The holiday break has us scrambling to finish our eggnog and get to work on Hen-Thorir’s saga. In the meantime, here’s your chance to weigh in on the great mystery at the heart of our last saga: Who slipped silently into Gísli’s house and plunged the spear Grasida into Vestein Vesteinsson’s chest? We’ve come to our own conclusions (which you can hear about in episode 5B), but at least one saga writer disagrees with us. Did we convict the wrong man for the crime, or was our argument convincing enough to justify our outlawry choice? Or did we (and Gísli) miss the boat entirely, allowing a third conspirator (Thorgrim Nef, the sorcerous blacksmith who reforged the shattered sword Grasida into the fatal spearhead) to get away with murder? It’s your call…
Month: December 2013
Episode 5b – Gisli’s Saga (Judgments)
It’s time to judge Gisli’s Saga. Join John and Andy on a tour through the saga’s best bloodshed, body count, nicknames, and notable witticisms. The titular character of Eirik’s the Red’s Saga was outlawed last time, will it happen again to Gisli? Or will Andy defend him against the charges of murder and claim him as thingman? Find out in this episode of Saga Thing.
Plus, it’s your last chance to hear John’s impression of Gisli Wayne. How can you pass that up?
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We’ll be back in January with The Saga of Hen-Thorir. Check it out here:
Episode 5a – Gisli’s Saga
We’re back from our unanticipated end-of-semester hiatus, and this time we’re tackling one of the true giants of saga literature–join us as we explore the world of the outlaw Gisli Sursson and his siblings in the tumultuous Gisli’s saga!
Gisli Sursson’s Saga and the Saga of the People of Eyri (Penguin Classics)
This saga tells the tragic story of Gisli Sursson, whose profound sense of honor forces him into violent action designed to hurt his own brother. Not surprisingly, this leads to a sentence of outlawry. Whereas most Icelanders who are branded outlaws flee the land to seek their fortune abroad, Gisli refuses to stray far from his wife, Aud Vesteinsdottir. Hunted by enemies who seek to exploit his link to Aud, Gisli must escape the clutches of Bork the Stout and his team of bounty hunters (Eyjolf the Grey, Helgi the Spy, Outlaw-Stein, Thorgrim the Norwegian, and others) time and time again. Join us as we review one of Icelandic literature’s most endearing and heroic characters as we call Gisli’s Saga to the Saga Thing!
Saga Thing 