Sagas w/Shawn - Gods and Kings
“Sagas w/Shawn: Gods and Kings” is an ambitious (and probably doomed) attempt to build a shared world where every god, legendary king, and mythical hero across world history actually coexists.
Hosted by Shawn, this podcast bridges the gap between mythology and history, from Norse sagas and ancient folklore to medieval pseudo-history, global pantheons, and even the lore of fantasy worlds and video games. Expect dry humor, deep dives, and a sincere curiosity about what people believed, why it mattered, and how these stories still shape us today.
Sagas w/Shawn - Gods and Kings
E16: Kings of Norway I | Eric Bloodaxe (930–934 CE)
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In this episode, Shawn returns to his non-existent roots and once again discusses gods and kings. Specifically, Eric Bloodaxe, King of Norway (and later Northumbria), who according to the saga sources can trace his ancestry back to the Norse gods Odin, Freyr, and Njörðr.
The discussion begins with the rise of his father, Harald Fairhair, and the world he left behind for his many sons (Eric included). Shawn then follows Eric’s rise as well, while also exploring why his reigns in two separate kingdoms were both so brief. It may have had something to do with everyone’s thoughts on him killing several of his brothers… or having an unlikeable wife. Both may have been equally unforgivable in Dark Age Norway.
Shawn also crosses the North Sea to discuss the political situation in England, some of its early kings, and the rise of Eric’s half-brother, Haakon the Good.
Shawn closes with the poem Eriksmál, which imo immortalizes the legend of this king with an undeniably cool name, and gives him a good enough reason to be the subject of a standalone episode of a not-particularly-popular podcast over a millennium later.
Sources Used:
- Heimskringla (Dover Publications), translated with the assistance of A.H. Smith
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Pantianos Classics), translated by Rev. James Ingram and Dr. J.A. Giles
- Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics), translated by Seamus Heaney
- Hversu Noregr Byggðist, translated by George L. Hardman
- Historia Norwegiae (Viking Societ for Northern Research), translated by Devra Kunin
- Eiríksmál, translated by Finnur Jónsson
- The Saga of Hervor and Heidrik (Hacket Publishing) - Translations by Jackson Craword
- The Saga of Ragnar and His Sons - (Translated be Chris Van Dyke)
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