Episode 14a – The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal (Part 1)

King Harald Fairhair

The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal tells the story of one family over 5 generations (though John will insist on counting 6).  We begin with Ketil the Large challenging his son, Thorstein, to find out what’s lurking in the woods and killing everybody.  Thorstein turns out to be a very lucky fellow who is soon married to the daughter of a famous earl in Gotland.  Thorstein’s son, Ingimund, is the central figure of this episode of Saga Thing.  We follow Ingimund from his noble youth, through his glory days as a Viking, all the way to his eventual death in the Vatnsdalur region of northern Iceland.  Will his life end peacefully or will he suffer a violent death?  There’s only one way to find out. This episode features giants, witches, and transcendental Laplanders.  We’ve also got epic battles, or at least references to epic battles, seduction, or at least clumsy attempts at seduction, and bloodshed…there’s definitely bloodshed.

[audio http://sagathing.podbean.com/mf/web/xpg6dc/Episode14a-TheSagaofthePeopleofVatnsdalPart1.mp3 ]

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If you like what you hear, pick up a copy of The Sagas of Icelanders from Penguin Books and read the saga for yourself.