Egil Saga hefir hon haft langan vanmátt, ok þat var kröm mikil. Fekk hon enga nótt svefn ok var sem hamstoli væri. Ristnar hafa verit rúnar, ok er sá einn bóndason heðan skammt í brott, er þat gerði, ok er síðan miklu verr en áðr. Egill reist rúnar ok lagði undir hægendit í hvíluna, þar er hon hvíldi. Henni þótti sem hon vaknaði ór svefni ok sagði, at hon var þá heil, Skalat maðr rúnar rísta, nema ráða vel kunni. Þat verðr mörgum manni, es of myrkvan staf villisk. Sák á telgðu talkni tíu launstafi ristna. Þat hefr lauka lindi langs ofrtrega fengit. Egil Saga “She has been ill for a long time, she has the exhaustion, cannot sleep any night and was as if she had lost reason and shape.” Runes have been scratched therefore, it is a farmer’s son, not far from here, he has done that, but afterwards it was much worse than before. Egil scratched runes and placed them under the cushion of the bed she rested on. It was to her as if she had awoken from sleep, and she said she was well now. Chorus: No man shall scratch runes Not being able to use them well; Many a man is misled by dark forces. Ten secret runes have I seen Scratched on smoothed out fish bone; For the girl this has caused sorrow for a long time Egils saga is an Icelandic saga. The oldest transcript (a fragment) dates back to 1240 AD. The saga is centered on the life of Egill Skallagrímsson, an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. It is generally referred to as Egla by Icelandic scholars. The saga covers a long period of time, starting in Norway around 850 AD, with the life of Egills grandfather Úlfr, called Kveldúlfr (Evening Wolf) and his two sons, Þórólfr and Egills father Skalla-Grímr. Kveldúlfr is described as bigger and stronger than anyone else gaining much land and property from viking raids. He was a very wise man, hamrammr (a shape-shifter) in battles and a shy recluse in the evenings. Extreme personal traits like these are seen in his son Skalla-Grímr and his grandson Egill as well. After Þórólfrs death, due to his broken allegiance to King Haraldr (although not Þórólfrs 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 Egill and Þórólfr (named after his uncle) grow up. The story continues with the childhood of Egill, which foreshadows his future rebelliousness. His familys peace is again lost as the social order is threatened by Egills dangerous attitude. He stirs up trouble with his first murder with an axe at the age of seven. The story goes on to tell the tales of Egills voyages to Scandinavia and England and his personal vendetta against King Eric Bloodaxe. 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 Egils Saga – An Outline Egil Skalla-Grimsson was the greatest poet of Iceland in heathen times. He was also a Viking and raided and pillaged widely throughout northern Europe. In his home shire he was was a chieftain and heathen priest, administering the area around Borgarnes that his pioneering father Skalla-Grimur Kveld-Ulfsson had claimed. The story commences when Skalla-Grimur and his family are forced to flee Norway as a result of a feud with King Harold Fair Hair who at that time was forcefully trying to unite all of Norway. It describes how he settles in Borgar Fiord on the south west coast of Iceland and how his son Egil is born and raised there. It also describes what a tempestuous and unmanageable child Egil was. The central section of the Saga tells of Egil’s travels abroad with his elder brother Thorolfur and how they fought side by side in Viking raids throughout Northern Europe. They both fell in love with Asgerdur (their foster-sister), however it was Thorolfur who married her. When Thorolfur is killed fighting for King Athalsten in England, Egil then marries Asgerdur. In total Egil embarks on four major journeys abroad and each of them in their own way is noteworthy. The most remarkable passages are his dealings with the King of Norway, both as friend and foe. Perhaps the climax of the Saga is Egil’s bloody feud with King Eric Bloodaxe and Queen Gunnhildur of Norway. The final chapters of the Saga deal with the hero’s latter years and the fate of his descendants. It describes Egil’s twilight years living with his foster-daughter Thordis in Mosfell, just to the north of Reykjavik. Egil lived his entire life as a heathen. The formal conversion of Iceland to Christianity did not occur until ten years after his death. Egils Saga is the story of a pioneering family, settlers of Myrar area near the modern township of Borgarnes, and spans a period of approximately 150 years from 840AD to 990AD. It encompasses four generations of this family, from Kveld-Ulfur to his son Skalla-Grimur and so his son Egil and finally Egil’s son Thorsteinn. However the lead role in this magnificent saga is undoubtedly played by Egil Skalla-Grimsson. This legendary warrior poet is one of the most remarkable and imposing characters of the great settlement age of Iceland.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 12:30:41 +0000
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