00:04:53.080I think he exemplifies fury in some of the best, uh, forms. Um, and I think that it's often forgot
00:05:02.660that Lord Odin is the, uh, bestower of ecstatic fury. So, um, we're definitely going to see a lot
00:05:10.980of that, but let's get into some announcements. Um, Nick, I don't know if you're, I'm on that,
00:05:16.060uh, back chat, if there's any particular announcements that need to be met. Um,
00:05:22.380yeah. So make sure that you like and subscribe and share and whatever the equivalent is in any
00:05:30.740of the other places that were being watched, Odyssey, Twitch, X, Rumble, obviously YouTube
00:05:38.600and VK for the, uh, for the Slavic, uh, crowds. Um, yeah, but definitely make sure that you,
00:05:47.360um, at least let people know what we're doing here. We're, we're, we're, um, you know, giving
00:05:54.320out lore and interpretation, and we're also answering questions and we're answering them
00:06:00.600openly, honestly, upfront with no, um, uh, you know, rehearsal or anything of that nature. So
00:06:07.540So we're trying to give you guys the open door to reach out and find out information about Ausatru, about the Ausatru Folk Assembly, from our hearts and our minds to you.
00:12:31.500It has pictures of AFA events throughout the prior year.
00:12:38.180It's cool. It's calendar. Get yours while they last.
00:12:44.320We base numbers on last year's demand, so I'm not sure how many we have left in stock, but go ahead and get yours today.
00:12:53.420And with that, Svon, is there anything folks need to know before we get into the meat and taters of stuff today, like time period?
00:13:08.160Just anything they need to know before the text?
00:13:13.100Yeah, timelines and like what you had said, just need to know or just to understand.
00:13:19.480And the placement of Eil's life and his father and grandfather, who are key, really is focused around and dated fairly well around the ascension of the king, Harold the Fairhair.
00:13:39.740And I don't think it's just a plot convenience that Harold is a huge focus.
00:13:46.340It was such a changing point in the Norwegian political system to be, to have all of these jarls yoked under one king.
00:13:57.540And it did cause a ton of problems and just so much motion was going on around that time.
00:14:08.420um the the genesis if you will of the icelanders was really focused around either all the political
00:14:17.740machinations that harold the fair hair was doing in norway or what he was doing after he he um
00:14:25.980was crowned um but it's it's it's in that kind of political time frame um 850 to the year 1000
00:14:37.260And this is a little bit before Aeol's time, because all of the sagas start off with this, there's almost like a mimicry, or just, I guess the style is similar to, say, the way that the Nords perceived biblical things.
00:14:57.620like um the reason why icelanders last names end with soon and and doctor um because in the bible
00:15:07.140it would say you know you know abraham uh or you know isaac son of and and so on and so forth so
00:15:14.500the nords just kind of saw this as a lineage is important so now we'll just we'll name the first
00:15:20.660names of all of you know the fathers and they include the the mothers often um so you'll find
00:15:28.260a lot of lineage heaviness in the beginning and that's okay just understanding like they will go
00:15:34.900back generations and generations and generations but it's it is worth noting that these generations
00:15:40.260were memorized because the um the writing of al saga was like in the 1200s so well after um and
00:15:53.380the stories were spoken of and um passed around before they were actually formalized and written
00:16:02.180down um i honestly don't know if there was maybe some smattering of writings that were being done
00:16:08.740Icelanders were eventually known as being the, the, the, the, the Nords that wrote everything
00:16:14.420down. Um, but the, the poems of Egil's saga are just, they're, they're, they're really dynamic
00:16:26.420and they're very, very of, of, of high quality. It's, it's, it's not just because they were
00:16:32.220written down. They were passed on before they were written down for a reason. And that was
00:16:38.860because of his poetic prowess, which is the reason why I think that Egil saga is one of the most
00:16:45.780pivotal Icelandic sagas. His poetry, in essence, immortalized it. But there's huge spans of time
00:16:55.980between the two and the stories that happened in between um surprisingly enough did i don't think
00:17:05.020they really affected ale saga like they did some of the other sagas some of the other sagas really
00:17:10.780go into the spiritual and the meta of things going or on and ale saga kind of does it in an after
00:17:18.460effect ale saga or ale will do something um and then suddenly there's uh well then you know the
00:17:26.620land did react to the way he did this because eric uh blood axe was you know ousted from the land
00:17:35.580so i think it's it almost adds a little bit of more gravity to what's going on when we see
00:17:44.860something magical or or what i what i would call the the meta of or the the supernatural um because
00:17:53.820it's always kind of discussed in a in a after effect and i i really do like that um and it it
00:18:04.220does have mythos but it's it's surrounded by a sense of of grounded reality and sometimes you
00:18:13.580find that and other times you don't especially the further away you go with the sagas of the
00:18:18.380greenlanders the greenlanders i think are really filled with with a lot of magic but that magic is
00:18:25.580not substantiated through actual events or actual um historical events that can be quantified you
00:18:35.100know we do know that anacur the blood axe was you know was brought into northumbria and eventually
00:18:41.900became you know king and had his kingdom in york so that's really really interesting to me um
00:18:48.780i think it's also important why read the sagas at all um a couple of things why do we use old
00:18:55.420norse as our our last peninsula connected to the ancient world of our ancestors that our religion
00:19:02.620was was worshipped um because it's the most or it's the closest to um and so i think it's worth
00:19:13.500even though we should understand that the icelanders and the nords in general
00:19:17.820are different than say the germans or the anglo-saxons or or um the the eastern um
00:19:24.860um, smattering remains of the Eastern Germanics. Um, they are different culturally, they are
00:19:32.120different, um, in the way that they, you know, they hold certain values. Um, but this gives us
00:19:38.820a little, a snapshot into things. That being said, at the same time being written well after,
00:19:47.000um, there were certain things that I think that the, the writers and, and the, the conversion
00:19:54.400times had started to, not embellish, but they focused more on certain aspects. And I think
00:20:03.180these were a reaction to the way that Christianity and the organized Catholic church was changing
00:20:09.360the Nordic world. And in a way, the Nordic mind was, I think they were attempting to also kind of
00:20:18.480paint um the unification of the nordic lands under harold is like being very similar to
00:20:27.120the the one church if you will and so there's a rebelliousness in the sagas um
00:20:34.240that the but the icelanders i think ultimately wanted to keep these stories going because they
00:20:40.640it allowed them to really uh explain certain early settlements of iceland and where people
00:20:49.040come from and what they do and you know who they are as the people um some of the sagas are
00:20:55.360absolutely fascinating um as far as certain religious tidbits and then there's also history
00:21:03.520of like there's an icelander um who was born of a slave from the baltic sea and then it turned out
00:21:12.320that she was not from the baltic sea she was actually from uh the northern irish kingdoms
00:21:20.720and her father um was a chieftain there and um she had his name is kjartan kjartan olofsson
00:21:32.800and that story of him going down and just wreaking havoc on the um the danes uh that settled in um
00:21:43.600southern ireland and uh and the norwegians and and the founders of dublin so if you're
00:21:50.080a history buff and you like some really you know cool history the sagas are worth reading
00:21:55.680if you're looking for religious tidbits of information you'll find them um quite often
00:22:01.600you just kind of get through the structure of them the sagas themselves and once you do you
00:22:06.800really can catch a lot of things that i think are worth noting or knowing as an house of thru
00:22:14.320something that i think is important to
00:22:24.640events especially um important events and momentous things
00:22:48.200It's through action and the results of that action over time.
00:22:54.700Cause and effect is a very simple concept to,
00:22:57.880Yeah, of course. But it's a much meatier concept when you view the world through a mythic and a meta lens to where it's not simple cause and effect.
00:23:19.360It's a very complex cause and effect, and there's benefits and momentum over time, and this flows into our concept of the Nornir,
00:23:36.900and they're weaving of that tapestry and they're working through it towards destiny and towards projected outcomes.
00:23:52.520We are tremendously blessed as a people because we have the Icelandic materials.
00:23:59.060Their position as kind of the fringe of the pagan world as it was gradually becoming Christianized.
00:24:13.180Their codification of our lore and documentation of the closest touchstones of the traditional living existence of our folk is a treasure and it's something very special.
00:24:33.600It was the last, in many ways, the last bastion of a lot of this knowledge in its authentic presentation.
00:24:45.680and their consciousness of the need to record history
00:24:53.440and record the traditions of their people,
00:24:58.120even in a literary way or in a poetic way,
00:34:52.280I just, I wanted to kind of lay out that Ayo is, he is a hero, but in a truly frame bending sense.
00:35:08.900He is absolutely a man of indomitable will and opportunistic.
00:35:18.920but he yes again and i i mentioned it right before he came on i think he exemplifies fury in such a
00:35:25.700uh just magnanimous way like he is when you think of warriors and you think of heroes and
00:35:33.500you think of certain warriors you know being a certain way um you know ale is certainly
00:35:40.980he's he's kind of parallel to i think the perhaps the virtues that we exalt today so and it's yeah
00:35:50.520pretty interesting um so um as we're going through here let's see yeah i just want to talk so much
00:36:06.240too about like the certain things but we'll just cut right in all right chapter one there was a
00:36:12.540man named Ulf son of Bialvi and of Halbera the daughter of Ulf the fearless so uh Halbera is
00:36:25.340mentioned um as and you will see the the feminine you will see the women mentioned another interesting
00:36:31.840thing about uh women in the sagas that's not the same for men is um that none of them are spoken
00:36:38.960of or at least named or nicknamed in a negative sense um you don't always see that with with the
00:36:45.840men you know there's negative traits and there may be a reason for that that a lot of people will try
00:36:50.480to say socially um however you know the general sense of naming is that um you would be named by
00:36:58.480your friends a lot and i think that you know people going out and viking you know going a
00:37:06.000viking and and doing lots of things your friends get kind of crass funny i was unaware that this
00:37:11.680was an option i'm not saying everybody has to do this um but this is actually on the site we
00:37:19.840usually use with the old norse paired with it on uh velocity on ballista.org yeah i asked about
00:37:27.280that i didn't know i didn't get a chance to check the only reason i was checking is in
00:37:31.920the version you're reading uh she's the daughter of ulf um what was yours of the um
00:37:44.000ulf the fearless yeah he is described as oaf the wicked in uh the one on the saga map
00:37:52.160so i'm looking at the old norse to figure out what the original situation was anyways yeah and
00:38:00.160that yeah again most likely is that that um oh but it does have the it has the old norse yeah
00:38:08.080that's what i'm kind of checking out but anyways yeah let's go ahead and let's try to knock out a
00:38:13.520chapter and then talk about it if necessary at the end of the chapter so we get through them
00:38:21.200All right. So Ulf the Fearless, she was the sister of Halbjorn half-giant from Hrapnista, and he the father of Ketel Haying. Ulf was a man so tall and strong that none could match him, and in his youth he roved the seas as a freebooter.
00:38:47.440In fellowship with him was one Kari of Bertla, a man of renown for his strength and daring.
00:39:03.000Ulf and he had one common purse and were of the dearest friends.
00:39:08.480They kept their winnings and earnings together and just spent them as they needed, just this being a great sense of trust.
00:39:21.540But when they gave up freebooting, Kari went to his estate at Bertla, being a man of great wealth.
00:39:32.980Three children had Kari, one son named Eivind Lambi, another, Alvir Nuf, and a daughter, Salbjark, who was a most beautiful woman of a noble spirit.
00:39:49.460Her did Ulf take to wife, and then he too went to his estates.
00:39:56.420Wealthy he was, both in lands and chattels, he took baron's rank as his forefathers had done, and became a great man.
00:40:06.400It was told of Ove that he was a great householder. It was his want to rise up early and then go round among his laborers or where his smiths were and to overlook his stock and fields.
00:40:25.140and at times he would talk with such as needed his counsel and good counsel he could give in all
00:40:32.340things for he was very wise but every day as the evening grew he became sullen so that few could
00:40:40.900come to speak with him he was an evening sleeper and it was commonly said that he was very strong
00:40:49.060or shape strong he was called kveldolf or kveldolfer um the twilight or the evening wolf
00:41:00.180kveldolf and his wife had two or actually i don't want to skip over that that this is often linked
00:41:06.100and um focused on in mentioning with the nordic um understanding of of
00:41:14.420uh some in the basic sense people will refer to it with lycanthropy or werewolf you know uh
00:41:26.020traditions and um it is uh you know again it very well could have been um perhaps uh you know
00:41:35.700um mental or stress or or what have you but um he was rumored to uh just be so cantankerous that
00:41:44.740people would leave him alone at the setting of the day um and he would transform throughout the day
00:41:51.540from a you know an inspiring uh leader and giver of wisdom to just where he was so you uh you know
00:42:01.780uh unable to be talked to and this he is not the berserker kari is the berserker so um i find that
00:42:13.460you know very very interesting but it's not really mentioned of anymore um
00:42:18.660but we start to see in the positive sense a lot of the things that were held um in
00:42:27.940uh old north society as being marks of a good man council um studiousness and waking up early
00:42:38.480um all of these things and we'll see a lot of that that's why i think there is
00:42:43.080so much value um in the sagas uh so kveldolf and his wife had two sons the elder was named
00:42:55.060Thorolvr, the youngest Grimmr. These, when they grew up, were both tall and strong as their
00:43:05.480father. But Thorolvr was more calmly, as well as doughty, favoring his mother's kin. Very cheery
00:43:13.920was he, liberal, impetuous in everything, a good trader, winning the hearts of all his men.
00:43:23.800Grimm was swarthy, ill-favored, like his father, both in face and in mind.
00:43:31.440He became a good man of business, and skillful was he in wood and in iron, an excellent smith.
00:43:39.880In the winter, he often went to the herring fishing, with him many housecarls.
