Monday Ice: The Viking Sagas

If you are interested in the Viking Sagas, particularly the Laxdæla Saga then this BBC documentary maybe just for you.  It is quite lengthy...about 1 hr, so make sure you have set aside the time to watch.

Monday Ice: A 21st Century Pilgrimage

As I have mentioned before I know little about the Icelandic sagas but I have just come across a blog that I think will help enlighten me.  Dr Emily Lethbridge from Cambridge University is sharing her knowledge of the sagas with a very tangible and adventurous approach.  This project of Emily's fascinates me as it brings the past into the present and makes the difficult reading of these stories of old much more accessible.  Emily is researching the Icelandic sagas in a year long solo field trip where she plans to visit the physical locations of where the 30 odd sagas took place, she intends to feel the landscape around her while she reads the relevant saga in situ and hopefully encourage the local people to share their versions.  Emily is nearing the end of her year long project having started in Jan, as I have just discovered her blog I have a lot to catch up on.  At the end of her research project Emily will publish a book.

Emily's blog is fascinating and full of so much information it has given me the impetus to try and read some of the sagas for myself.  This may take a while but as I go through her blog I will try and read each saga that Emily writes about (those that I can find online and in English).  I doubt that I will do it consecutively but over time I hope to read a few at least.

This beautiful little film (14mins) Memories of Old Awake introduces Emily's project and explores the relationship between the landscape, the people and the Gísli saga...beautifully shot, enjoy!

Memories Of Old Awake from Cambridge University on Vimeo.

Monday Ice: Monty Python and the Njáls Saga

 The Sagas are something that I know very little about and it will take time for me to understand and become familiar with them, learning the language may help with that.  Iceland has an exceptionally high rate of literacy, apparently more books are produced per capita than most other countries.  Its culture is very much embedded in literature and the renowned Icelandic sagas written in the 12th and 13th centuries and are commonly still read.

Today is for a laugh as I came across this Monty Python clip about Icelandic Sagas...It is very funny especially the beginning. If you read about Njáls here you will understand how the Monty Python team came up with their skit.

So take the time to put a bit of laughter into your day!