Egill Skallagrímsson
Egill Skallagrímsson | |
---|---|
Þorgerðr Egilsdóttir, Bera Egilsdóttir, Böðvarr Egilsson, Gunnar Egilsson and Þorsteinn Egilsson | |
Relatives | Skalla-Grímr and Bera Yngvarsdóttir |
Egil Skallagrímsson (
Life
Egil was born in
Skalla-Grímr was a respected chieftain, and mortal enemy of King
Egil composed his first poem at three years old. He exhibited
At the age of seven, Egil was cheated in a game with local boys. Enraged, he went home, procured an axe, and, returning to the boys, split the skull to the teeth of the boy who had cheated him.[6] After Berg-Önundr refused to allow Egil to claim his wife Ásgerðr's share of her father's inheritance, he challenged Önundr to a man-to-man fight on an island (a hólmganga). Berg-Önundr refused the challenge but was later killed along with his brother Hadd by Egil. Egil later killed the last of the brothers, Atli the Short, by biting through Atli's neck during a holmgangr.
Later, after being grievously insulted, Egil killed Bárðr of Atley, a retainer of King
In spring Þórólfr and Egil prepared a large warship and raid along the
That same summer,
- "Here I set up a níð-pole, and declare this níð against King Eiríkr and Queen Gunnhildr,"—he turned the horse-head to face the mainland—"I declare this níð at the land-spirits there, and the land itself, so that all will fare astray, not to hold nor find their places, not until they wreak King Eiríkr and Gunnhildr from the land." He set up the pole of níð in the cliff-face and left it standing; he faced the horse's eyes on the land, and he carved runes upon the pole, and said all the formal words of the curse. (ch. 57).
Gunnhildr also put a spell on Egil, cursing him to feel restless and depressed until they met again.
Soon afterwards, Eiríkr and Gunnhildr were forced to flee to the
Arinbjörn told Egil that he should stay up all night and compose a mighty head-ransom poem or drápa fit for such a king, a poem in praise of his enemy. In the morning Egil went back before king Eiríkr and recited the great drápa. This twenty-stanza long head-ransom poem appears in Chapter 63 of
Egil also fought at the Battle of Brunanburh in the service of King Æthelstan; his brother Þórólfr died there, for which Egil received two chests of silver from Æthelstan in compensation.[8]
Ultimately, Egil returned to his family farm in
When a Christian
Physical appearance
In chapter 55 of Egil's Saga, his appearance is described as follows
Egil was large-featured, broad of forehead, with large eyebrows, a nose not long but very thick, lips wide and long, chin exceeding broad, as was all about the jaws; thick-necked was he, and big-shouldered beyond other men, hard-featured, and grim when angry. He was well-made, more than commonly short, had hair wolf-gray and thick, but became early bald. He was black-eyed and brown-skinned.
Issue
According to Egils saga, Egil has five children with Ásgerðr Björnsdóttir:
Poems
Apart from being a warrior of immense might in literary sources, Egil is also celebrated for his poetry, considered by many historians to be the finest of the ancient Scandinavian poets
- Aðalsteinsdrápa. King Æthelstan.
- Eiríkr Bloodaxe, who had sentenced him to death in England.
- Sonatorrek ("The Loss of a Son"). After the death of his son Böðvar who drowned during a storm.
- Arinbjarnarkviða. Dedicated to his companion Arinbjörn
- Skjaldardrápa.
- Berudrápa.
- Lausavísur.
- Fragments
The following is one of Egil's Lausavísur (no. 3), found in chapter 40 of Egils Saga:
|
|
|
Runes
Egil was also a scholar of runes. His apparent mastery of their magic powers assisted him several times during his journeys. During a feast at Atla-isle, Bard's attempt to poison Egil failed when runes carved by Egil shattered his poisoned cup.
At a companion's request, he examined a sick woman. A local land owner, after being denied her hand in marriage, had attempted to carve love-runes. Instead, he had mistakenly carved runes causing illness. Egil burned the offending runes and carved runes for health, and the woman recovered. He then sang a poem declaring that "Runes none should grave ever/Who knows not to read them."
As for the sick young woman, in addition to burning the runes, Egil ordered her to be lifted out of bed and her old bedding to be thrown away and replaced with new sheets. Recovery was swift.
Runes were also employed by Egil during the raising of the Nithing Pole against King Eirik Bloodaxe and Queen Gunnhildr.
Egil in popular culture
- The Icelandic brewery Ölgerðin Egil Skallagrímsson is named after him.
- There is a talk show on Icelandic television called Egil's Silver, named after Egil's hidden treasure (the title is also a play on words with the host's name being Egil.)
- "Egil's Silver" is also the name of a song by Megas, from his first album.
- In the Society for Creative Anachronism Barony of Adiantum there is an "Egil Skallagrimsson Memorial Tournament" held annually on memorial day weekend.
- The novelist Egils Saga.
- "Egil Saga" is a song on the album Licht by the German band, Egils Saga" and tell the story of the girl made sick by the runes and how Egil cured her.
- Egil Skallagrímsson is a character in the historical fiction series Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, who settles in Northumbria for a time as a close friend and ally to a fictionalized Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Similar to his historical counterpart, he fights at the Battle of Brunanburh, alongside his brother Thorolfr and Lord Uhtred.
Footnotes
- ^ Palsson and Edwards pp. 248–49
- ^ a b Thorsson, 3
- Óðinn, but also being a heitifor snake, billy-goat and dwarf
- doi:10.7557/13.2143., father of Ketill hoengr, and ancestor of some of the settlers of Iceland, including Skalla-Grimr.
The following nouns were used about people of mixed parentage:".."halftroll 'a half troll'. This is used as the nickname of Hallbjorn of Ramsta in Namdalen
- ^ a b c Byock, Jesse L. (January 1995). "Egil's Bones". Scientific American. pp. 82–87. Retrieved 2015-07-06 – via The Viking Site.
- ^ "Egil at the Ball-Play". Egil's Saga. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1930. p. 75.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin. "What Made the Vikings Tick?".
- ^ "Egil's Saga". The Sagas of Icelanders. Penguin Books, 2000. 109–119. Print.
- ^ "Egil Skallagrimsson and the Viking Ideal". Medievalists.net. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
- ^ Jansson 1980:26-27
- ^ Edited by Margaret Clunies Ross at Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages Archived 2007-08-31 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages Egill Lv 3V (Eg 7)
- ^ Herman Pálsson and Paul Edwards (trs.). Egil's Saga. Harmondsworth, 1976. p. 94
- ISBN 978-0-7653-4502-8), 2001, 2003
References
- Jansson, Sven B. (1980). Runstenar. STF, Stockholm. ISBN 91-7156-015-7
- Palsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul (Translators), Egil's Saga 1976, Penguin Classics
- Thorsson, Örnólfur, ed. (2000). The Sagas of the Icelanders: A Selection. New York, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-100003-1
External links
- Poems, at Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages website
In English:
- Egil's saga - English translation (W. C. Green) at the Icelandic Saga Database, with original Old Norse and Icelandic text
- Egil Skallagrimsson and the Viking Ideal by Christina von Nolcken, from a University of Chicago website
- Egil's Bones, from a University of California, Los Angeles website
- Text of the saga, translated into English by Rev. W. C. Green in 1893, from the Northvegr Foundation
In Icelandic:
- Egils saga—Text of Egils saga at the Icelandic Saga Database, modern spelling and Old Norse version
- Text of Egil's saga, with modern spelling
- Höfundur Egil Skallagrímsson
- [1]