00:43:46.600but Thorolf was 20 years old then he made then he made him and this is fell off
00:43:56.800made him ready to go harrying if nobody's familiar with that word there are two uses
00:44:05.740of the word harrying in English there is the harrier or to to fly or to flit about
00:44:13.580And that kind of also corresponds with harrying, in which, again, there's the flying or flitting about or attacking of an area. It could be, you could say, the pack of wolves was harrying the herd of caribou. And that would have that, that sense.
00:44:36.580Um, so when he was ready to start this time in his life and to test his, his wit and his will against the waves and against the steel of others, uh, Kveldov gave him a long ship and Kari of Bertla's son, Ivend and Alvir resolved to go on that voyage, taking a large force and another long ship and they roved the seas in the summertime.
00:45:06.580um so now the the sons of the best friends are you know working together and there's a two ship
00:45:14.620group kind of going out and and doing things um
00:45:19.840they got and this got them wealth and had large booty to divide for several summers they were out
00:45:31.060roving but stayed at home in the winter with their fathers thorolf brought home many costly things
00:45:38.580and took them to his father and his mother thus they were well to do both for possessions and
00:45:46.180honor so here clearly honoring the your your mother and your father with the the gifts of
00:45:53.620your labor um and i mean if your labor is you know the going viking good the idea too is just
00:46:03.220um whatever tracks that take you you know never forgetting about your parents um
00:46:10.100and but they would go home and live with them um
00:46:16.740kveldolf was now well stricken in years and his sons were grown men
00:46:23.620Adbjörn was the king over the Firthfolk. There was an earl of the of his named Hrowald whose son was Thoril.
00:46:40.620Atli the Slim was then an earl, and he dwelt at Gawla. He had sons, Halstein, Holmstein, and Herstein, and a daughter, Solvay the Fair.
00:46:56.940I love that name. It just means desirous of the sun.
00:47:03.460It happened one autumn that much people were gathered at Gawla for a sacrificial feast.
00:47:11.580Then saw Alvar Hnuf Solvei and courted her.
00:47:20.260um but the earl thought of him as an unequal match for his daughter and would not give her over
00:47:28.500whereupon oliver composed many love songs and thought much of solvay that he left for freebooting
00:47:36.420but thorolf and ivan lambi kept it on so this part here is you'll notice um
00:47:46.500the general motif of the sagas is every woman is always the daughter of her father. And
00:47:57.620you will see when someone comes a courting, there's two reactions. One, if she deems it fit,0.95
00:48:07.540if she sees it as the way that she wants to go, then I have no problem with it. That's like one
00:48:13.900way the other is no and i think that the overarching benefit of this societally is that
00:48:23.340the woman can reject and was most likely talking to her father but could reject without offense
00:48:30.860um and or if he was of some sort of status that was not you know befitting or equal to
00:48:40.300Yeah, there was definitely some societal, you know, benefits to making sure that certain classes stayed with certain classes in based on, you know, factors and those factors don't always necessarily mean economic factors because remember, you know, it was based on will and your will to gain and what you were willing to do as far as crossing the oceans.
00:49:10.300and fighting or trading um however again if there was somebody of low status it was kind of seen as
00:49:17.580like they were unwilling to really test themselves in the world not so much just simply that person's
00:49:25.660a laborer um as it was you know most all of these people are laborers they're farmers and and they
00:49:33.100move to a certain point where they just don't have to do all the work they have other people doing
00:49:38.060the work um but it's just kind of hard to understand the difference between
00:49:43.100the way like say classes you know are viewed now um
00:51:06.080Thence he went northwards to Throntheim and had many battles there before he became absolute over all the thrones.
00:51:16.220After that, he purposed to go north to Naumdel to attack the brothers Herlo and Hrolok, kings of Naumdel.
00:51:27.860um and i interesting again the entire area is is run by two um
00:51:34.700but when these brothers heard of his coming hair law with 12 men entered the the sepal
00:51:46.460sepal curl mound which they had caused to be made they were three winters at the making
00:51:56.060the mounds were and the mound then was closed after them but king frolog sank from royalty
00:52:04.680to earldom giving up his kingdom and becoming a vassal of herald so herald gained the naumdalsmen
00:52:13.420and the hauloland with a fleet of of mida and rums and romsdale but solvi bandy legs
00:52:23.900and Huntheob's son escaped thence and going to King Arnvid in South Myra were asked to help
00:52:34.980with these words. So I've thought about that, just the, um, the idea of them going into the mound.
00:52:43.120um and i've wondered if this is some sort of not not an actual like closing oneself up
00:52:55.040and simply dying but a ritual in which the leading or the the leader of the land
00:53:04.380um removes himself from leading by in essence dying in the mount um
00:53:11.640and being um kind of removed of power i just a very interesting thing that's a rabbit hole
00:53:20.940um you know i was doing a little reading before we started so wrote that down to go look into
00:53:27.180um anybody wanting to uh prep or do any stuff we're looking at
00:53:33.640trying to hit 23 chapters a night so four chunks of 23. so anybody wanting to prepare for next
00:53:45.660week it'd be chapter 24 through i don't know now i got a map uh 67
00:53:51.840no i'm sorry 24 through 47 i apologize
00:53:57.820Now here, this part is, again, a poem or a derived message that is to be passed.
00:54:19.880So he says, though this danger now touches me before long, the same will come to you.
00:54:24.720For Harold, as I wean, will hasten hither when he has enthralled and oppressed after his will all in North Myra and Romsdale.
00:54:38.760So as he sees it, the foreseeing of all actions, Harold will gain power and crush all others.
00:54:52.300And so he's sending out this call to arms and or a call to help.
00:54:57.620Then will be the same need be upon you as was upon us to guard your wealth and liberty and to try everyone from whom you may hope for aid.
00:55:09.480And I now offer myself with my forces against this tyranny and wrong.
00:55:14.060But, if you make the other choice, you must do as the Naldol's men have done, and go of your own will into slavery, and become herald's thralls.
00:55:29.180My father, though it victory to die a king with honor, rather than become, in his old age, another king's subject,
00:55:36.960Thou, as I judge, will think the same, and so will others who have any high spirit and claim to be men of valor.
00:55:47.700so this turning and really arming towards herald uh herald's power i think is more so
00:55:57.360the the issue um with the inability of your gaining money for yourself but gaining money
00:56:05.720to give to others to give to a king um in this area was seen just yeah it was it was a desperation
00:56:14.160And I think that really is because of the migration era warriors that moved back into the area after King Odeker of Rome. There was a heavy sense that you had to carve out, but Harold was changing things and bringing everyone under one banner.
00:56:34.980By such persuasion, King Arnvid was determined to gather his forces and defend his land.
00:56:45.880He and Solvi made a league, and they sent messengers to Avbjorn, king of the Firthfolk, that he should come and help them.
00:56:55.660So Avbjorn, after counsel taken with his friends, consented and bade cut the war arrow and send the war summons throughout his realm with word to his nobles that they should join him.
00:57:11.700so i the only uh reference there with the bade cut to the war arrow um is again the the possibility
00:57:23.060and i'm not you know again 100 sure because uh some of this this stuff i am as i run into it
00:57:30.060i'm like oh that's some due note because i i haven't read this in years um is that it's just
00:57:39.300reference to war in general the loosing of the arrow um though i don't think it's particularly
00:57:46.900that they're actually shooting an arrow with a message um but when the king's messengers came
00:57:55.220to kveldolf and told him their errand and that the king would have kveldolf come to him with his house
00:58:02.260carls thus answered he it is my duty to the king to take the field with him if he have to defend
00:58:13.300his land and there be harrying against the firth folk but this i deem clean beyond my duty to go
00:58:23.860north to merah and defend their land briefly ye may say when we meet your king that kveldolfer
00:58:34.020will sit at home during this rush to war nor will he gather forces nor leave his home to fight with
00:58:41.700herald shock head for i think that he has a whole load of good fortune where our king has not a
00:58:49.540a handful. So he's basically stating here that he does not believe that the tide of Orlog is in the
00:59:03.220favor of his king, but he's caught and doesn't want to be seen as a coward. He just thinks that
00:59:10.920it's a fruitless endeavor. The messengers went back to the king and told him how their errand
00:59:17.380had sped, but Feldhoffer sat at home on his estates. So we come to a chapter break. I want
00:59:24.960to take the time to acknowledge GW Farnsworth bought us five coffees. Thank you. We appreciate
00:59:33.280you. You are a consistent donor on here every week. You know, every one of those coffees is a
00:59:39.560$5 donation. We really appreciate you. Thank you. Another thing I wanted to kind of note as we go
00:59:46.540through this because unlike unlike etic poems and like high mythology or things that way
01:00:04.060this is a historical recounting of real people doing real things and i want
01:00:10.380As a couple of mental notes for us to just kind of digest and keep in mind, there is a common thing to say today about no more brother wars.
01:00:28.020I get that in the current political context that we live in.
01:00:32.240It makes a lot of sense, and I'm not saying I don't support that as a concept, but it's also we need to be real.
01:00:38.640almost all the wars of our ancestors are brother wars because we lived in a world that was much
01:00:45.340smaller and there was a lot of infighting between things and that said
01:00:50.460in the world of certainly the Icelandic sagas people are closely related to one another with
01:00:59.740mutual bonds and relationships and find themselves on different sides of things
01:01:05.500In that way, a lot of things are similar to the American Civil War in the fact that you find people with conflicting alliances that don't know, you know, what to do because they're loyal to their state.
01:01:21.400Their kinfolk live over here a couple of counties over that are on the other team.
01:08:47.320okay so that same autumn the sons of atli set to alvernuf as his at his home and would feign
01:09:01.320have slain him they had such a force that alvir could not withstand them but fled for his life
01:09:09.800going northwards to mida he there found heralds and submitted to him
01:09:18.040and went north to the king of throndheim and he became most friendly with him and remained
01:09:24.280with him for a long time thereafter as and was made a skull um in the winter following earl
01:09:36.760went um the inner way by the eid sea southwards to the firths having news by spies
01:09:47.320of the movements of of the king vaimund he came by night to nausdale where vaimund was at a banquet
01:09:57.720and surrounding the house burnt within the king and 90 men after that that after that carl of
01:10:08.760Bertla came to Earl Rakhnavald with a long ship fully manned, and they too went north to Myra.
01:10:19.640Rakhnavald took the ships that belonged to Veimund and all the chattels he could get.
01:10:27.480Kari of Bertla then went north to King Harald at Throntheim and became his men. So right now is
01:10:36.760is game of thrones level machinations going on. Um, people are, you know, uh,
01:10:46.060being usurped, uh, either overtly or softly, but people are being removed and people are now going
01:10:55.960northwards and they're, um, making allegiance with Harold. And, um, so this is just giving
01:11:04.900all of those kind of, you know, hand, hand and, and sword details, um, as Harold, uh, starts to
01:11:13.020gain his power. The next spring, King Harold went southward along the coast with a fleet
01:11:20.240and, and subdued the Firths and the Fells and arranged for his men of his own to rule them.
01:11:28.680so he starts to set up his um his uh jarls or his uh his earls or barons um
01:11:39.480earl hroald he set over the firth folk so difference between hroald and herald um
01:11:49.720king herald was very careful when he had gotten new peoples under his power
01:11:54.600about barons and rich landowners and all those whom he suspected of being at all likely to raise
01:12:03.100rebellion. Every such man he treated in one of two ways. He either made him become his liege man
01:12:10.980or go abroad. As a third choice, suffer yet harder conditions, some even losing life and limb,
01:12:19.860Harold claimed at his own through every district all patrimonies and all land tilled or untilled
01:12:29.500likewise all seas and freshwater lakes all landowners were to be his tenants as also all
01:12:39.000that worked in the forest salt burners or again people who made salt from burning water
01:12:47.680and uh evaporating the water to make sea salt hunters fishers by land and by sea all these
01:12:57.200owed him duty or tax and but but many fled abroad from this tyranny and much waste wasteland was
01:13:05.880then colonized uh far and wide both eastward in yamtaland and in helsinkaland and also to the
01:13:17.020Westlands, the South Isles, Dublin in Ireland, Katniss in Scotland and the Shetlands, and in that
01:13:27.080time, Iceland was found. So overall, I think that it's just important to understand that turmoil
01:13:36.220is one of the big motivations for this particular expansion of the Norwegians out of Norway.
01:13:47.020harold was successful in what he was doing and a lot of people did not want to pay tax or
01:13:54.460to owe fealty or be called to war especially with a king that they had no bonds with um
01:14:03.180and also that they would lose some sense of being able to kind of build or or expand on their own
01:14:10.060power that now they would have to answer to someone if they decided to do something so this
01:14:17.180really caused massive expansion into the orkney islands into the pharaoh islands into scotland
01:14:25.020into ireland and ultimately into iceland which was a it was already discovered but was not settled um
01:14:36.620Um, the folk didn't really know what to do with it yet. And, um, it wasn't even fully named yet
01:14:44.540of grounded reality. Oh, I'm getting an echo. Um, let me see. So we start, um, with chapter five,
01:14:57.840the message, the king's message, excuse me, to Kveldolf. King Harald lay with his fleet in the
01:15:07.980Firths, whence he sent messengers round the land to such as had not come to him, but with whom he
01:15:15.340thought he had business. The messengers came to Kveldolf. So now, Avbjorn's men, and Avbjorn
01:15:23.140himself, you know, having lost the Firths. Now, Harold sends messages to Kfeldorf.
01:15:35.260They set forth their errand and said that the king would have Kfeldorf come to him in audience.
01:15:41.700He has heard, said they, that you are a man of renowned and high family. You will get from him
01:15:49.040terms of great honor for the king is very keen on this to have with him such as he hears are men of
01:15:56.240mark and strength and bravery then it's also worth noting harold was probably very well aware that
01:16:02.720kfeldorf did not join his opponent so that again um would garner a kind of an essence that they
01:16:13.120you know to reach out and build um allegiance so long as kveldof could give fealty to him
01:16:21.200uh kveldof answered that he was an old man now not fit for war or to be out in warships
01:16:29.440i will now he said sit at home and leaves leaves servings leave serving kings
01:16:35.760Upon this message, the messenger said, then let your son go in your stead to be king, or to the king. He is tall and a likely warrior. The king will make you a baron, said they to Grim, if you will serve him.
