Hwæt a Movie returns with the Beowulf film you didn’t know you needed to see: SYFY’s Grendel. Released at the start of 2007, ahead of Beowulf: Prince of the Geats and Robert Zemeckis’s Beowulf, Grendel rides the wave of Beowulf-mania that was sweeping nation back then. Or perhaps it started the craze?

And while you might think based on the title that this film picks up where Beowulf and Grendel left off with a more nuanced and sympathetic approach to this epic medieval monster, you’d be wrong. Grendel gives us the more violent and aggressive side of this famous shadow-walker.

Chris Bruno stars as Beowulf in this Nick Lyon directed film adaptation of our favorite Old English poem. As you’ll see, no one can spin a tale of exposition or spin round and round in combat this Beowulf. With Ben Cross as King Hrothgar and Marina Sirtis as his queen, Onela—wait, Queen Onela? If you know your Beowulf, or your Swedish history, then you may have spotted a problem here. But hey, the film also features a crossbow that shoots magic exploding arrows. Realism and textual fidelity isn’t what makes this movie fun!

Each episode of Hwaet a Movie includes an exhaustive summary and discussion of the film, a brief Q&A, and then our final ratings categories for the film's take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel's mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its entertainment value.

This one was a real pleasure to discuss. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Once you've listened, reach out and let us know how we did. Was this the perfect Beowulf? Or is there still room for improvement? Have you seen Grendel? Share your thoughts on our social media:

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All music taken from the film for this episode is by Nathan Furst.

It's time to put Valla-Ljot's Saga on trial. How will this brief story that's less than a single Hrafnkel hold up under scrutiny? Is there enough violence for a proper round of Best Bloodshed and Body Count? With only a few nicknames, how will John stretch his section out to the usual length? What kind of surprise reveal does John drop on Andy at the start of Thingmen? And how does Valla-Ljot's Saga perform when all is said and done? Does it have what it takes to compete with the greats of Saga Thing past? There's only one way to find out!

While you're waiting for the next episode of Saga Thing, check out The Partially Examined Life.

Did we get things right? How would you have judged Valla-Ljot's Saga? Who would you have chosen for thingman? Share your thoughts on our social media:

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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/

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

We’re back, and not a moment too soon! After the pot-stirring life and unceremonious death of Halli Troublemaker at the hands (and axe) of Valla-Ljöt Ljotolfsson, Halli’s older brother Hrolf Jaw retaliated by having Ljöt’s nephew Thorvard killed by a squad of murderers at a market. Now the whole valley’s on edge, waiting to see whether a carefully-brokered truce between Ljöt and Guðmund the Powerful can bring peace to the Tumultuous Valley. But men on both sides are looking for an excuse to shatter the peace once more.

What happens when Halli’s younger brother and son return from overseas to find out what’s been happening in their absence? Why is Thorvard’s foster-brother Sigmund skiing all over the valley in a snowstorm and disturbing everyone’s sleep? Can Havarð the Norwegian companion survive among all these pugnacious Icelanders? And why is Ljöt hiding a golden spear from his own family?

Join us for the conclusion to Valla-Ljöts saga!

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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/

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

While we may have finished Svarfdaela Saga, we're not done with the most tumultuous valley of medieval Iceland just yet. In this episode, we pick up with the next generation. The lead actors in this little drama are Halli, the grandson of Karl the Red, and Ljot (aka Valla-Ljot), the son of Ljotolf the godi. And though the tensions between Karl and Ljotolf's families had cooled at the end of Svarfdaela Saga, it doesn't take Halli long to get things boiling once again.

This saga also features the return of Gudmund the Powerful (Guðmundr inn ríki Eyjólfsson), who we've seen pop in from time to time in other sagas as a power broker. He's going to be playing a big part in this saga and then again in Ljósvetninga saga. Now's as good a time as any to start forming an opinion on this guy.

We hope you enjoy this one!

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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/

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

It's time for the third installment of our side project known as Hwaet a Movie! In this episode, we give the Saga Thing treatment to the 2005 Canadian-Icelandic film Beowulf and Grendel. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it (even if our review might not cast it in the brightest light). The film stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, and Sarah Polley as Selma the witch. Don't worry if one of those characters doesn't sound familiar. And while the film could be better in a number of ways, we do appreciate much of what they were attempting here.

