On our recent trip to Iceland, we had the pleasure of speaking to a variety of fascinating people about their interest in the sagas. Our goal was to get a sense of how these individuals read and engage with these medieval texts in a modern context.

Saga Brief 27, a 4 part interview series, is the result of those efforts.

In this first episode, we chat with Björn Júlíus Grímsson, an Icelandic tour guide who loves to share the stunning landscapes and rich culture of his country on sightseeing tours and excursions all over Iceland. He's also a regular Saga Thing listener!

Though the interview itself is regrettably brief, we spent a great deal of time at lunch and after the interview chatting with Björn and his lovely wife Zoe about the sagas, about the logistics of running a tour in Iceland, about audio production, and about life in Iceland and America. It was such a pleasure getting to know them, being welcomed into their home, playing with their son, and sharing that time together.

And Björn was kind enough to join us for a walk through Þingvellir the following day. By the end of our visit, it felt like we'd known them for ages even though we had really just met right before this interview.

As we begin working on our official Saga Thing tours, we plan to take full advantage of Björn and Zoe's expertise and talents.

If you can't wait for the Saga Thing tour, you can get in touch with Björn through his website www.allovericeland.com and follow him on Instagram.

You should also check out Zoe's music on Spotify. We're all big fans now!

Music Credits:

Opening song – “Rúnatal” by An Danzza

Introduction – from Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur

Tensions have been building in Eyjafjörður as nearly everyone in the north seems to have it out for Guðmundr inn ríki. Across the last few episodes, Guðmundr has taken loss after loss when pitted against some of the region’s heavy hitters. Perhaps things will turn out differently for him when he embarks on a campaign of legal vengeance against Þórir Helgason, a rival chieftain whose been spreading rumors about Guðmundr’s masculinity (or lack thereof). Guðmundr being Guðmundr, he will stop at nothing to . . . prosecute his opponents in court.

You’re in for a treat with this one, dear listeners. Things are finally starting to pop off in chapters 13-17 of Ljósvetninga Saga! Oh, and this episode has some steamy goats in it.

Also, this episode marks the occasion of our 200th episode and a moment when we cross the 3 million download boundary for the podcast. Not bad for such a niche subject! Thank you to everyone out there who is listening, re-listening, and spreading the good word about Saga Thing.

Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:

Sagathingpodcast on Facebook

Sagathingpodcast on Instagram

Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky

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/

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

We return with the tale of Vöðu-Brand, another entertaining þáttr from the opening section of Ljósvetninga Saga. This is the story of a troublesome young man who is bored with life the farm in northern Iceland. His restlessness carries him across the sea for a brief and somewhat turbulent stay in Norway. Once back in Iceland, young Brand can't seem to get out of his own way, causing a spot of trouble for himself that might just change the political landscape for our old friend Guðmund the Powerful. But don't worry, it all ends happily ever after. . .for most of the players in this fun little drama.

This episode also features several familiar faces from Saga Thing past, including Þorkell Geitisson, Bjarni Brodd-Helgasson, and Þorstein Síðu-Hallsson.

We also discuss the role of the þættir inserted into the saga, the rules and regulations of legal residency in medieval Iceland, the problems of finding the right voice for our characters, and the quality of Vöðu-Brand's character (or lack thereof).

Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:

Sagathingpodcast on Facebook

Sagathingpodcast on Instagram

Sagathingpodcast on Bluesky

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/

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