I'm working on a full genealogy for Viga-Glum on Family Echo. The site has really improved its options for tracking relationships. Here's the genealogy for the first episode plus a little extra: www.familyecho.com?c=hsmkpnedwi... #sagthing #vigaglum #sagas #iceland #sagasoficelanders #genealogy

Join Saga Thing for a very special tour of Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Book before December 1st to get 20% off at sagathingtours.com #Iceland #icelandtrip #travel #icelandtravel #sagathing #sagathingtours

Sure it's nice to see family at Thanksgiving, but it's also a good opportunity to stock up my beer fridge for the holidays with some favorites.

Episode 41a – Víga-Glúm’s Saga (chapters 1-5) We’re thrilled to kick off our first episode of Víga-Glúms saga, the last of the sagas of Eyjafjörð. Víga-Glúms saga is one of the great character-driven Íslendingasögur, often drawing comparisons to Egils saga. Now, whether that’s because it also…

We recently appeared on KALA radio's Relevant or Irrelevant with Jay Swords to talk about Saga Thing and how the podcast has shaped (and been shaped by) our work in the classroom over the years. soundcloud.com/KALAradio/roi-635 soundcloud.com/KALAradio/roi-635-podcast #podcasting #teaching

Saga Thing Tours is offering 20% off our core price through Dec. 1st because we're thankful for you. It's the perfect chance to book your 2026 saga adventure into Snæfellsnes. sagathingtours.com #thanksgivingdeals #Iceland #Icelandtravel #icelandtrip #travel #springbreak2026 #sagathingtours

We had a very fun chat with @sagathingpodcast.bsky.social. Check it out! vikingology.substack.com/p/its-a-saga...

A little Halloween treat for all you fans out there looking for a few spooky Saga Thing stories before bed.

Snæfellsjökull looms large over the landscape that inspired Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss, the tale of a half-troll who settled the region. Walk the sites of Barð's saga with John and Andy next April. sagathingtours.com #sagathing #Iceland #snæfellsnes #medieval #tourism #Icelandtrip #history #Vikings

Hwæt a Movie is back! This time we dive deep into the uncanny valley epic Beowulf from 2007. How do John and Andy like this adaptation? If you've listened to Hwæt a Movie before, you can probably guess. But maybe things will be different this time. #beowulf #medieval #literature #movies #badmovies

Saga Thing Tour update! Our tour of saga landscapes in Snæfellsnes will end with a feast at the legendary Ingólfsskáli Viking Restaraunt. Tour spots are limited Sagathingtours.com Learn more about our feast venue ingolfsskali.is #sagathingtours #vikings #sagathing #ingolfsskali #Iceland

Saga Brief 28 – Ljósvetninga Saga Interview with Dr. Yoav Tirosh In this episode, we finally sit down with Dr. Yoav Tirosh, one of the leading voices in Old Norse–Icelandic studies and an all-around fascinating person to talk to. Yoav has written extensively on topics ranging from Ljósvetninga…

Just finished interviewing the great Yoav Tirosh @realmundiriki about Ljósvetninga saga. While I liked the part where he called me brilliant, the roasting he gave John and me was most enjoyable! This was a great interview. I look forward to editing (so much cursing!) and sharing with you all soon.

Hi, everyone! Got a quick update to the Saga Thing Tours site to flesh out the itinerary a bit. Check it out here: sagathingtours.com/pages/sagas-... Thanks to everyone who already signed up. Can’t wait to share this adventure! #Iceland #sagathingtours #snæfellsnes #history #historytravels

Walk in the footsteps of your favorite saga figures in April 2026! Join John, Andy, and our partner Björn Grímsson for a Saga Thing tour of Snæfellsnes. The tour website is live. Join us to stand where history and story meet! www.sagathingtours.com #sagathing #Iceland #icelandtravels #historytravel

