Listen to my telling of the Saga of Burnt Njal. I have kept close to the English-language text of Sir George Webbe Dasent, but have made a few changes in the words and the phrasing -- all to make the story more accessible to story listeners today. I pronounce the Icelandic names in the American way, which is my native tongue.
I am currently uploading each chapter as I record the episodes. My hope is to have all 158 chapters recorded and posted here by the end of summer, 2012. We now have 24 chapters available online as audiofiles. You can receive automatic updates of each upload by adding your email to our Icelandic Storyfest distribution list. (See the linked tab above "subscribe newsletter.")
Remember three things:
(1) The Icelandic sagas were not meant to be told as an oral performance from memory. (2) Nor were they meant to be read silently by an individual reader. (3) Rather, they were recited aloud from the written texts which were the treasured possessions of those medieval households lucky enough to own them.
Listening to my recital of the Saga of Burnt Njal is about as an authentic way of entering into the tale as possible for English-speaking persons in the Twenty-First Century. Enjoy listening.
-- Robert Bela Wilhelm
PS -- These recordings are being made for G. Brownholtz, a visually impaired clergyman who is traveling to Iceland with Storyfest Journeys in September of 2012. They are being posted for others who may need this service. No infringements of copyright are intended.
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