Saga Stories #1: Þingvellir

[@einarkristjansson6812]

Dr. Roby, I am an Icelander, 75 yarrs of age, and I am facinated by your presentation, not to mention the great scenery in your video.

[@oranski3299]

It goes without saying that these stories are fascinating, but props to the host for delivering them in long takes while showcasing the scenery and often relevant locations. Feels more organic and honours the roots of these stories being passed down orally for generations before they were written. Loved it

[@KreszentiaFlauger]

Vel gert! Frábært! Thank you, Matthew, thank you, Grapevine. I'll watch out for further saga stories here.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Takk fyrir! I'm glad you're enjoying them. We'll keep them coming!

[@jackiewheaton4199]

Well, Matthew, you have a fantastic memory and ability to pronounce those Icelandic names. The Sagas of the Icelanders is probably the book I'd grab off my bookshelves if I had to evacuate my house and only take one book. I love the scenery and your insight behind the stories. Eager for more. Thanks!

[@marlinspike]

Just back from Iceland and this is really helping me stay in the magic of Iceland's rich culture and history. Thank you so much for creating these.

[@sophaphopha]

I'm an American student taking a university class on Icelandic Sagas, and we had to watch this as homework. This was absolutely stunning! I would be happy to watch more and follow the series!

[@greenman6141]

I studied a number of Icelandic sagas in my second year of university, but that was a long long time ago. This is a very nice way to learn about others. Though I should say that I believe they should also be read, for they are literary works, and the words selected and the way things are depicted are done with artistry and with consideration of how the reader will react. Thank you for these videos, I am really enjoying them.

[@bjornsauerwein2669]

it is fascinating to me to learn about the most senior democracy. and the way you are elaborately and with profound knowledge bring this forward is frankly brilliant. thanks! B.

[@mickgudgeon6402]

Great intro for me into Icelandic history.. thank you Matthew.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@pyrsartur3675]

I’m enjoying these immensely, both from a literary standpoint and from an interest in Icelandic people.

[@Momcat_maggiefelinefan]

I studied Icelandic sagas in school here in Canada. Although I hadn’t hear or read of this saga, I truly enjoyed it. You’re a wonderful presenter. I definitely agree with the acknowledgment of a woman’s right to choose. The saga demonstrates that unlike the English/Scottish people from whom I descend, were very backward in this aspect of life. Well done, Iceland!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest, and for your kind words. I also went to high school in Canada and wish we'd done a saga or two. I had to wait until my fourth year of university before reading my first one, but I've been hooked ever since! Really glad you liked it and I hope you'll stay tuned for more Saga Stories in the future. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@nadineetgerard2007]

Depuis quelques temps je suis la vie islandaise à travers les divers reportages de Reykjavik Grapevine. Excellent travail de tous . Continuez

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Merci beaucoup! Cordialement, Matthew Roby et la Reykjavík Grapevine

[@mangofire]

What a great Christmas present - thank you folks!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@karolw.5208]

Dr Roby, a good idea very well delivered! I have been to Thingvellir three times and this is the first occasion to hear the correct pronunciation of the name. Will follow with Egils Saga.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your interest in the videos, and for your kind words. We hope you enjoy the rest! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@hoightb]

This came up in my feed after watching the Grapevine's video on the recent volcanic eruption and I loved it. I'm Australian and I have been lucky enough to visit your beautiful and stunning country in 2009 and got to see the Law Rock and other significant areas. I've been drawn to the Icelandic Saga's ever since and this episode was great and I'm looking forward to watching the others. Thank you very much and I hope you can continue the series.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest! Yes, we have many more Saga Stories videos on the horizon. If you are interested in the recent volcanic eruption, I think you'll like the next one very much! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@jennmartia9309]

@@TheReykjavikGrapevine I'm here for the same reason @BeardeDragon77, though I came here after Matthew was spotted on today's episode. I look forward to the one mentioned today :)

[@leandabee]

Same here, I'm Aussie too, but I've not been to Iceland, probably because I very much dislike being cold, which is pretty rich seeing that I live Tassie, lol😅🤦‍♀️

[@TheDavid342]

Well done! The sagas are well presented and, as always, Art's camera work is excellent. Thanks so much for filming in the area where the sagas occurred. I had the pleasure to visit Iceland in January 2018, saw this area, and learned about the first experiment in parliamentary government. These saga stories provide a great historical prospective.

