Podcasts about icelandic sagas

Some might say Loftur was the most evil sorcerer in Icelandic history.  Learn about his wickness and his quest to acquire the most powerful book in witchcraft, the Redskin (Rauðskinna). Like what you hear?  Give us 5 Stars!  And follow us for more... Checkout our website: Eerie Iceland  Follow us on: Instagram  Find our page on: Facebook  Email us: hello@eerieiceland.com Sources & Extras: Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Episode & Editing By: Ann Irene Peters (Iceland Wedding Planner)

There are classic books from a few centuries ago, and then there are classic classic books from distant and remote regions covering events that are long-lost to the sands of time. Today's episode is about this kind of book: the Icelandic sagas written in the 1300s and covering events from the start of the second millennium. The saga I read for this week's episode is called Njal's Saga and it is written anonymously, as many of the texts at the time were, probably through a long oral tradition and it is a fictionalized history of the start of what was called the Icelandic Commonwealth, which was a pretty unique society, largely agrarian, with no king or aristocracy and a system of laws and norms that maintained some form of stability.  However, that stability would soon come under grave threat with a series of spiralling feud, mostly based on stupid slurs leading to bloody murders, that would eventually lead to the collapse of the Icelandic Commonwealth. My guest today is Dr. Matthew Roby, who's an assistant professor at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and he's a leading academic on the sagas and medieval literature in general. Today, he takes us through what exactly are the Icelandic sagas, why and how they were written, what influenced them and what did they influence (e.g The Lord of the Rings) and all sort of other fascinating tidbits on this long-lost form of story-telling.  Books mentioned in the episode: “Old-Norse Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction” by Heather O'Donoghue (2004) “Gisla Saga” is the saga he recommends, which has noble heroes, and it centres on concepts of family, friendship and ties and it is relatively accessible. Favorite book that I've never heard of: “Letters from Iceland” by the poet WH Auden & Louis MacNeice (1937), which is a series of vignettes of life in Iceland at the time. The book that he loves but can't recommend to friends: The family sagas which are a sub-genre of the sagas focused on the historical aspects of Iceland.  The best book that he's read in the last 12 months: “Tess of the d'Urbervilles” by Thomas Hardy (1891), a classic novel about the tragic treatment of a woman in 19th century British society. The book that he finds over-rated: “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens (1861) in which he found the morals too contrived and overt. The book that he would take to a desert island: “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy by JRR Tolkien (1954) The book that changed his mind: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot (1915), his first published poem, which made him want to pursue literature. He also mentioned the children's book “We Sang You Home” by the Canadian indigenous author Richard Van Camp, published in 2016. Follow me ⁠⁠⁠⁠@litwithcharles⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more book reviews and recommendations!

In Old Icelandic,'hús-brenna' means 'house burning', and it was a form of homicide by arson used to settle a vendetta, and sometimes used during political conflicts in medieval Scandinavia. Its sole purpose, make no mistake, was assassination. And it's terrifying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We lay the groundwork for looking at the Icelandic Sagas today. What philosophical ideas did they hold about ethics, violence, and the intersection of the two. What makes the Sagas different from other literature of the time and what biases do we need to be aware of? Why were serious duels called "going to the island?" Let's take a look at these questions and get ready to jump into a world oddly both very different from our own and yet also more familiar to us than the rest of Europe at the time. To sign up for new episode notifications and to receive the "Very Brief Introduction to Philosophy for Martial Artists" PDF as well as a full translation of Chapter 51 of the Budoushoshinshu about disciplined martial arts training... go to: walkingtengu.wix.com/tengu and scroll to the bottom to enter your email.

Happy two-days-after-Halloween from the OSPod! Red recounts the finest ghost fights, Blue breaks once more thinking of Kermit thane of Cawdor, and Indigo could probably use a Gatorade. Plus, we return to the Time Heist to create the most perfect iteration of Dracula...every iteration of Dracula! It's another classic thriller from the Overly Sarcastic Podcast! Our podcast, like our videos, sometimes touches on the violence, assaults, and murders your English required reading list loves (also we curse sometimes). Treat us like a TV-14 show.DoomCo Designs Monkey:https://www.doomcodesigns.com/physical/osp-jttw-monkey-king-vinyl-toy-pre-order?fbclid=IwAR22XpQ8rgbD4Tn6hdlU8PM1Q0x0kfBH07xPp12SxEeKN317WOL12mLt6P8Rolling with Difficulty "Curse of the Amulet":https://youtu.be/hc_fsqshuwgOSP has new videos every Friday:https://www.youtube.com/c/OverlySarcasticProductionsChannelQuestion for the Podcast? Head to the #ask-ospod discord channel:https://discord.gg/OSPMerch:https://www.redbubble.com/people/ospyoutube/shopFollow Us:Patreon.com/OSPTwitter.com/OSPyoutubeTwitter.com/sophie_kay_ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The story of Half's Heroes, from the Icelandic Sagas. If you don't like being burned alive...and also do absolutely nothing to avoid the completely avoidable fate of being burned alive...can you even call yourself a man? The creature this week is the Ubigabi (姥ヶ火), the flaming head that's barreling toward you in the night. -- Sponsors: Best Fiends: Connect with us on Best Fiends with Friend Code: 2829841 Shopify: Sign up for a FREE trial at http://shopify.com/legends (all lowercase!) Helix Sleep: Get $200 dollars off all mattress orders AND 2 free pillows at http://HelixSleep.com/myths Indeed: Start hiring at http://Indeed.com/legendsSupport the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membershipSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About Joshua GillinghamJoshua Gillingham is an author, game designer, and editor from Vancouver Island, Canada. His fantasy trilogy ‘The Saga of Torin Ten-Trees' is an adventure inspired by the Norse myths and the Icelandic Sagas. Joshua is also the co-author of ‘Old Norse for Modern Times' alongside Ian Stuart Sharpe and Dr. Arngrimur Vidalin.In partnership with Outland Entertainment, Joshua is the founding Worldsmith of the trans-media Outland 'Althingi' World set in Viking Age Iceland, featuring his original card game Althingi: One Will Rise and the groundbreaking anthology Althingi: The Crescent & the Northern Star.Key takeaways:Give learners/ players agency: Learning is an internal process, so figure out how learners can take the information you're providing, and make it a part of their lives. Learners need flexibility and relevant information so that what they learn can be applied for the long-term. To understand different perspectives within the company, consider conducting small group discussions. Prompts and reflective questions are a great way to give agency.The role of ‘randomness' in games has the advantage of surprise and chance. It frustrates the stronger skilled player, whilst the less-skilled player can see an opening and a chance. In learning design, this could be done through suprise questions. Strategically, make sure you give learners a bounded space, e.g. a physical game, to keep them on task, but provide enough agency so they are engaged.Leveraging physical space on game boards: Learning Designers can build a physical space for people to learn from. For game designers, every piece on a board has a cost attached to it, so ask yourself “is this enhancing the experience?”. Be clever with using the most from as little as possible. Segmented time stamps:(02:13) What do we mean by ‘space' in game design?(04:39) How Learning Designers can give players first-level agency(07:52) The notion of ‘roles', and why Learning Designers need to consider this more in their strategy(09:50) Strategies for building ‘randomness' in game design(13:07) Learning from the rule books of the most popular games(16:10) On the space of physical boards(20:29) Multiple pathway learningLinks from the podcast:Visit Joshua's WebsiteConnect with Joshua on TwitterListen to the Learning While Working Podcast interview with Warren KennardCheck out Magic: The GatheringCheck out BoardGameGeek

Hello and welcome to Medieval Murder, the podcast that brings all things gruesome and historical to the comfort of your own home or car or wherever it is you're listening from. My name is Hannah Purtymun and I'm here with my father Kevin Purtymun to discuss some of the most famous and infamous murders that took place in the Medieval and Early Modern periods. Medieval Murder came to be, first as a blog, then as an instagram and now as a podcast after I finished my master's dissertation on homicide in early medieval England. The podcast will feature some of the most famous murders in medieval history, some mini-episode series on different types of medieval murders and interviews with historians and history enthusiasts alike. Thank you for being patient as we took a break from podcasting due to school and work! The podcast will now be on a more regular schedule for the rest of the summer! So today we will be returning to Iceland with Egil's Saga.

The Icelandic sagas have long been a source of fascination for Kári Gíslason and his latest novel, The Sorrow Stone, gives new life to an old Icelandic saga. Also disability advocate and writer Liel Bridgford explores disability representation in fiction with Kay Kerr and Jessica Walton, and Robert Lukins on his second novel Loveland set in Nebraska about two women who've experienced controlling marriages and asks whether trauma is inherited.

