The Tree of Strife
A BBC Radio 4 Icelandic Saga Full-Cast Dramatisation
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
The Tree of Strife
Buy for $13.07
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
By:
-
David Wade
About this listen
An epic BBC historical drama based on Iceland's famous saga of tragedy, heroism and fate.
Written by an anonymous storyteller in the 13th Century, and describing events between 960 and 1020, Njáls saga is one of the great works of medieval literature. The longest and most celebrated of the Icelandic sagas, it deals with family honour, vengeance and a vicious blood feud spanning almost 50 years.
Based on the classic translation by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson, this gripping dramatisation centres around two friends—the wise, learned Njal, and the brave warrior Gunnar. Gifted with the ability to see into the future, Njal can foretell his own death—but he is powerless to stunt the growth of the tree of strife that flourishes after Gunnar's betrothal to Hallgerd with the thief's eyes.
Embroiled in his wife's intrigues, Gunnar is caught in a cycle of killings and revenge—and as Njal's sons are drawn into this web of violence, tragedy ensues. Bound by ties of blood, and unable to escape their destiny, Gunnar, Njal, and their descendants seem doomed to an endless vendetta. Even the coming of a new faith, Christianity, fails to halt the conflict—and as brother turns upon brother, will peace ever be restored?
Adapted by veteran dramatist David Wade, this gripping tale vividly evokes Iceland's heroic age. Thronged with action, passion, power struggles and prophetic dreams, it features a host of vividly-drawn characters, and stars Bernard Hepton as Njal, Struan Rodger as Gunnar and Maureen O'Brien as Hallgerd.
Production credits
Dramatised by David Wade from a translation by Magnus Magnusson and Herman Palsson
Music by David Chilton and Nick Russell-Pavier
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
Cast:
Narrators—Norman Rodway & Barbara Jefford
Njal Thorgeirsson—Bernard Hepton
Gunnar Hámundarson—Struan Rodger
Hallgerd Long-Legs—Maureen O'Brien
Ahdli/Thorgeir Otkelsson—Ian Targett
Bergthóra, Njal's wife—Maggie McCarthy
Unn—Anna Cropper
Skarphedin Njalsson—Robert Glenister
Helgi Njalsson/Otkel Skarfsson—Vincent Brimble
Greem Njalsson—Andrew Branch
Brynjolv/Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson/Gayrmund—John Bull
Hrut Herjolfsson/Ketill/Thorgeir—David King
Kolskegg Gunnarsson—David Goudge
Thord Freemansson/Hocni Gunnarsson—Paul Downing
Thrain Sigfusson—John Church
Mord Valgardsson—Shaun Prendegast
Valgard the Grey—John Moffatt
Hoskuld Thrainsson—Jonathan Tafler
Hildigunn—Victoria Carling
Sigmundt/Skammkel/Gudmund—Brian Millar
Skjold/Law Speaker—Donald Gee
Asgnmr Ellioa-Grimsson/Thorgeir—Alan Barker
Flosi Thordarson—Crawford Logan
Kari Solumndarson—Jimmy Yuill
Kawl/Bjorn the White/Melkov—Ken Cumberlidge
Thorgardh/Bjorn's wife—Alice Arnold
Halvard/Thorgeir Skorargeir—Joe Dunlop
Greeman—Drew Branch
With Sam Bennett, Simon Linnell, Joan Matheson, Danny Schiller and Joan Walker
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 17-18 February 1990
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution LtdRelated to this topic
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 181,759
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 165,951
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 165,398
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,062
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,674
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,673
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,431
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,272
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,266
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 37,666
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33,521
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33,417
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
Artemis
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Rosario Dawson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94,512
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86,519
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 86,317
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A ferrari with no motor
- By will on 11-18-17
By: Andy Weir
-
Temporal
- By: Julian Simpson, Richard MacLean Smith, Bec Boey, and others
- Narrated by: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jessie Mei Li, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,030
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,980
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,981
In the not-too-distant future, a 21-member crew launches from Earth. Their mission: to establish a temporary colony on Mars. Little do they know that colony will become permanent–and the last stand of the human race. Because, without warning, every single person left on Earth simply...vanishes. Now, a thousand years later, the resources needed to sustain life are running out, and the very existence of the Mars colony is threatened. Humankind has only one option–to return to its home planet.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
It was ok.
- By Cregg Terasa on 08-06-24
By: Julian Simpson, and others
-
Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 181,759
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 165,951
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 165,398
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Bazinga
- By Davidgonzalezsr on 05-04-21
By: Andy Weir
-
George Orwell’s 1984
- An Audible Original adaptation
- By: George Orwell, Joe White - adaptation
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,062
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,674
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,673
It’s 1984, and life has changed beyond recognition. Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, is a place where Big Brother is always watching, and nobody can hide. Except, perhaps, for Winston Smith. Whilst working at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history, he secretly dreams of freedom. And in a world where love and sex are forbidden, where it’s hard to distinguish between friend and foe, he meets Julia and O’Brien and vows to rebel.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Revelation!
- By wotsallthisthen on 04-07-24
By: George Orwell, and others
-
Starter Villain
- By: John Scalzi
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10,431
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,272
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,266
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan. Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
- By C. White on 09-19-23
By: John Scalzi
-
The Martian
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 37,666
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33,521
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33,417
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I love Wil Wheaton but why not R. C. Bray?
- By L. Newman on 01-11-20
By: Andy Weir
-
Artemis
- By: Andy Weir
- Narrated by: Rosario Dawson
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 94,512
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86,519
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 86,317
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A ferrari with no motor
- By will on 11-18-17
By: Andy Weir
-
Temporal
- By: Julian Simpson, Richard MacLean Smith, Bec Boey, and others
- Narrated by: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jessie Mei Li, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,030
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,980
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,981
In the not-too-distant future, a 21-member crew launches from Earth. Their mission: to establish a temporary colony on Mars. Little do they know that colony will become permanent–and the last stand of the human race. Because, without warning, every single person left on Earth simply...vanishes. Now, a thousand years later, the resources needed to sustain life are running out, and the very existence of the Mars colony is threatened. Humankind has only one option–to return to its home planet.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
It was ok.
- By Cregg Terasa on 08-06-24
By: Julian Simpson, and others