Saga Stories #4: Njáls Saga 

HA HA HA HA HA I LOVE that! "Well I don't know if Gunnarr is home but his halberd certainly is" That's so similar to what I think of as Dutch humor! 😊

I have given up on idiotized TV shows so I like it when RU-vid passes on something as interesting as this my way. Very colorful folklore

Enduring stories that are as fresh today as they were centuries ago. Thank you, you make it real.

Wonderful! Plus I love the stories being told right on location - look forward to the next one!

Fast becoming a favourite part of the Grapevine repertoire.

Beautiful Cinematography and narrated sagas. Thanks

I love these Saga Stories. I hope he keeps doing them

Loved the translation of the line about Gunnarr seeing his house. Excellent channel!

I very much appreciate your videos, which serve me as accompaniment to my readings of the sagas. It has always intrigued me how a society so permeated with violence came to be one of the most advance and peaceful of our times.

Thank you for your great work. It makes an Icelander very proud to see our stories presented to the English-speaking world in such thorough and visually pleasing manner.

When I visited Reykjavik in October of 2018 I met a Polish girl who lived in the city and she handed me a book called Njals Saga, I flew back home to Seattle and read the book in about 2 months (not too fast) but I absolutely loved it. Great VIDEO!

Thank you! Seeing the river as the story is told was amazing!

A great telling of a great saga. Thank you.

I love these videos. Great synopsis of each of the sagas that have been covered. I've read many of the sagas and the longer ones can be difficult reading, starting with the genealogy of so many characters that you've forgotten half of them by the time they are introduced into the story (at least that's been my experience). So I love these videos, because I think they will inspire more people to read the sagas, and for those who don't have the time or inclination to read them, they can at least learn about these wonderful stories and characters from Icelandic history. Thanks so much for doing this. And doing it from locations in the stories adds a lot to the videos.

Hot weather here in Durban, South Africa. Family members seaching and wathing SAGA again, wonderful story and unique way of telling. Takke.

I'm watching every single one I got to go to iceland a place still so close to the gods thanks for this series respect from New Zealand 🇳🇿

Thanks again. Very interesting. Great camera work. Beautiful scenes.

A very talented story-teller.

Great video. Heading to iceland in June 2024 . Only quick stay . On a cruise ship . This video wants me to jump ship and stay. I love folk tales. Would love to listen to more over a glass of spirits to toast the dead ❤

You are bringing these wonderful sagas to life! I spent a glorious March day following the route of Njáll saga, ending with a sunset climb up Stóri Dímon. The view over the countryside was glorious, and I could feel the spirits of the saga characters there with me. Thank you for taking me back to these beautiful locations, Dr. Roby. 🇨🇦❤️🇮🇸

Put common search words like ”history” in you titles and I am sure you will have much more views. I only found you because of Gelingadalur eruption. Your Saga videos are fantastic, I hope for more! 🌝

Another great episode! Thank you!

Very well narrated. Thanks for your hard work, Dr Roby. A very enjoyable experience listening to you tell the saga.

what a great resource, filmed on location and everything! thanks so much!

Once again, thank you Dr. Roby! I can't wait for the next episode.

Hello, I found this while surfing over the Grapevine magazin. I like the kind of presentation by M. Roby very much. He has such a "living" way of telling these sagas. And the pictures in the background are beautiful and reminding me of my visit of Iceland two years ago. Thank you. Dr. Roby!!!

Excellent format and delivery!

Dr Roby is a wonderful narrator. I have loved Najls Saga since I found it in a set of books in my elementary school. At that time I didn’t understand much beyond the very basic story line. I’ve read it in several translations and had it explained, but this is definitely perfect for reading before studying the Saga!

Wonderful story and excellent presentation! Thank you SO much! :)

Telling the stories while on site brings a new depth to them, I enjoyed this so thank you.

This was awesome, thank you!

Terrific telling, thank you

Dr. Matthew! You bring The Sagas to life.