The Icelandic sagas have long been a source of fascination for Kári Gíslason and his latest novel, The Sorrow Stone, gives new life to an old Icelandic saga. Also disability advocate and writer Liel Bridgford explores disability representation in fiction with Kay Kerr and Jessica Walton, and Robert Lukins on his second novel Loveland set in Nebraska about two women who've experienced controlling marriages and asks whether trauma is inherited.

In the past decade, adventurous travelers have flocked to the island nation of Iceland to enjoy its many wonders: stunning nature and wildlife, innovative and unique cuisine, a compelling history that includes Vikings, and the rich literary tradition rooted in the Icelandic Sagas, which is still vibrantly alive today in this well read nation. Once in Iceland, travelers may also note that Iceland has one of the happiest populations with one of the highest rates of acceptance for LGBTQIA individuals, and with no military, Iceland is also one of the more peaceful nations on the planet. Iceland is also a great place to be a woman in 2022. Just how and why that is, and whether Iceland's proximity to gender parity can serve as a model for other nations, is explored in a marvelous new book by Iceland's current first lady, Canadian born Eliza Reid. “Secrets of the Sprakkar Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World” explores Iceland's unique history, people, politics, and of course nature, and how these have enabled women to pursue the equality that they know to be their right. In the pages of Secrets of the Sprakkar: What the Outstanding Women of Iceland Know about Equality (Sourcebooks, 2022), Reid introduces us to several extraordinary “sprakkar” or powerful women. This is an ancient Icelandic word that perfectly describes the pioneering politicians, medieval heroines, stand-up comedians, fishermen, search and rescue team leaders, and immigrants to Iceland, like Reid herself who populate the book. As Reid delves into the stories of these extraordinary women, she tells her own story of immigrating to Iceland for love, having a family, and forging her own professional path as the founder of the Popular Iceland Writers Retreat. Life threw Reid and her husband Guðni Jóhannesson a curve ball in 2016: Jóhannesson, a professor of history, was invited to be a pundit on Icelandic TV in the run up to the presidential election following the explosive Panama Papers. And then, as Reid recounts, the phone began to ring. Jóhannesson was elected president and Reid assumed the very public role of First Lady. In “Secrets of the Sprakkar,” she muses about the oddity of the role, but her decision to embrace it with dignity and enthusiasm. She speaks eloquently about how it is important for Iceland's growing community of immigrants to hear her speak in public forums with an accent, just as they do, and know that what she — and they — have to say is important. “Secrets of the Sprakkar” is a slim volume that packs a big punch: part history, part political science, rooted in social observation of a society that has actively pursued gender parity and may well be closing in on it. But above all, this is a love letter to Iceland, from its still-besotted First Lady. Eliza Reid is a Canadian-Icelandic writer, co-founder of Iceland Writers Retreat, and has been Iceland's First Lady since 2016. Reid was educated at the University of Toronto and Oxford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the past decade, adventurous travelers have flocked to the island nation of Iceland to enjoy its many wonders: stunning nature and wildlife, innovative and unique cuisine, a compelling history that includes Vikings, and the rich literary tradition rooted in the Icelandic Sagas, which is still vibrantly alive today in this well read nation. Once in Iceland, travelers may also note that Iceland has one of the happiest populations with one of the highest rates of acceptance for LGBTQIA individuals, and with no military, Iceland is also one of the more peaceful nations on the planet. Iceland is also a great place to be a woman in 2022. Just how and why that is, and whether Iceland's proximity to gender parity can serve as a model for other nations, is explored in a marvelous new book by Iceland's current first lady, Canadian born Eliza Reid. “Secrets of the Sprakkar Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World” explores Iceland's unique history, people, politics, and of course nature, and how these have enabled women to pursue the equality that they know to be their right. In the pages of Secrets of the Sprakkar: What the Outstanding Women of Iceland Know about Equality (Sourcebooks, 2022), Reid introduces us to several extraordinary “sprakkar” or powerful women. This is an ancient Icelandic word that perfectly describes the pioneering politicians, medieval heroines, stand-up comedians, fishermen, search and rescue team leaders, and immigrants to Iceland, like Reid herself who populate the book. As Reid delves into the stories of these extraordinary women, she tells her own story of immigrating to Iceland for love, having a family, and forging her own professional path as the founder of the Popular Iceland Writers Retreat. Life threw Reid and her husband Guðni Jóhannesson a curve ball in 2016: Jóhannesson, a professor of history, was invited to be a pundit on Icelandic TV in the run up to the presidential election following the explosive Panama Papers. And then, as Reid recounts, the phone began to ring. Jóhannesson was elected president and Reid assumed the very public role of First Lady. In “Secrets of the Sprakkar,” she muses about the oddity of the role, but her decision to embrace it with dignity and enthusiasm. She speaks eloquently about how it is important for Iceland's growing community of immigrants to hear her speak in public forums with an accent, just as they do, and know that what she — and they — have to say is important. “Secrets of the Sprakkar” is a slim volume that packs a big punch: part history, part political science, rooted in social observation of a society that has actively pursued gender parity and may well be closing in on it. But above all, this is a love letter to Iceland, from its still-besotted First Lady. Eliza Reid is a Canadian-Icelandic writer, co-founder of Iceland Writers Retreat, and has been Iceland's First Lady since 2016. Reid was educated at the University of Toronto and Oxford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies

In the past decade, adventurous travelers have flocked to the island nation of Iceland to enjoy its many wonders: stunning nature and wildlife, innovative and unique cuisine, a compelling history that includes Vikings, and the rich literary tradition rooted in the Icelandic Sagas, which is still vibrantly alive today in this well read nation. Once in Iceland, travelers may also note that Iceland has one of the happiest populations with one of the highest rates of acceptance for LGBTQIA individuals, and with no military, Iceland is also one of the more peaceful nations on the planet. Iceland is also a great place to be a woman in 2022. Just how and why that is, and whether Iceland's proximity to gender parity can serve as a model for other nations, is explored in a marvelous new book by Iceland's current first lady, Canadian born Eliza Reid. “Secrets of the Sprakkar Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World” explores Iceland's unique history, people, politics, and of course nature, and how these have enabled women to pursue the equality that they know to be their right. In the pages of Secrets of the Sprakkar: What the Outstanding Women of Iceland Know about Equality (Sourcebooks, 2022), Reid introduces us to several extraordinary “sprakkar” or powerful women. This is an ancient Icelandic word that perfectly describes the pioneering politicians, medieval heroines, stand-up comedians, fishermen, search and rescue team leaders, and immigrants to Iceland, like Reid herself who populate the book. As Reid delves into the stories of these extraordinary women, she tells her own story of immigrating to Iceland for love, having a family, and forging her own professional path as the founder of the Popular Iceland Writers Retreat. Life threw Reid and her husband Guðni Jóhannesson a curve ball in 2016: Jóhannesson, a professor of history, was invited to be a pundit on Icelandic TV in the run up to the presidential election following the explosive Panama Papers. And then, as Reid recounts, the phone began to ring. Jóhannesson was elected president and Reid assumed the very public role of First Lady. In “Secrets of the Sprakkar,” she muses about the oddity of the role, but her decision to embrace it with dignity and enthusiasm. She speaks eloquently about how it is important for Iceland's growing community of immigrants to hear her speak in public forums with an accent, just as they do, and know that what she — and they — have to say is important. “Secrets of the Sprakkar” is a slim volume that packs a big punch: part history, part political science, rooted in social observation of a society that has actively pursued gender parity and may well be closing in on it. But above all, this is a love letter to Iceland, from its still-besotted First Lady. Eliza Reid is a Canadian-Icelandic writer, co-founder of Iceland Writers Retreat, and has been Iceland's First Lady since 2016. Reid was educated at the University of Toronto and Oxford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/european-studies

