In this episode, things come to a head between the factions of Thorstein the Tumultuous and Ljotolf the godi (quite literally). Listen in and find out what happens as Karl the Red learns about the death of his best friend and the whole valley is thrown into chaos. We're in the heart of the saga now and things are getting real juicy.

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Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Poetry Music - Adapted from "Vega" by Danheim

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, Klaufi rescues his friend Karl the Red from a terrible Viking called Atli. But don't get too excited about Klaufi becoming the hero of this saga. He also kills a whole bunch of people, causes general havoc, and even gets married by dubious means. We also get to see him in full berserker mode, which can be fun (if viewed from a distance).

All of this makes one wonder, just how long will the people of Svarfaðardalur continue to put up with Klaufi and his shenanigans?

Along the way, we talk about the tendency of this saga narrative to dip out when it's time for action. We look a little deeper into the question of Gris and his motivations. And we dip our toes briefly into the subject of medieval Icelandic dying herbs and mosses.

If you're interested in learning more about club moss and its uses in medieval Iceland, check out the following:

Viking Age Dyes

Using Clubmoss as an Alum Mordant

And, since Andy mentions it in the episode, grab yourself a copy of the Eyrbyggja Saga graphic novel.

Join in on the conversation about Klaufi, medieval Icelandic textiles, and creative works inspired by the sagas here:

Sagathingpodcast on Facebook

Sagathingpodcast on Instagram

Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky

Sagathingpod on X (Twitter)

Saga Thing’s unofficial official Discord

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Poetry Music - Adapted from "Vanheimr" by Danheim

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

With the Big Lacuna now behind us, we embark onto a new adventure in what may or may not be (but probably is) a new saga. Is this the same Thorstein we've come to grow and love? Or is it a different man altogether?

In the end, it doesn't matter much because Thorstein shifts into the background as new characters take center stage, like Karl the Red, Gris the Merry, and Klaufi the Mauler. That's a lot of nicknames. But this episode features more than just nicknames. We've got wrestling, murder, intrigue, and runes. That's right, we've got runes!

Join us for Svarfdaela Saga, chapters 10-14a!

Music Credits

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/