In this fun-filled episode, John and Andy offer their judgments on The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and Killer-Skuta. Listen and learn how a leather thong can really improve your spear-throwing distance. It’s true. You’ll also learn about the wonders of hearth bread with butter and be introduced to the BCDM, our newest method for calculating a saga’s body count. It’s an action packed episode with plenty of laughs and some good discussion of history and literature. Those of you who prefer a steady flow of action and laughs will have to forgive us for our scholarly tangents, but those with a genuine interest in saga literature will get what they came here for.
Download this episode (right click and save)
For those interested in the ankyle, we recommend the following:
There are a number of videos featuring the use of the ankyle/amentum. We’ve selected the following two as the most reasonable illustrations of the tool.
As promised, I’m including the recipe for hearth bread that John mentions in Notable Witticism:
Thorgeir Butter-Ring’s Bread
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat or rye flour
2 cups white or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup steel-cut or rolled oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups water
Items Needed
Baking Stone
Large Bowl
Wooden Spoon
Oven (I mean, go ahead and hearth-bake the bread if you want to be a stickler for accuracy).
Instructions
Mix together both kinds of flour, the oats, the salt, and the baking soda in a large bowl.
Gradually add water while stirring with a wooden spoon until it is stiff and difficult to stir further. NOTE: do not use an automatic mixer for this step. Seriously, how many 10th century Icelanders do you think had a KitchenAid?
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough (you may want to wet or flour your hands for this step). Stop when dough is malleable and thoroughly integrated.
Form the dough into a round or oval shape on a baking stone and place it in the oven. NOTE: The oven is still cold at this point.
Now set the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 Celsius), and bake for 55-70 minutes (depending on elevation and oven).
Take the bread out of the oven when it looks, you know, bready (I’m not a cook. Also, it’s unlikely that actual 10th century Icelanders, who cooked their bread in fire ashes or on a hearth-stone, were overly fussy about exact timing. Eyeball it). Let it cool on a rack.
Eat the bread while it’s warm. And of course, Thorgeir Butter-Ring recommends using plenty of butter, but I found cheese, honey, or apple slices works fine too.
Saga Thing 