Njal's Saga, Part 1 (Hrut / Young Hallgerd)

[@the_bread_wolf]

I was never able to get into the sagas until I started watching your channel. You have such a natural storyteller vibe about you that it really draws the listener in and makes the sagas come to life. You are a gift, Dr. Crawford. Thank you so much for all the work that goes into these.

[@theofficialterrycrewsyoutu5885]

A southern man teaching Norse mythology. Cant tell if your east texas or going up into the western parts around Wyoming, Montana, etc., but know that this is exactly what I needed in my life.

[@historywithhilbert]

Really enjoyed this video - and it was incredibly useful given that I'm using Brennu Njál's Saga as a source in my coursework. I'm hoping you'll continue this series, it'd be useful to get your take on why the Clontarf extract is included in the saga as this is what I'm writing my coursework about, the decline of Norse power in Ireland. Thanks again for all the fascinating videos!

[@alexhatfield4448]

I greatly enjoy your channel too Hilbert

[@vikingskuld]

This is one of my favorite sagas ever. The stuff you get to read about is amazing. I have read it half a dozen times. Great reading

[@sindridah7203]

Such a pity as an Icelander that I was young and unaspiring kid when I was in high school / college reading Njálu and Snorra-Eddu etc.. in Icelandic classes. I wish I've used the opportunity to study these narrations back then. The one sentence I will never forget though is the first sentence of Brennu-Njáls saga, Mörður hét maður er kallaður var gígja and I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the Icelandic people know that sentence.

[@DominicanManowarFan]

I love Njal's Saga! I wish I was in your class Professor Crawford!!

[@akselrnsrud9127]

You are a very handsome man, Mr.Jackson

[@margret2844]

Looks like younger Matthew Macfadyen (Pride and Prejudice). Same voice even.! My favorite film ever and Njáls saga is my favorite saga ever. Wow. Feeling weak in my knees here in Iceland. LOL

[@darcyperkins7041]

I came across this saga at my local library about 40 years ago. I was intrigued by the title and always intended to read it, but never did. Maybe I should give it another shot.

[@NorthworthySagasStories]

Another great video from Dr. Jackson Crawford. I'm really liking your content and looking forward to watching part 2 of Njal Saga. One of my favorite Sagas as well. Cool

[@OctagonalGolbat]

This video saved me from having to read over 300 pages by tomorrow morning - thank you so much!

[@seans.2711]

Hi Dr. Crawford, have you heard of the SagaThing podcast? It's two university professors who review/analyze all the Íslendingasögur. They did Njal's Saga last year (in 10 parts, all ~1-2 hours each!). I found it useful, as a student, to listen to after I read a saga to reinforce the plot and get a sense of the existing scholarship around it. I would recommend anyone watching this video to check it out!

[@EliSerce]

Thank you so much! I watch your videos during breaks in my everyday schedule, and this series feels like gossiping with a friend about what happened during the weekend ;)

[@faramund9865]

Love watching you talk about these sagas! And damn I almost feel as though Hrút made that 'curse' up himself.

[@darklingeraeld-ridge7946]

Excellent synopsis - and I agree the Robert Cook translation is best.

[@RichardWestSoley]

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir - I'm studying Brennu-Njáls for my Masters and this was a great recap series! Cheers for the always excellent vids.

[@LarsPallesen]

>> 'Why is your axe bloody?'. This is a question that gets asked a lot in this story.

[@AvatarYoda]

The reply to the third time is, "I've been curing someone's backache with it."

[@Cyssane]

Yay, you're doing Njal's saga! Never clicked on one of your videos so fast before! :) I have a somewhat odd relationship with this saga, as I literally found a copy of an old Penguin Classics in a used bookstore a few years ago, and I've read it through like a novel several times. So I don't really have a scholar's knowledge of it at all. I just enjoy it because the story is really good, and I appreciate all the insights into Icelandic culture and law, even though I'm sure some of it is exaggerated for the sake of drama. I had no idea that this was an especially long saga in the Norse tradition or that it's considered difficult to follow, but then I was a literature student back in the day, so I've studied a lot worse. (My translation is by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson, if it matters.) Very much looking forward to this series, and many thanks in advance!

[@rontoews5570]

Greetings from Hvolsvollur, a Njall’s saga themed museum and restaurant in southern Iceland, which I visited today. They say a lot of the action in Njall’s saga took place in this area. It is run by the community and the museum makes a valiant effort to briefly explain the plot of the saga. For those without the patience to read the considerable amount of written material on display there are viking costumes and play weapons available.

[@Conv1cted_Melon]

The part about Hrút's member being too large was quite the comedic reveal. 😂 I can easily understand why the man was embarrassed, lol.

