An Introduction to Egils Saga Skallagrímssonar
Icelandic Saga Tells the Life of a Singular Viking-Poet
Jun 26, 2009
Egils saga Skallagrímssonar (often shortened to Egils saga or Egla) is one of the most famous sagas, prose works written in Old Norse that are among the finest literature of the middle ages. Scholars group Egils saga with the "sagas of the Icelanders," as it deals with historical and semi-historical figures from ninth- and tenth-century Iceland.
Egils saga was probably not written down until the 1200s, and the oldest extant manuscript is from the fourteenth century. While its author is unknown, some believe that Snorri Sturluson, a medieval Icelandic poet, scholar, and politician, may have written Egils saga. Snorri was also the author of the Prose Edda, a vital source of pagan Scandinavian mythology.
The Family and Youth of Egill Skallagrímsson
Like many of the sagas, Egils saga begins by tracing the ancestry of its hero. Egill's grandfather is Kveld-Úlfr ("Evening Wolf"), who has two sons, Thórólfr and Skalla-Grímr. After Thórólfr is unjustly killed by Haraldr, king of Norway, Kveld-Úlfr and Skalla-Grímr flee to Iceland, though Kveld-Úlfr dies along the way.
Skalla-Grímr has two sons in Iceland, Thórólfr and Egill. Thórólfr is like his uncle and namesake: handsome, idealistic, and somewhat naive. But Egill takes after Skalla-Grímr. He is ugly, cantankerous, and resilient. Egill's youth is spent being contrary and disobedient to his father, like many other saga heroes.
Egill Skallagrímsson's Character and Adventures
Egill is described in the saga as a menacing, mercurial figure. He has a big head, with heavy brows and a wide nose, and even as a boy, is distinguished for his size and toughness. While a fearless adventurer and a ready wit, he is beset by foul moods, and delights in provoking friends and enemies alike.
In one scene, for instance, he attends a feast while staring down his host and pulling his sword menacingly in and out of its scabbard – a breach of etiquette even in rough-and-ready viking times.
Egill has a number of adventures, including both triumphs and defeats, in his long life. He journeys throughout Scandinavia, and even goes to England, where, on one visit, he becomes a retainer of King Aethelstan, fighting for the king at Brunanburh.
But just as Egill has powerful friends, he also has powerful enemies. Eiríkr Blódøx ("Blood-Ax"), who succeeded his father Haraldr as king of Norway, is one of Egill's main antagonists, and his queen Gunnhildr works evil spells on Egill. But Egill lives into his eighties after returning to Iceland, and his sons convert to Christianity after his death.
The Style of Egils saga
Egils saga is typical of the "saga style," a very terse, often dryly humorous way of writing prose. For example, in one episode, Egill fights off an enemy ambush from Bardr, while protecting his drunken friend, Olvir.
The saga presents the gruesome, and slightly farcical, outcome of the fight without any embellishment, letting the contrast speak for itself: "Bardr fell down dead, and blood flowed out from the wound. Then Olvir fell, and vomit gushed from him." (Chapter 44)
The Historical Significance of Egils saga
Egill Skallagrímsson was a famous poet in his day, and Egils saga preserves many examples of complex Skaldic poetry, supposedly by Egill himself.
Egill recites one poem before King Eiríkr that is so good that it persuades Eiríkr to spare Egill's life. It is later named Hofudlausn ("Head-ransom"). Another, the Sonatorrek ("Wreck of Sons"), is a lament famously composed by Egill after the drowning of his son Bodvarr.
Egils saga also sheds light on historical events, though its chronology is not always accurate. Yet even the more fanciful details of the saga may have some basis in fact. For instance, it has been suggested that Egill's physical deformities, including an unusually hard skull, could be explained by the fact that Egill suffered from Paget's disease.
Egils saga for the Modern Reader
Egils saga is one of the best Icelandic sagas, and is an excellent introduction to that body of literature. It has a famously mercurial hero, equally renowned as a warrior and as a poet in a culture which had its fair share of both. Its historical sweep and clear, laconic prose make it accessible even to modern readers.
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