The story of the legendary first king of the Britons, complete with prophecy, a divine appearance, and fun with giants.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Armitage, David. The Ideological Origins of the British Empire. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Geoffrey of Monmouth. History of the Kings of Britain, translated by Aaron Thompson. In parentheses Publications Medieval Latin Series, 1999.
• Gillingham, John. The English in the Twelfth Century: Imperialism, National Identity, and Political Values. Boydell Press, 2000.
• Jeffs, Amy. Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain. riverrun, 2021.
• Lavezzo, Kathy. Imagining a Medieval English Nation. University of Minnesota Press, 2004.
• Spence, John. Reimagining History in Anglo-Norman Prose Chronicles. York Medieval Press, 2013.
• Valerie I. J. Flint. “The Historia Regum Britanniae of Geoffrey of Monmouth: Parody and Its Purpose. A Suggestion.” Speculum 54, no. 3 (1979): 447–68.

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Today we step outside the usual subject matter on the podcast for a look into Shakespeare's source for the story of Macbeth.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Holinshed, Raphael. Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. J. Johnson, et al., 1808.
• The Oxford Handbook of Holinshed's Chronicles, edited by Felicity Heal, Ian W. Archer, & Paulina Kewes. Oxford University Press, 2013.
• McLuskie, Kathleen. Macbeth. Northcote House, 2009.
• Patterson, Annabel. Reading Holinshed's Chronicles. University of Chicago Press, 1994.
• Plomer, Henry Robert. A Short History of English Printing, 1476-1898. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., 1900.
• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth, edited by Sandra Clark & Pamela Mason. Bloomsbury, 2015.

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The Grettir Saga concludes with his half-brother Thorstein finding freedom and romance in Constantinople.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.

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Grettir's half-brother goes looking for revenge, and his killer goes to join the Varangian Guard.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.
• Collingwood, W.G. A Pilgrimage to the Saga-Steads of Iceland. W. Holmes, 1899.

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Grettir, his little brother, and their reluctant helper face a new threat on Drangey. His story comes to a conclusion but not his saga.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.

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The conclusion of Grettir's story, part one. He and his brother look for refuge on the island of Drangey, but they aren't the only ones who are interested in the island.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.
• Ljungqvist, Fredrik Charpentier. "Rape in the Icelandic Sagas: An Insight in the Perceptions about Sexual Assaults on Women in the Old Norse World," in Journal of Family History, 40(4), 431–447.
• Tweedie, Ethel Brilliana. A Girl's Ride in Iceland. Horace Cox, 1895.

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Grettir wanders Iceland, never able to stay in one place for too long. He is cursed to fear the dark and wish for company because of it, even as that company wishes him dead.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Pavey, Sophie. "Outlawed but Not Alone: Friendships Out of Bounds in Grettir’s Saga," UBC Arts One, Prof. Miranda Burgess Seminar, 2021.

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Grettir's story continues. He feels the effects of Glamr's curse as his luck turns against him and he is outlawed once more.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.
• Three Icelandic Outlaw Sagas, translated by George Johnston and Anthony Faulkes. Everyman, 2001.

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The Saga of Grettir the Strong opens with his grandfather leaving King Harald's Norway for Iceland. We follow its portrayal of Grettir's troubled childhood and his tests of strength against boulders, men, bears, and (for some Halloween appropriate listening) draugr, the undead of the burial mound.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974.
• Three Icelandic Outlaw Sagas, translated by George Johnston and Anthony Faulkes. Everyman, 2001.

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A standalone episode on Tāj al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn Anjab ibn al-Sā’ī, and his solitary work that survives in its entirety, Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad.

If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.

I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.

Sources:

• Ibn al-Sā'ī. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad, edited by Shawkat M. Toorawa. New York University Press, 2015.
• Caswell, F.M. The Slave Girls of Baghdad: The Qiyan in the Early Abbasid Era. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011.

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