79. Snorri Sturluson Is Assassinated, Reykholt, Iceland 1241

Here we see an illustration of Snorri, by Christian Krogh, from an 1899 edition of Heimskringla. Has anybody made an illustration of Snorri getting assassinated in his basement? They have not. Your host finds this annoying. But versions of Snorri himself — that we have.

Snorri Sturluson, the great Icelandic poet and historian and lawspeaker of the Althing, got involved in Norwegian/Icelandic politics, and it ended very badly. For him, for one thing, as the king of Norway arranged for 70 men to stab Snorri in his basement, and for Iceland as well, which devolved into chieftain battles and eventually unified with Norway, and the Norwegian king became the boss of everything. The Althing still exists, though, and Iceland is independent now, and Snorri is one of the most influential poets of the early middle ages. We explain all this. Anne still wonders why you need 70 people to stab somebody in his basement, and Michelle is shocked, shocked, I tell you, that there isn’t any historical fiction about all this, though she is slightly mollified by the fact that there is now a Snorri ap, for Android and IOS. Well, then.

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One thought on “79. Snorri Sturluson Is Assassinated, Reykholt, Iceland 1241”

  1. I have just discovered this podcast and I listen on I Heart Radio. I love history and have written a couple of medieval romances. Your podcast is wonderful and I love how you put in humor as well. Keep up the good work. I have been to Ireland and viewed the book of Kells. One thing I found impressive was viewing bee hive huts. I am currently working my way through 2021. I binge listen. Thank you for creating this podcast.

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