Viking Saga Songs: 4. Sing us a saga
Time to meet Thor, god of thunder. The song celebrates storytelling...and in the first part of our saga Thor and Loki are on their way to Jotunheim when they stop at the home of a villager...and Loki finds a new way to cause trouble.
The saga
You see, horses were too ordinary for Thor!Loki
Loki says that great stories need great characters - and that Thor is a character who makes for a great story, because everything he does is that little bit different. Thor is a sworn enemy of the giants of Jotunheim and in this story he ventures into the frozen home of the giants, taking Loki with him for company, intent on challenging the giants to a contest. In the first part of the story Thor and Loki go as far as Midgard, where they spend the night with a humble villager. Thor slaughters his two goats for meat, warning Loki and the villager during their meal to keep all the bones safe. Loki - up to his tricks again - whispers to the villager to ignore Thor and break a bone or two if he wishes. In the morning Thor brings the goats back to life with a magic spell - but there's a problem...
In the saga...
| Name | Reminder |
|---|---|
| Loki | Viking god of fire |
| Odin | Chief of all the Viking gods |
| Thor | Viking god of thunder |
| Thor's goats | They're able to perform an extraordinary trick - so long as their bones remain undamaged! |
| The humble villager | Required by Thor to offer somewhere to stay for the night |
| Skrymnir | An important giant |
| Hel | Skrymnir's great-great-grandmother - and death itself |
| Midgard | Home of the humans |
| Jotunheim | The frozen land that is home to Skrymnir and the other giants |
In the song tutorial
| Timing | Content |
|---|---|
| 00 00 | Exploring the lilting rhythm of the song through simple rowing actions - like Vikings crossing the North Sea. Noting the direction of Viking voyages. Singing the tune of the song to 'La' while performing lyre-plucking actions. |
| 02 57 | Beginning to learn the words of the song, beginning: 'Sing us a saga...' Listening then repeating a line at a time. Then singing the whole verse. |
| 04 58 | Noting that each of the four verses has a long introduction to add actions (rowing, swaying, plucking) before learning Verse 2. |
| 06 27 | Learning Verse 3, noting that the verse begins and ends the same as the other verses, but has different words in the middle. |
| 07 32 | Learning Verse 4, making the most important words 'dramatic'. |
| 08 34 | Getting into two groups to learn the coda, which is sung as a 'round'. Noting that the coda should sound like waves fading. |
Story questions
Why are Thor and Loki going to Jotunheim, land of the giants?
The giants are sworn enemies of the gods and Thor wants to test the strength of his hammer by challenging them
What is Thor's chariot pulled by?
Two shaggy goats
What food does the humble villager offer Thor and Loki in Midgard?
Loki says 'it was just stale bread and dodgy cheese'
What does Thor forbid both Loki and the villager from doing?
When they eat the goat stew they are not allowed to damage any of the bones
What does Loki tell the villager to do with the bones?
Crack open a bone or two if the villager feels like it so that he can enjoy the marrow inside
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Lyrics - Sing us a saga
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Sing us a saga
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Pupils' pamphlet
Lyric sheets and activities (pdf)