01:16:57.800and grim said i will be made a baron under none while my father lives he while he lives shall be
01:17:08.520my only liege lord um so now there's the obstentatiousness against harold um
01:17:18.260you know this could be seen just really is not a good move i mean not banding together in one
01:17:25.500direction and now having the more successful victor looking at you um but again this is uh
01:17:32.380oftentimes the overarching um cut of the future icelanders and i think that ultimately this is
01:17:43.020the story is playing into this a little bit the icelanders kind of or the future icelanders
01:17:50.620Being of these people who would not have rule by the king, I think was popular with most Icelanders.
01:18:04.560So the messengers went away, and when they came to the king and told him all that Kaldolfer had said before them, whereat the king looked sullen, but he spoke little.
01:28:19.780You see old men finding these power plays happening and kind of sitting back and seeing which side's going to, you know, who's the winning team and how to get on the winning team and then how to structure it with their children as pawns to where they have the maximum flexibility with it.
01:28:44.680And that's a common political play by nobles in medieval Europe and, I mean, I think forever.
01:28:56.460You see the wise old man that's seen a lot of stuff and seen a lot of people start up really hot and then burn out in a lot of things in their life.
01:29:04.140And so they kind of try to play the odds for what's the best setup for their children, especially if they don't think they're particularly long for the world.
01:29:15.020They want to know, how do I set my kids up to be on the winning team, to not become the enemy of powerful people, but also not to be too much associated with something that I don't trust yet.
01:29:29.720So we see that a lot, and I think it's kind of important.
01:29:33.420random side note for over in the chat freya join we'll get you set up we'll get you figured out
01:29:39.980don't worry about it money's not a thing that's not the point um i just want to put that out there
01:29:46.220to you personally there's a whole big side note thing um might as well take the opportunity because
01:29:56.060it's there to explain the hoftollers we have somebody over on the side mentioning you know
01:30:02.620money's tight things are going on um they may want to join but they can't because you know they're
01:30:09.500dealing with some money stuff and they'll join when they can pay and whatever it's not about
01:30:14.060money that's not the point yes we absolutely need money to keep hoffs open to keep running to do
01:30:20.380what we do but it's never about that there's never ever anybody who is not allowed to participate in
01:30:28.060the afa because they're broke that's not real there's also not allowed to be people who are
01:30:34.300members of the afa that refuse to contribute and be part of the team so where those two things
01:30:40.140collide is a whole lot of discretion freya seriously don't worry about money stuff i see
01:30:45.340your application come in we'll get you set up we'll figure the rest out down the road that's not
01:30:49.820don't worry about that so we have a thing called the hoftoller
01:54:51.000But between him and Alvyrnuf was an especially close friendship.
01:54:56.540That same autumn came to King Harald Thorolf, Kveldolf's son, and Ivan Vlambi, his friend. Their fathers were friends. They became friends and went out sea-reeving, if you will. And now they have left and joined or come to Harald's court.
01:55:22.060kari of bertla's son and they were well received they brought thither a swift 20 bench long ship
01:55:33.580well made which they had before used in sea roving they and their company were placed in the guest
01:55:40.560hall but when they had waited there till they thought it would fit time to go before the king
01:55:46.620Kari of Bertla and Alvernuf went in with them. They greeted the king. Then they said, Alvernuf,
01:55:55.240here comes Kveldolf's son, whom I told thee in the summer that Kveldolf would send.
01:56:02.580His promise to thee will now stand fast, for here thou canst see true tokens that he will be thy
01:56:09.040friend in all when he hath sent his son hither to take service with thee. A stalwart man as thou
01:56:16.380mayest see. Now, this is the boon craved by Kveldolf and all of us, that thou receive Thorolf
01:56:23.760with honor and make a great man with thee. So, you know, Alvir is running kind of interference
01:56:34.540for Kveldolf, but I think he's ultimately doing it for the boon of Thorolf. And the king answers
01:56:40.400his words well promising that he would do if thorolf proves himself and accomplished indeed as
01:56:48.480he is right brave in look so thorolf is you know he's well seen he's uh he's a handsome and like
01:56:59.220daring fellow with renown built around him and he says you know if if you um act and and and
01:57:06.160accomplishes as good as you're fabled to look, I'm hopeful. And this Thorolf was made the king's
01:57:15.820household and one of his own guard. But Kari of Beritla and his son, Ivan Lambi, went back south
01:57:24.880in the ship which Thorolf had brought north and so home to Kari's farm. So now Ivan is not with
01:57:34.000Thorolf, his friend. Thorolf remained there with the king, who appointed him a seat between
01:57:39.920Aubernuf and Barth. So we can start to see the seating arrangements, the way that people are
01:57:45.400seated near the king as having station. The second seat for him, of course, being
01:57:52.740the scald that was a scald or the poet to his father.
01:57:57.900um and these three struck up a close friendship and all men said of thorolf and bard they were
01:58:08.440well matched they were in a well-matched pair in calmliness and stature and strength and in
01:58:14.900doughty deeds and both were in high favor with the king but when winter was passed and summer
01:58:21.940came, then Bard asked leave to go and see to the marriage promised to him before with Hildreðr.
01:58:29.860And when the king knew that Bard's errand was urgent, he allowed him to go. Then Bard asked
01:58:35.560Thorolf to go with him and accompany him, saying, as was true, that he would meet there many of his
01:58:42.940kin and men of renown whom had not yet seen, that he had not yet seen or known. Thorolf thought that
01:58:49.960this was desirable so they got leave from the king and then they made made them ready and took
01:58:56.180a good ship and a crew and went their way when they came to torgar they sent word or sorry let
01:59:04.520me backtrack a little bit a lot of the times when you're reading the the uh the sagas it's worth
01:59:11.280noting that it's not always like something that we are akin to where there's going to be a sudden
01:59:18.080plot twist, or there's going to be, you know, they do show up, but it's not always set with
01:59:25.960that in mind. In essence, this is a retelling of events. So, and they went, so Thorolf and Bard
01:59:37.140go north to attend Bard's wedding. When they came to Torgar, they sent word to Sigurd that Bard
01:59:45.220would now see to that marriage on which they had agreed upon the summer before. Sigurd said that
01:59:51.140he would hold to all that they had arranged. So they fixed the wedding day, and Bard with his party
01:59:58.140were to come north to Sandnes. At the appointed time, Brynjolf and Bard set out, and with them
02:00:05.400many great men of their kin and connexians. And it was, as Bard had said, that Thorolf met there
02:00:13.240many of his kinsmen that he had not known. They journeyed to Sandnes, and there was held the most
02:00:20.720splendid feast. And when the feast was ended, Bard went home with his wife and remained at home
02:00:26.820through the summer, and Thorolf with him. In the autumn, they came south to the king again, and were
02:00:33.980with him another winter. During that winter, Brynjolf, so the father of Bard, passes away.
02:00:41.720And when Bard learned that the inheritance there was open for him, he asked of leave to go home.
02:00:48.580This the king granted, and before they parted, Bard was made a baron.
02:00:53.720And this, again, too, is kind of seen as like no longer a guardsman.
02:00:57.360He's inheriting his father's wealth and lands.
02:00:59.920So he moves up in station, even in the king's court.
02:01:03.280um, all of this, you know, like I think a lot of folks don't, they think of this as, um, perhaps
02:01:09.480medieval Europe or, you know, after Christendom, but no, there's a lot of this already going on
02:01:16.040in the Nordic lands. Um, so, uh, the king granted, and before they parted, he was made a baron
02:01:26.900as his father had been and held of the king, all those same grants that Brynjolf had held.
02:01:32.460bard went home to his estate and at once became a great chief but hildery the sons got no more
02:01:40.320of the heritage than before bard had a son by his wife and his name was grim meanwhile thorolf
02:01:49.260was with the king and in great honor and part of me only thinks of like the idea of naming a baby
02:01:58.140grim is because perhaps he had such a like a scowling face um you know when he was a baby um
02:02:09.900chapter nine battle in hoppers firth but wait before we do that um
02:02:20.060touching base on something and i hope everybody's enjoying it and following along i certainly
02:02:26.060i certainly am the map is neat i re i realized why my translations were all screwed up it's an
02:02:31.580icelandic map so i pressed the english translate it's a google translate problem not the icelanders
02:02:39.500have it translated just fine so that's on that's on me um yeah i hope everybody's enjoying it and
02:02:46.540following along this is fascinating this is a saga that neither sfan nor myself have really
02:02:51.580looked at or read in a number of years it was one of the very first sagas that i read and it
02:02:58.400i mean it's awesome i love it it's really cool but it's nice to kind of reacquaint myself with
02:03:05.300it this evening i also wanted to point out i see over in the chat um about freya wanting to get
02:03:13.680set up as a member and not having friends uh or family in the usa you do now
02:03:22.800and i mean that so yeah with that said let's i'm trying to look we're not um
02:03:31.520and i hope this is because people are enjoying it i never really know for sure um
02:03:37.520I'm looking over in the chat and we don't have a lot of questions piling up or anything
02:03:46.120particularly got a couple of things that we'll talk about at the end but just checking letting
02:03:52.040everybody know you guys can still ask questions if you'd like but no we're making good progress
02:03:57.960and I'm enjoying it and I hope everybody else is if folks are ready let's hit the chapter nine
02:04:07.520So, this is the battle in Hoppersworth.
02:04:14.220King Harald proclaimed a general levy.
02:04:16.860He starts to, you know, gather taxes, and he gathered a fleet.
02:04:22.400Summoning his forces far and wide through the land, he went out of Throntheim and bent his course southward,
02:04:29.640For he had heard that a large host was gathered throughout Agdir, Rogaland, and Hordaland, assembled from far, both from the inland parts above and from the east out of Vik, the very large bay and fjord in the southern part of Norway.
02:04:50.660So now the south is kind of amassing groups, and he wants to see what is this all about.
02:04:57.200and many great men were there met who who proposed to defend their land from the king
02:05:03.760harold held on his way from the north with a large force having his guards on board
02:05:12.140in the forecast in the forecast excuse me in the forecastle of the ship um there was
02:05:19.580So, you know, in the back with the king, um, in the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, near the, the,
02:05:42.660the, um, uh, why is it eluding me? The rudder near the rudder and in the back, um, there is
02:05:53.300all the guard men, but up in the front, there is absolute ready for carnage berserkers, um,
02:06:02.720in the, in the, at the very, very front ready to go. Um, and I think this is more, again,
02:06:08.440lending to the ideas like he had his best men around him and at the front of the ship he had
02:06:14.280you know uh men of extreme violence ready and waiting um
02:06:23.720the fleets met south in rogueland in hoppersworth there was fought one of the or the greatest
02:06:32.920battle that king harold had with much slaughter in either host the king set his own ship in the van
02:06:42.520and there the battle was most stubborn but in the end was king harold who won the victory
02:06:50.280thorir long chin and our king of adgir fell there but kjotvi the wealthy fled with all of his men
02:07:00.440that could stand save some that surrendered after the battle when the role of herald's army was
02:07:06.680called many were uh they had fallen and many were sore wounded thorolf was badly wounded
02:07:15.560bard even worse nor was there a man unwounded in the king's ship before the mast except those
02:07:22.680whom iron bit not to the, the wit of the berserks. A couple of things with this one. One,
02:07:30.560um, the King drove his ship right into the middle of the battle. And that's why his guardsmen are
02:07:39.120many wounded, but it also substantiates another point is that the berserkers are not iron bit
02:07:45.140because of the wit or in reality, the knowledge that the berserks had of being able to
02:07:52.680to not be hurt by iron. So this is where we start to get that kind of, that, that mythos,
02:07:59.960but it's kind of just blatantly stated after the fact. The battle goes, everyone's hurt
02:08:05.360except for the berserkers, because they know their way, their, their culted way to avoid
02:10:41.920So the juxtaposition between the high magic of this berserker that like literally weapons are hitting and they are not penetrating because they are made out of like bare skinned iron and they turn into these werewolf, you know,
02:10:58.880altered beast bear creatures but what very much legitimately happened is everybody in the heat of
02:11:09.440battle is getting messed up and these guys are standing tall surrounded by their foes and they're
02:11:16.320frothing around and in their battle lust and they're not hurt and everyone else is
02:11:22.240there is a magic there they have to equate it especially at this period writing this down with
02:11:29.460their skill or their whatever else doesn't matter how skillful you are if you're set upon by a
02:11:35.840certain number of people with sharp things even if you win folks are getting hurt
02:11:45.500However we want to conceive of this divine and miraculous protection they have as part of the Odin cult and the berserker gang, the end result is these renowned berserkers who are revered with a certain amount of fear and awe, like awe by their fellows on the battlefield and fear by people in peacetime.