I appreciate this video for demonstrating how the characters’ names are pronounced although there is little chance of me replicating it. 😂

Thank you so much for this wonderful series of videos. For most of my life, I have been fascinated with Iceland - to the extent that I sometimes joke that in my previous life, I must have been an Icelander - and in this life I retain faint memories of that former life. I've read all the Icelandic sagas, several (including Njall's Saga) more than once. Your videos are excellent encapsulations of these ancient, complex, and astonishing stories. Please do not stop posting your videos!

Incredible video! I just read this and was looking for something to help wrap my head around it. I loved the great storytelling, it really highlighted the main events and I have a much greater understanding and enjoyment for this saga now.

Marvellous story telling in such an exquisite landscape, really brings it to life. This is a treasure I’ve only just stumbled upon so looking forward to watching the rest of them :)

Just love your sagas! So informative. I imagine being alive in the eras you talk of!!!. Whether I would have lived to an old age remains in the imagination!! Excellent, thank you

The scenery is spectacular. The large snow-capped mountain behind Roby in some of the scenes is Eyjafjallajokull - a large volcano. Behind it and not visible is Katla - another massive volcano. Eyjafjallajokul erupted last in 2010 (grounded European flights as some may recall) and Katla in 1918. The characters of Njals Saga may have seen these giants erupt (one would have to check their volcanic history).

Thank you! I’ve read an English translation . I still don’t understand the character’s actions, but I’m from 2021 and the US. Seeing the places was a help in simply seeing Iceland.

Very interesting to hear the story of this Saga!

fine direction and photography - I don't know much about the Sagas but I appreciate the enthusiasm.

I love how you can go to places that are marked as real sites of sagas. The videos make me keen to visit this one next. Now that I realize if you’re already used to Canada, the weather is actually “normal”, then there’s no reason not to go off-season... Visit at a normal human pace, not like crazy tourist season, right? Gets you day-dreaming...

Skarp Hedin was always my favourite character from this saga.

Very interesting saga, well done.

I very much enjoy the telling of these Icelandic Saga Stories! They remind me very much of the Saga of Hrolf Kraki and the Saga of Beowulf.

Thank you. I really enjoyed the telling and the setting

this is beautiful

This is the best summary of the saga I've found so far and I really enjoyed the presentation. But... you managed to skip over all my favourite scenes! The tension at the Althing, with Thorhall finally snapping and kicking off the battle is terrific stuff.

Njálssaga is my favorit saga. I was so happy when I visited Hlídarendi for the first time. But I didn´t know till now where exactly the epic battle between Njálssynur and Thráinn was held despite I remember all details of Skarphédins heroic deeds (and of course using Thráinns teeths during burning of Bergthórshvoll). Sagas are so great literature! I can´t understand icelandic teenagers why they hate them at school. I fell in love with sagas when i was sexteen and they inspired me to start to write my own books! We have nothing like sagas in Czech, unfortunatelly... Matthew, please, can you prepare something about Gunnlaugssaga Ormstunga? This is my second favorit saga. And about Gíslasaga? I have named cat Gísli becouse of hero of this saga.

great stuff!

Listened intently!👏👏👏

Thank you for the sagas study norse and the old ways so these are great thank you 🙏

