Egils saga is an epic Icelandic saga possibly by Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241 AD), who may have written the account between the years 1220 and 1240 AD. Egill Skallagrímsson (910-c990 was a Viking Skald and the great Anti-hero of Icelandic literature. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation The Sagas of Icelanders ( Icelandic: Íslendingasögur)&mdashmany of which are also known as family sagas &mdashare prose histories describing Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician It is an important representative of the sagas and has much to say about the end of the Viking era. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking, and skald. Egill Skallagrímsson (910-c990 was a Viking Skald and the great Anti-hero of Icelandic literature. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The skald was a member of a group of Poets whose courtly poetry (Icelandic dróttkvæði) is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic It is generally referred to as "Egla" by Icelandic scholars.
The saga covers a long period of time, starting in Norway in 850 AD, with the life of Egil's grandfather Úlfr, called Kveldúlfr ("Evening Wolf") and his two sons, Þórólfr, a great warrior who had a complicated relationship with King Haraldr of Norway, and Egil's father Skalla-Grímr Kveldúlfsson . Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair ( Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian: Harald Hårfagre) (c Skalla-Grímr Kveldulfsson (9 and 10 centuries was a Norwegian, who was forced to emigrate to Iceland in the days of his enemy Haraldr hárfagri Kveldúlfr is said to be a shape-shifter, and earned his name from the fact that he became wolf after sunset. Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. The genealogy at the opening of the saga states that the family carry some ogre descent, giving a violent temper in later descentants. Genealogy (from Greek: el γενεά el-Latn genea, "descent" and el λόγος el-Latn logos, "knowledge" is the study of An ogre (feminine ogress) is a large cruel and hideous Humanoid Monster, featured in mythology folklore and fiction After Þórólfr's death, due to his broken allegiance to King Haraldr (although not Þórólfr's fault), Skalla-Grímr and his father Kveldúlfr flee Norway to settle in Iceland. Skalla-Grímr settles in peace as a farmer and blacksmith at Borg, where his sons Egil and Þórólfr (named after his uncle) grow up.
The story continues with the childhood of Egill, which foreshadows his future rebelliousness. His family's peace is again lost as the social order is threatened by Egil's dangerous attitude. He stirs up trouble with his first murder with an axe at the age of six. The story goes on to tell the tales of Egil's voyages to Scandinavia and England and his personal vendetta against King Eric Bloodaxe. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A feud (ˈfjuːd (referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud or vendetta) is a long-running argument or fight between parties&mdashoften through Guilt Eirik Bloodaxe ( Old Norse: Eiríkr blóðøx, Norwegian: Eirik Blodøks) (c There are also vivid descriptions of his other fights and friendships, his relationship with his family (highlighted by his jealousy, as well as fondness for his older brother Þórólfr), his old age, and the fate of his own son Þorsteinn (who was baptized once Roman Catholicism came to Iceland) and his children who had many children of their own. The saga ends around the year 1000 AD and spans many generations.
The saga follows Egil through the various stages of his life, most of which are surrounded by battle, and Egil virtually narrates his own life story with his frequent segments of poetry. Before Egil died he allegedly concealed his silver treasure near Mosfellsbær, giving birth to the legend of silfur Egils ("Egil's Silver"). Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Mosfellsbær is a town in western Iceland, situated some 106 miles (17 km north of the country’s capital Reykjavík.
The character of Egil is highly ambiguous. [1] His multi-faceted nature reflects the ambivalent qualities of his family, a family of men who are either ugly or astoundingly handsome; a family with a history of "shapeshifters" who become suddenly mad, violent and cruel, though they may at other times be deliberate and wise; a family which neither submits to the will of kings, nor stands in open rebellion. [2] His character is also reflected in the storytelling conventions of the text, a highly ambivalent tale populated by characters with similar or identical names, living out various permutations of very similar stories. The two handsome Þórólfrs die heroic deaths, while their brothers Skallagrim and Egil both die in old age after spitefully burying their wealth in the wilderness. The descendents of Kveldulf find themselves involved in two complicated inheritance feuds, at one time rejecting the claims of illegitimate children of a second marriage, and at another time claiming land on behalf of another illegitimate child born to similar circumstances. [3]
As a work of literature, Egil's Saga is generally considered to be amongst the best of the Icelandic sagas, along with Njáls saga and Laxdæla saga. The Sagas of Icelanders ( Icelandic: Íslendingasögur)&mdashmany of which are also known as family sagas &mdashare prose histories describing Njáls saga (also known as "Brennu-Njáls saga" or "The Story of the burning of Njáll") is arguably the most famous of the Sagas of Laxdœla saga is the saga of the clan /family of Laxárdalur.
Sources for this article
- Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 1968.
- Thorsson, Örnólfur, et al. :The Sagas of the Icelanders: a selection, "Egil's Saga: Egils saga" trans: Bernard Scudder (Penguin Classics, 2000).
References
- ^ "He is inflated far beyond the type of Viking hero, yet he also falls short of it, and while he is often on the edge of the tragic he eludes definition. He can be vicious, absurd, infantile, pathetic, but he is never dull, and though we may not like some of the things he does we are never allowed to settle into a fixed attitude towards him. " - Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards translation, Penguin Classics, 1976
- ^ "But we have also seen how, in the course of the tale, Egil's personality is explored and elucidated not only in terms of his own actions and poetry, but in the actions and characters of his ancestors. " - Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards translation, Penguin Classics, 1976
- ^ "At the root of the first half of the Saga are two family conflicts which extend far beyond the domestic issues which give rise to them, and lead ultimately to enmities with the royal household of Norway. These cases both begin with a man of wealth and power who marries twice, one of the two marriages being in some way of doubtful legality, and illustrate the effect upon the family of the two conflicting lines of descent. " - Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards translation, Penguin Classics, 1976
External links
- Full text in Icelandic and English translation at the Icelandic Saga Database
- Text in Icelandic
- ISBN 0-14-044321-5
- An analysis of the Paget's Disease theory
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