In the past decade, adventurous travelers have flocked to the island nation of Iceland to enjoy its many wonders: stunning nature and wildlife, innovative and unique cuisine, a compelling history that includes Vikings, and the rich literary tradition rooted in the Icelandic Sagas, which is still vibrantly alive today in this well read nation. Once in Iceland, travelers may also note that Iceland has one of the happiest populations with one of the highest rates of acceptance for LGBTQIA individuals, and with no military, Iceland is also one of the more peaceful nations on the planet. Iceland is also a great place to be a woman in 2022. Just how and why that is, and whether Iceland's proximity to gender parity can serve as a model for other nations, is explored in a marvelous new book by Iceland's current first lady, Canadian born Eliza Reid. “Secrets of the Sprakkar Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World” explores Iceland's unique history, people, politics, and of course nature, and how these have enabled women to pursue the equality that they know to be their right. In the pages of Secrets of the Sprakkar: What the Outstanding Women of Iceland Know about Equality (Sourcebooks, 2022), Reid introduces us to several extraordinary “sprakkar” or powerful women. This is an ancient Icelandic word that perfectly describes the pioneering politicians, medieval heroines, stand-up comedians, fishermen, search and rescue team leaders, and immigrants to Iceland, like Reid herself who populate the book. As Reid delves into the stories of these extraordinary women, she tells her own story of immigrating to Iceland for love, having a family, and forging her own professional path as the founder of the Popular Iceland Writers Retreat. Life threw Reid and her husband Guðni Jóhannesson a curve ball in 2016: Jóhannesson, a professor of history, was invited to be a pundit on Icelandic TV in the run up to the presidential election following the explosive Panama Papers. And then, as Reid recounts, the phone began to ring. Jóhannesson was elected president and Reid assumed the very public role of First Lady. In “Secrets of the Sprakkar,” she muses about the oddity of the role, but her decision to embrace it with dignity and enthusiasm. She speaks eloquently about how it is important for Iceland's growing community of immigrants to hear her speak in public forums with an accent, just as they do, and know that what she — and they — have to say is important. “Secrets of the Sprakkar” is a slim volume that packs a big punch: part history, part political science, rooted in social observation of a society that has actively pursued gender parity and may well be closing in on it. But above all, this is a love letter to Iceland, from its still-besotted First Lady. Eliza Reid is a Canadian-Icelandic writer, co-founder of Iceland Writers Retreat, and has been Iceland's First Lady since 2016. Reid was educated at the University of Toronto and Oxford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to Medieval Murder, the podcast that brings all things gruesome and historical to the comfort of your own home or car or wherever it is you're listening from. My name is Hannah Purtymun and I'm here with my father Kevin Purtymun to discuss some of the most famous and infamous murders that took place in the Medieval and Early Modern periods. Medieval Murder came to be, first as a blog, then as an instagram and now as a podcast after I finished my master's dissertation on homicide in early medieval England. The podcast will feature some of the most famous murders in medieval history, some mini-episode series on different types of medieval murders and interviews with historians and history enthusiasts alike. Today we will be jumping back into Egil's Saga, part of the Icelandic Sagas.

Hello and welcome to Medieval Murder, the podcast that brings all things gruesome and historical to the comfort of your own home or car or wherever it is you're listening from. My name is Hannah Purtymun and I'm here with my father Kevin Purtymun to discuss some of the most famous and infamous murders that took place in the Medieval and Early Modern periods. Today we will be jumping back into Egil's Saga, part of the Icelandic Sagas.

On this ID the Future, Taking Leave of Darwin author Neil Thomas and host Jonathan Witt continue their conversation about Thomas's journey from Darwinian materialism to theistic humanism and a thorough skepticism of Darwinian theory. Here Thomas links the heroic posturing of modern atheists Richard Dawkins and Bertrand Russell, on the one hand, and on the other, the heroic fatalism of poetry stretching back to the early Middle Ages and, further still, to the ancient Greeks. Thomas also draws a link between the animistic thinking of much ancient pagan thought and the magical powers attributed to the Darwinian mechanism. Thomas explains why he now views the latter as essentially “crypto-animism.” In their wide-ranging conversation, Thomas and Witt also touch on Read More › Source

This week, the World-Weary women pay homage to two of history's most fearless yet forgotten queens. Violet seeks the truths lost in the legend of the 10th century Viking queen, Gunnhild, Mother of Kings: married to an outlawed tyrannical king and ruling over three nations, the Icelandic Sagas accused this powerful queen of dark sorcery. Cassiopeia presents the life of Queen Nandi Bhebhe; despite suffering great hardships, she raised a famous Zulu King and gained the recognition she deserved.

The peoples of the North Atlantic have long been a source of fascination and fear for western culture for the last thousand years. Some view them as romanticized warriors from a simple culture, others as barbarians biting at their shields. But the truth is more complex than this and, as we have seen in previous "The World Of" episodes, the environment of the author plays heavily into their perspective. We are excited to bring to you the heading for our next Icelandic Sagas installment Support our Patreon! www.patreon.com/theartofwargaming Email: artofwargamingpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: @theartofwargamingpodcast Instagram: @artofwargamingpodcast Check out more of The Art of Wargaming at www.taowargaming.com Check out more earVVyrm podcasts at www.earvvyrm.com

David Grubbs patiently explains two Icelandic sagas to Michial Farmer.

David Grubbs patiently explains two Icelandic sagas to Michial Farmer.

In many Norse Paganism branches, including but not limited to Asatru, adherents follow a set of guidelines known as the Nine Noble Virtues. This set of moral and ethical standards is drawn from several sources, both historical and literary. Sources include the Havamal, the Poetic and Prose Eddas, and many of the Icelandic sagas. Although various Asatruar branches interpret these nine virtues in slightly different ways, there seems to be some universality as to what the virtues are and what they stand for. With the understanding that we can learn something from all religions today, I would like to speak to you about the benefits of living a life by the nine noble truths. Following the nine noble truths will benefit your personal life, your family, and your community. But first, what are the 9 Noble Virtues. The Nine Noble Virtues is a set of moral and situational ethical guidelines within specific groupings of Odinism. They are supposedly based on virtues found in historical Norse paganism, gleaned from various sources including the Poetic Edda (particularly the Hávamál and the Sigrdrífumál), and as evident in the Icelandic Sagas). Regardless of whether this is true or something that was put together recently, they are valuable rules to live our lives by. The Nine Noble Virtues of Norse Paganism include moral and ethical standards drawn from several historical and literary sources.

For our sixth anniversary episode, we kick off a miniseries on medieval true crime, with the account of a particularly brutal assault on a parish priest, with an additional look at medieval treatments for eye wounds, and also learn how a dead man managed to kill the warrior who slayed him. Today's Text: Knox, Ronald, and Shane Leslie, editors and translators. The Miracles of King Henry VI. Cambridge UP, 1923. Guy de Chauliac, Grand Chirurgie. "Description of the Plague." Tr. by William A. Guy. Public Health: A Popular Introduction to Sanitary Science, Henry Renshaw, 1870, pp. 48-50. Google Books. Dasent, G.W., translator. The Orkneyingers Saga. Icelandic Sagas, vol. 3, Eyre and Spottiswood, 1894. Sacred Texts, www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/is3/is300.htm. References: Houlbrook, Ceri. "Coining the Coin-Tree: Contextualizing a Contemporary British Custom." Doctoral thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. Manchester University, www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/54558281/FULL_TEXT.PDF. Kelleher, Richard Mark. "Coins, monetisation and re-use in medieval England and Wales: new interpretations made possible by the Portable Antiquities Scheme." Doctoral thesis, vol. 1, Durham University, 2012. Durham e-Theses, etheses.dur.ac.uk/7314/. Millmore, Bridget. "Love Tokens: Engraved Coins, Emotions and the Poor 1700-1856." Doctoral thesis, University of Brighton, 2015. Brighton University, research.brighton.ac.uk/files/4757430/Bridget%20Millmore%20PhD%20Final.pdf. Audio Credits Recording by Freesound.ord user YleArkisto used under Creative Commons Attribution license. "Sudet ulvovat / Wolves howling, small pack, frost snapping" (https://freesound.org/s/243495/)

The generosity and public spirit of my Patreon backers -- and of backer Eric in particular -- bring you this special episode all about monsters in the Icelandic sagas, in which I mainly just talk about ghosts and the magic swords they dispense. Check out the Saga Thing podcast here! Since I recorded this episode, the ebook page at the University of Edinburgh has temporarily gone offline, so please stand by: I'll update with ordering information when I can. If you're enjoying the show, why not consider supporting it on Patreon? You'll get access to lots of new bonus content, including my other podcast, Patron Deities! Thanks to Ray Otus for our thumbnail image. The intro music is a clip from "Solve the Damn Mystery" by Jesse Spillane, used under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

In this episode of the podcast we will be looking at the mythology and origin of selkies.  This episode includes a selkie story by the marvellous DD Storyteller. To find more of her work, please visit her website: www.ddstoryteller.co.uk     For more information about upcoming episodes and odd history and folklore facts please follow me on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/historyandfolklorepodcast Instagram: www.instagram.com/historyandfolklore   Sources used for this episode: Orkneyjar: The Heritage of the Orkney Islands by S. Towrie (www.orkneyjar.com). The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by J. Westwood and S. Kingshill (2011). The North and the Depiction of the "Finnar" in the Icelandic Sagas by Jeremy DeAngelo, Scandinavian Studies, Vol. 82, No.3 (Fall 2010), pp. 257-286. Supernatural Beings in the Far North: Folklore, Folk Belief and the Selkie by Nancy Cassell McEntire (Scottish Studies, vol 38 (Dec 2018), pp. 120-143). The Secret History Hidden in the Selkie Story by Elisabeth Gifford.(http://www.elisabethgifford.com/blog/2014/5/3/the-secret-history-hidden-in-the-selkie-story).