As an added bonus, the film was shot in Iceland. That means that no matter what's happening at the front of a scene, there's always a beautiful backdrop for this interesting interpretation of the epic Old English poem about a monster-fighting Geat in Denmark.

Each Hwaet a Movie episode includes an exhaustive summary and discussion, a brief Q&A, and then our final ratings categories for the film's take on Beowulf, Grendel, and Grendel's mother. We conclude by rating the film for its faithfulness to the source material and then for its entertainment value.

This one takes a while to get through, but that's because this one offers a lot of grist for the mill.

We'll be back after Valla-Ljot's Saga with the next installment of Hwaet a Movie. And don't worry, we've only scratched the surface of Beowulf movies so far.

Though Svarfdaela Saga itself is behind us, the story of the inhabitants of the Tumultuous Valley continues. In this episode, we follow Thorleif Asgeirsson, one of Klaufi's killers and the brother of Yngvild.

As you'll discover, Thorleif has that independent spirit that Icelanders carry with them into the courts of Norwegian rulers. He's also got a talent for poetry, which serves him well both at home and abroad. But his real talent is magic, which he learned from his uncle and father. All of this combines for some interesting encounters with Jarl Hákon Sigurdsson.

This short story is both shocking and hilarious. It's got everything you could ask for, including a young man chasing his hopes and dreams, a robbery, some senseless violence, black magic, plenty of poetry, and even a golem-like construct with a vengeful heart.  Oh, and it's pretty funny too. Needless to say, it's one of our favorite þættr.

Join us as we explore the Tale of Thorleif Earl's Poet!

Richard Cole's "French Connection, or Thorr versus the Golem."

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Music Credits

Intro Music - from “Death Awaits” by Billy Malmstrom

Poetry Music - "Morgana Rides " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Outro Music - From “Óðinn” by Krauka

Join us for an in-depth interview with Dr. Rebecca Merkelbach, Assistant Professor of Old Norse-Icelandic Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany. Her latest book, Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas, offers a fresh perspective on the often overlooked "post-classical" sagas. We delve into the complex and fascinating nature of these sagas, exploring their social and artistic dimensions, as well as the rich tapestry of the "saga-verse."

Our discussion spans many of your favorite sagas featured on the podcast. And given that we just finished recording our series on Svarfdæla saga before this interview, there's plenty of talk about that saga in particular.

It was a great pleasure speaking to a fellow saga enthusiast, especially one so knowledgeable and passionate about Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Dr. Merkelbach's enthusiasm for the sagas comes through clearly in this interview, as does her remarkable ability to recall intricate details and character names from many different sagas. We think you'll find that she fits right in here at Saga Thing.

Pick up a copy of her book here: Story, World and Character in the Late Íslendingasögur: Rogue Sagas by Rebecca Merkelbach

Correction: This episode is Saga Brief 26, despite the label on the file saying 25.

Music Credits

Opening song – Icelandic Folk Music: Tröllaslagur

Outro – Ólafur Liljurós

After 7 exciting episodes (they were exciting, right?), we're finally ready to put Svarfdaela Saga on trial. As usual, we drag the text to the Saga Thing and review it through our judgment categories:

Best Bloodshed

Body Count

Nicknames

Notable Witticisms

Outlawry

Thingmen

Final Ratings

How does Svarfdaela Saga stack up against the 30+ other sagas we've reviewed so far? Do we judge it as harshly as the scholars who came before us? And how can the Big Lacuna not walk away with Best Bloodshed????

There's only one way to find out. Listen and then share your thoughts on our social media:

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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/

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

This is it. We've reached the end of Svarfdaela Saga.

In this episode, we discuss the aftermath of Karl the Red's death. Will Ljotolf step up and retake control of the valley? Or will a new contender emerge to challenge his authority? And what becomes of Skidi and Yngvild? The answers may shock you.

Seriously. This is a tough one for a number of reasons. We've mentioned that the end of this saga is pretty brutal. Now that we've arrived, it's worth saying it again. This episode features the abuse of Yngvild that we've warned you about.

Listen and then join in on the conversation here:

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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/

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, 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.

Join in on the conversation here:

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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:

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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 "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/