02:12:12.220however you want to conceive of it occurring
02:12:16.780they were with their king in the thick of battle everyone around them their enemies are dead
02:12:27.340a bunch of their buddies are dead even the winners are hurt and they're standing tall and they're
02:12:34.320all right so it's hard to conceive in our head this this is what i'm trying to say when you read
02:12:40.700lore about some of these things it becomes fanciful and hard to believe and like oh you believe that
02:12:45.340that's silly maybe the way you have it in your head is silly but in reality they engage in ritual
02:12:54.060behavior before battle that connects with the all-father through the berserker gang
02:13:01.340and they more often than not emerge unscathed
02:13:05.260something happens there that is beyond just they happen to be good at fighting and
02:13:14.220that that occupies that space is truly miraculous and magical and something that as
02:13:23.580also true are we need to pay heed to and embrace and and recognize as the workings of
02:13:30.540our gods and you know the cult of the the berserker um in this time i don't know if that made
02:13:40.140any sense but what i'm trying to say is magical things don't always have to be showy what they
02:13:45.980happen more often than not is a completely improbable series of coincidence that allow
02:13:53.860a result to occur the idea of swords you know somebody chops an axe at dude's head and it
02:14:00.980doesn't penetrate that's probably not how it works everybody else just happens to miss all the time
02:14:10.100that's not really how things would work if there wasn't something else another hand at play
02:14:16.500and i think that's what we should keep in mind even and especially when reading historical works
02:14:23.860is the subtle hand of the divine in those kind of ways because that was an absolute reality to
02:14:32.060those men looking at it historically or even writing about it years or decades later in the
02:14:38.200Christian period which the saga takes us to there is a tendency to rationalize but there's a challenge
02:14:47.780of us as men and women of faith to accept the workings of the divine within the fabric
02:14:57.660of observable reality and I think this is kind of a cool example of that that we see
02:15:22.180And I think that there's a part here that's worth taking note is that it's pretty clear with High Renown.
02:15:31.200He passes, and it is seen as, you know, not a dastardly or terrible thing.
02:15:41.180So I think that this is a great point where we get to see a couple of things going on as far as religious things in relation to, like, funerary rites.
02:15:53.600It's also worth noting at this time, too, they were burying their dead, not burning them in a pyre.
02:15:59.900And it's just understood that our ancestors, you know, went through cycles of preference based on land and certain, you know, things afforded to them or the technology that was available.
02:16:16.060So before we know, go ahead. I didn't mean to cut you off. That's your finish. I was going to say, before we continue with our I'm sorry, Goethe Bodhi would like you to break it down for folks what Scala Grimm means.
02:16:34.120Bald and ugly is generally what people say. Bald and of a displeasing countenance. Scala is bald.
02:16:41.960maybe bald and angry looking i think angry looking was in much the same form it's always had
02:16:49.140yeah i mean i joking around i've heard people say bald and ugly which is always
02:16:54.680super funny to me but at the same time yeah scala grim bald and of just a dour countenance
02:17:35.300there's often a deafening silence and usually it turns out exactly like i said in the chat room
02:17:43.220it's because everyone is enraptured by his what he's presenting and um also as amber says though
02:17:52.900over in the chat there are many questions there aren't many questions because every time something
02:17:57.860isn't clear swan the pious automatically explains it for us massively appreciated
02:18:05.060swan the pious i like it thank you i like it too that's nice thank you sir carry on if you will
02:18:15.060um you do me great honor with with naming me that um um
02:18:20.260Um, so the king, uh, looks about his, uh, his guardsmen and he has his men's wounds bound up
02:18:30.220and thanks them for their valor and gives them many gifts, adding most praise where he thought
02:18:35.920it was most deserved. He promised them also further honor, naming some to be steersmen,
02:18:42.100others to be folksalmen, others bow sitters. And this was the last battle that King Harold had
02:18:49.900within the land. After this, none withstood him and he was supreme over all Norway. A couple
02:18:56.820things to note with that is most likely their, their, uh, immediate, uh, healing of, of the
02:19:06.080wounded. And he starts to move people into positions, um, to carry on, uh, the ship,
02:19:13.480but where you were standing and, and given a job at the ship had, had heavy connotations to,
02:19:21.940to how close you were to, to the king. And so moving up into the, uh, folks, where the king,
02:19:30.160uh, very, you know, most likely was, um, was a huge honor. So he's just giving out Boone
02:19:38.060and he's speaking about all of them, the, the warriors and letting them know. And I've always
02:19:44.140just kind of taken this as he's, he's kind of giving a speech and telling his men like, this
02:19:49.400is good. And I think that it doesn't, it's not said in here, but they go back and then there's
02:19:54.840more stock that's left in the healing and, and some things of that nature. So, uh, the King
02:20:03.420saw to the healing of his men whose wounds gave them hope of life he also to burial of the dead
02:20:10.600with all customary honors thorolf and bard lay wounded so and i that term there might seem like
02:20:19.480they're still on the ship but i i don't think that is the case they're just stating that thorolf and
02:20:25.580bard were had laid wounded during the battle um but thoralf's wounds began to heal but bards
02:20:34.300proved to be mortal then bard had the king called to him and spoke thus so he's in his deathbed now
02:20:42.940um most likely in herald's uh you know new found one lands um probably not back in throndheim but um
02:20:52.060Um, he asks him, babe, you know, can, can someone bring the King to me? I have, I have something that I wish for him to hear so that he could decree it, um, and make sure that it is, it is honored.
02:21:06.320Um, and the King comes to him and, um, he says, if it, if it is so that I die of these wounds, then I would ask this of the, that I may myself name my heir.
02:21:22.060to this when the king assented then said he so it's worth noting the reason why bard's
02:21:29.580probably doing this is because brenyal um no like bring your father uh bergul had
02:21:39.420that that woman uh with the two children but he sent her away so bard is probably doing this too
02:21:45.580as a as a political move so that those sons can't come in and say we have right and claim to that
02:21:51.100land. Um, so he's, he's thinking ahead and he, of course, Bard had just been married, uh, like a
02:21:58.340one and a half years earlier, um, to Sigrid, the, the daughter of Sigurd that was in, uh, Sandness
02:22:05.980in the lake, um, area. So he says, I will that Thorolf, my friend and kinsman take all my
02:22:16.100heritage, both my lands and my chattels, and to him also will I give my wife and bringing up of
02:22:23.620my son, because I trust him for this above all men. So he's basically saying that, you know,
02:22:31.740to take my wife and son and foster my son and raise him. And again, the taking of the wife
02:22:41.520is an interesting point, because I think if it's contested, there could be a chance where that's
02:22:47.500not going to happen. But, you know, as we go, we'll see how that turns out. This arrangement
02:22:55.900he made fast as the law was with leave of the king. Then Bard died and was buried, and his death
02:23:04.600was much mourned. Thorolf was healed of his wounds and followed the king and won great glory.
02:23:12.720In the autumn, the king went north to Thrandheim, back to his capital now, if you will, and then
02:23:20.460Thorolf asked to go north to Haluelan to see after those gifts which he had received in the summer
02:23:26.480from his now fallen kinsman bard. The king gave leave for this and added a message and tokens
02:23:32.740that Thorolf should take all that Bard had given him, showing that the gift was with the council
02:23:39.060of the king and that he would have it so. So basically, you know, go there and accept these
02:23:46.180gifts that your friend has given you. And by him saying that, he's saying, I'm not going to contest
02:23:52.560it. You're a good man to me and you will, you know, rise and station as befit as Bard was.
02:24:02.740Um, so he supplied Thorolf with a good long ship and all the tackling or tacking that was complete
02:24:11.800with it and had everything made for his journey thence and in the best possible way. So Thorolf
02:24:17.680set out and he and the king parted with much great affection because they had survived this
02:24:22.680just massive battle. And I think to the loss of Bard between them, you know, is a commonality as
02:24:30.020well. Uh, but then Thorolf came to the North to Targar, Torkar. And again, the way this, the,
02:24:37.060the, uh, sagas are written, you'll always, but when Thorolf came North, like you're expecting
02:24:42.680this switch, this plot. Oh no, something, you know, but no, it's not written like that. It's
02:24:48.160just stating that now he goes to the North and this is, you know, this is what he gets. Um,
02:24:55.460but then thor thorolf came um north to torker and he was well received he told them a bard's death
02:25:05.140and also the bard had left him his lance his chattel and her that had been his wife then he
02:25:11.440showed the king orders and tokens so this is you know even decreed by the king um to have transpired
02:25:19.240Um, and when Sigridir hears this, hears these tidings, she is felt with her great loss in her husband, but with Thorolf she was already well acquainted, so her husband's friend, she knew him, he had been always at, with Bard, um, so she, he wasn't a stranger to her.
02:25:42.520and knew him for a man of great mark and renown.
02:25:47.060And this promise of her marriage was good.
02:26:38.900Sigrid received him well, asked him to lodge there, and for there had been great intimacy between them since the marriage.
02:26:48.900So Sigurd, who is the father of Sigrid, in essence, Bard's father-in-law. And Thorolf is also loved by Sigurd, because, again, outside of Sigrid, the one person who could contest the marriage is her father, and he is good. He's good with it. They're fast friends.
02:27:12.120so for there had been great intimacy between them since the marriage connections between Sigurd and
02:27:22.640Bard then Thorolf and his men went into the hall and they were entertained Sigurd sat and talked
02:27:29.320with Thorolf and asked tidings Thorolf told them about the battle that they fought the summer that
02:27:35.400summer in the south and of all of the fall of many men who sigurd knew and with all how bard
02:27:43.960his son-in-law had died of wounds received in battle this they both felt a great loss
02:27:50.720then thorolf told sigurd that he had been the covenant between him and bard before he died
02:27:57.500and he declared also the orders of the king and how he would have all of this hold good
02:28:02.820and this he showed by tokens. So he, you know, the, the witness of the king and the bidding of
02:28:10.440this to happen, um, is being verified. After this Thorolf entered into his wooing with Sigurd. So
02:28:17.640it's not just, you know, uh, you know, you're my wife now, but it's, it, it is, but there is a
02:28:25.520sense that he has to, you know, it's not simply just arranged. It is, there is a courting or
02:28:35.040of a wooing and getting to know her. And I think also too, probably lamenting Bard's death.
02:28:43.920But this happened a lot back then. This is how things went. You could leave for a summer to a
02:28:50.420battle and not come back. Oh, sorry. And sorry. It says here too, the wooing of Sigurd. So he's
02:29:00.640basically laying claim to the father saying, Hey, I would like to, you know, honor Bard's wishes.
02:29:06.600I know your daughter and I would like to marry her. And Sigurd receives the proposal. Well,
02:29:13.940he said there were many reasons for this first the king would have it so next bard had asked it and
02:29:21.820further he himself knew thorolf and thought it was a good match for his daughter thus sigurd was
02:29:28.420easily one to grant this suit whereupon the betrothal was made and the wedding was fixed
02:29:33.320for the autumn at torgar then thorolf went home to his estate and his comrades with him
02:29:40.060and he prepared a great feast and bade them thereto. Of Thorolf's kin, many were present,
02:29:46.820men of renown. Sigurd also came thither from the north with a long ship and a chosen crew.
02:29:53.120Numerously attended was the feast, and it was once seen that Thorolf was free-handed
02:29:59.520and munificent. He kept about him a large following, whereof the cost was great and
02:30:08.780much provisions was needed, but the year was good and needful supplies were easily found.
02:30:14.720And during the winter, Sigurd, the father of Sigrida, he died. He dies back at his home
02:30:21.720in Samnes. And Thorolf was heir to all his property, and this brought him great wealth.
02:30:29.660So the entitled lands of Sigrida pass on to her and her husband.
02:30:36.400Um, now the, the, now the sons of Hildurida came to Thorolf and put in the claim, which they thought
02:30:46.160they had on the property that belonged to their father, Bjorgolf. So that's what I was kind of
02:30:50.880setting up before. The, uh, Bjorgolf is the grandfather of Bard and he marries a very young
02:31:01.860woman. She has two children. Then his son Brynjolf sends them away, and now they're coming back now
02:31:08.240that Thorolf has taken ownership of these lands and asks, you know, we want to get what we are
02:31:16.040entitled to. And Thorolf answers them thus, this I knew of Brynjolf and still better of Bard,
02:31:26.660that they were men so generous that they would have let you have of Bjorgolf's heritage what
02:31:32.660share they knew to be your right. I was present when you when you two put in his put this same
02:31:39.900claim on Bard and I heard that he thought there was no ground for it for he called you illegitimate.
02:31:49.460Herrick said that they would bring witness that their mother was duly bought with payment.
02:31:55.120It is true that he did not at first treat of this matter with Brynjolf, our brother.
02:32:03.340It was a case of sharing between kinsmen, but of bard, we hope, to get our dues in every respect.
02:32:10.940Though our dealings with him were not for long.
02:32:13.580Now, however, this heritage has come to men who are no wise of our kin.
02:32:19.060um speaking of Thorolf and we cannot be altogether silent about our wrong but in may that uh but it
02:32:29.880may be that as before might will so prevail that we we get not our right of thee in this
02:32:37.900if thou refuse to hear the the witness that we can bring to prove us honorably born Thorolf
02:32:45.700answers angrily. So far, I am from thinking you legitimate heirs that I am told your mother was
02:32:53.180taken by force and carried home as a captive. After that, they left talking altogether.
02:33:01.660So he basically stands and says that their marriage was not a peaceable marriage,
02:33:10.180but one of conquest, and that they're just basically children born of a captured
02:33:18.240concubine, if you will, and that they have no legitimacy to the land of Bard.
02:33:27.480Chapter 10, Thorolf in Finnmark. Now, Finnmark, mark means forest or forested lands, so Finland
02:33:36.860Finland is Finnmark. In the winter, Thorolf took his way up to the fells with a large force of not
02:33:47.200less than 90 men, whereas before it had been the want of the king's stewards to have 30 men,
02:33:53.860and sometimes fewer. He took with him plenty of wares for trading, and at once he appointed a
02:34:00.260meeting with the Finns, took of them the tribute and held a fair with them. All was managed with
02:34:08.160goodwill and friendship, though not without fear on the Finns' side. Far and wide about Finmark
02:34:14.760did he travel, but when he reached the Fells eastward, he heard that the Kilvings were come
02:34:23.620from the east and were there for trading with the Finns, but in some places for plunder. Thorolf
02:34:31.760set Finns to spy out the movements of the Kilvings, or Kilvings, and he followed after to search for
02:34:40.760them and came upon 30 men in one den, all of whom which he slew, letting none escape. Afterwards he
02:34:49.540found together 15 and 20. In all, he slew near upon 100 of them and took immense booty and
02:34:58.000returned in the spring after doing this. So this is just a kind of a part in which the Finns are
02:35:05.660scared that they don't know exactly how Thorolf's going to treat this because he had heard that they
02:35:11.380were trading with another group. But this group wasn't just trading. They were also raiding
02:35:16.200the Kilvingr. And Thorolf decides, all right, I'm going to put an end to this competition,
02:35:22.300take what they have, and, you know, refocus the Finns back on Herald and Norway and where it
02:35:31.060needs to be at. So he goes and he does that. Then he goes to, Thorolf goes to his estates
02:35:39.360and sadness, and remained there through the spring. He had a long ship built, large, and it had a
02:35:46.760dragon's head, fitted out in the best style. This he took with him from the north. Thorolf gathered
02:35:55.200great stores of what he could in Haulowaland, employing his men after the herrings and in
02:36:01.460other fishing. There was seal hunting there too, with abundance and egg gathering, and all such
02:36:07.960provisions he had brought to him. Never had he fewer freedmen about his home than a hundred.
