund the Grunch Theme - from "Krampus's Workshop" by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5518-krampus-s-workshop

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro Music - "Jólakötturinn" performed by Ragnheiður Gröndal

In this Saga Short, we journey with Auðun of the Westfjords, an Icelander who gives everything he has to purchase a polar bear in Greenland. Why buy a polar bear, you ask? Well, what makes a more impressive gift for a king than a polar bear? In this brilliant and widely anthologized þáttr, Auðun will travel throughout Scandinavia, suffer the pangs of hunger and poverty, visit Rome, survive a debilitating illness, gain the love of a wealthy benefactor, and get the better of a certain hard-minded king. Join us for this holiday gift-giving special as we discuss The Tale of Auðun and the Bear!

When you're finished you might enjoy watching this cute animated version of the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPEsQGC4T0c

And if you're one of those types that like to peruse some good bibliography:

Antonsson, Haki. "The Construction of Auðunar þáttr Vestfirzka: A Case of Typological Thinking in Early Old Norse Prose." Scandinavian Studies 90, no. 4 (2018): 485-508.

Fichtner, Edward G. “Gift Exchange and Initiation in the ‘Auđunar Þáttr Vestfirzka’.” Scandinavian Studies 51, no. 3 (1979): 249-72.

Miller, William Ian. Audun and the Polar Bear: Luck, Law, and Largess in a Medieval Tale of Risky Business. 1. Vol. 1. Medieval Law and Its Practice. Boston, MA: Brill, 2008.

Pálsson, Hermann, ed. Hrafnkel's Saga: and Other Stories. Translated by Hermann Pálsson. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1971.

There ya go.

Music Credits:

Intro: From “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom

Outro: Snæfinnur Snjókarl by Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson

It's time to put the Saga of Bard the God of Snowfell on trial! Critics and saga enthusiasts are often divided on this one. Where will John and Andy rank Bard's Saga? Who will win Best Bloodshed? Why is Andy suddenly contributing to Nicknames? And which of the heroic figures in this saga will be honored with the title of Thingman? Listen and find out!

Thanks again to Bryan Foust, our guest illustrator for Bard's Saga. We look forward to working with him more in the future. You can find his work here: https://www.instagram.com/skarphedin_illustrator/

And, if you enjoy Saga Thing, we think you'll also enjoy The Maniculum Podcast, which we highlight at the end of this episode. It's available on your favorite podcast app.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Snati the Wonder Dog Theme - Original composition by John (vocals) and Elsa (keyboard)

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

Before we judge Bard's Saga, we take a short break to speak about this crazy story with our good friend Will Biel, a PhD candidate in Medieval Studies at the University of Connecticut. Will brings his expertise on Bard's Saga, medieval European romance literature, and Dungeons and Dragons to our table for a fascinating discussion. We think you'll enjoy this fun interview!

In the thrilling conclusion to Bard's Saga, Gest makes his way to the court of King Olaf Tryggvason in Norway. Despite the king's best efforts to convert his Icelandic guest, the son of Bard is reluctant to abandon the old gods. Gest's faith will be tested when he accepts a mission to break into the burial mound of an old Viking called Raknar in Greenland. Along the way, he'll encounter Odin, argue with a priest, battle against 500 undead oarsmen, and wrestle with Raknar himself. Does Gest have what it takes to defeat the devilish draugr? Will the old gods provide the strength he needs to claim the treasure? Or will Gest discover the true power of the Christian god? Find out on this exciting episode of Saga Thing!

Thanks again to Bryan Foust for illustrating Bard's Saga for us. Check out his work on Instagram where he is skarphedin_illustrator.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

Ever wonder what happens when trolls, giants, and ogres get together for a party? Be our guest in this fun episode as we follow Bard's son Gest to a Yule feast hosted by a troll-woman and then to a wedding bash in the cave hall of Kolbjorn the ogre. Learn all about fun party games like "skin-throwing" and "joint-toss." And if that's not enough for you, we've also got missing sheep, a damsel in distress, a heroic dog, and a battle for the ages! All that and more in one episode of your favorite podcast about medieval Icelandic literature, Saga Thing!

Thanks again to Bryan Foust for his exciting illustrations for this saga. You can see more of his work on his Instragram page, where he is @skarphedin_illustrator. Click on the link and follow him!

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod

In this short episode, John and Andy got together for a drink and a chat to celebrate after Saga Thing reached the 1 million downloads milestone. Sure it took 7 years to get there. But we're still surprised that anybody's listening. Thanks for joining us on this journey.

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod