Meet Njal’s Saga, a medieval best-seller that most people haven’t heard of. But despite its relative obscurity today, it stands out as an epic story fused with both archetypal heroes and the tragic social realities of the ‘Viking’ world, which have become a cage trapping them and plunging them into a endless tide of human violence beyond their control. Join me in the Hall to unpack this saga’s historical and social context, where we highlight the scholarly praise, historical inspiration, and contemporary politics that all contributed to the development of this saga’s incredible legacy.
For a full list of sources, including in-text citations, detailed endnotes, and several useful links, see the blog-post version of this podcast episode.
Additional resources for Njal’s Saga can be found here.
Name drops:
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Music credits:
- Intro/Outro: “Celtic Impulse” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
- Reading 1: “Evening Fall” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
- Reading 2: “Pale Rider” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
- Reading 3: “Frozen Star” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
- Reading 4: “Thinking Music” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
All music used by this podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
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