Saga Thing returns from a much needed holiday break to tackle The Saga of Thord Menace. In this episode we meet the family of Thord, explore the formulas of saga writing, witness the assassination of Norwegian royalty, and learn how young Thord earned his menacing nickname. Oh, and we finally get to see some saga characters taking advantage of the lovely hot springs of Iceland. It’s a great start to a saga that rarely gets the attention it deserves. Join us for The Saga of Thord Menace!
Our thanks to Bryan Foust for returning to share his talents with us once again. Check out his work on Instagram, where he’s known as @skarphedin_illustrator.
Music Credits
Intro Music – “Prelude and Action” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4236-prelude-and-action
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music – “Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4421-stormfront
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Saga Thing 
Thank you for taking a moment to speak out against the habit of racists to co-opt Norse imagery. I know it’s the norm lately for anyone speaking up to get shouted down with “don’t get political!” but certain things are just beyond politics. A disagreement over marginal tax rates or the structuring of school district is politics. Believing that human beings shouldn’t be treated differently based on the amount of melanin in their skin or who they fall in love with isn’t politics, it’s basic human decency.
I’ve also noticed a lot of these same people in the comment sections of articles on Norse archaeological discoveries and research, especially anything that contradicts their image of all Norsemen being seven foot tall blue-eyed blonde-haired supermen. Anything discussing a female in a warrior grave, or traces of Islamic influence on a Viking burial shroud, gets met with a howler-monkey like response of people who seem to take any challenge to their perception as a grave personal insult that needs to be shouted down immediately.
I myself have quite a few friends who have tattoos with Norse or Norse-adjacent imagery. It comes with the territory of going to a lot of heavy metal concerts. And more than a few have encountered issues where people made presumptions about their political beliefs based on them.
So thank you for not only sticking your neck out and making a statement – with how toxic these people can be, that alone is a big step – but also taking the time to bring in other scholars to discuss this with you. I look forward to listening to those episodes.
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