02:36:14.760He was open-handed and liberal and readily made friends with the great and with all that were
02:36:21.300near him. A mighty man he became, and he bestowed much care on his ships, equipment, and weapons.
02:36:30.320so thus far thorolf's father's um you know premonition or at least adherence to the idea
02:36:37.760of it is not so much showing up thorolf's doing great um in chapter 11 the king feasts with
02:36:47.680for a sec before we get into it something else that's kind of a interesting historic note or
02:36:57.360whatever it was thought that thoroff had a lot of like he had a substantial force with him when he
02:37:11.520went there to collect tribute his like substantial army of men was 90 people so a lot of the time and
02:37:22.320it the concern was that their local like magistrate guys their big force of like cool
02:37:28.720we're calling them in the big guns was like 30 guys so i think that often
02:37:37.040when we look back and we read some of these things we don't necessarily have a sense of proportion
02:37:44.080um we often think when we hear about armies engaging that we're talking about thousands
02:37:52.000or tens of like divisions of men doing things in this period especially in the far north
02:38:01.520armies were hundreds a really big army might be thousands like
02:38:11.920two armed engagements between yarl's might be
02:38:21.20025 guys versus 40 guys so it's something to
02:38:28.560it just gets you in the in the sense of things the individual warriors like one guy meant a lot
02:38:36.480because the force was so much smaller his retinue of like guys he could bring to the field
02:38:43.840as a you know for lack of a better term and so other people you know as a knight of
02:38:49.920norway his retinue his like men that he led into battle was 90 guys that's
02:38:57.200it changes a little bit of perspective when we think about
02:39:03.440you know what that looks like my high school gym would accommodate you know what 2 000 people
02:39:10.420one twentieth of that looks a lot smaller right on the battlefield so thinking about
02:39:18.840just i it's just kind of a i don't know if it's important to other people or not but it's
02:39:24.020interesting to me as just a student of history thinking about it is in our mind we picture these
02:39:29.220massive sprawling battlefields of things like maybe you'd have in the middle east or in the
02:39:34.580mediterranean but that's not the case here so like one guy made could make a very very substantial
02:39:47.220difference um that's neither here nor there it was just kind of a historical note as we look
02:39:54.420into it and it's also interesting to watch like when he goes up there to get tribute what do
02:39:59.620those people have i think sometimes in our mind if we're not necessarily familiar with the context
02:40:04.420or the scenario it's interesting that they like no they got seals and they got eggs from like
02:40:10.180waterfowl that go there to lay eggs that's what they've got for trees so i think we have a
02:40:17.700tendency to picture these things in a much more high medieval continental way than in a much more
02:40:24.900rural um population way that we have in especially i mean shoot in all of norway sweden iceland
02:40:34.580um scotland i think in our mind we picture a lot of this going on and like
02:40:39.540on the rhine or in france or something where at the time the arrays of things were just very
02:40:47.260different well and it's important to note that the kilvings were at the battle where herald
02:40:55.820ascends so after that battle they kind of go eastward into the baltic and they're raiding
02:41:04.200and trading in Finland, but they have attestments throughout, um, even all the way down to the
02:41:10.340Varangians and, um, their origin is not quite known. Again, they may not have had an origin.
02:41:16.440Then the name kills our kilfa means like a club or a cruddle or a, uh, you know, a blunt stick.
02:41:24.860Um, and it's just kind of debated as to whether or not, um, this means that, you know, the people
02:41:30.860that carry a blunt stick or it could also have the same meaning very much similar to the way a club
02:41:36.380like a club house has and that these are a kind of a group of uh people brought together
02:41:45.320for common interests and uh but it was kind of seen as like synonymous like
02:41:51.460to go a viking and being a kilvinger and or a viking were kind of the same thing so maybe
02:41:59.760perhaps they were united in oaths and were just they were basically in the war in norway and
02:42:06.640after they had lost it they went east and just started kind of you know raiding and trading and
02:42:13.520doing things so very interesting um you know information on that uh for anybody that you know
02:42:20.560know, wants to look that up. Um, yeah, the kill, kill or keel things, uh, but generally the F is
02:42:30.120like a V sound. So the kill wings are killing good. Um, let's see. All right. So Thorolf returns
02:42:43.120and goes back to Halogaland and he goes there and he, he's back with his wife and in those lands
02:42:49.760and it's just massive, you know, food and equipment and people. And he's seen as this
02:42:57.960great organizer and free-giving king to all of his people. And he has tons of men after this.
02:43:07.960And so he's, again, bound upon bound of good fortune. So in chapter 11, the king feasts with
02:43:15.860Thorolf. Um, King Harald went that summer to Halogaland. So now the king comes to, um,
02:43:25.780Thorolf's, uh, lands and banquets were made ready against his coming. Um, that doesn't mean against
02:43:34.200him. It's just, yeah, against the news of his arrival. They start preparing, uh, both where
02:43:40.560his estates were, and also by barons and powerful landowners. Thorolf prepared a banquet for the
02:43:46.620king at great cost. It was fixed for when the king should come there. To this he bade a numerous
02:43:53.340company, the best men that could be found. The king had about 300 men with him when he came to
02:44:00.060the banquet, but Thorolf had 500 present as well. Thorolf had caused a large granary to be fitted
02:44:09.440up where the drinking should be for there were, there was no hall large enough to contain the
02:44:16.820multitude of, uh, 800 men. Yeah. The King had 300. Yep. So yeah, 800 folks. Um, and these are just
02:44:28.700of, of men. That's not including others. This is just of the multitude of their, of their courts.
02:44:35.380um and uh so thorov had caused for a large granary because he didn't have room in any hall
02:44:42.900and all around the building great shields were hung the king sate in the high seat but when the
02:44:50.640foremost bench was filled then the king looked around and he turned red but spoke not and men
02:44:57.140thought that they could see he was angry the banquet was magnificent and all the viands of
02:45:02.860best the king however was gloomy he remained there three nights as had been intended and on
02:45:10.060the day when the king was to leave thorolf went to him and offered that they should go together down
02:45:15.740to the beach to the strand um the king did so and there moored off the land floated that dragon ship
02:45:25.020which thorolf had built with the tent and tackling complete thorolf gave this ship to the king
02:45:32.860and prayed to the king to believe that he had gathered such numbers for this end
02:45:37.820to show the king great honor, and not to enter in a rivalry with him.
02:45:43.280So Thorolf now thinks that the king is upset because of how many people he has,
02:45:51.120And he's like, no, I want to give you this boat,
02:45:53.500and I want you to understand, like, my fealty is to you.
02:45:57.420Despite all of Mike's success, you have no rivalry in me.
02:46:02.860Um, so Thorolf gives him the ship and prayed the king to believe that he gathered such numbers
02:46:09.960for this end to show him great honor and not to enter rivalry. The king took Thorolf's words very
02:46:15.960well and then he became merry and cheerful. Many added there were good word saying as was true that
02:46:23.700the banquet was most splendid and the farewell escort of the king was most magnificent and that
02:46:31.020the king gave much strength by such men. Then they parted with much affection. The king went
02:46:37.840northward to Halualan, and as he had purposed, and returned south as the summer wore on. He went yet
02:46:45.520to other banquets that were prepared for him in his honor. So now we're going back to Hildurida
02:46:55.180and her sons so now instead of they talked to thorolf now they're going to go talk to the king
02:47:03.240chapter 12 hilderitha's sons talk with herald hilderitha's sons went to the king and bade him
02:47:12.180to a three nights banquet the king accepted their bidding and fixed when when he could would come
02:47:18.920and so at the appointed time he and his train came thither so he's traveling throughout the lands
02:47:24.560just uh kind of on a on a meet and greet with his with his kingdom um
02:47:31.100the company was not numerous but the feast went off very well and the king was quite cheerful
02:47:37.880harik entered into a talk with the king and their talk turned on this that he asked about the king's
02:47:45.500journey in those parts during the summer the king answered his questions and said that they had all
02:47:50.040been received well, each after his means. So every lord gave unto the king that which they could.
02:47:58.040It was not about who gave the most, but that everyone could give what their title and station
02:48:05.160could give. Herrick said, that was to be looked for because on that banquet most was spent,
02:48:14.940and thou, O king, hadst great luck in matters, so turning out that thy life was not endangered.
02:48:22.540The end was, as likely, thou wert very wise and very fortunate, for thou once suspected all was
02:48:29.520not for good on seeing the numerous company gathered. But, as I am told, thou maddest all
02:48:35.660thy men remain armed constantly, and to keep watch and war day and night. The king, so he's
02:48:43.980Harik, who is the son of Hildritha and Brynjolf, Arminab, Brynjolf, the grandfather of Bard, is kind of starting to cause things to happen.
02:49:19.480This I judge, said Herrick, that thou wouldst not deem it to be well if thou, O king, heardest everyone's words.
02:49:27.600What men say when speaking their minds freely at home, how they think that it is tyranny that thou exercisest over the people.
02:49:35.720But the plain truth is, O king, that to rise against thee, the people lack nothing but boldness and a leader.
02:49:44.460Nor is it wonderful in a man like Thorolf that he thinks himself above everyone else.
02:49:50.460He wants, not for strength and calmliness, he keeps a guard round him like a king.
02:49:57.260He has wealth and plenty, and even though he had but what is truly his,
02:50:02.600But besides that, he holds other people's property equally at his disposal with his own.
02:50:10.260Thou too hast bestowed on him large grants, and he had now made all ready to repay them with ill.
02:50:19.840For this is the truth that I tell thee.
02:50:22.400When it was learnt that thou were coming to Halogeland, with no more force than 300 men,
02:50:30.120the council of people here was that an army should assemble and take your life okay so what
02:50:37.400he's trying to say now is like there was rumor that when you were coming here amongst thorolf's
02:50:43.560men and amongst these people that there there should be a a move or a push to coup against
02:50:50.360the king and put thorolf in power um so he's really starting to soak dissension and and and
02:50:57.400And Thorolf, of course, you know, gave the king a great ship and tried to make sure that this was not happening.
02:51:07.760And these people have motivation against Thorolf because their mother and they themselves feel in right to owning properties and lands and things that now is in Thorolf's property.
02:51:27.400Yeah, let me see. And tell thee, when it first learned that we're coming north to Halogaland with no more force than 300 men, the council of people here was that an army should be assembled and take thy life, O king, and the lives of all thy force.
02:51:45.900And Thorolf was head of this council, and it was offered him that he should be king over all the Hallorlanders and the Namsdalmen.
02:51:57.740Then he went in and out of each Firth and round all the islands and got together every man he could and every weapon.
02:52:05.840And it was no secret that this army was to muster for battle against you, King Harald.
02:52:11.120But the truth is, O king, that thou hadest somewhat less force than those who met thee. Yet the farmer folk took flight when they saw thy fleet. Then this council was adopted to meet thee with friendly and show bid thee.
02:52:28.000So he's basically saying they were gathered to kill the king. But when the common folk saw his fleet showing up, they decided to back out and run. So Thorolf decided, no, no, no, now we're going to make good and we're not going to do it.
02:52:47.460Um, and again, I, you know, this is, I don't believe is true. It's just, again, him sowing, um, seeds and whether or not the king will listen is, is something to be heard.
02:52:59.640so then this council was adopted to meet thee with a friendly show and bid thee to a banquet
02:53:09.620but it was intended when thou wert well drunk and lying asleep that they would attack thee
02:53:15.660with fire and weapons and here is proof whether i am rightly informed ye were led into a granary
02:53:23.400because Thorolf was lost to burn it up,
02:53:53.400Now this is my counsel, O king, that thou keep Thorolf near thee, and let him be thy guard, and bear thy standard, and be in the forecastle of thy ship.
02:54:04.300For this duty no man is fitter, or, if thou wilt, have him be a baron, and then give him a grant southward in the Firths, where all his family, thou mayest then keep an eye on him, that he make not himself too great for thee.
02:54:23.800But the business here in Halogaland, put thou into the hands of men who are of moderate will, and will serve thee faithfully, and have kinfolk here, men whose relatives have had the same work here before.
02:54:39.580We two brothers are ready and willing for such service as thou wilt use us in.
02:54:47.780Our father long had the king's business here, and it prospered in his hands.
02:54:53.160it is difficult oh king to place men as managers here because thou wilt seldom come here thyself
02:55:00.060the strength of the land is too little of need thy coming with an army yet thou must not come
02:55:07.100hither again with so few followers for there are many here just disloyal people so these two
02:55:15.600brothers are just sowing this. And they're basically saying, bring Thorolf out of the land,
02:55:23.380bring him close to you so that he's not, you know, given to any sort of flights of raising in power
02:55:31.800and put it in our hands. We've been, you know, our family's been here for forever. So they're
02:55:36.100absolutely, you know, pulling and playing.
