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 19a - The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta (Part 1)
Episode 18c - The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong (Judgments)
Episode 18b - The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong (Part 2)
Saga Brief 5: The Story of Rollo the Viking
Episode 18a - The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong (Part 1)
Episode 17b - The Saga of the Greenlanders (Judgments)
Saga Brief 4: The Vinland Sagas (Interview with Loretta Decker)
Episode 17a - The Saga of the Greenlanders
Episode 16e - Grettir's Saga (Judgments)
Episode 16d - Grettir's Saga (Part 4)
Episode 16c - Grettir's Saga (Part 3)
Episode 16b - Grettir's Saga (Part 2)
Episode 15b - The First Quarter Court Results
Episode 16a - Grettir's Saga (Part 1)
Episode 15 - The First Quarter Court
Episode 14c - The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal (Judgments)
Episode 14b - The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal (Part 2)
Episode 14a - The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal (Part 1)
Episode 13b - Viglund's Saga (Judgments)
Episode 13a - Viglund's Saga
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