In a very special Midnight Myth Bonus, we sat down with Joshua Gillingham, author of The Gatewatch, an epic troll-hunting adventure inspired by the Norse Myths and the Icelandic Sagas. For an hour+, we nerd out about all things Norse: from common misconceptions about the Era of Viking to Loki’s most outrageous antics to the evolution of trolls and dwarves throughout time. We also get the opportunity to discuss how profoundly the Norse myths and Icelandic Sagas influenced the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, and therefore, much of contemporary fantasy literature. The Gatewatch by Joshua Gillingham is available now. Grab your copy (or e-book) from Crowsnest Books or order from your local bookstore. Want to learn more about Norse Mythology, the Vikings, and Scandinavian Folklore? Start here! Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman The Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings by Dr. Kevin Crossley-Holland The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods & Heroes John Bauer, painter of Scandanavian Folklore. — The Midnight Myth stands with Black Lives Matter and those protesting social injustice across our country. Please join us in supporting those who will not stay silent. Open your wallet if you are able. Consider supporting the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Reclaim the Block, your local Black Lives Matter Chapter or Bail Fund. Or directly support the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, or Tony McDade. Seek out and support Black-owned businesses in your area. Looking to get educated about systemic racism, police violence, and white privilege? Find book, film, and podcast recommendations at bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES. — Support us at www.patreon.com/midnightmyth Check out our merch store for Midnight Myth, Boomerangerang, and Wheel of Ka tees and totes! Learn more, view sources and inspiration, and sign up for e-mail updates at www.midnightmyth.com Twitter Facebook Instagram If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/midnightmyth/support

When reading history, we often miss the little things that makes us all human. Today, William Ian Miller from the University of Michigan joins us to speak to us about the ancient Icelandic Sagas and how it relates to us, today! We learn about traditions we kept and the knowledge we lost. The Highlight ReelYe OldOriginally, the sound th was represented with the rune symbol thorn þ. Over the years, people started writing it more carelessly and then started opening it up until it resembled y. Ye Old Tavern is pronounced = The Old Tavern.Ancient Rome and the Middle FingerIn Latin, the word for the middle finger is digitus impudicus. It means “unchaste finger” and it was offensive back then too! I will leave it to the reader to decide why it was called “unchaste” finger and the actions people may have performed on themselves or others using this finger.The Dating App for IncestIn the olden times, people in Iceland kept records going back 500-600 years to see who they were related to. Nowadays, there is a dating app that stops related people from hooking up!Ancient GraffitiArchitecture in the classical times is filled with graffiti. Babylonian Yelp It was written in 1753 BC in Babylon. A dude named Nanni complains to a Ea-Nasir about his customer service. Nanni ordered copper from Ea-Nasir and apparently the copper was low quality.We hope this episode helps you realize that history isn’t just studying about old times that are inapplicable to modern society. Instead, we can see what is timeless, and maybe it will even give us a glimpse of what it means to be human!If you haven’t already, please listen to our previous episode with Professor William Ian Miller where he talks about the anarchist tradition of old Iceland. Get full access to Historic.ly at historicly.substack.com/subscribe

Mother's Blood, Sister Songs : Episode 1 'Mother's Blood' Broadcast on RTE Lyric fm Sunday December 29th 6pm-7pm. Mother's Blood, Sister Songs is a two part radio and podcast documentary, the story of how the genetics of Iceland reveals its Irish motherhood, presented by Irish composer Linda Buckley and produced by Athena Media for RTE lyric fm. In Epsiode 1 'Mother's Blood' Linda begins her journey at her parents dairy farm at the Old Head of Kinsale, sharing her own story of sound and music and how Iceland became part it of through music and how when she finally went there in 2014 to write music, she felt strangely at home. That quest to uncover the connections between Ireland and Iceland starts a journey through time and history, from 9th Century Gaelic ireland during the Vikings to the genetics research of Dr. Kári Stefánsson in Reykjavik. Linda finds out about the female slaves taken by Norwegian Vikings to Iceland and becomes fascinated by one story in the Icelandic Sagas of Melkorka, a supposedly mute Irish slave, said to be the daughter of an Irish King. Is Melkorka real or imagined and where these Gaelic slaves the first mothers of Iceland? The music heard in this episode includes: Björk - Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu ( Icelandic folksong) Linda Buckley - Fall Approaches * theme Sigur rós - Ekki Múkk Linda Buckley - Numarimur (vox Elizabeth Hilliard) * theme Steindór Andersen - Haustið Na´lgast Sigur rós - Sæglópur Linda Buckley Hekla Linda Buckley Fridur Linda Buckley - Drowning Pool Linda Buckley - Siúil A Rúin (traditional air) Valgeir Sigurðsson - Ghosts (World Premiere 2013 performed by Crash Ensemble) Daniel Bjarnason - Bow to String Linda Buckley - Ó Iochtar Mara (vox Iarla Ó Lionaird) Björk - Mother Heroic Sigur rós - Kjartan sveinsson-sidasti baerinn Sigur rós - óðin's raven magic - chapter 3 Muireann Níc Amhlaoibh - Slán le Máigh Linda Buckley - Torann Vox Feminae -Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu Fields - Anna Thorvaldsdóttir Heyr þú oss himnum á - Anna Thorvaldsdóttir Sello Stína - Fold ( vox Steindór Andersen) Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & Billy Mag Fhloinn - Port na bPúcaí Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir - Móðir mín í kví, kví I (icelandic folk song - lullaby) You can find some of the music here in a Soundcloud playlist soundcloud.com/athena-media/sets/mothersbloodsistersongs_music For more go to www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Andri Snær Magnason, an award winning writer of novels, poetry, plays and films. He is also a very active environmental activist. We chatted about his fascinating literary career, how he chooses topics to write about, and so much more. Because we talked for about one hour and forty five minutes, I decided to break up the episode into two parts. You’ll hear me say in the beginning that I want to speak with Andri about Reykjavík being a UNESCO City of Literature. However, we don’t get to that until the second part because he had so many interesting stories to tell. Some of them include J.R.R. Tolkein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the Codex Regius, just to name a few. Also, I am excited to announce that Andri’s latest book, The Casket of Time has been published in English and is now available for your reading pleasure. It is a young adult Sci-fi novel that weaves together time travel and an environmental crisis for what looks like a captivating read. I’ve been reading The Story of the Blue Planet, another one of his books. When I am finished with that one I’m looking forward to diving into the one above and his other books. Below is a picture of the Bónus supermarket pig that Andri and I talk about during the interview. The Questions I Asked Andri During This Interview 1. You come from a family of doctors and nurses. What made you become interested in literature and in becoming a writer? 2. What inspires you to write your poetry and books? 3. The Icelandic Sagas and many other literary works from various authors, including yourself, have intrigued people all over the world. Why do you think people find Icelandic literature to be so fascinating? Connect with Andri Snær Facebook Twitter Instagram Email - andrimagnason@gmail.com Let’s be social! Here is where you can connect with me on social media platforms: FacebookYouTubeInstagramTwitter I hope you enjoyed listening to this interview. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already. Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jesse Byock, professor of Old Norse and Medieval Scandinavian Studies at UCLA and Háskóli Íslands for the All Things Iceland Podcast. We sat down in his lovely apartment in Reykjavík to chat about his book “Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas”. I met Jesse at the 2017 Polyglot Conference in Reykjavík, Iceland after seeing the captivating cover of his book (below) that was laying on the table.  I ended up having a chat with Jesse about living in Iceland, the Icelandic language and the Viking Language book series. As an archaeologist and an expat that has lived in Iceland for decades, Jesse has some fascinating stories to share. You will hear some of them in this interview. Viking Language 1 - A Brief Overview Can you guess what the creature is on the front cover of his book? Jesse reveals the answer at 24:05 in the podcast. Viking Language 1 is a grammar book for beginners that want an introduction to Old Norse, but it goes beyond the normal humdrum grammar book. Over the course of 20 years, Jesse developed this book based on the feedback he received from his students while teaching Old Norse.  Instead of just cramming the book with rote grammar and vocabulary exercises, he decided to weave in tidbits of history, culture and stories in between the exercises. He also included maps that display where Vikings traveled in Europe and North America. This refreshing approach made doing the exercises fun.  History and culture enthusiasts will be delighted with the plethora of information he provides. While Jesse uses this book to teach Old Norse in the classroom, he stated in the interview that he structured the book so people could use it for independent learning. As a do-it-yourself kind of person, I appreciate the effort he made to create a book that is also useful for people who are not taking a class. You can find Viking Language 1 & 2 on Amazon Learn More About Jesse Byock & His Other Books Jesse’s Viking Language website Jesse has authored many books and they are available on Amazon. Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að lesa (og að hlusta). Sjáumst fljótlega. Thank you kindly for reading (and listening to the podcast). See you soon!

