Egils saga Totally Explained

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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. It is an important representative of the sagas and has much to say about the end of the Viking era. 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 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 . Kveldúlfr is said to be a shape-shifter, and earned his name from the fact that he became wolf after sunset. The genealogy at the opening of the saga states that the family carry some ogre descent, giving a violent temper in later descentants. 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. 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").
   The character of Egil is highly ambiguous. 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. 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.
   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.

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).

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