We're excited to announce that Saga Thing Tours will begin next April. Be one of the few to travel around Snæfellsnes exploring saga sites, taking in the scenery, and sharing laughs with John & Andy. More info soon (including an actual tour website)! #sagathing #sagathingtours #iceland #icelandtrip

Can't get enough Manuscript Studies 🌩 from Saga Thing alone? There's a place for you at the Árnastofnun Summer School in Manuscript Studies 🌩! Apply by January for next summer's program. Check it out here: arnastofnun.is/en/summer-sc... #medieval #Iceland #medievalstudies #manuscriptstudies

We wrapped up Ljósvetnina Saga in 8 episodes (that's 11h25m50s of saga talk!) Now it's time for Judgments with Best Bloodshed, Witticisms, Nicknames, Outlawry, and Thingmen! Listen on your favorite podcast app or at sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com. #medieval #sagas #iceland #oldnorse #podcast

Episode 40i – Ljósvetninga Saga (Judgments) After nearly a year of working our way through Ljósvetninga Saga, it is finally time to bring it to the Saga Thing and pass judgments. As always, we'll pass out awards for Best Bloodshed, Nicknames, and Notable Witticisms. We'll send one (or more?)…

John's work on Saga Thing was recently featured in an article by his university. It's nice to see him recognized for the efforts he makes to promote the rich culture of medieval Iceland and to normalize public-facing scholarship in our field. Go John! www.bridgew.edu/stories/2025...

Children of Tax and Tea just achieved ”project we love” status today, so here’s Blot Sven doing a grim, little pagan victory dance. Still a ways to go before the project’s fate goes to Valhalla instead of Helheim. Check it out here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/row...

Children of Tax and Tea is a humorous book for fans of all things viking-related. It is a 300+ page hardback that covers the history of the Viking Age and is full-color throughout with illustrations by @barbarianlord.bsky.social. www.kickstarter.com/projects/row...

John and I have signed on to write the introduction to Rowdy Geirsson's latest project Children of Tax and Tea! It's a humorous history book about Vikings written in the charmingly profane voice of a rugged Bostonian. All illustrations are by Matt Smith. www.kickstarter.com/projects/row...

We are back!! We proudly present our final episode on Benedict IX, featuring John from Saga Thing! @sagathingpodcast.bsky.social pontifacts.podbean.com/e/crossover-...

Dziękuję, Poland. Until next time!

Some highlights from a beautiful day in Kraków. We started with a great morning keynote by the incredible Ármann Jakobsson. I joined up with Pierre-Brice, Frog, and Yoav for a lot of walking and visits to the Museum of Kraków, the Castle, and the famous dragon's den.

A few pictures from my morning walk here in Katowice on the way to day 2 of the saga conference. The Silesian Insurgents monument was particularly striking, with each of three wings representing a separate insurgency.

Look what I just picked up. I trust it's as good as the movie.

Episode 40g – Ljósvetninga Saga (chapters 25-27) In this episode, the Ljósvetnings and Möðruvellings maneuver to position themselves to maximize potential outcomes in the aftermath of the battle of Battle Hill. While Þorvarður Höskuldsson does his best to calm tensions and shield his allies,…

Saga Brief 27d – Icelandic Impressions of the Sagas (Interview with Ragnhildur Sigurðardóttir) In this special Saga Brief, we wrap up our four-part series from Iceland with an interview recorded in the shadow of Snæfellsjökull, one of the most iconic landscapes in the country. This time, we are…

Our latest episode dives deep into the next generation of the evolving feud between the Möðruvellings and the Ljósvetnings. There are a lot of names to keep track of in this one. To help you out, here’s a handy cast list for both sides of the conflict. You’re going to need it!

Untitled Though Guðmund the Powerful has been laid to rest, tensions between the Möðruvellings and the Ljósvetnings continue into the next generation. In a bold move toward peace, Eyjólf Guðmundarson (the new leader of the Möðruvellings) attempts to create peace by forming an alliance with Þorvarð…

Back from my conference in Finland. Managed to get most of the next episode of Ljósvetninga Saga edited while I was there. Should have it ready to go in a day or so.