In this final look back on her exploration from Ireland to Iceland, composer Linda Buckley gives an insight into what she discovered and what she feels it tells us about creativity and music making in Iceland. The story of Melkorka, the Irish princess slave of the Icelandic Sagas, has haunted the journey. But her life and story has been given more substance by the genetic research showing the majority of women in the settlement period of Iceland were indeed gaelic and presumed, like her, to be slaves. The genetics has given reality to the theory that Irish and Scottish teenage girls and women were the first mothers of Iceland. Our project has been obsessed with not just giving voice to those often silenced lives but to a sense of what their impact and legacy has been, through the stories, the songs and the language they gave their children. How has that influenced and inspired the literary, musical traditions and creativity of Iceland from then to today? The documentary series Mother's Blood, Sister Songs - a two part, two hour series, goes out on RTE Lyric fm on December 29 and Jan 5th 2020. Music includes Numarimur, Linda Buckley FUNI Icelandic folk song - Kveðið við spuna / Rhyming while spinning Bára Grímsdóttir björk Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu björk : sídasta ég Sellostina Haustið Na´lgast björk utopia Check out www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com for the full podcast series and transmedia content. You can find full versions of the music on the primary playlist soundcloud.com/athena-media/sets/mothers-blood-sister-songs

Melkorka Ólafsdóttir is a flautist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and takes her name from the Melkorka of the Icelandic Sagas. She traces her lineage back to that Melkorka, who is said to have been an Irish Princess taken into slave and bought by an Icelandic chieftain and brought to Iceland. Melkorka is a poet, as well as a flautist, and she has written a poem for her name sake and she shares it with us in Icelandic and English. In this episode producer Helen Shaw and composer Linda Buckley sit down with Melkorka and talk music, Bjork and motherhood. You can find out more about her music here And Melkorka's Svikaskáld (Imposter Poets) are here Music: Melkorka Ólafsdóttir - Fantasia 6 - Dolce (from solo CD: Telemann Fantasias) björk - utopia Watch a short video cut of our chat with Melkorka (and her stunning cats!) - https://vimeo.com/372931299

Vilborg Davíðsdóttir is an acclaimed Icelandic writer who draws on the women of the Icelandic Sagas for inspiration in her work. She has written a trilogy on the story of Auður the Deep Minded, who was married to Olaf the White, the Irish born Viking King of Dublin and a novel Korka drawing on the story of Melkorka the supposedly mute Irish princess slave who has been such a focus of our own series, Mother's Blood, Sister Songs. In this podcast, composer Linda Buckley and producer Helen Shaw sit down with Vilborg, in her Reykjavik home, and she talks about her self confessed obsession with the Scottish and Irish gaelic connections to the settlement of Iceland and the Icelandic Sagas. She shares why she made the birth of a red haired child to Auður the breaking point of her marriage to Olaf the White (who thinks the red hair is a sign of infidelity with an Irishman!) and why the slave narrative in the Icelandic Sagas remains a difficult one for Icelandic people who naturally want their origin story to be one of heroes, not slaves. The music is by Linda Buckley : Numarimur You can find out more about Vilborg's writing and her work here and to follow our project and stories go to www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne is an acclaimed writer in both Irish and English. She often references folklore and folktales in her work of contemporary fiction and she is deeply immersed in both Irish and Icelandic folktales through both her own extensive academic research and also through that of her late husband the Swedish folklorist Bo Almqvist. Éilís first visited Iceland in the late 1970s, a time when few Irish people had the opportunity to go there, and when Iceland was quite a remote and isolated country. She returns often and has many Icelandic friends and colleagues including Professor Gísli Sigurðsson (who we talked to in an earlier episode). Gísli was a student of Bo Almqvist at University College Dublin and it was during his time studying under Almqvist that he wrote his master thesis on the gaelic influences in the Icelandic Sagas. At the time his mentor and friend thought Gísli was overstating the Irish influences in both the settlement of Iceland and its literature but as Gísli himself told us the genetic research from DeCode Genetics, showing that over 65% of the women in the first generation of Iceland were gaelic, has proven his theory. In this conversation for Mother's Blood, Sister Songs producer Helen Shaw sat down with Éilís at her home in Dublin to talk about Ireland and Iceland, what connects us and what defines us, and how our folk stories resonate with often dark and malevolent spirits, and where fairies are not tinkerbell but creatures who can steal your child, perhaps showing how closely our ancestors, particularly the women, lived with death and the precarious nature of life and birth itself. You can find out more about Éilís Ní Dhuibhne's work here and check out the rest of our project on www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com Éilís has been involved in UCD's Ireland-Iceland project and you can hear a seminar she participated in last year about cultural connections between the two places called 'cultural dialogues and parallel histories' Music : Linda Buckley - Numarimur

Arnhildur Valgarðsdóttir or 'Adda' (the name she performs under) is an extraordinary women of song and music. Linda Buckley and producer Helen Shaw met up with her at a church in Iceland where she plays organ, piano and leads the choir. She is a multi-instrumentalist, a composer and a performer. She took her musical show inspired by the Icelandic Sagas to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and as she says herself she always has half a dozen projects on the go at the one time. Adda talks about the power of choirs in Iceland and how the church in Iceland is not so much about religion as community. She talks about folk music and the influence of singer and folklorist Bára Grímsdóttir who we talked to in a previous episode. Theme music in the episode is Linda Buckley 'Numarimur' You can see a video of Adda on our website www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com

Kári Stefánsson is an Icelandic neurologist and founder and CEO of the Reykjavik-based biopharmaceutical company deCODE genetics - www.decode.com . In Iceland he has pioneered the use of population-scale genetics to understand variation in the sequence of the human genome. His work has focused on how genomic diversity is generated and on the discovery of sequence variants impacting susceptibility to common diseases. This population approach has served as a model for national genome projects around the world. The sequencing of the Icelandic population's DNA by deCODE genetics has also revealed more about who were the original settlers of Iceland, showing over 60% of the female and 20% of the male DNA came from gaelic people. But the deCode Genetics research also shows how the isolation of the Icelandic people, for hundreds of years, has shaped their genetic code so that the modern Icelandic people are quite different from their original Norwegian and Gaelic roots. In this small population of just 330,000 people (it was only about 150,000 until the mid 20th Century) genetics and ancestry is a national interest where people like to trace their line back to a character in the Icelandic Sagas. But while the Sagas were written a few centuries after the settlement the deCode genetics work, on both the modern population, and ancient skeletons gives a scientific window on a thousand year old story. Here's the article that prompted us to go further : https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/dna-study-reveals-fate-of-irish-women-taken-by-vikings-as-slaves-to-iceland-1.3521206 The research data is here: https://www.decode.com/publications/ Our transmedia project has more resources including a short video from our chat with Kari mothersbloodsistersongs.com Music is Numarimur by Linda Buckley.

Mother's Blood, Sister Songs: 5. Professor Gísli Sigurðsson. Professor Gísli Sigurðsson was a young Icelandic scholar of the sagas when he came to Dublin in the 1980s to follow an MPhil under Professor Bo Almqvist at UCD. His thesis resulted in a ground-breaking piece of research on the gaelic influences in the Icelandic Sagas. At the time his work was often seen, by his academic colleagues, as overstating the gaelic influences in iceland and the Icelandic culture. But today the genetic studies that show that the settler population were 60% gaelic women and 20% gaelic men, mostly slaves brought by the Norwegian Vikings, confirms his theory that there was a significant gaelic population during the settlement period. In this audio interview with Linda Buckley and producer Helen Shaw Prof. Gísli Sigurðsson explains the impact of his research, how it challenges the nationalist thinking of the time, and how the story of the Irish princess slave, Melkorka, is one of the few slave stories that the Icelandic culture has both embraced and celebrated. To find out more about Gísli Sigurðsson, who is a research professor at The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, University of Iceland go to his page and visit our website www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com and see a short video of Gísli's interview with us under the dropdown menu VOICES. Mother's Blood, Sister Songs is a transmedia storytelling project exploring how the genetics of Iceland reveals its gaelic roots . The project is made by Irish composer Linda Buckley, and the documentary team from Athena Media Helen Shaw and John Howard. The radio version of the project will air on RTÉ Lyric fm in 2020.

Dr Emily Lethbridge, at the University of Iceland, is an expert on the Icelandic Sagas, those unique manuscripts which tell the story of the Icelandic settlement and the story of the Norse Vikings themselves. The manuscripts were written some centuries after the events of the settlement but give remarkable accounts of both the heroic myths of the Vikings and the family sagas of the characters who are seen as forging the settlement of Iceland. In this exchange composer Linda Buckley sits down with Emily at the Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavik english.arnastofnun.is and gets a deeper understanding not just of the sagas but how Ireland and the gaelic people feature in them, including the story of the supposedly mute Irish slave Melkorka. You can find out more about Emily's work and research here: https://uni.hi.is/emily/research/ and here's a link to the Saga mapping project : sagamap.hi.is and you can follow our project on www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com You can also see a video version of our short interview with Emily on the website. The music is Numarimur by Linda Buckley inspired by Icelandic music, poetry (rimur) and landscape.