[@Caroline-mv2ls]

Why are these areas so beautiful? It's an amazing place. I love these stories thank you I'm like a kid my imagination is running away🤗

[@reginaromsey]

I hope there will be more of these Saga Stories explained! At one time the Iceland Ministry of Culture did a Movie of Gisli’s Saga. It was put out with English subtitles. Among my friends who are fascinated by the Norse and the Sagas this movie is constantly sought. However, no one has managed to get an original copy for love or money.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Hello again Wanda! Thanks again for your interest in all of our videos. Are you referring to the 1981 adaption of Gísla saga entitled "Útlaginn?" If so, the whole thing is up on youtube. It's not very good quality and the uploader is probably infringing on some kind of copyright. But, in any case, here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pmjHdHelZcmUabs. Hope you enjoy it! As for more Saga Stories videos, there has indeed been a delay in the release of the next one, but it should be out in the next few days. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@sallysolamen6886]

more saga stories please

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

There will be more!

[@ninaaugust3849]

Can‘t wait for more!

[@tonirichardson2783]

I’m from Northern California and loving your videos. 🕊

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Our goal with this series is to spread the word about the sagas as far as we can, so it's great to see people are enjoying them all around the world! Thanks for watching and we hope you'll stay tuned for more. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@hiramlohr3125]

Intro gives me chills. Watched all and am re-watching. Please, more!!❤

[@margaretgooderham491]

I am travelling to Iceland in the near future and have enjoyed the first instalment of the Saga Stories. Really helps my understanding of the evolution of the Icelandic culture!!

[@mikebattista1523]

Loved the stories! I find the Icelandic sagas to be very exciting to hear/read.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Excellent point: it's definitely nice to hear them told aloud, as that must have been how they were received by many medieval audiences. We're glad you're enjoying them and we hope you'll stay tuned for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@joninarimmer7344]

I’m interested in this series as my grandparents immigrated from Iceland and I have yearned to learn about my heritage. Thank you for these

[@IreneVlazaki]

Beautiful video! I enjoyed the stories so much. It seems that Iceland should take pride in a culture of tolerance and respect even in times where the latter were considered a luxury!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest! Yes, there's undeniably a fair bit violence and hatred in the sagas, but there's also an encouraging amount of decency and respect. I hope the same is true of most cultures and bodies of literature, if we look hard enough! Hope you'll stay tuned for more Saga Stories in the future. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@warden330]

Compliments to the production team. Those long takes with the speaker walking toward the camera.

[@englishruraldoggynerd]

The whole production is brilliant, I completely agree, and if they were walking backwards.... then it’s astonishing, surely it has to be something like a side balanced rig? .... if such a thing exists....

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Art's magic tricks with the camera remain a mystery to all... myself included! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@ETRuT1]

@@TheReykjavikGrapevine Art is indeed a magician, walking unerringly backwards for those long takes. And I'm impressed by how fit Matthew is, talking unhesitatingly going uphill and down. Of course we're not seeing the outtakes, but the end result between Matthew and Art is perfection.

[@specialzero75]

Thank you, this is great! Can't wait to see more.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Glad you enjoyed it :) Next episode on Friday!

[@adamclark6756]

This looks like it could be a very interesting series.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you Adam, we are very excited about this :)

[@kristophersaul562]

you prolly dont give a shit but does any of you know a tool to get back into an Instagram account..? I somehow lost my password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@marcustristan208]

@Kristopher Saul instablaster ;)

[@kristophersaul562]

@Marcus Tristan Thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@kristophersaul562]

@Marcus Tristan It worked and I actually got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much you saved my account !

[@hilarywest2830]

Wonderful, thank you

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

It's our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@MaAllen417]

I love these Saga Stories. Thank you for sharing your beautiful country.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your continued support. We'll keep them coming! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@MarkRichardsonPhotos]

Awesome. PLEASE more.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

We'll keep them coming!

