If you thought we were done with The Saga of the Sworn Brothers, you were mostly correct. In this episode, we fill in a few gaps in the story of what happened around Thorgeir Havarsson's death. We start with Thormod's þáttr, a tale about Thormod's visit to the court of King Cnut and his first meeting with his future BFF, King Olaf of Norway. We follow that up with Thorarin the Overbearing's þáttr, which tells of Thorarin's activities following his ambush on Thorgeir.
Along the way, we talk about the messy manuscript traditions associated with each tale, the characterization of King Cnut in the tales and sagas of Icelanders, the wonders of quantum cake, and our vague memories of George Burns' Oh, God! trilogy. We conclude the episode with a bit of fan fiction as we speculate on how the fragmentary tale of Thorarin the Overbearing might end and how it could tie into what we know from Fóstbrœðra saga.
Thanks to Jacob Foust for another great original illustration inspired by the stories of medieval Iceland. Follow him on Instagram where he's @skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits:
Intro: from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom
Poetry Music: "Death Awaits" by Billy Malmstrom
Outro: From “Óðinn” by Krauka
Episode 36m - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 65-71)
Episode 36l - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 59-64)
Episode 36k - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 52-58)
Episode 36j - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 47-51)
Holiday Special - The Tale of Frosti Snjokarlinn
Episode 36i - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 43-46)
Episode 36h - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 40-43)
Episode 36g - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 35-40, but actually only to 38)
Episode 36f - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 31-36)
Saga Brief 25: Saga Manuscripts and the Árni Magnússon Institute: An Interview with Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir
Episode 36e - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 24-31)
Episode 36d - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 20-24)
Episode 36c - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 14-19)
Episode 36b - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 7-13)
Saga Brief 24 - The Northman Interview with Robert Eggers and Sjón
Episode 36a - Laxdaela Saga (chapters 1-7)
Episode 35b - Third Quarter Court (Results)
Saga Brief 23 - Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas (Part II - How They Drank)
Episode 35a - Third Quarter Court (Review)
Saga Brief 22 - Drinking in the Viking Age and the Sagas of Icelanders (Part 1 - What Were They Drinking)
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