Dr Elizabeth Boyle is Head of Early Irish at Maynooth University and an accomplished historian of the medieval world. She has a doctorate from Cambridge University in Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies. Lizzie, as she is known, lives between Ireland and England. In this audio interview Helen Shaw gets Lizzie to describe what Ireland was like, as a political and economic society, at the time of the Norse Vikings invasion and settlements in the 9th Century. Lizzie gives a picture of the normalcy of slavery both in Irish society and in the Viking world and gives context to the story of Melkorka the supposedly mute Irish slave princess of the Icelandic Sagas - in the Laxdaela Saga. To find out more about Elizabeth Boyle's work and research visit: www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/elizabeth-boyle Her personal blog, full of interesting treasures, is here thecelticist.ie/ to find out more about our project go to www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com Music is Numarimur by Linda Buckley - find out more about Linda's work on www.lindabuckley.org/

Professor Poul Holm is an expert voice on the Viking settlements in Ireland. He is Professor of Environmental History at Trinity College Dublin. He is a Danish native and before moving to Dublin he was Rector of Roskilde University in Denmark. He is the Director of the Trinity Centre for Environmental Humanities, a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Standing Committee for Archaeology, and Vice-Chair of the Humanities class of Academia Europea. In this audio conversation with producer Helen Shaw Poul gives an insight into the Norwegian Viking raids, and settlements, in Ireland from 790s and across the 9th and 10th centuries and how the Norse and Gaelic people became intermixed. He gives a sense of the market for people, for slaves, throughout this time and how by the late 9th Century the Norse Vikings took gaelic men and women, mostly slaves, to forge their settlement in Iceland. He draws on the famous story of Melkorka from the Icelandic Sagas, the slave Irish Princess, who mothers a future leader of the new Icelandic world, and a character, and story, who has inspired our 'Mother's Blood, Sister Songs' project. Find out more about the project on www.mothersbloodsistersongs.com And Professor Poul Holm www.tcd.ie/history/staff/holmp.php The music is Numarimur by Linda Buckley using Icelandic language and inspired by the landscape and soundscape of Iceland.

I didn't know much about Icelandic Sagas before I heard about Aoife's project, I just knew that they were long and complicated and involved feuds and fate. But Aoife, a philosophy student at Queen's University Belfast, knew a lot more and wanted to try to make sense of all the heavyweight moral decisions and decisive actions that go on in them. Her project is partly an investigation of a moral framework, and partly a research project into historical and anthropological reconstruction, but along the way she tries out a number of philosophical different approaches to understanding character traits. Here are some things that Aoife's suggested for you to read: * The saga that Aoife is talking about is called Hrafnkel Saga Freygoda. There's a wikipedia article about it here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrafnkels_saga) which has links to several translations, and Aoife was working from Gwyn Jones' edition. * Óskar Halldórsson (1989) “The Origin and Themes of Hrafnkels Saga”, Sagas of the Icelanders, edited by John Tucker, Garland Publishing: New York. * Tomasson, Richard F. (1980) Iceland : The First New Society, University of Minnesota Press. * Kristán Kristánsson (1998), "Liberating Moral Traditions: Saga Morality and Aristotle’s “Megalopsychia”", Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol.1, No.4, pp397-422. (Appears on the publisher's page here (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1009990801822), paywalled but consider using twitter and the hashtag #icanhazpdf). * Vilhjálmur Árnason (1991), "Morality and Social Structure in the Icelandic Sagas", The Journal of English and Germanic Philosophy, Vol. 90, No.2. (Appears on JStor here (https://www.jstor.org/stable/27710482), paywalled, consider #icanhazpdf). As ever, please get in touch to send any thoughts, responses, ideas, reactions, feedback or ideas about this episode or any of the others, it's always great to hear from you, particularly if you want to say encouraging things. To drop me a line you can just head over to the contact (https://www.generousquestions.co.uk/contact) page, or tweet at me on twitter (@drjoemorrison (https://twitter.com/DrJoeMorrison)) The theme music is from li_serios05 (https://store.broken20.com/album/li-series-05-jack-on-piano) by TVO on Broken20 records (https://store.broken20.com/) under Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/).

Today I chat with Professor Gísli Sigurðsson of the University of Iceland about Laxdæla saga. We discuss the origin of this well-known Icelandic saga, the key characters it features, and whether it should be considered a historical source. Referenced in Today’s Episode: Libromania – A Podcast for Book Lovers Medieval Icelandic Saga and Oral Tradition:…

In this episode, John and Andy continue to follow the adventures of the increasingly unlikable Bui Andridsson. We begin with a much needed change of scenery as Bui flees Iceland. I turns out that some people still hold a grudge for Bui's slaying of Thorstein. In Norway, Bui meets with a somewhat hostile King Harald Fairhair and his foster-father, King Dofri. Oh, and he happens to be a giant who lives in a mountain. What kind of shenanigans will Bui get up to this time? Will Bui reunite with his beloved Olof? And will he ever reconcile with the powerful family of Thorgrim the goði? And who is the striking young stranger wrestling with Bui at the end of the saga? Find out as we wrap up our summary of Kjalnesinga Saga. Thanks to Matt Smith for sharing his talents. This original drawing shows Bui meeting the imposing, but strangely seductive Frið. As you'll hear, she proves to be a bit more woman than Bui can handle. Matt wrote and illustrated Barbarian Lord, a graphic novel heavily inspired by the Icelandic Sagas.  You can see more of his work here: matt-illustrations.com. Again, if you like what he's doing for Saga Thing, drop him a line and express your appreciation on Twitter, where he's @barbarianlord. Be sure to listen through to the end, because we finally announce the winners of our Promote Saga Thing Contest. Winners should get in touch with us at sagathingpodcast@gmail.com with info on where to send the Saga Thing t-shirt. Music Credits: Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Review Music - "Snake Rag" by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band 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/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNQx3KPxifQ

As we have mentioned recently on social media, the great Matt Smith has agreed to join the Saga Thing team and provide us with an original drawing for each saga episode. We’re excited to be working with him. You’ll get a fuller appreciation of each image he creates for us by listening to the episode. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to hear that this image was inspired by one of the climaxes of the saga. One of the climaxes? Yes. Just one of many.  Thanks again to Matt for donating his time and talents. Matt wrote and illustrated Barbarian Lord, a graphic novel heavily inspired by the Icelandic Sagas.  You can see more of his work here: matt-illustrations.com. Welcome to the team, Matt! If you like what he's doing for Saga Thing, drop him a line and express your appreciation on Twitter, where he's @barbarianlord. In this episode, we discuss the first half of Kjalnesinga saga (The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes). You’re not alone if the name doesn’t ring a bell. This saga isn’t widely read or commented upon, despite being full of interesting tidbits for further discussion. For example, Kjalnesinga saga is the only saga whose action takes place within the modern boundaries of Reykjavík.  If you’ve been to Iceland’s capital, then you’ve no doubt seen the impressive Mount Esja (Esjan) looming across the bay. This saga offers some clues about where the mountain and the places around it got their names, at least according to the saga author.  In addition to some fascinating toponomy, Kjalnesinga saga looks into the lives of the first two generations of settlers in Kjalarnes, starting with Helgi Bjolan and a group of Irish immigrants that he graciously welcomes into his land. The majority of the action concerns the children of these initial settlers.  Here’s a quick key for those of you who have trouble keeping track of all the names. As if a genealogical tree wasn’t enough, we’ve also got a map of Kjalarnes for you, generously prepared for us by Rob from Totalus Rankium podcast, using Emily Lethbridge's Icelandic Saga Map.  to get a sense of the region and who lives where. Rob is an unofficial/official member of the Saga Thing team. We look forward to more awesome maps from Rob for future episodes. If you find these maps helpful, let Rob know on Twitter, where he's @TotalusRankium. When you've finished digesting all this great info, give the episode a listen. Kjalnesinga saga features a vivid description of a pagan temple, rising tensions between Irish Christian immigrants and the just-a-little-less-recently-immigrated pagan Icelanders, one of our more violent slayings (which is really saying something), an official holmgang, and our first ever love quadrangle…or square, if you will. There’s plenty here for everyone. Because we promised a link to our Saga Brief on the holmgang, as if you haven't already heard it, I'm providing it. John put no effort or time into providing this link, just as I suspected. Music Credits: Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Summary Music - "Galway" 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/

After a ten month break, we try and breathe some life back into our ailing podcast by talking about The Saga of Grettir the Strong and memento mori photography.