[@Judithgoulding9999]

Wonderful! Just starting to watch these Saga Stories now - I look forward to the rest!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your interest. We'll keep them coming! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@Jan-wd1is]

This is so interesting! I'm hooked on the Sagas

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest. We'll keep them coming for you! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@5Heth]

I love these Sagas. I love the way Matthew tells the stories, he has such a calming voice & the way he describes things makes it really easy to imagine being there in the story he is telling. I also enjoy the scenery that is shown during the stories. This is a brilliant series & I can't wait for number 7 to be released.

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

Very interesting stories, I'm late to this party so I have some catching up to do! 🙄 I had to smile also at the fact that you did a lot of walking and much was uphill and yet you didn't seem short of breath at any time . . . What stamina! 😊

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest. Hope you'll enjoy exploring more of the videos, and that you'll stay tuned for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@pbanther3902]

I look forward to what you share!! The whole world is interested. I am keen to know about Trolls. The similarities of tricksters in cultures is a commonality.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your interest. Don't worry: many troll stories and tricksters coming soon! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@jangardner1446]

I, too, am hooked on this series. I saw a couple oh the layers episodes and decides to circle back to the beginning. So well worth it! I hope you continue it, Matthew!

[@jonesmetsasta226]

8:59 what a view! At morning hike to vulcano, at the evening fishing to place like this..

[@joannabell9294]

Thank you! I really appreciate this knowledge, and the geography details. Back to the series

[@CindySlo1]

I really enjoyed this video so very much!!!! Thank you so much for making it!! I am looking forward to watching all of your videos. Iceland is such a beautiful country to learn about. Stories are such a great way to learn about history.

[@cynthiaweaver100]

Excellent thank you. Now onto the next saga.

[@mikesullivan8237]

Just watched the 1st episode of "Saga Stories" and enjoyed it quite a bit. Got into watching the volcano coverage from the Grapevine. Very interesting coverage over all. Watching online over the internet from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

[@susierosefinlay]

Beautiful sagas told with a beautiful backdrop. Thank you.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your interest, and for your kind words. We hope you'll stay tuned for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@colleenpye5521]

Enjoyed all the Saga Stories to date. Don.t know where my interest arose, but I've the faintest inkling of reading or hearing a very tiny example of similar stories when I was very young child. I'ts a faint but persistant memory. Anyway, thanks for presenting the Sagas to us. Great stuff. Colleen Pye.

[@reginaromsey]

What gorgeous scenery! I suspect the original settlers preferred the rolling fields, but the wild is so thrilling?

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Hello again Wanda! Yes, this is something I often think too. As modern tourists, we're so interested in the geological wonders of Iceland, but medieval Icelanders (and even most Icelanders until relatively recent times) would trade it all for a gently sloping, south-facing hillside with decent soil cover and easy access to a stream. And a warm geothermal spring as a bonus! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@Rimrock300]

Great idea! Well told stories. Look forward for more)

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you very much. We'll keep them coming!

[@dimitrisvardavas1173]

Thank you for this. Great work!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

It's our pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@ShipCreek]

Well this is a YES from me. Im looking forward to more sagas.😁👍🦘

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

They are coming back on screen tomorrow :)

[@doinafred3049]

Wonderful! I really enjoyed!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you very much for your interest and support! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@joelyost8768]

Very interesting content...looking forward to more!

[@deborahferguson1163]

I enjoyed this immensely! Yes, I would like to hear more of these stories! Well done!

[@GrubbsandWyrm]

This is really interesting. The KZbin algorithm randomly decided to show me your channel. I am hooked

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Great to have you on board the good ship Grapevine, Elizabeth!

[@boasanderson]

Cool comments, it gave me new insights as to what went on at the Althing..

[@hafeezmohd3469]

Omg..i loved this...i love history..found this becos story of sigrun...ty so much.. From malaysia..

