In this episode, little Olaf Peacock travels to Norway and then to Ireland on a journey to meet his grandfather Myrkjartan. But how will he pay for it? Traveling overseas in the 10th century isn't cheap (it still isn't). How will King Myrkjartan and the Irish welcome the Icelandic son of the long lost Melkorka? And what familiar figure from Saga Thing past pops in for a visit and a quick marriage arrangement? There's only one way to find out!
We also discuss the presumed burial mounds of Thord Goddi and Skallagrim Kveldulfsson. We explore John's fascination with the Campbell's monomyth and similarities between Olaf Peacock and Anakin Skywalker (yes, you read that correctly). For the runesack, we address a funny little stick with strange scratches on it that leads us into yet another conversation about Celtic influences on medieval Icelandic culture and a chat about the origins of our names. There's a lot going on here!
As promised, here's a pictures of Andy's great-grandfather, Andrew Kormos:
And a picture of John's namesakes:
[forthcoming???]
As always, thank you to Jacob Foust (aka @skarphedin_illustrator) for another original illustration. You can find more of his work here on Instagram.
And finally, some promised bibliography, including works we referenced and some that were used while prepping the episode:
Clover, Carol J. The Medieval Saga. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1987.
Gísli Sigurđsson. Gaelic Influence in Iceland: Historical and Literary Contacts: A Survey of Research. Reykjavík: Bókaútgáfa Menningarsjóđs. 1988.
Hastrup, Kirsten. Culture and History in Medieval Iceland: An Anthropological Analysis of Structure and Change. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985.
Kellogg, Robert. “Introduction.” In The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection, edited by Robert Kellogg, pp. xv-lvii. New York: Viking, 2001.
Kress, Helga, “‘You Will Find It All Rather Monotonous’: On Literary Tradition and the Female Experience in Laxdaela saga.” The Nordic Mind: Current Trends in Scandinavian Literary Criticism. F. E. Andersen and John Weinstock, eds. University Press of America, 1986. 181-195.
Kristjánsson Jónas, and Peter Foote. Eddas and Sagas: Iceland's Medieval Literature. Reykjavík: Hiđ íslenska bókmenntafélag, 1997.
Morris, William. The Lovers of Gudrun. A Poem. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1870.
Robinson, Peter. “Vikings and Celts.” In Introductory Essays on Egils saga and Njáls saga, edited by John Hines and Desmond Slay, pp. 125-139. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, 1992.
Music Credits
Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Review Music - "The Royal Vagabond Medley" by Jocker's Dance Orchestra
Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
A Quick Chat in Reykholt from the Saga Conference 2018
Saga Brief 14 - Medieval Archery with Patricia Gonsalves and Stephen Fox
Saga Short 3 - The Tale of Jokul Buason
Episode 26c - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Judgments)
Episode 26b - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Part 2)
Episode 26a - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Part 1)
Saga Brief 13 - The Repton Viking Burials: An Interview with Cat Jarman
Episode 25b - The Saga of Ref the Sly (Judgments)
Episode 25a - The Saga of Ref the Sly (Summary)
Saga Brief 12 - Catching Up with Saga Thing (Now With a Listener Contest!)
Saga Brief 11 - The Lesser Ragnarssons
Saga Brief 10 - "Female Viking Warrior" Interview with Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson
Saga Brief 9 - Thor: The Intersection of Viking Mythology and Popular Culture (Live)
Episode 24b - Second Quarter Court Results
Saga Shorts 2 - The Tale of Thorstein Bull's-leg
Episode 24 - The Second Quarter Court
Episode 23c - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons (Judgments)
Episode 23b - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons (Part 2)
Episode 23a - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons
Episode 1 - Thattir Intro and The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck
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