In this Halloween special we tell one of the spookiest ghost stories we find in the Icelandic Sagas - the story of Thorolf Twist-Foot as told in the Saga of the People of Eyri.  The Saga of the People of Eyri is fantastic. My favorite English translation can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RI9XZQ/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o03_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

“Matt Wilson, you want energy before Mountain Hut?” Siggi said to me in his thick Icelandic accent.   Hvolsvollur, Iceland March 2012 “Sure Siggi,” I said.  “I’m pretty hungry.”   Siggi dug into his mom’s refrigerator and pulled out a heaping plate of leftovers.  Mashed potatoes, gravy, and a tender red meat I’d never had before… “Siggi, this is delicious, what is this?” I asked. He glanced down at my plate to make sure I was done… “It’s horse, of course!” he said with a chuckle… Welcome to Iceland We were on our way to Siggi’s Mountain Hut deep in the interior of Iceland.  I wish I could describe this place, but it’s hard to put it to words.   Most people say Iceland looks like the surface of the moon.  Black lava rocks, dense rolling fog coming in off the North Atlantic, and permanently ominous skies.  Just driving down the road, you’ll find waterfall after waterfall coming off the fjords.  Dive deeper into the interior and you’ll find hidden canyons and geothermal steam rising from the ground.  All of this, painted on a backdrop of volcanic glaciers waiting to erupt.   Siggi and I loaded up his Superjeep and took off down a dirt road.  I know Superjeeps aren’t the most eco-friendly thing in the world, but if you are on the Icelandic Rescue Team like Siggi is, they seem pretty necessary for getting to the top of glaciers and volcanoes.   Siggi is all about tradition.  He loves to tell stories of Icelandic Sagas that happened literally in his backyard.  His favorite is about Gunnar Hamundarson who lived in the 10th century and could jump his own body length in full armor, back to front.  Icelanders also believe in elves and trolls Siggi tells me.   Up we climbed to the top of Hekla volcano.  It was getting late, but it didn’t seem to matter to Siggi.  He’d been to the top of this snow capped glacier more times than he could count.  Somehow I was supposed to be reassured knowing that it hadn’t erupted since 2000.  If molten lava did start busting through the icecap causing massive floods that would destroy the valley below us in mere minutes, there was nobody that I’d have more confidence in getting us out alive than Siggi.       It was almost 11pm now, and we were getting to the top.  Siggi pulled out his favorite Chivas Regal whiskey and two cigars to celebrate as he does atop every mountain he summits.  Looking out at Eykjavikfokull in the distance, time seemed to stop.  That sunset was a game changer for me.   Under30Experiences was born. “Damn, I need to do more of this,” I started telling Siggi.   Sunsets, hiking, and the great outdoors were what I was raised on… how the hell did I get so disconnected?  How did I become so caught up in a superficial world?   “Why do Americans work so much?” Siggi came back with.  “That’s not all there is to life.”   ### Where am I supposed to go with this article now?  If you aren’t sold by the romanticism of the above, I should probably give up.   When it comes to designing the life you want, there needs to be a balance.  Yes, I understand technology keeps us connected around the clock, but seriously, put that shit away sometimes. Maybe you are allergic to nature. (Read the hygiene hypothesis.)  Maybe you don’t like to get dirty as one of my biggest diva friends once told me.  If so, start small.  Find a little green space somewhere in your crowded city and try your best to enjoy it.  Get some sun on your face, take off your shoes and put your feet directly on the ground.  I promise you there are major health benefits like Vitamin D and grounding that I’ll get into in future posts. This series is about what worked for me in my personal evolution and how you can find your own path.  The answers to my stressors are not going to be the same as yours.  I might have needed a dramatic shock like climbing active volcanoes in Iceland to get me out of my rut.  You might need something else. Whatever you do, I urge you to get out of your comfort zone.  It sounds cliche, but do something that scares you, even if it’s something as small as attending one of our meetups where you don’t know anyone.  Maybe signing up for a $645 trip to Costa Rica is out of reach for you right now and that’s okay too. At the end of the day, evolving as a modern human often means going back to the roots of our ancient ancestors before Instagram Addiction was a thing.  Find some silence, fresh air, clean water, and natural beauty around you.  I promise it will open you up to the natural beauty within yourself.  

What's with this new Cultured Podcast? What can you expect in weeks to come? Why is host Michelle Khouri inspired by "chutzpah" - and what does that word mean, anyway? Why is Iceland called the Land of Fire & Ice? And, woa, have you heard of the Icelandic Sagas? Get ready to dig at the roots of literature, travel and global customs in Episode 1 of The Cultured Podcast.

Over the past few years, listeners have often asked us to do something with runes.  And who doesn't love runes?  Whether it's a fascination with the runic inscription as a point of contact with another time or a sense that the runes themselves are more than a mere phonetic symbol, there's something magical about them.  Even the word, rúnar carries with it layers of meaning, at times denoting "secret, hidden lore, or wisdom" and others referring to the written characters themselves.  In this Saga Brief, John and Andy investigate the history, forms, and functions of runes with the help of Dr. Ragnhild Ljosland, linguist and runologist from the University of the Highlands and Islands' Centre for Nordic Studies in Orkney.   While you may think of runes as the alphabet of the Vikings, it's important to remember that runes come in many different forms and date back at least to the 2nd century CE.  In fact, some point to the inscription on the controversial Meldorf fibula, a kind of brooch for pinning clothes, as evidence of runic writing in the early 1st century.   The Meldorf Fibula The runic alphabet most of you will be familiar with is the futhark, named for the first six letters of the alphabet.  With some minor variation, depending on region and date, the futhark was used by Germanic peoples throughout the early to late Middle Ages.  This alphabet was designed for cutting or carving simple strokes into wood, leather, bone, metal, and stone.  Each letter is drawn by combining verticle strokes (staves) and diagonal protrusions (branches).  In the pre-Viking era, the dominant form of the futhark consisted of 24 letters representing the particular sounds of early Germanic languages.   The Elder Futhark The opening of the Viking Age saw the emergence of a simplified 16 character alphabet, known as the younger futhark.  Like its predecessor, the younger futhark's exact look was largely determined by the region.  On the top here, you can see the long-branch (Danish) version of the younger futhark.  The second row features the short-twig runic alphabet, a variant most often linked to Sweden and Norway.  The short-twig variant is obviously much easier to carve than the long-branch. The Younger Futhark Wherever the Germanic and Scandinavian people went from the 2nd century to the early modern period, they left traces of their presence in the form of runic inscriptions on monuments, artifacts like jewelry, tools, and weapons, and other everyday materials.  While the majority of their efforts have been lost, more than 6,000 items with runic inscriptions of one form or another survive.  Most of these are from the period of the younger futhark.  Below you'll find a sampling of some of the items we reference in this episode. "Alu" inscription on Bracteate G 205 (ca. 400CE) The Ribe Skull Fragment (mid-8th century) We don't mention this example, but it's worth including here.  On the top floor of the southern gallery of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul there is a parapet with a faded runic inscription dated to the 9th century featuring the name of the carver, Halfdan.  John and I love to talk about the Varangian Guard, the Byzantine Emperors' personal bodyguards.  We'd like to imagine that Halfdan was a member of this elite unit.  The plaque above the inscription suggests a date in the 800s, but don't believe everything you read.    The Halfdan Runic Graffiti in the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey  Near the end of the interview, we discuss ciphers.  Really clever rune masters sometimes used these ciphers or cryptics to disguise their messages.  The cryptic runes replace the letter with a picture containing a series of carefully plotted strokes.  The simplest of these is the tree or branch runes, which can be seen on this image of the Hackness Cross: The Hackness Cross from Hackness, Scarborough, North Yorkshire There are tent cryptics, fish cryptics, and many others, but our favorite is the bearded face cryptic from a runic stick recovered from a site at Bergen, Norway.  How could it not be?  Runic stick from Bergen, Norway We hope you enjoy the interview and this brief introduction to runes.  There's plenty of good information out there if you're interested.  Dr. Ljosland recommends Bernard Mees and Mindy MacLeod's Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. If you're interested in learning how to read runes, we recommend picking up a copy of Jesse Byock's Viking Language 1 & 2.  It's an excellent introduction to Old Norse, runes, and the Icelandic Sagas!  Visit http://www.vikingnorse.com/ for more information or click on the images below for links to purchase the books on Amazon.       As always, thanks for listening! Music:  Intro to Saga Brief - from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur Transition Music from "Two Icelandic Lullabies on the Langspil" performed by Ian Summers  Outro - Ólafur Liljurós