02:55:39.860the king was angry very very angry with these words but he spoke quietly and was always his
02:55:49.080want when he heard tidings of great import he he asked whether thorolf were at home at torgar
02:55:56.120herrick said this was not likely thorolf said he is too wise to be in the way of thy followers
02:56:05.180oh king for he must guess that all will not be so close but thou wilt get to know these things
02:56:13.980he went north to alost as soon as he heard that thou were on your way south so the king asks is
02:56:21.820thorolf um you know at at at uh torgor and he said no thorolf left as soon as you left and went north
02:56:32.140word because he knew he might have stirred up a lot of trouble with this supposed coup.
02:56:40.500The king spoke little about this matter before other men, but it was easy to see that he inclined
02:56:45.980to believe the words that had been spoken. And so, you know, this is where things get
02:56:52.240interesting in the sense that Thorolf is trying to show the king that, you know, he does him great
02:56:59.480respects, great honor. The granary was there because the numbers. Um, and even though he had
02:57:05.700more men than the king, the king was traveling. Um, and it's just, it's sad in the sense that
02:57:12.580Harold kind of takes to this nobody over a man who stood with him at the foc'sle in the great
02:57:19.540battle. Um, you know, uh, uh, a couple of years before. So it's really, really kind of sad that
02:57:26.640these things turn this way. But again, it is still worth noting. Harold is a king for a reason. He's
02:57:32.340gained power in this sense. And, um, I mean, he does know there is a potential, um, if Thorolf
02:57:40.680is inclined to. And so he is a threat, um, even if it's passive. Um, but it just, it, it really
02:57:48.180kind of is sad um so after this the king went his way and held the reader's sons giving him
02:57:59.220honorable escort with gifts at parting while he promised them his friendship the brothers made
02:58:05.400themselves an errand into naumdal and went round about as to cross the king's path now and again
02:58:11.940he was always received uh he always received their words well so now they just as he's still doing
02:58:19.780his tour de force around his lands they just happen to be in the same areas as him and um
02:58:28.140you know just re-emphasizing again and laying it on um thick if you will so chapter 13 uh thorkils
02:58:39.420goes to the king. There was a man named Thorgels Yeller, a housecarl of Thorolf,
02:58:47.900honored above all the rest of his household. He had followed Thorolf in his roving voyages
02:58:52.760as the foc'sle man and standard bearer, and he had been at Hapersferð in the fleet of the king
02:59:00.440herald during that great war, and was then steering the very ship that Thorolf had used
02:59:07.100in his rovings against the Kilvinger. Thorgils was a strong of body and right bold of heart.
02:59:15.980The king had bestowed on him friendly gifts after the battle and promised him his friendship.
02:59:21.300Thorgils was the manager at Torgar and bore rule there when Thorolf was not home.
02:59:27.460Before Thorolf went away this time, he had counted over all the king's tribute
02:59:32.440that he had brought from the fells, and he put it in Thorgil's hand, bidding him convey it to
02:59:41.420the king. So he trusted him with all of this money to give to the king. If he himself came
02:59:46.780not home before the king returned south. So Thorgil's made ready a large ship of burden
02:59:52.260belonging to Thorolf, and put the tribute on board. And taking about 20 men, they sailed
02:59:58.280southward after the king they found him in naum del but when thor gills made met the king he gave
03:00:06.360him greeting from thorolf and said that he had come hither or that he had come thither with the
03:00:11.720fins uh tribute that was sent by thorolf the king looked at him but answered never a word and all
03:00:19.240saw that he was angry thor gills then went away thinking to find a better time to speak to the
03:00:26.520the king, he sought Alverdnuf, who was also at that battle and one of the king's guard,
03:00:35.880and told him all that had passed and asked him if he knew what was going on, what was the matter.
03:00:41.580That I do, he said, but this I've marked that since we were at Leka, the king is silent every
03:00:48.680time Thorolf is mentioned. And I suspected that he has been slandered. This I know of Hildri the
03:00:57.040Sons. And it's also worth noting, sorry to cut this, that remember Alver Neuf was the one that
03:01:03.220bought time for Thorolf. He knew Kveldolf. So he's been longstanding and knows kind of
03:01:12.060the stuff that's been going on in this area that perhaps King Harald doesn't know.
03:01:18.680He says, this I know, Hilderitha's sons, they were long in conference with the king, and it's easy to see from their words that they are Thorolf's enemies, but I will soon be certain about this from the king himself.
03:01:31.980So thereupon, Alvir went to the king and said,
03:02:01.980but he went to where the ship lay thorgals at once set forth the furs before him and showed
03:02:07.500them to the king and when the king saw that this was true that the tribute was much larger and
03:02:12.540better his brow somewhat cleared you know furrowed brow kind of released a little bit um and thorgill
03:02:24.140got to speak to give speech with him he brought the king some bear skins which thorolf sent him
03:02:30.940and valuables besides which he had gotten upon the fells.
03:02:34.660So the king brightened up and asked the tidings of the journey of Thorolf and his company.
03:02:39.940Thorghild told him in great detail, then said to the king,
03:02:43.800great pity is it that Thorolf should be unfaithful to me and plot my death.
03:02:49.460Then answered many who stood by and all with one mind that this was slander.
03:02:55.080It was slander of wicked men if such words were to be spoken.
03:12:58.720You're surrounded by guys with swords and axes.
03:13:04.520One minute they're your best friends, the next minute they may not be.
03:13:10.040And you never know who's doing what because you just took the throne
03:13:13.900after burning a guy in his hall with a whole bunch of his followers.
03:13:19.000Like, you know about treachery because you've been treacherous.
03:13:23.220It's really thinking about these people as three-dimensional, I mean, shoot, as four-dimensional beings and putting yourself as best you can in their shoes on this adds a layer of understanding that's really different when you read it like a story.
03:13:53.220that's fictional it's you know i mentioned earlier about game of thrones yeah but
03:14:00.000george martin can write whatever he wants these are real people coping with all of those things
03:14:08.740minus the dragons um and that's one of the things that's so interesting and so just special and
03:14:17.640awesome about these sagas they would be amazing if this in particular this saga would be amazing
03:14:26.200if it was a work of fiction it would be fantastic the fact that these were real men and women like
03:14:34.360yourself or like someone that you know makes it all the more just kind of amazing and in the
03:14:43.400literal sense awesome to sit back and to kind of just comprehend the journeys these guys are going
03:14:49.240on i don't know if anybody else is following along looking at the map this is really rough country
03:14:56.040that we're talking about one of the reasons that they have to go on these viking raids all the time
03:15:02.360this it's not fertile you're collecting tribute in bear skins seal hide and eggs
03:15:14.520like this isn't fertile farmland you're not collecting tribute in gold or
03:15:20.840other goods that you're used to in in an easier place this is cold rough rocky country and you're
03:15:28.760You're having to go out and raid the people that have farms and vineyards and nice stuff.
03:15:35.660This is a very hard time, and it gives rise to some very hard men.
03:18:26.420no it's a thing uh spawner in goose uh goose right me with us here this evening to uh
03:18:39.220break this down for us and uh impart his uh special rotten shark wisdom on us
03:18:47.060yeah i have trouble finding an actual etymology but it translates out to pious
03:18:54.660all the time i just can't find the roots of how it does huh but it do um suddenly got a name
03:19:03.300indeed and it's it's well deserved um and it came about in kind of a cool way so
03:19:12.520yeah just kind of breaking for an intermission on that for a second i just want us to always
03:19:21.980and as a mental exercise and i say this i even hear it as i say it sounding condescending
03:19:31.740it's not it's stuff that i do myself so often when i say some of these things out loud
03:19:38.620it's me reminding myself or it's me sharing something that i've had to work at myself
03:19:44.540to internalize and to to do and that's why it stands out to me so much
03:19:51.260When going through this and looking at our heroes, you know, and the people that populate the world they lived in, making them three-dimensional real people that they were and are is really important.
03:20:17.060it so i love history and i think a lot of our audience does
03:20:24.260but i don't like reading history i like reading history through biography
03:20:31.460and it's hard the further you go back you get less of that so i mean i will take what i can get
03:20:38.500but i would prefer any history as told through biography as opposed to as told through history
03:20:44.660reading biographies is very much like reading the sagas you're reading the actual stories of
03:20:51.080people and you're seeing the history that they were involved in through their eyes and through
03:20:58.180their perspective and it's such a visceral experience that way when you're forced to
03:21:06.100conceive of it in a three-dimensional living breathing feeling these are real people way
03:21:16.960when somebody gets run through with a sword or a spear somebody's dad's not coming home
03:21:24.060somebody's husband's not coming home somebody's son's not coming home somebody's friend um the
03:21:31.580the uh issue previous with thoralf where you know his comrade in arms we went into battle with
03:21:38.920you know bequeathed to him like you you know his his wife not only his fortune but like his wife
03:21:46.480and the rearing of his children that's such a real thing and a poignant thing and i think we
03:21:54.620Too often, if we're used to, unless we take the time and make the extra effort, we don't flesh these people out as the real, living, breathing people that they were and the lives that they had.
03:22:09.780and we owe them that they look on from beyond the veil and we owe them fully conceiving of them
03:22:18.460as people with the same compassion or the same vitriol we have when we hear their stories and
03:22:27.560we hear of their deeds so fleshing that out is really important and if you can do that
03:22:32.760But through the histories and through the sagas, it better prepares you to do that when you're conceiving of our gods and of things from our myth cycle that all too often we look at as concepts and in this detached way.
03:22:53.560If you can put flesh on the bones of these heroes, then you can add depth of personality and a feeling to the Aesir, and I think that's where we ultimately want to go with this, for what is what.
03:23:11.100This beer is strong, but no, I appreciate you reading stuff, I think it's, we're over
03:23:36.000halfway and we have so we're over an eighth of the way through the saga and agil hasn't been born yet
03:23:45.120background and the concept the context is everything and the context is what's beautiful
03:23:53.480about lots of things beautiful about these sagas but the context in this one it's so
03:24:00.200deep. It's such a immersive, um, tale. And it's one of the things that I'm extra excited because
03:24:10.180it's kind of one of those first things that immersed me in this when I came home to House of
03:24:19.860true um there was a lot going on at the time and i didn't have the context to process the eddas
03:24:31.140in a way that was as meaningful as it should be but i did have a way to process the sagas
03:24:38.800and that was my first step into this the very first saga i ever read was the saga of uh
03:24:48.620retier the strong literally just on the name because i had nothing else to go by i'm like
03:24:57.420let's look at sagas cool i'll go with that one that one is cool and we'll go over it at some
03:25:02.300time and it's got draugr in it and it's fanciful it's not the best one but it's neat and we'll
03:25:09.420definitely go through it at some point that was my first one but very quickly after that i bought
03:25:16.300behind scrangla and i bought the sagas of the icelanders in that same thick
03:25:25.500whoop somebody over the head with it if they do you wrong volume that swan has the same thing
03:25:31.500it's cool because it's textured like the pages are rough on the outside when you throw thumb through
03:25:37.900them it's it's gritty you can't really tell that looks super smooth it's not three-dimensionally
03:25:44.860they're rough you will tell there you go looks crunchy there um
03:25:52.380no but it's neat and this kind of takes me back to you know oh one when i think i was reading it
03:25:57.820for the first time so yeah i i just love telling stories i've never told a saga before so this is
03:26:08.060really cool like it gets me a chance to kind of see it from a whole nother perspective well i'm
03:26:13.820glad you enjoy doing it because it is a special treat for all the rest of us so thank you
03:26:22.140yeah this is this is awesome and i again i i don't remember i remember more the latter because
03:26:27.580again the saga ends with ale i don't remember all of this in in great detail i kind of get it
03:26:35.660but i was like all right we're moving to to ale and now this name
03:26:42.140okay so don't try to hack me but up to this point my steam account name was uh
03:26:54.060quoldo uh bjarfi's song uh after ale's grandfather because i thought at the time
03:27:02.940when i created my steam account as a young man who got into this it was just super cool because
03:27:08.860you know the idea of you know evening wolf was was just kind of a cool cool deal so i mean
03:27:18.700my appreciation of the saga goes to the way back so uh it's been really but again
03:27:24.780spawn and i've been doing this for you know whatever i've been doing this for
03:27:30.54024 years now spawn's been doing it for you know at a decade longer than that maybe um
03:27:38.860we've been doing this for a long time and a lot of this material we've covered and then once you
03:27:45.120read it all the way through you reference it here and there you look for a thing um you may read a
03:27:51.200portion but you don't go back through the same way that we're doing it when you're presenting
03:27:56.960it to someone else when you're reading it to someone else and this is really a treat to get
03:28:01.620to do so uh yeah i i'm thoroughly enjoying the experience i'm glad that you're enjoying going
03:28:10.100back through it and i hope that you guys in the audience are um and i get not bombarding us with
03:28:16.860questions because again we just want to listen to swan tell us a story uh right now we just want
03:28:22.080matt to shut up so i'll get back to the story but realistically if you have questions that come up
03:28:27.240And I think this is a good intermission time.
03:28:30.100If you have questions that come up, victory never, VNS at runestone.org is where you can submit your questions anytime you want.
03:36:47.160He went to the king where he sat at meat.
03:36:49.620and it's worth noting too the usage of sitting at meat um meat wasn't again utilized as a word for
03:36:58.060the substance of of flesh but it was instead the meal itself so he sat to meal and when he came
03:37:06.580he greeted the king the king accepted his greeting and bade him bade that they serve him a drink
03:37:12.380Thorolf said that he had there the tribute belonging to the king from Finnmark and yet
03:37:18.340further portion of booty have i brought you as a present oh king and what i will what i bring
03:37:25.460uh what what i bring will i know oh all it's worth to this that is given out of gratitude to thee
03:37:34.080so he's saying i'm bringing already what i'm supposed to tribute to you but i got more
03:37:38.980because of my uh my uh defeating of these raiders that were messing around with another king far
03:37:47.840to the east and i i'm giving it to you out of gratitude the king said that he would accept not
03:37:55.600but good from thorolf because said he i deserve not less or not else yet men tell me two tales of
03:38:03.280thee as to thy being careful to win my approval so now he's saying you know i i accept it but
03:38:11.600the reasonings behind it i'm told that you're trying to butter me up because
03:38:15.280the other stuff I'm hearing. And Thoreau says, I am herein not justly charged. If any say that
03:38:25.520I have shown disloyalty to thee, this I think with, and with truth, that they who speak such
03:38:31.740lying slanders of me will prove to be in no wise thy friends. But it is quite clear that they are
03:38:40.000my bitter enemies tis likely however that they will pay dearly for it is we for it if we come
03:38:48.640to deal together so he's saying if we can make if we can put this to rest and we can join my troth
03:38:57.760to you is still and you are you i've stood with you if you believe me they will be in trouble
03:39:03.840the enemies, obviously, these two brothers, if you will. And then Thorolf went away.
