The Icelandic sagas tell the stories of the country’s settlers 1100 years ago, and mostly the stories that Snorri Sturluson, who lived at a volcanic hill called, simply, Borg (the German “Burg” for castle and “Berg” for mountain have the same root). The Icelandic town Borgarnes, or Borg Point, is just up the bay, at the mouth of the Breiðafjörd, or Broad Fjord. The view from Borg at sundown at 3 pm in November is really worth a saga in itself.

The story of these sagas and their importance to literature, Iceland and memory, are being told this week on CBC Radio. You can listen in. Here’s Part One, which played on January 1…

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/map-of-the-heart-the-icelandic-sagas-part-1-1.4702465

… and part 2 which is playing tonight:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/a-map-of-the-heart-part-2-the-icelandic-sagas-1.4712468

Well worth a couple hours of your time. The light disappears quickly here.

It’s always good to warm yourself by a good story.

And even the ice tells stories at Borg!