Elves, epic poetry, sheep milk and murder... welcome to the world of Icelandic folk music! This episode features an interview with Bára Grímsdóttir and Chris Foster, two of the most accomplished performers of Icelandic folk music, and experts on rímur chanting, a form dating from middle ages, with its ancestry in the Icelandic Sagas and Eddas. Music: Opening theme: Forest March by Sylvia Woods Heyr Himna Smiður by Anneke van Giersbergen & Árstíðir Icelandic Folk Songs: I. Iceland, Land of Prosperity by Duo Landon Icelandic Folk Songs: VIII. The Virgin by Duo Landon Nafnaþula by Sólveig Indriðadóttir Haustið Nálgast by Steindór Andersen & Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Interview: Vorvísur by Steindor Andersen Kveðið Við Spuna by Funi (Bára Grímsdóttir & Chris Foster) Göngu-Hrólfsrímur by Helgi Einarsson Ríma Afhent by Bára Grímsdóttir Stóð ég við Öxará by Eddukórinn Gott Ár Oss Gefi (Give us a Good Year) by Funi (Bára Grímsdóttir & Chris Foster) --interview end Krummavísur by Þrjú á Palli Íslandsklukkur by Íslandsklukkur Móðir Mín Í Kví Kví by Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir Olafur Liljuros by Ö Barna Stóðum tvö í túni by Ryan Koons Þat Mælti Mín Móðir by Feðranna Frægð Mitt var starfid by Bára Grímsdóttir For more about Funi: http://www.funi-iceland.com/ https://funi.bandcamp.com/ and the Kvæðamannafélagið Iðunn(Idunn society): http://rimur.is/ https://www.facebook.com/rimur.is/

In this episode we are once again going to return to Western Norway, and explore what may have motivated young Norwegians to go a Viking. In the past we have established the material motivations behind going a Viking. Acquiring Gold and Silver allowed the leaders of expeditions to attract followers and cement political power. For the followers, such easily portable, durable wealth was extremely useful when conducting marriage negotiations.  Today, we look at the less tangible impacts of going a Viking. Namely - the fame, prestige and increased status which came from returning home from a successful journey abroad.  Along the way we will learn about Odin and Mead of Poetry, Explore poems from the Icelandic Sagas and even dip our toes into the depths of the Archeological Record. I hope you enjoy.   

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter Six- I guess we're done here... Theirs gonna be a what!!! Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure.  Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPG Join our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they continue to assault the giantesses camp...then things so get out of hand!Quote: 'Cut one loose''he rolls back home''I need a Jacuzzi and a message''I can give one last day''I always use protection!''My names Wayland''Lets go home.''Frost has been mobilized for home and country''Thor VI and...''Viking cruise!'   

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter Five To the MoonCalf! Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they assault the giantesses camp and stop them...or do they? Quote: 'so the Dwarves don't go POOF''And II'm going to swing for the rafters!'I'm calling forth the sun!''I'm just trying to make some Drama!    

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter Four: a Moot, a Thing ...a Folkmoot!Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they make plans and have a Folkmoot to deal with the Frost giants! Quote: 'Ask what?...''OWLBEAR!' 'Is it our little friend?''Ragnarök we're trying to stop Ragnarök''What do we do with it once we, "Liberate it"?''Oh my god!'

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter Three: No mending a broken heart.Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they deal with the Fear Boar in the sewers of Reykjavík!Quote: 'I got the power''still want the night vision goggles''I use the love touch!''play into it a little bit and he'll do what you want''The boar donated it''The names Wayland.'

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter Two: Fear is at the heart of the matter!Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they get back into the 'swine' of things deep in the sewers of Reykjavík!Quote: 'My innards are on my outards!''OK, now i feel bad.''well I don't mind the water''I am not sloshing through the water!''What would you do if you were a special forces guy?'' na na na na na NEMIAN!'

The Icelandic Sagas Continue!: Chapter One: You gotta have a little heart!Welcome back to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow The group as they get back into the 'swine' of things after arming up on sharktooth weapons!Quote: 'Embargo on!''Tell my guys to lite um up!''well i dont mind the water''I am not sloshing throught the water!''What would you do if you were a special forces guy?' 

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Tweleve: Talk of Christmas lists and naughty and nice!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) & Kane (Dan) Follow the group as they talk to a 'Rock' of a different grade and upgrade to Legend 4! Lets see some awesome powers start to surface in the game as the group spends thier exp. Quote: '...ARE YOU SERIOUS!''Ya laugh it up FROST!'Their is those rumors that Odin is Santa Clause''The Dwarves know exactly where...''I did not realize you were still recording...''Fans Email us what you want Frost to spend his Experiancepoints on?'

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Eleven: Between a rock and a hard place!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGMerry Christmas!Join our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) Try to free the last of the Land Vetter...Quote: "Stay with the Class""Don't touch my pole!""She's a master baiter!"

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Ten: Shock and awe!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) Run into a giant scout and his wolves...Quote: "We get an extra point for gravity!""I almost feel bad after that description..."

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Nine: Rolling right along...Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) Continue their journey across Iceland seemingly traveling at the pace of a stone rolling down hill!Quote: "You guys seriously I need someone else to look around...""Why do we sound like nanny McPhee?"

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter eight: Who knew, wolves like to chase cars too!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Kane (Dan), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) Continue their journey across Iceland with wolves on their wheels and a Land vettir needing their aid!Quote: 'Get the extra dice ...but I'll cover my ears.''as a true boy scout leave no trace!'

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Seven: Please no flash photography! Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions:  Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Kane (Dan), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie) Continue their journey across Iceland making a saga of their own!Quote:'Oh My God were such horrible people!''We're getting cheese from the fancy part of the store''That's an epic amount of ouch!'Character sheets now up under 'Characters' tab at  http://creativeplayandpodcastnetwork.com/ 

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Six: We have a Rescue plan!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  The lady's think they've found the boys and about to jump to rescue them at the Dwarven stonework's and find out more of the Titans reason for being in Iceland. Someone will be brought to tears! Plus Siri helps the Scions!Quote: 'No plan survives first contact with the enemy!'Sorry about the persistent cough I had this day!

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Five: Lady's night outWelcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  After dealing with some dwarves who forgot their Thora sun screen the lady's are still looking for where the guys have gotten to without them.

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Four: Where are the boys?Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGJoin our  Band of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  A week after Bryn was body checked by a land Vettir, the ladys come back from the hospital to something amiss at the hotel!

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter Three: From the eagle to the Sea!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGOur Bands of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Kane (Dan), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  Travel on eagles wings and suffer an almost 'crushing' defeat at the hands of the next Land Vettir. Enjoy this extra long episode! Quote: Why don't we just go to the store!

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter two: Thora's got a boyfriend!Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGOur Bands of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Kane (Dan), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  Travel deeper into Icelands beautiful landscapes and find a Land Vettir. Lets hope things dont get too hot to handle.

The Icelandic Sagas begin: Chapter One: We're flying coach?Chapter one: We're flying coach?Welcome to Ragnarok and Roll, a Scion Hero to Ragnarok a story and podcast of Epic Adventure. Join us as we play whitewolfs Scion RPGOur Bands of Scions: Bryn (Sandy, Aka mom), Kane (Dan), Frost (Trevor Aka Baby), Thora (Kerrie) and Trixie (Kellie)  Travel to Iceland and find out about the Land Vettir. Lets hope they learn to play nice with nature spiritsQuote: 'I wish this was real now!'

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Icelandic Sagas. First written down in the 13th century, the sagas tell the stories of the Norse settlers of Iceland, who began to arrive on the island in the late 9th century. They contain some of the richest and most extraordinary writing of the Middle Ages, and often depict events known to have happened in the early years of Icelandic history, although there is much debate as to how much of their content is factual and how much imaginative. Full of heroes, feuds and outlaws, with a smattering of ghosts and trolls, the sagas inspired later writers including Sir Walter Scott, William Morris and WH Auden. With: Carolyne Larrington Fellow and Tutor in Medieval English Literature at St John's College, Oxford Elizabeth Ashman Rowe University Lecturer in Scandinavian History at the University of Cambridge Emily Lethbridge Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Árni Magnússon Manuscripts Institute in Reykjavík Producer: Thomas Morris.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Icelandic Sagas. First written down in the 13th century, the sagas tell the stories of the Norse settlers of Iceland, who began to arrive on the island in the late 9th century. They contain some of the richest and most extraordinary writing of the Middle Ages, and often depict events known to have happened in the early years of Icelandic history, although there is much debate as to how much of their content is factual and how much imaginative. Full of heroes, feuds and outlaws, with a smattering of ghosts and trolls, the sagas inspired later writers including Sir Walter Scott, William Morris and WH Auden. With: Carolyne Larrington Fellow and Tutor in Medieval English Literature at St John's College, Oxford Elizabeth Ashman Rowe University Lecturer in Scandinavian History at the University of Cambridge Emily Lethbridge Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Árni Magnússon Manuscripts Institute in Reykjavík Producer: Thomas Morris.