03:39:13.860But on the morrow, Thorolf counted out the tribute in the king's presence, and when it was all paid,
03:39:19.560he then brought out some many bearskins and sables, which he begged the king to accept.
03:39:26.200Many of the bystanders said that this was well done and deserved of friendship. The king said
03:39:31.440that Thorolf had himself taken his own reward. Thorolf said that he had loyally done all he could
03:39:38.400to please the king. But if the king likes it not, said he, I cannot help it. The king knows when I
03:39:45.460was with him and his train, or at the battle, the group, how I bore myself. It is wonderful to me if
03:39:53.700the king thinks me other now than he proved me to be then the king answered thou didst bear
03:40:02.800thyself well thorolf when thou wert with us and this i think is best to do still
03:40:08.760that you should join my guard and bear my banner and be captain over my guard then will no man
03:40:17.160slander thee if i can oversee night and day what thou what thou conduct is so now you start to see
03:40:25.160the king is transferring this he's gonna do what was kind of told to him by these two brother
03:40:32.120nobodies and um at the same time i mean it's an insult but it's not aggressively an insult towards
03:40:41.800Thorolf, because again, he's being accepted into the guard, but it's all kind of falling into place
03:40:49.540where ultimately the king is kind of being led. Thorolf looked on either hand where stood his
03:41:01.520housecarls, then said he, Loth were I to deliver up these, my followers, about thy titles and grants
03:41:09.480to me, O king, thou wilt have thine own way, but my following I will not deliver up while I
03:41:16.980means last. Though I manage at my own sole cost, my request and wish, O king, is this,
03:41:24.740that thou come and visit me at my home and hear word of my men, whomst thou is truest,
03:41:31.000what witness they bear to me in this matter. Thereafter, do as thou find proof to warrant.
03:41:37.880So what he's saying is, at this point, I don't want to be leaving of these estates that I have, but I ask you to come and listen to the men that follow me and, you know, ask them questions, like, basically, you know, inquisit them as to if these slanders are true.
03:42:03.100and you'll find that they're they're not but if you come and listen um and bear witness to them
03:42:07.740but if you decide to do whatever you want to do i will follow along with it um
03:42:14.620the king answered and said that he would not again accept entertainment from thorolf
03:42:20.380so thorolf went out and made ready to return home but when he was gone the king put into the hands
03:42:28.220hildrida's sons his business in halogaland which thorolf had before had and also the finmark
03:42:37.100journey for tribute in finland the king claimed ownership of the estate at torgor and of all the
03:42:43.580property that brynyolf had had and all this he gave into the keeping of hildrida's sons
03:42:50.060the king sent messengers with tokens to thorolf to tell him of this arrangement whereupon thorolf
03:42:57.180took the ships belonging to him and put on board all the chattels he could carry and with all his
03:43:03.080men both freedmen and thralls and sailed northward to his farm in sandness so the king tells him
03:43:09.800you're off your land um and so he goes to his his original estate um so he abides by the rules
03:43:18.000of the lord uh his king um but again you know where does this go and how deep does this
03:43:27.180create this fissure uh when he kept up no fewer and no less than the state before so he takes
03:43:34.040everything that he could and he leaves the land and goes back to his original place um
03:43:39.980In Hildre the Sons, chapter 17, Hildre the Sons are now doing the Finnmark tribute, and they also go to Herald's court, chapter 17.
03:43:54.540Hildre the Sons took the business in Halogaland, and none gainsaid this because of the king's power, but Thorolf's kinsmen and friends were much displeased at the change.
03:44:08.660the two brothers went on the fell in the winter taking with them 30 men to finmark there seemed
03:44:16.580much less honor in these stewards than when thorolf came and the money due was far worse paid
03:44:23.140that same winter thorolf went up on the fell with a hundred men he passed on at once eastward to
03:44:31.600fenland and met the king farvid that he had met before they took counsel together and resolved
03:44:38.140to go on the fell again as in the winter before and with 400 men they made a descent into
03:44:45.740karealand or kareal laland i always forget that second law um and attacked those districts for
03:44:53.260which they had thought themselves a match in numbers and harrying they took much booty and
03:44:58.860returned back to finmark as the winter wore on and in the spring thorolf went home to his farm
03:45:05.100and then employed his men at fishing in Valgar and some in heron fishing.
03:45:13.040And they had to take of every kind brought to his farm.
03:45:17.840So Thorolf kind of spends his winter, you know, building that friendship with the other king in the east.
03:45:24.620And I don't think he's doing this out of disrespect.
03:45:26.260I think he just saw an opportunity that they could go southward and, you know,
03:45:31.100try their will against some armies and and and make a lot of um prosperity for the both of them
03:45:38.220um and then after that he has all of the stocks of fish and meat um filled up at his farm and and
03:45:46.780everything's good thorolf had a large ship which was waiting to put to sea it was elaborate in
03:45:55.340everything it was beautifully painted down to the sea line the sails were carefully striped with blue
03:46:01.900and red and all the tackling as elaborate as the ship itself the tackling of course is the um the
03:46:11.500the flags the roping all of the the knotwork and binding the dragon head and all of those extra
03:46:19.420accoutrements um so thorolf had his ship made ready he put aboard some of his house carls as
03:46:29.020crew he he freighted it with dried fish hides ermine and gray furs to in abundance and other
03:46:38.860peltry such as that he had gotten from the fell it was the most valuable cargo this ship he bade
03:46:45.820sail westward for england to buy him clothes and other supplies that he needed and they first
03:46:53.980steering southward along the coast then stretching across the main came to england there they found
03:47:00.300a good market laded the ship with wheat and honey and wine and clothes and made sail back in autumn
03:47:08.060with a fair wind to come back to hordaland that same autumn though hildri the sons carried tribute
03:47:16.780to the king but when they paid the king himself he or the king himself was present and he saw
03:47:23.820and he said this is this the tribute now paid all they took from finmark it is they answered
03:47:31.580Less by far, said the king, and much worse paid is the tribute now
03:47:36.680than when Thorolf gathered it, yet he said that he managed the business ill.
03:47:45.120It is well, O king, said Herrick, that thou hast considered
03:47:49.020how large a tribute shall usually come from Finmark,
03:47:53.440because thus now knowest how much thou losest.
03:47:56.680If Thorolf wastes all the tribute before thee,
03:48:01.580Last winter, we were in Finnmark with 30 men, as had been the want of thy stewards heretofore.
03:48:10.980Soon after came Thorolf with a hundred men, and we learned this, that he meant to take the lives of us two brothers and all of our followers,
03:48:20.320his reasons being that thou, O king, handest thou over the land of business that he wished to have.
03:48:27.180it was then that our best choice to shun the meeting hit a meeting of him and save ourselves
03:48:33.120therefore we quickly left the settled districts and went on so now what they're basically trying
03:48:39.600to say is Thorolf scared them off that Thorolf is a threat to the king and um that's the only
03:48:49.360that's why they came back with such small amounts is that uh in essence Thorolf is threatening them
03:48:55.400but he's also cutting in on the bounty of the king. Just absolute scum. But Thorulf went all
03:49:08.280around Finnmark with his armed warriors. He had all the trade, and the Fids paid him tribute.
03:49:16.300And he hindered thy stewards from entering Finnmark. He means to be made the king over the
03:49:22.980north there, both over Finmark and Halogaland. And the wonder is that thou wilt listen to him
03:49:31.140in anything whatever. Herein my true evidence be found that Thorolf's ill-gotten gains from Finmark,
03:49:39.420for the largest merchant ship in Halogaland was made ready for sea and sandness in the spring,
03:49:45.640and all the cargo board was said to be of Thorolf's. It was laden mostly, I think, with gray furs.
03:49:52.980But there would be found bearskins and sables, more than Thorulf brought thee.
03:49:58.380And with that ship went Thorgils the Yeller, and I believe he sailed westward to England.
03:50:04.140But if thou wilt know the truth of this, set spies on the track of the ship in our days has carried much store of wealth.
03:50:13.820And I am telling thee what is true, O king, when I say that to thee belongs every penny on board that ship.
03:50:22.980So they're saying that the reason why they got less is because Thorolf was blocking them and taking tribute for himself.
03:50:32.660When in reality, he was farther in the east of Finland and down south, most likely in what would be like Latvia and was fighting in wars there and taking bounty and had come back and laden the ship for goods.
03:50:48.280um but here we have herrick just saying like oh no it's all belongs to you and
03:50:55.020and he all those things he he kept from you now he's you know getting money in in england
03:51:01.180um and all that herrick said his companions confirmed and none there ventured to gain say
03:51:10.440against it. So, chapter 18, Thorolf's ship is taken. There were two brothers named Sigtrik
03:51:24.700Swiftfarer and Halvard Hardfarer, kinsmen of King Harald on the mother's side. From their father,
03:51:34.020a wealthy man, they had inherited the estate of Hising. Four brothers there were in all,
03:51:41.960but Thord and Thorgir, the two younger, were still at home and managed the estate.
03:51:50.020Sigtrig and Halvard carried all the king's messages both within and without the land
03:51:55.140and had gone on many dangerous journeys, both for putting men out of the way and confiscating
03:52:00.900goods of those whose homes the king ordered to be attacked they kept about them a large following
03:52:07.860they were not generally in favor but the king prized them highly none could match them at
03:52:14.180traveling either on foot or on snowshoe and in voyaging also they were speedier than others
03:52:21.300valiant men they were and very wary so these are some some hard dudes in harold's family um
03:52:29.140and used to kind of do his bidding, extending his reach beyond the land.
03:52:38.060These two men were with the king when those things happened, and that have just been told to them,
03:52:45.740in the autumn the king went to the banquet in Hordaland, and one day he summoned to him the brothers Halvard and Citrig,
03:52:52.460And when they came, he bade them go with their following and spy after the ship in which Thorgil, the housecarl of Thorolf, had taken westward to England.
03:53:05.020Bring me, said he, the ship and all that is in it.
03:53:09.580Accept the men, let them go their way in peace, if they do not try to defend the ship.
03:53:14.660The brothers made them ready for this, and taking each one of his longships, went to seek Thorgil's, and learnt that he had come from the west, and sailed northward along the coast.
03:53:27.580Northwards after him went they, and found him in Firsoud.
03:53:32.080They knew the ship at once, and laid one of their ships on the seaward side of her, while the other of them landed, and then went out on the ship by the gangways.
03:53:43.200thorgill's crew apprehending no danger made no defense they found out nothing till many of the
03:53:51.260armed men were aboard and so there they were all seized and afterwards put on shore weaponless
03:53:57.360with nothing but the clothes that they wore but halver's men drew out gangways loosened cables
03:54:03.960and towed the ship and then turned them about and sailed southwards along the coast till they met
03:54:10.480the king to whom they brought the ship and all that was in it and when the cargo was unloaded
03:54:16.080the king saw it was great with wealth and what herrick had said was no lie but thor gills and
03:54:24.560his comrades on conveyance and went to kveldolf and his son so now thor gills is left there on
03:54:32.240the shore he makes his way back um to kveldof and his son and told of the misadventure of their
03:54:41.600voyage yet where they were they were well received kveldof said all was tending to
03:54:49.600what had been foreboded so now kveldof is older and grim is running his lands
03:54:56.480and he says i knew it my son is getting um
03:55:02.240what, what Harold, you know, what he knew Harold would do is turn on him.
03:55:11.320And that he would not have good luck in friendship with Harold.
03:55:16.880And I care little, said he, for Thorolf's money's loss in this, if worse, does not come after.
03:55:24.920But I misdoubt as before that Thorolf will not rightly rate his own means against the stronger
03:55:30.380power with which he has to deal and he bade thor gills say this to thorolf my counsel is that you
03:55:39.820go away out of the land for maybe you will do better for yourself if you serve under the kings
03:55:46.540in maybe england or denmark or of sweden then he gave thor gills a rowing cutter and some tackling
03:55:53.660to complete a tent also and provisions and all things needful for their journey they departed
03:56:00.420and stayed not their journey till they came to Thorolf and they told him of all that had happened
03:56:06.480and passed this message Thorolf took his loss cheerfully and said that he should not be short
03:56:14.600of money it is good said he to be in partnership with the king he then bought meal and all that
03:56:22.400he needed for the maintenance of his people, his housecarls must for a while, he said, be less
03:56:29.300bravely attired than he had purposed. Some lands he sold, some he mortgaged off, but he kept all
03:56:37.980expenses as before. He had no fewer men with him than last winter, nay, rather more, and as to the
03:56:46.540feasts and friends entertained at his house, he had more means for all than before. He stayed at
03:56:52.240home all winter. So despite all of this, he's not upset at the king, and he still entertains
03:57:01.840all his guests despite the loss. Chapter 19, Thorolf Retaliates.
