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
Episode 22b - The Saga of the People of Vopnafjord
Episode 22a - The Saga of the People of Vopnafjord
Episode 21 - The Saga of Thorstein the White
Saga Brief 8 - Interview with Dr. Ragnhild Ljosland on the History of Runes
Episode 20l - Njal's Saga (Judgments)
Episode 20k - Njal's Saga (Part 11)
Episode 20j - Njal's Saga (Part 10)
Episode 20i - Njal's Saga (Part 9)
Episode 20h - Njal's Saga (Part 8)
Saga Brief 7 - The Conversion of Iceland (Part 2)
Saga Brief 6 - The Conversion of Iceland (Part 1)
Episode 20g - Njal's Saga (Part 7)
Episode 20F - Njal's Saga (Part 6)
Episode 20e - Njal's Saga (Part 5)
Episode 20d - Njal's Saga (Part 4)
Episode 20c - Njal's Saga (Part 3)
Episode 20b - Njal's Saga (Part 2)
Episode 20a - Njal's Saga (Part 1)
Episode 19c - The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta (Judgments)
Episode 19b - The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta (Part 2)
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