Saga Brief 37c – Icelandic Impressions of the Sagas (Interview with Anna Melsteð) This special Saga Brief interview with Anna Melsteð (of the Eyrbyggja Saga Society) was recorded at the foot of Helgafell on a drizzly afternoon following a full day of exploring key sites from Eyrbyggja Saga with…

Sitting in DFW airport at Flying Saucer waiting for a flight to Finland and Björk's "Big Time Sensuality"comes on. Now I'm sitting here wondering who is the more famous Icelander: Björk or Snorri Sturluson? (Thanks to my son for putting the picture together for me)

We traveled to Reykholt to sit down with Sigrún Guttormsdóttir Þormar, department manager at Snorrastofa, for a deep dive into the life and legacy of Snorri Sturluson—the maybe not so "infamous" 13th century Icelandic chieftain, writer, lawspeaker. #SagaThing #SnorriSturluson #Iceland #Snorrastofa

In our latest episode, Guðmund inn ríki sets his sights on Þorkell hákr for a final showdown. Þorkell fires back with one of the sickest burns we've heard in ages. Along the way, we meet an Eastfjord assassin and a dream-reader with a steady aim. sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com/2025/05/16/e...

Voice acting on Saga Thing doesn't always go smoothly, even for professionals of our esteemed stature and skill. 😉

We're in that post-Iceland trip/end of semester crunch time. Thank you for your patience, as always. I promise the pace of new episodes should pick up soon! We've got 3 more interviews from Iceland and the next episode of Ljósvetninga Saga for you.

Saga Brief 27 will be a 4-part series of interviews we conducted with saga experts and enthusiasts on our recent trip to Iceland. We're calling it Icelandic Impressions of the Sagas. Up first is a chat with our new friend Björn Grímsson. sagathingpodcast.wordpress.com/2025/05/03/s...

Saga Brief 27a – Icelandic Impressions of the Sagas (Interview with Björn Grímsson) 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…

Check out this amazing gift sent to us by Brett from Ahoy Woodworks (ahoywoodworks.com). It's our very own Saga Thing hammer! While it's meant to be a joint custody item, I can only think of one way John will ever receive this hammer from me. 😉

In addition to a DH postdoc, NorseMap is also looking to recruit a 5-year Research Assistant to help with project administration (part time role). Details here: my.corehr.com/pls/uccrecru...

🚨Job alert 🚨 Delighted to advertise the first position on my ERC Project: a 4.5-year Digital Humanities / Computer Science Postdoc (with or without a background in Viking studies). Come and work in a super department in the real capital of Ireland! Details at ore.ucc.ie Job ref: 085873

Words can't describe how grateful we are for this experience. While the sights we saw were incredible and the connections we made to the sagas enriching, it was the friendships we made here that mean the most to us. The hospitality and generosity we were shown was remarkable and heart warming.

While at Reykholt we had a wonderful conversation with Sigrún Guðmundsdóttir Þormar, Department Manager at Snorrastofa, about Snorri Sturluson, saga writing, and the work of the center. You'll get to hear it soon.

We stopped by Reykholt this afternoon and updated our picture from 2018 at the Saga Conference. Look at what keeping up with Saga Thing has done to us!

I've been to Eiríksstaðir 3 times and it's always a pleasure with new insights offered by the guides. We were lucky to meet with Atli Freyr Guðmundsson, the site manager, this time. He brought archaeology to life for us and retold Eirík's saga with flare and good humor. We can't wait to come back!

Eyberg and Guðlaug invited us up to their farm to chat about sagas. Their hospitality and their massive library are second to none.

One of the most famous stories in Eyrbyggja saga is Killer-Stýr's effort to rid himself of the Swedish berserks. After getting some advice from Snorri goði, Stýr set the berserks a series of seemingly impossible tasks. Can you recall the 3 tasks? Anna Melsteð treated us to all three and more.