Dear Dr Roby, that was so wonderful, you have made my day week and year in fact 😀Learning Íslensku has been a hobby of mine for many years and since the lockdowns I have been making a daily effort to improve. Njalssaga has always been my favourite saga and recently my wife bought me the saga in the Íslensk Fornrit edition (beautiful book and she also bought me Egil). I also subscribed to Hlusta.is and have been listening to the saga as an audiobook. My friend Guðrún lives just outside of Hvollreppi and recently drove to Hliðarendi and sent me some photos. I have also been looking around there in Google Earth (but you cant get close to the kirk). So I found your wonderful series and when I saw you standing right there I almost got teary ha ha. It was a real treat to follow you and the panning camera and finally get a look around at the surrounds. If I may ask a couple of questions - Are there remains of Gunnar´s house? I saw old walls or foundations there behind you. In EV Gordon there is an unattributed frontispiece old ink sketch of Hliðarendi that seems to show a foundation wall. Also through my own amateurish translation from the Íslenkz Fornrit notes I picked up that Samr was buried in his own haug and an early archeologist dug into the mound, found dog bones but (later?) these were declared to be from the 1300´s? Another story Guðrún told me was that men started digging into the mound where Gunnar was reputed to be buried and they kept stopping because that saw the kirk on fire each time they dug. Great story! I haven´t been able to locate good archeological resources pertaining to this site. Are they available only in Íslensku? Any help or links you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Kærar þakkið fyrir mig Dr Roby, you are doing a fantastic job and I for one greatly appreciate it. Kindest regards, David

This is awesome ❤️❤️

This was a great piece of preparation for my upcoing exams. Thank you, professor!

Very good

Cool saga, bro.

Thanks Mathew for telling the stories from the Brennu-Njáls saga. I love watching you pick your way around the frozen landscape - makes me wonder if Iceland ever gets warm

Awesome series!

Oh look! There is a tiny orb of light following along beside you as you walk down the river bank! It is not a reflection of the sun because it continues right over the rocks! I think you have a little fairy following you! How lovely! I've never seen one before!

I came to the Grapevine because of Geldingadir, (think thats how its spelt), now I am listening to Icelandic Sagas. You should release these as audiobooks :D These are the sort of stuff that I like to listen to when driving!

There is an Irish story of a man marrying a Silkie. She tells him she will stay as his wife as long as he never raises a hand to her and if he should do so three times, she will return to the sea. It happens thru three separate occasions that he accidently slaps her, grabs her as she starts to fall, and grabs her shoulder. After which she reminds him of her agreement and she slips away that very night. In another medieval story there is again a series of three slaps at which a bewitchment falls upon the man and a wife is lost..

Wonderful story and gorgeous video! For some reason Njal's saga is not in the huge book "Sagas of Icelanders" I bought before our trip. So I bought an old translation and I didn't like the saga. Our Icelandic guide was appalled that I said so, so when I got back I bought another translation and it truly was one of the best sagas! Would love to go back and see the site you read from!

No mention of Brodir and Ospak of Man? I realize it's not part of the main story, but it's got the plot and scale of a hollywood epic. Brother vs brother, religious fanatics, supernatural events, an enormous battle, and the fate of a whole country decided by the actions of a single person. Problem is it's not set in Iceland...

Wow such a good pronunciation!!!- an Icelander

this video was shot at high noon! ;-)

Me gusta

What's the intro song with the Wax Statues?

Mörthur the murthdörer!

man, Iceland is a small island on Earth but it's also a different planet all by itself ... i also wonder how in some scenes of this video, three cameras are working at the same time but none could be seen by the other two all working simultaneously!?

Thank you , dear Doctor , for this. Did not the Monty Pythons do a spoof on Njals saga?

The people seem very cruel & rugged. Lots of revenge, jealousy, & deceit.

Odin auga is Getting thirsty, Ymir is feelin an itch,

I came here to learn how to pronounce the names while reading the saga in portuguese

My family has connections with the Njàls

Hi Dr Robi, I love this video and I asked a couple of questions below using my channel account Wing Chun Mind Force. I would love your feedback😀 I have studied Íslenzku for 45 years by myself here in isolated Australia. Your videos mean a lot to me! Bless bless

story se jada to ye jagah intresting lg rhi ha.

the oldnorse seem more similar to swedish than modern icelandic.. it makes sense! /fellow viking from Sweden

Read the Sagas 3 + times.....never had any trouble....there always come a joker that plays at being more catholic than the pope a tries to prove everybody else wrong (dumb).....a prime example in front of u....