[@epincion]

After watching your saga story related to mentions of volcano activity in the sagas I decided to start with episode 1 and work through them. That was a very worthwhile 23 minutes thank you. Very thought provoking about how civilised early Iceland was with the realisation of the benefit of the rule of law and also the quite early emphasis on consent of females in society.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for taking the time to explore the series. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you'll stay tuned for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@brothersoulshine]

What an excellent video. Can't wait to watch the rest.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it and we hope you stay tuned for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@danastavney5687]

I caught on to this by watching the volcano reports by RGV. These are fantastic! I can't wait to see you do more. I like your style of story telling and the setting is absolutely fantastic. I am interested in looking into more of the sagas myself. I have nordic heritage and find this a fascinating part of history. By the way, your camera man/woman is amazing as well. How does he/she get up the steps backwards?! It would be interesting to see some of the "behind the camera" scenes as well, or maybe out takes. Please keep the stories coming! (maps would also be helpful)

[@catrionahenderson7759]

I really enjoyed that. thankyou for posting it.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you'll stay tuned for more Saga Stories in the future. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@adel-711]

I am enjoying every minute of this saga

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for your interest in the series. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@Kangaroo_Caught]

Thanks for this. I would never have seen this video without having seen the eruption at Geldingadalur and some comments on one of the streams. Among other things, it was interesting to see the layers of basalt near some of the places visited, but the stories of the historical and legal background are also fascinating.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Yes, Iceland is such a fascinating case study for so many disciplines: geology, genetics, linguistics, literature, politics. Glad you enjoyed the video and we hope you'll stick around for more! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@etellr7475]

What a great video! I learned so many things! Very informative, with beautiful scenery in the background! I loved it!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your interest in the video, and for your kind words! We hope you'll stay tuned for more Saga Stories videos coming soon! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@lorischlegelmilch]

I love the sagas.

[@AriesJedi]

That was brilliant. Expat here for 5 years.

[@nataliebergmann3120]

Very interesting and beautiful location 👍🏼😍. I’m looking forward to the next episode 😉

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you both! Glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@pattirockgarden4423]

Love this!! Thank you!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Our pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it. Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@diannerumsey2171]

Loved the sagas

[@adastraperaspera7098]

Very interesting. I landed to this video from a seperate Volcano Video in Iceland and this followed it. Learned some history.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for taking the time to explore the series. Glad you enjoyed it! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby

[@annamichaelsdottir5834]

Virkilega áhugavert. Fáum við fleiri sögur. Matthew þú ferð flott með þetta.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Takk fyrir að horfa! Bestu kveðjur, Matthew Roby

[@cgoodson2010]

Thanks for these wonderful stories, Dr. Roby! Iceland continues to become more and more like my own home, in that I'm learning intimate details of the living Ice Land and her people. In fact, I have Scandinavian DNA, according to genetic testing. So, it IS home. . . . 😊

[@Villekulla44]

Superb.

[@danhealy1153]

Very interesting watch. The one thing I’m confused on is you said the Irish king and the royal family in Ireland? That’s the first I have heard of it

[@GLITCHDADA]

Sagas brilliant idea 💡 😎👍

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Glad you think so!

[@modusoperandi23]

Thank you for this

[@leandabee]

Absolutely fascinating! Did you actually walk all that way😲? Excellent camera work as well 👏.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Yes, these videos are certainly keeping me fit. But, as you rightly imply, walking backwards all that way while holding a camera is even harder, so hats off to Art for that!

[@leandabee]

@@TheReykjavikGrapevine wow, seriously, that is phenomenal, walking backwards and keeping the camera steady and walking backwards😲👏💝🇦🇺.

