Saga Survival Guide

Lessons learned from old-timey texts:

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This time; how to survive the christmas exams, with my revision notes. Featuring king Olav “the Holy” Haraldsson - and the history of his cultural impact!

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Nicknames are unfair. Especially when your sisters’ names are great ones, but you are stuck with “Torunn the Horned”.

I’m reading Eyrbyggja saga at the moment and I’m lovin’ the names (and nicknames) XD

*Disclaimer: My translation of Eyrbyggja saga gives Jorunns name as (translated to English) “Jorunn the great-wise”, but my book were printed in 1926 and I’ve come across some weird translation-mistakes in older versions, so I’ll stick to “Men’s Wit-breaker” because I found that name in a newer (English) translation XP 

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Saga Survival Tip #1: Give Polar Bears to Kings. Kings love Polar Bears.

Part 3 of Audunns adventures!  In which his wish to go back to Iceland is met with endless gifts from King Svein, who seems to know exactly what is necessary in ANY boat-sinking, silver-loosing situation.  

Also in which I gave up writing the dialogue by hand and just typed it in like other mortals. 

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The Tale of a Man WITHOUT his Polar Bear

Poor Audunn finally managed to sell his polar bear to the King of Denmark. King Svein gives him money for a pilgrimage to Rome. On the way home, Audunn falls sick, have to spend all his money to get well. By the time he has begged himself back to Denmark he looks so terrible that he don’t dare to speak to the King. When he finally does, the King barely recognizes him. But a King is a King and when one of his guardsmen laughs at Audunn, King Svein tells the man off for laughing and tells him that at least Audunns SOUL is in better shape than the guard’s after the pilgrimage. Don’t mind that his hair is falling out and he looks like skin and bones. Medieval logic; you can’t beat it!

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The Story of a Man and his Polar Bear

This is Audunn (or Audun, Auðun, Auðunn or Auðunar depending on how much you love Old Norse language). 

He travelled from Greenland to Norway to Denmark WITH A FREAKING POLAR BEAR! For those without extensive knowledge of North Atlantic geography; a journey like this had to be taken by boat. Like an Arctic version of Life of Pi. Even if Audunn bought the bear while it was still a cub, it would have had to be quite big by the time they got to Denmark. Don’t know how he did it, but here they are doing the Titanic-pose together!

Then he sort of sold the bear to King Svein of Denmark, but hey! A man must eat!

Can be found online if you care to read it. It’s not long, so you should.