[@christinemartin63]

Mortimer Adler's reading list brought me here. (Holy Toledo! We surely are more primitive than we think we are--even now.)

[@watcherofthewest8597]

Thank you!

[@DaevaGlow]

This is one of my favorite sagas to read and post on the facebook page I run. I should probably post something about it next week. :)

[@acethesupervillain348]

I do recall becoming confused by all the characters and events of Njal's saga, it'll be great to have some clarity to it. Having not reached the end, I wonder sometimes if Njal's Saga was supposed to be Hallgerd's Saga, but someone at some point decided that a woman cannot be the focus of a saga, or that she becomes too mischievous to be the focus of a saga.

[@sunshinesilverarrow5292]

Thank you. 🌞

[@AndranikMuse]

Hi Dr. Jackson, first of all I'd like to thank you for all the videos you share with us, you're one of my favourite YT channels. I'd like to know your opinion about Wardruna, it's a Norwegian folk music group that has that old norse theme, they even quote the Hávamál st 76-77 in their song Helvegen Greetings from Spain!

[@MausPonticus]

The lyrics to "Gibu" also look like stanzas from Hávamál (don't have the numbers, but it's the "maður er manns gaman" part).

[@MrQuargh]

Many of their songs are rune poems. Not even mentioning Einar's solo project...

[@archietrent8753]

@@MrQuargh me look see on my I'm? I'll .😠😠😠9

[@archietrent8753]

@@MrQuargh ?.

[@gordonstewardson7683]

The best way to describe this saga is to call it "Better Call Njal".

[@anon3336]

Thjostolf might be a bit of a murderous psycho, but he certainly is protective of Hallgerd.

[@sheansager5350]

I love this !!!

[@tlotus3032]

It's so refreshing to hear sex written about in realistic and fantastical ways, the same goes with fight scenes and court battles. I tried to watch Vikings the other day. It's always two dudes or maybe two women squaring off in a crowd. Ugh. You spoil us, Dr. Crawford.

[@selmak5173]

Yes hello I am reading Njála and I just need to know are you wearing cowboy boots? Thank you.

[@salaryman6095]

Hello Dr i came across your profile just looking for information about Thjostolf. I dont understand the concept of foster father since she has already a father, is this a translation for a norse tradition? Thanks in advance if anyone helps me clarify this, is confusing hehe

[@faramund9865]

Would I be right in saying people alliterate the childs name on that of the father? Sometimes even taking the same first part?

[@STOPLIKEBEGGARS101]

One of the many books in my bookshelf I haven't read yet. Guess it's time to start now! BTW, what does "mord" mean here? The guy can't be named "murder fiddle", or can he? 😁

[@56588]

What can you tell me about humour in Njal's saga?

[@56588]

Hvað getur þú sagt mér um grín og húmor í Njáls sögu?

[@56588]

Dont worry I learned about it

[@anthonyaurel6001]

I often wonder why none Scandinavian country made a sitcom series out of these stories.

[@pauleriknorton5168]

It has been done. In Norway the sitcom 'Vikingane' ( 'Norsemen') was pretty popular. I think it is still on Netflix. New York Times is said to have rated it as one of the ten best foreign tv-series of 2017.

[@anthonyaurel6001]

@@pauleriknorton5168 Thanks for suggestion friend.

[@coaxialsynapse]

Law and Order: Iceland

[@hale1471]

Surprised nobody has ever said the obvious. This book was written by Njal himself, and adapted several hundreds of years later.

[@richardgreer459]

Are some of the translations censored? It seems like all the editions I’ve found just have Unn calling Hrút ‘spellbound’ and then moving on to their divorce. It’s odd and irritating that the original text seems to have A LOT more juicy details.

[@diatonix2]

Since you keep the accents and the "ð", I wish you'd use the correct form of the Icelandic names: Hrútr, Höskuldr, Hallgerðr, Unnr etc.

[@Joebonjoe]

*And this Hrut was to marry Unn. marry her but not keep her. oh Hrut son of Herjolf oh Unn daughter of Moerd, if only you could have known how many men in Iceland would have to part with their lives in the end because of your separation ....* this is my favourite saga (all island-sagas are great but the Njal´s saga is far the best my favourite figure is Skaphedin Njarsson bside Gunnar and Njarl)

[@CourtneySchwartz]

“... slapped her, and so he went outside and killed him with an axe.” Do wonder whether domestic abuse would long continue if more police reports ended like sagas. But then again, they end a lot of things with axes and burnination.

[@vp4744]

I get the feeling the Internet was invented to spread the Sagas. They were meant to be told by word of mouth like your videos and in some ways far superior to any play or act or reenactment. Thanks.