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The John Batchelor Show

Preview: Historian Eleanor Barraclough discusses a story preserved in a later saga (13th/14th century) about two men sheltering in an Icelandic cave after conversion. They encounter a mountain giant whose two glowing eyes resemble full moons. The giant re

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

News, Books, Society & Culture, Arts

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Preview: Historian Eleanor Barraclough discusses a story preserved in a later saga (13th/14th century) about two men sheltering in an Icelandic cave after conversion. They encounter a mountain giant whose two glowing eyes resemble full moons. The giant recites a poem of 12 verses containing volcanic imagery ("dark flames drive the spit," "roaring of the spark storm"), describing the driving underground of the giants ("clay folk") as their world ends.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Building a coffee business?

0:01.9

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0:04.1

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0:21.0

This is John Batchel,

0:22.2

conversation with the author,

0:23.8

Eleanor Barakoff. your best-selling blends. Visit sumup.co.com to learn more. This is John Batchel,

0:22.1

conversation with the author, Eleanor Barakoff.

0:25.4

She's also a broadcaster and an historian.

0:28.5

Her book is of the Viking Age entitled Embers of the Hands.

0:32.8

That's a poetic way of saying gold or silver.

0:36.3

Embers of the Hands, hidden histories of the Viking Age.

0:41.5

We turn here to a magical cave in Iceland that may or may not exist. There is a cave, and

0:49.3

the archaeologists are working on it now because it seems consistent with Viking belief

0:54.8

that there were creatures underground.

0:57.7

There was another world.

0:59.6

Eleanor here tells the story that's in the saga of two men Christians.

1:04.8

This is after conversion who come across the cave and come across a giant inside the cave,

1:12.1

a giant with a poem that is spooky.

1:17.6

Here's Eleanor Baraklov, embers of the hands, hidden histories of the Viking Age.

1:23.4

Highly recommended, much more of this.

1:26.4

Thank you.

1:27.3

Yeah, so this is the poem.

...

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