In the thrilling conclusion to Grettir’s Saga, we follow the slender armed Thorstein Dromund on his quest to avenge his brother. Thorstein’s adventures carry him from the shores of Norway to the bustling city of Constantinople, where the exiled King Harald Hardrada leads a rag tag bunch of Scandinavians called the Varangian Guard. And if you thought the Grettir’s Saga author would pass up the chance to throw in another giant of saga literature, you were sorely mistaken. Sadly, Harald is only featured in a cameo. The real story of the Grettir’s Saga epilogue is the love affair of Thorstein and Spes. Often referred to as the Spésar þáttr (The Tale of Spes “Hope”), the epilogue contrasts the epic ethos of the saga world with the more playful spirit of the continental romances. If you have ever encountered the famous story of Tristan and Isolde, where the two lovers consistently outwit Isolde’s bumbling husband, King Mark, you’ll feel right at home in the Spésar þáttr. Join us as we review this deceptively simple epilogue and discuss its potential value for understanding the rest of Grettir’s Saga.
Along the way, we make reference to a few items of interest. First among these are the blog sites featuring Drangey Island. There are some pretty impressive pictures on these blogs and stories about Drangey:
1. http://stuckiniceland.com/north/the-outlaws-paradise/
2. http://fooface.blogspot.com/2006/07/epic-climb.html
And if you want to take our advice and visit Drangey for yourself, tours are available here: http://www.drangey.net/
Interested in the Brother Robert's 13th century Saga of Tristram and Isond?
Or perhaps you'd like to start with Béroul’s The Romance of Tristan:
And finally, we make reference to one of our favorite scholarly articles on Grettir's Saga, Kathryn Hume's "The Thematic Design of Grettis Saga" from The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 73.4 (1974): 469-86. It's quite fascinating and worth a read. Free to everyone with access to JSTOR.
Episode 34c - The Saga of Gunnar of Keldugnup (Judgments)
Episode 34b - The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup
Episode 34a - The Saga of Gunnar the Fool of Keldugnup (chapters 1-5)
’Twas the Night Before Christmas - A Visit from Glam
Saga Short 10 - The Tales of Thormod and Thorarin the Overbearing
Episode 33g - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (Judgments)
Episode 33f - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (chapters 23-24)
Episode 33e - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (chapters 18-23)
Episode 33d - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (chapters 13-18)
Episode 33c - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (chapters 7-13 with Thormod)
Episode 33b - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers (chapters 7-13 with Thorgeir)
Episode 33a - The Saga of the Sworn Brothers
Saga Short 9 - The Tale of Gisl Illugason
Saga Brief 21 - Interpreting the Past Series (Part I) - Modern Perceptions of the Viking Age with Verena Hoefig and Zachary Melton
Episode 32d - The Saga of Thord Menace (Judgments)
Episode 32c - The Saga of Thord Menace (chapters 10-14)
Episode 32b - The Saga of Thord Menace (chapters 6-9)
Episode 32a - The Saga of Thord Menace (chapters 1-5)
The Saga of Gudmund the Grunch
Saga Short 8: The Tale of Audun and the Bear
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