In this reading we find the intrigue caused against Thorolf continuing, where King Harold has to of his most ruthless men take ships and confiscate Thorolf's wares! Throughout the winter Thorolf plots and in the following summer goes out and plunders king heralds farms and seizes the wares off of many of his ships! Thorolf's father worries that his son will not outlive him because of the challenging acts he is made against so great a king. At the end of our reading we hear of the birth and growth to manhood of a strong fellow, who bald at 25 ends up with the name Skalligrim! Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 18 - 20

In this reading today we hear of Skallagrim and his father taking vengeance upon king Harald's men, taking back the ship that had been stolen from Thorolf along with all of the booty that was in it! A couple of people who had been considered of little importance were left alive and given a message by Skallagrim to make sure that King Harold knew who it was that had done this deed. They then continue their trip to Iceland, taking the captured ship with them. A description of the wonders they find in this newly discovered country follows along with where they made their land claim. Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 26 - 28

In this reading we see a snapshot of the day-to-day life of Skallagrim and his kin homesteading in Iceland. Skallagrim's legendary industriousness, and how he built an incredibly diverse system from farming, fishing, and iron working, that his wealth had many legs to stand on! We also see through the persecution of King Harold of all the friends and family of Skallagrim the tremendous virtue of hospitality displayed as when they fled to Iceland they were taken care of and given land by Skallagrim. We also hear the momentous birth of the star of the saga: Egil! Even at a young age she had such gifts in poetry that he received glory from many men! His brother Thorolf was the favourite son however and Egil often did not enjoy his plight. Find out how these things are unfolding… Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 29 - 30

In this reading we hear about how important matters of kinship and family were in the eyes of our ancestors. This was especially true in the areas of marriage as that was a bond between two families. We read of how Bjorn was dishonourable in the way that he married Thora. He ended up being outlawed from Norway with a death sentence on his head from King Harold and even incurred the wrath of Skallagrim who had a very close relationship with Thora's brother Thorir. This was appeased by his son Thorolf but the snapshot into how our ancestors viewed the importance of family ties was shown very clearly. Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 32 - 34

In today's reading we hear of the exploits of Thorolf the son of Skallagrim, and how he gained fame and wealth for himself through his raiding on the high seas. We also hear of the reconciliation through atonement made to Thorir on behalf of Bjorn though King Harold would not trust them. A character named Eric Bloodaxe, the favourite son of King Harold, is also introduced and pleads on behalf of Bjorn and Thorolf before the king. King Harold relents on his vengeance against Thorolf and his kin as well as Bjorn, yet will not allow them ever to be in his presence or present trust to them. The plot thickens within this story, listen to hear how these things are being played out and brought out into the open... Feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 35 - 37

In this reading we see a very interesting snapshot into the childhood of Egil. There is a contrast shown between his older brother Thorolf, and the wild temper that Egil had. The stress and the strain between father and son is also shown, which holds some relevance to us today as what parents among us have not had to deal with rebelliousness? The story ends with Egil finally after initial objections from Thorolf (because of Egil's wild temper) getting to go on his 1st raiding voyage with his brother! Feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 38 - 40

Announcement  at The NRR

Hail and welcome to the resumption of our saga and lore readings! In today's reading we are covering chapters 41 to 43 and hear about the pleasant relations that occurred between family and friends in the times of our ancestors. One of the lesser talked about virtues is described in beautiful detail – "Hospitality" where Bard even allowed those who were guests during inclement weather to dry their close by the fire! He did not have all of the fancy trimmings of a great feast but he shared what he had and they had good fellowship. This is a lesson that we need to remember today in the 21st century! Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 41 - 43

In this reading today we hear of some of the exploits of Egil and his companions! Noteworthy is the death of Bard, as he tried to poison Egil with a horn of mead. Egil stabbed his hand and carved runes on the mead horn, chanting his famous stave or prose to watch the horn of mead which was poisoned burst asunder and spill all over the floor. Egil distinguishes himself as a great warrior and also one who is able to strategize and think clearly even in the most difficult of circumstances. The usefulness of these abilities, on all levels of the soul and body, are shown in this reading with a great force that is something we should pay attention to today in our lives with the challenges that we face. Please feel free to download and share :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 44 - 46

In this special weekend edition of our SoundCloud Saga reading we hear of the exploits of Egil and Thorolf as they go free booting throughout many different lands. We also find that they acted honourably in that they did not harry the land of Holland and is much said so to the Earl of those lands when he sent messengers to ask their intent because Egil and Thorolf knew that the land was not wealthy. They ended up becoming friends with the Earl and exchanged gifts with one another. This honourable snapshot into our ancestral mindset was not shared by all however as we find in the political intrigue that King Eric's wife Gunnhilda ordered 2 of her men to commit murder – – hopefully to kill both the sons of Thorir! As Thorolf spent all his time with Thorir and Egil had not come (as this was a great time of sacrifice in the year) Gunnhilda sent her people to kill at least one of Thorir's loyal men. This was done. The perpetrator of this act because he had done so on holy ground was outlawed possibly for life, from Norwegian lands! This is definitely an action-packed episode and one that you will want to download and share freely :-)

Egil Saga Chapters 47 - 49

In this reading of chapters 50 to 53 and Egil's Saga we read of how Thorolf and Egil ended up in the service of King Athelstan of England during a great civil war in which there were rebellions and uprisings. Athelstan's father had commanded great respect, but after his passing the Earls and under Kings sought to regain power due to Athelstan's youth. The greatest of these was Olaf King of the Scots who went as far as to conquer Northumbria! We read of the preparations and the trickery of the English in their preparations for battle against Olaf, and how both Thorolf and Egil commanded great forces in their own right in the service of Athelstan. Our next reading is going to cover the battle itself! Feel free to download and share :-)

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