Episode 42b – The Saga of Thorstein Siðu-Hallsson (chapters 3-5)

The saga of Thorstein Siðu-Hallsson is a fragmentary work, surviving only in a 17th-century copy of a lost manuscript. In this episode, the hosts of Saga Thing work through chapters three to five, which contain the most intact portion of the story. The central question organizing the episode is whether this saga, despite its missing pieces, thin character development, and heavy reliance on dream sequences, has genuine narrative merit—or whether it is simply a poorly preserved collection of tropes.

The Price of a Pot

Thorstein returns to Iceland after three years abroad, having fought at the Battle of Clontarf and built a reputation at the court of King Magnús Óláfsson in Norway. During his absence, his friend Þórhaddr has been running the chieftaincy competently—except for one ongoing dispute. Þórhaddr collected debts on behalf of his son-in-law Hauk, and the two men fell out over a single item: a large, finely made pot. Þórhaddr wanted it; Hauk refused to give it up. Over the next three years, Þórhaddr annually seized five oxen and thirty sheep from Hauk's farm, sending word that this "went some way toward paying for the price of this pot." Hauk did nothing. His wife Guðleif, Þórhaddr's own daughter, warned him that her father's temperament would lead to trouble.