[@snowmiaow]

I love these

[@englishruraldoggynerd]

Absolutely fascinating. You have such a wonderful way of explaining this, and describing the scenes in a very interesting and dynamic manner. How did you choose Iceland as the foundation for your life, did you read the sagas when you were growing up, a fantastic teacher...or something else entirely? Hope that you are coping with the earthquakes going on, that’s rather exciting and what led me to the site, and then the amusing women doing the information thing, the geologist with poppy, and you! And can you recommend a good introduction kindle book for the sagas please.... nothing too complicated though, my years of agile brainwork is sadly past 😀👍🏻😷🌋🇮🇸

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you for your interest, and for your exceedingly kind words. If you wanted to read more, the best and most readable introduction is "Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction" by Heather O'Donoghue. If you're in the UK, neither the paperback nor kindle edition is too expensive. For some reason, I see that it's more expensive elsewhere in the world. And the best value book of actual sagas is the Penguin collection entitled "The Sagas of the Icelanders," with preface by Jane Smiley. I got into medieval Icelandic literature through medieval English literature, which I started studying as an undergraduate student in Canada. I have to credit a few wonderful professors at Queen's University in Canada, Dalhousie University in Canada, and the University of Oxford in the UK for inspiring me to pursue it further. Yes, things are very exciting here right now! If you're interested in the volcano and earthquakes, you're going to love the next Saga Stories video! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@TernaryTrout]

One of my favourite places in the world .....

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Yes, so beautiful!

[@Kitty39ish]

Thank you, I think Thingvellir is the hight of beauty for the natives.

[@AuthenticDarren]

Yes, I did enjoy it. :)

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HrRezpatex]

lol The story about the beer seller gave me a good laugh. 🙂

[@damama4209]

Being of Norwegian decent I find these story's very interesting. Born in Oslo but parents immigrated to USA after WWII. Iceland seems to be a beautiful country. Enjoy the history story's

[@oasislin4587]

what is Alping?

[@madelcarmensalazarm.3489]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏼 very interesant!

[@20houselover]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thank you!

[@direbearcoat7551]

You guys got any farmlands in Iceland? If so, how? Everywhere your cameras have pointed was either covered in ice, or was nothing but volcanic rock with moss on it.....

[@ShannonWare]

Finally, a saga stories where half the people were not burned to death or die a bloody mess :0) (The exposure part always makes me sad tho :0(

[@grendel_nz]

Excellent scholar. Thank you. Need to do subtitles correctly ;) auto is funny.

[@ssglopezvm]

Nice hat Sir

[@freysigurnbjornson6036]

❤️🇮🇸❤️

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks for your support!

[@tsangarisjohn]

Work on your “Ummm’s”. Otherwise great video, very informative 👌🏻 Beautiful country!

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Thanks. Trying to speak 'off the cuff' without looking at my notes is quite new to me, but I'm relishing the challenge! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@richard--s]

The thing is now, that I wonder how the english word "thing" came to be ;-)

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Sadly this was something we had to cut from the video to keep it short! The older forms of the English word 'thing' used to mean the same thing in all Germanic languages: a meeting or assembly. As you can see from the video, and from the name of the present-day Icelandic parliament (Alþingi), this meaning has survived in Icelandic. In English, the meaning changed: first to a matter one might discuss at a meeting, and then finally to just a matter (or thing) in general. Thank you for your interest in the video and we hope you'll stick around for more Saga Stories videos in the future! Best wishes, from Matthew Roby and the Reykjavík Grapevine team

[@pyrsartur3675]

I LOVE learning word origins, especially what people and place they are tied to.

[@pyrsartur3675]

@@TheReykjavikGrapevine I LOVE learning about word origins, especially from what people and place words have their origins. Perhaps this can be a recurring “thing”? You can pick an icelandic word to focus on. Perhaps some that influenced English.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Great idea. We'll try to incorporate more interesting etymologies into future videos!

[@richard--s]

@@TheReykjavikGrapevine Yes, that would be great! And thank you very much for your answer about the word "thing"!

[@jamesross669]

Snorri loves ya.

[@edithlauber6309]

Hjartans þakkir fyrir þessa góða hugmind. Ég hlakka til næstu myndina, þetta er mjög skemmtilegur.

[@TheReykjavikGrapevine]

Ekkert mál! Takk fyrir að horfa.

[@masterdrewanthony]

Skyrim belongs to the Nords! ;)

[@arthurgomez6920]

The vague tablecloth ontogenetically x-ray because amount potentially command at a puzzling vise. sturdy, zonked booklet