What you were about to listen to is part five of a multi-part series exploring the

portrayal of powerful women in Old Norse literature, focusing particularly on the life and legend of Gunhild Canungamalder, the once

and future queen of 10th century Norway. In our last episode we followed Gunhilled as she and

her family were twice exiled first from Norway and then from England.

And we witnessed how in the wake of this second exile

Ginnhild was widowed,

her husband Eric falling in battle, either in Spain or in England, depending on which source you consult.

Mourning, but newly empowered as the head of her household,

Gunhild managed to weather this loss,

and eventually established her family in Denmark,

supported there by the Danish monarch Harold Bluetooth.

Today we are going to continue our narrative and explore various tales from Gunhild and her family's time in Denmark, with a particular focus

on the Gunhildersons mission to regain their father's throne.

We will then once again widen our view and talk more generally about one of the most interesting

associations which is found in the sagas.

That is the connection between powerful women and magic.

I won't spoil the exact relationship between these seemingly unrelated topics yet, but believe me, it's a good one.

If you haven't yet listened to earlier parts of this series, I would

highly recommend that you go back and do so before you begin this episode. We are once again going to be headed directly into the story today.

And like most tales, this is one that makes most sense with full context.

Before we get into all of that though, I did just want to take a minute or so to make you aware of a couple of projects that I think you might enjoy.

The first of these is a collaboration that I did with the wonderful folks at the Going

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