The Divine Ancestry of Harald Fairhair.

In the first episode of "Sagas w/Shawn - Gods and Kings" Shawn dives into the ancestry of Harald Fairhair, the first King of a Unified Norway (872 ce). Was Harald truly descended from the Norse gods Freyr, Niord, and even the All-Father Odin himself? Or did later authors fabricate these supposed connections to elevate the status of their own culture and history?

Using the sources "Heimskringla", "The Saga of the Volsungs", and "The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok" (with some others as well), Shawn explore the House of Yngling and the House of Volsung in varying detail to bridge the gap between mythological gods and this historical figure.

Sources used:

• The Saga of the Volsungs: With the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (Hackett Classics)
• The Poetic Edda (Hackett Publishing)
• The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics)
• The Anglo-Saxon Chronical (Pantianos Classics)
• Heimskringla or The Lives of the Norse Kings (Dover Publications)

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Welcome to Sagas w/Shawn – Gods and Kings, a podcast that explores the epic intersection of mythology, legend, and real-world history. In this short intro episode, Shawn shares what this project is all about, from Norse gods like Odin and Thor, to legendary warriors like Ragnar Lodbrok, and all the way to historical rulers like Harald Fairhair and Alfred the Great.

You’ll hear how myth and history overlap, intertwine, or conflict through ancient sources like the Poetic Edda, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Icelandic sagas, and more. Plus, a sneak peek at what’s to come, including future episodes exploring other ancient mythologies... and even the legends of fictional universes like A Song of Ice and Fire, The Elder Scrolls, The Legend of Zelda, and The Lord of the Rings.

Thanks for joining, and please be gentle on your reviews :/

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