03:57:09.780when spring came and the snow and the ice were loosened thorolf launched a large warship of his
03:57:16.900own and he had it made ready and equipped his house carls taking with him more than a hundred
03:57:22.500men and a goodly company there were and well weapons and when a fair wind blew thorolf steered
03:57:29.220southward along the coast till he came to bearda then they held an outer course outside the islands
03:57:40.340but at times though channels between hill slopes thus they coasted on southward and had no tidings
03:57:47.780of men till they came eastward to vic there they heard that king harold was in vic meaning in the
03:57:56.020summer to go to upland the people of the country knew nothing of thorold's voyage with a fair wind
03:58:02.900he held south to denmark and thence into the baltic where he harried through the summer
04:01:00.220Thorolf's band plundered and burnt the house,
04:01:03.520then went back down the river to the sea.
04:01:06.680With a fair wind, they sailed north to Vik.
04:01:09.680There again they fell in with large merchant ship
04:01:12.840belonging to the men of Vik, laden with malt and meal.
04:01:16.520For this ship they made, but those on board, deeming that they had no defense, yielded and were disarmed and put on shore.
04:01:25.920And Thorolf's men took the ship and its cargo and went on their way.
04:01:30.660Thorolf had now three ships with which he sailed westward by fold.
04:01:34.800Then they took to the high road of the sea in Lydandisnes, going with all dispatch, but making raid and lifting cattle on nests and shore, northwards towards Lydandis.
04:01:52.900They held a course furthermore, but pillaged wherever they touched land.
04:01:58.680But when Thorolf came over against the Firths, he then turned his course inward and went to see
04:02:05.000his father, Kveldolf. And there they were made welcome, and Thorolf told his father what had
04:02:10.360happened in the summer voyage. He stayed there but for a short time, and Kveldolf and his son Grinn
04:02:15.320accompanied him to the ship. Before they parted, Thorolf and his father talked together, and Kveldolf
04:02:21.380said, I was not far wrong, Thorolf, in telling thee, when thou wentst to join King Harald's
04:02:28.280guard, that neither thou nor we, thy kindred, would be in long run with good fortune therefrom.
04:02:37.380Now thou hast taken up the very counsel against which I warned thee. Now matchest thy force
04:02:43.800against the king against king heralds but but thou are well endowed with valor and prowess thou
04:02:51.360hast not luck enough for this though to ply on even terms with the king a thing whereon no one
04:02:59.340here in the land has succeeded though others have had great power and large force of men
04:03:05.660And by foreboding is that this is our last time meeting.
04:03:12.660So Kaldorf is of the mindset, I think, of soothsaying.
04:03:21.560He knows how, whether he's reading the runes or he just knows of augury,
04:03:27.140but he says that, you know, I told you this would happen,
04:03:30.940and now you've leveled against the king um in force but men with far more have done so and
04:03:39.500fallen and i think that this has sealed your fate after this thorolf embarked and went his way
04:03:47.980and no tidings are told of his voyage till he arrived home at sandness and caused to be
04:03:54.940conveyed to his farm all the booty he had taken, and his ship set up upon the land. And there was
04:04:02.580now no lack of provisions to keep his people through the winter. Thoreau stayed on at home
04:04:08.600with no fewer men than the winter before. So he's maintaining his men by doing this. And this is
04:04:17.320again another sign of that leveling of how well he's doing, is that nobody's leaving his charge
04:04:23.720and he's, you know, doing what a house owner would do.
04:04:29.740The problem is he's now done it against the king.
04:06:34.940So maybe that, you know, it passed on to him.
04:06:41.420But I mean, at the same time, that grim countenance, I know, too, just has a lot of weighted word in the idea of just being mean looking and having that face of like intensity.
04:06:56.860both grumpy and ugly really one the one can lead to the other right i'm bald early and
04:07:07.580now i'm pissed off and that's why i'm always yeah no um it's a thing but it's it's interesting to
04:07:16.700note at 25 you know again these this also makes them uh again humanizes and makes people i think
04:07:26.300realize too, like this was an account of situations even back then. Um, and, uh, you know,
04:07:34.400I've, I've, I've met being a barber, I've met young men who have dealt with balding issues and
04:07:39.620things of that nature at a very young age. And it just kind of makes them a little bit more
04:07:44.480relatable, I think too. Um, and he, uh, Grim, uh, had the management of the farms belonging to his
04:07:55.040father and all that they produced. Though Kveldof was yet a hale and strong man, so even though he's
04:08:04.340old, he's strong, he's still in good health, but Grimm is taking over, and they had many freed men
04:08:12.220about them, and many men who had grown up there at home and were about Scala Grimm's equal in age,
04:08:18.520men of prowess and strength, were mostly for both father and son chose strong fellows to be their
04:08:26.020followers and trained them after their mind. Skalagrim was like his father in stature and
04:08:33.440strength, as also in face and temper. So, ugly and mean, but had stout men in their charge.
04:08:48.520Chapter 21, Halvard and his brother go to Thorulf.
04:08:59.740King Harald was in Vik while Thorulf was harrying, and in the autumn he went to Upland, and thence northward to Thrandheim, where he stayed through the winter with a large force.
04:09:12.220Sigtryg and Halvard were there with him.
04:09:15.540They had heard of what happened, what Thorolf had done at their house in Hesing, what scathe he had wrought on the men and their property.
04:09:25.840They often reminded the king of this, and withal, how Thorolf had plundered the king and his subjects, and had gone about harrying within the land.
04:09:36.140They begged the king to leave that they two brothers might go with their usual following and attack Thorolf for these grievances.
04:09:45.100and the king answered thus ye me think he have good cause for taking thorolf's life but i doubt
04:09:53.180your fortune falls far short of this work so i don't think even though he attacked
04:09:58.620and he probably deserves um you're not taken aback from this loss thorolf is more your match
04:10:07.180brave and dotty as ye may deem yourselves so he thinks you know it's a fool's errand to try to go
04:10:13.980and kill him because he's probably going to win against you the brothers said that this would
04:10:21.420would be put to proof if the king would just grant them to leave and they had often run great risk
04:10:27.500against men on whom they had less to avenge and generally they won the day and when spring came
04:10:35.100the men made ready for to go their several ways then did halvard and his brother again urge their
04:10:43.100their request that they might go and take thoros life so the king gave them leave
04:10:51.100and i know he said he will bring me his head and many costly things with all when ye come back
04:10:57.900yet some do guess that if you sail north you will you will both sail and row south
04:11:06.380they made they made them ready with all speed taking two ships and 200 men and when they were
04:11:16.420ready they sailed with northeast wind out to the firth but that is that is a headwind for those
04:29:59.760Hrapna was Haying's fifth son, and he was the first lawman in Iceland.
04:30:05.620He dwelt at Hófi after his father and was most renowned of Haying's son.
04:30:11.540So it's of belief that of the Ketelheying, that in the names of his sons, specifically Storolf and Herjolf, that this family in particular were descendants of the Heralds.
04:30:32.740And that is why there is a theory that the heralds were, in essence, the first to start to settle Iceland.
04:30:42.940And it was through Ketilhae and his sons.
04:30:50.900But now comes Kveldos grief in chapter 24.
04:30:56.820Negative. No, it does not. That comes a week from today.
04:31:00.060oh oh oh sorry yeah it was 23 i'm sorry i thought it was 25. no it's all good um but yeah that's a
04:31:07.180great place to stop too it really is fortuitous i just took 92 chapters and divided it by four
04:31:14.620but here that was not planned out but that works out as a really good stopping point for this
04:31:19.340evening about four and a half hours it's a good one of our earlier shows a little bit long for our
04:31:25.660current uh current run but i think it's a really good stopping point and i hope you guys
04:31:34.780are enjoying it and i think it's also worth noting we're one quarter in
04:31:41.980ain't no a yo scala grimson yes so um so much of it is building the backstory in the context
04:31:50.140um it's always called you know this is found in sagas of the Icelanders but we
04:31:58.060are just now getting our first reference to Iceland
04:32:07.180yeah so I'm very excited I'm thoroughly enjoying this I'm looking forward to next week
04:32:13.300I appreciate you guys being here we have a few more questions that we're going to go ahead
04:32:17.380and hit i appreciate everybody in the audience uh listening and this has been a really
04:32:26.980it's been a really nice thing this evening i'm pretty excited about it and i'm
04:32:33.300i'm really enjoying it and i'm looking through looking at it through you know
04:32:39.060it takes me back to when i was brand new to this and it's kind of a neat thing in that way
04:32:47.380got a couple of few questions stacked up not a lot though which is fine it is getting late
04:32:55.420so uh from heathen man early on in the evening uh there are times i do pray to the gods
04:33:04.220individually but more often i gift to and say a general prayer to them as a group i speak each
04:33:12.700their names and say some words to each thanking them for their blessings possibly asking for
04:33:17.900their blessings etc then leave an offering on the altar for them does it seem a bit impious to leave
04:33:25.660an offering for the for all gods at once and to speak to each during a single prayer or do you
04:33:33.660think it's quote unquote better to focus more on one god at a time
04:33:54.460first do i think it is impious no i do not at all think it is impious i think
04:34:00.940I think there are, I don't want to math that I know somebody in the chat are probably really
04:34:10.500good at demographics, but I think there is a billion or so people that ought to leave offerings
04:34:17.420that have never once made an offering to one of our gods. That is impious. You stepping outside
04:34:24.000of that and choosing to make an offering to one of our gods is the definition of being pious.
04:34:30.940i think that's fantastic and beautiful that you do that
04:34:36.140is it better i think it depends on what you're trying to do um
04:34:43.420it depends there's often that i want to make an offering to a god or a goddess
04:34:52.940most often when i do a bloat it is directed at one of the icer but
04:35:00.940And often when I do the Yule bloat, it's to the Iser in general, it's a celebration of Yule.
04:35:08.320Before I did this broadcast, I got before my altar and I said a prayer to the Aesir generally, asking for their blessings with wisdom and eloquence to present this program in a way that honors them and speaking words that our folk need to hear to bring our folk home.
04:35:34.580um it really depends what your intention is i don't i don't think better comes into play i think
04:35:42.200what's the point comes into play yes and as a side note that i think's referenced or that i
04:35:49.460think's relevant to what you're asking yes i think when you have the time and the availability
04:35:56.640you should seek to know the gods and interact with them individually
04:36:07.000because I think that is the most respectful way.
04:36:13.320I think that that's an important process
04:36:15.900that doesn't make it inappropriate to address them as a unified body,
04:36:21.780but it does open up your ability to relate and build a gift cycle relationship between them
04:36:30.260individually and i think both have their time and their place but no i don't think that's
04:36:36.060inappropriate at all and i you know the first step is making offerings to the gods beyond that
04:36:44.780there are ways to grow in your piety but that's not impious at all that's that's a really nice
04:36:49.680thing svondy any thoughts on it no i i think individually based on purpose but all all of
04:36:58.960the gods together if you know need be and i think that's more prominent um especially
04:37:07.360in larger gatherings and things i think it's um
04:37:11.680i mean all at once too is to me it seems very um at tedium to say perhaps give gift in one moment
04:37:25.120to each individual of of of the gods when in simple sense your your bounty is spread to all
04:37:33.960of them you're not um you're giving unto the icier because you are a child of them but i yeah
04:37:43.640i'm with you it's it's based on need and i think it's based on intention and i think it's based
04:37:48.680off of function um but i don't think it's of offense or lesser to simply give to the icier
04:37:56.040your troth um because you said it best it's leagues and bound more than many of the folk
04:38:04.680who walk with their you know their breath and their blood in their veins who give nothing yeah
04:38:10.360i think um the thing that i try to avoid out of a risk of impiety you don't want to include them all
04:38:20.840but accidentally omit one like hail the icier generally fine hail odin specifically hail
04:38:32.680tyr specifically fine hail oh then hail thor hair balder hail your there hail bragi all the way
04:38:44.600but then you miss one that's where i feel i worry about impiety um
04:38:54.120yeah that's where that's where somebody's left out like hey why not me um
04:39:03.160but no i think hailing them as a group is completely appropriate hailing them individually
04:39:08.520or maybe you know a couple of them individually if that's your purpose it really depends on what
04:39:15.720you're doing but again making offerings to the gods is in and of itself pious it is the very
04:39:22.840definition of piety um the wolf throne again asked this in the six o'clock hour do you stand well
04:39:35.640Well, because he asked this before we even started.
04:40:01.920The complete ostracization and removal of piety from our society generally has absolutely led to a myriad of problems, one of which is the lack of moral compass and moral bearing.
04:40:26.880Lots of things are linked directly to that.
04:41:18.560understand some basic right and wrong things.
04:41:24.560There is absolutely objective morality.
04:41:30.600But there being objective morality does not prevent there also being subjective morality, just as subjective morality does not prevent the existence of objective morality.
04:41:46.840i know that there becomes a perception that i am anti scholarship or anti philosophy
04:42:01.600or anti any of those things it's not the case i'm just pro common sense and i'm anti delusion
04:42:11.560you can't out think common sense we can try to
04:42:20.560but it's hard there's a point where intellectualization becomes mental gymnastics
04:42:33.560we all understand a certain degree of basic right and wrong way to behave
04:42:41.500well who's to say what's right and who's to say what who's to people who have courage people who
04:42:48.660have gumption people who you know have bearing as men and women are to say
04:42:55.400we all have a varying degree of that but there are basic things that are just certainly true
04:43:03.860cruelty towards innocence is inherently evil and wrong we all understand that
04:43:14.680well but wait can you be cruel to people that deserve cruelty well cool there's a spectrum
04:43:21.420there there's like a sliding scale we can figure that out on but cruelty to those who have not
04:43:28.160warranted cruelty is wrong we all understand that to pretend otherwise is dishonest
04:43:38.400to forsake the existence of black and white because you acknowledge the existence of gray
04:43:49.120is buying into delusion um so i think that we all understand
04:43:53.920basic right from wrong. There is certainly a fine-tuning where there's a gray area of what
04:44:04.080is appropriate and what's not appropriate that also exists. Both of those things can function
04:44:09.540together, and having a different standard of behavior towards different groups of people
04:44:17.100based on different criteria is also a completely reasonable thing.
04:44:23.140In Ausatru, one of the big deciders of that