Listening to the Icelandic Sagas

[Doodle Bob]

I'm not quite sure if anyone has brought this up before, but since many of you are interested in the old sagas, I thought that you might be interested in this. There is a spooky little CD called "Edda: Myths from Medieval Iceland" by the early music group Sequentia, in which they replicate the music and oral tradition of the Icelandic sagas in the original Viking language.

It's quite fascinating, the music is as stark and spellbinding as one might expect.

[CaptMagellan]

I love that CD. There's only so much of it you can take in one sitting but it's way cool.

Technically though (I'm nitpicking), there aren't any sagas on the CD, just Eddic poems.

[Arrjay]

I didn't know about this. It sounds great. Any idea where I can get it?

[CaptMagellan]

Here's the link from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000IFOM/qid=1131637836/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9242133-5360126?v=glance&s=classical&n=507846

[CaptMagellan]

There's also "The Rheingold Curse" by the same group.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000063RVT/ref=pd_sim_music_1/102-9242133-5360126?v=glance&s=classical&n=507846

I don't have this one, but it appears to be using the Eddic poems that tell the same story told in the Volsunga Saga (the Scandinavian version of the German Nibelungenlied).

Track 4 "Sigrdrifomal" should be cool based upon the poem.

[Roquefort Raider]

Track 1 is titled "the song of fire and ice". That made me smile.

[berk]

thanks for those links, I'll definitely check this out.

[Doodle Bob]

Technically though (I'm nitpicking), there aren't any sagas on the CD, just Eddic poems.

True enough, but the listener at least gets an idea how they sounded when recited.

[CaptMagellan]

True enough, but the listener at least gets an idea how they sounded when recited.

Yup. It's also a great CD to slip into the mix during Holiday time X-mas music. Sounds a bit like holiday Gregorian chants... but with a twist. ;)