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!

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