Egill's Saga or Egil's saga ( ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson), trans., Chapter 3 an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the years c. 850–1000 and traces the family's history from Egill's grandfather to his offspring.
Its oldest manuscript (a fragment) dates back to c. 1250 AD. The saga comprises the sole source of information on the exploits of Egill, whose life is not historically recorded. Stylistic and other similarities between Egill's Saga and Heimskringla have led many scholars to believe that they were the work of the same author, Snorri Sturluson. The work is generally referred to as Egla by Icelandic scholars.
Synopsis
The saga begins in Norway around 850, with the life of Egill's grandfather Ulf (Úlfr) aka Kveldulf or "Evening Wolf", and his two sons Thorolf (Þórólfr) and Skallagrim (Skalla-Grímr). Strife with the royal house drive the family out of the country, and they settle in Iceland. The brothers Egill and Thorolf Skallagrimsson are born. They have a tenuous tenure in Norway, but Egill is outlawed and they roam Scandinavia and serve the king of England. Egill tries to reclaim property back in Norway (as his wife's inheritance), but this is blocked, and Egill develops a personal vendetta against the King.
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 Thorolf), his old age,On this see Ármann Jakobsson, “The Specter of Old Age: Nasty Old Men in the Sagas of Icelanders,” Journal of English and Germanic Philology 104 (2005), 297–325; and Thomas Morcom, "After Adulthood: The Metamorphoses of the Elderly in the Íslendingasögur", Saga-Book, 42 (2018), 25-50. and the fate of his own son Thorstein (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 and spans many generations.
Kveldulf's lineage Ulf (Kveldulf) had Hallbjorn Halftroll as his maternal uncle, and was known for his surpassing size and strength. He had accrued land and property from viking raids, and was a man of wisdom. He earned the nickname Kveldulf (Kveldúlfr, "Evening Wolf") because of his erratic temper at nightfall, and reputation for manifesting the so-called "shape-shifter" (hamrammr) abilities, trans., Chapter 1 explained in later chapters to be comparable (or equatable) with berserk fury. trans., Chapter 27.Zoega, Icelandic Dictionary, p. 183: "hamrammr, (1) shapeshifter or (2) "seized with warlike fury" (berserks-gangr)" Extreme personal traits like these are manifested by his son Skallagrim and his grandson Egill as well.
Strife with Harald Fairhair of Norway
King Harald Fairhair (Haraldr Hárfagri) was warring to unite all of Norway. Kveldulf refused to assist the local king of Fjordane, but rebuffed Harald's overtures as well, incurring his wrath. A compromise was mediated by Olvir Hnufa (Ölvir hnúfa or "Olvir Hump"), Kveldulf's brother-in-law and Harald's court poet: Kveldulf was to send his elder son Thorolf, as soon as he returned from viking expedition. Thorolf served the king well, but suspicion fell on him due to his becoming overly successful, exacerbated by words of slanderers. Thorolf was killed by the king who led a band of warriors, and the rift would force Skallagrim and his father Kveldulf to flee Norway to settle in Iceland.
Skallagrim journeyed to Harald's court seeking compensation for the death of his brother Thorolf, but offended the king and had to make a hasty exit empty-handed. Skallagrim and Kveldulf then recaptured a boat that had been seized from Thorolf, and after killing everyone on board, sent a taunting poem to the King. trans., Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27 In the battle, Kveldulf displayed his "frenzy" (hamrammr or hamremi), which left him severely weakened. When the family emigrated to Iceland, Kveldulf did not survive the trip, and his coffin was set adrift. Near the spot where the coffin washed ashore in Iceland, Skallagrim established his settlement, which he named Borg. He took up a peaceful livelihood as a farmer and blacksmith, and raised his sons, Thorolf (named Þórólfr after his slain brother), and Egill (the titular hero). trans., Chapter 28
Skallagrim's sons
The saga then proceeds to describe the lives of Thorolf and Egill Skallagrimsson, born in Iceland, and eventually making their way to Norway in adulthood. Thorolf visited Skallagrim's old friend in Norway, Thorir the Hersir (Þórir Hróaldsson). Here Thorolf befriended Prince Eirik Bloodaxe, Harald's favorite son and Thorir's fosterling. He approached the prince with a gift of a painted warship that Eirik was admiring, on advice of Bjorn (Björn Brynjólfsson), Thorir's brother-in-law. trans., Chapter 36
Afterwards Eirik Bloodaxe was crowned co-king, and as Thorolf headed home to Iceland, the king gave him a gold-inlaid ax as a gift to Skallagrim. Skallagrim abused the ax (named "King's Gift" or konungsnautr) and shattered it, reciting an insulting poem about it to Thorolf and handing back what was left of the axe, a sooty handle with a rusted blade. trans., Chapter 38 Thorolf flung the axe overboard, but reported to King Eirik that his father was grateful for the axe, presenting a bolt of longship sail cloth pretended to be from Skallagrim. trans., Chapter 41 In this way Thorolf managed to somewhat keep the peace between Skallagrim and King Eirik Bloodaxe.
Egill's boyhood foreshadowed his future rebelliousness and poetic prowess. At the age of three, his unbridled behavior when drunk and strength beyond his age earned him a stay at home, ordered by his father, when a feast was held by Yngvar (Egill's maternal grandfather). Egill defiantly rode a horse to attend, following his father and company from afar, and composed his first skaldic verse. At the age of seven while playing in the ball games (knattleikr), he committed his first murder (axe-killing an older boy who outclassed him in the sport). By the time Egill was twelve very few grown men could compete with him in games, but when he and his friend challenged his father one day, Skallagrim manifested such strength at nightfall that he slammed the friend dead against the ground. Egill's life was only saved when Egill's fostra (a female slave that had acted as Egill's nurse as a child) tried to calm Skallagrim down and was killed instead. Egill got so upset that he killed one of his father's favorite slaves in return, and as a result the two were not on speaking terms for the following winter.
Conflict with Eirik Bloodaxe over ale
The summer after Egill's father killed his friend, Thorolf came home to visit Iceland. Egill forcibly insisted on accompanying Thorolf back to Norway, although Thorolf was reluctant. On this trip, Thorolf took his prospective wife, Asgerd (Ásgerðr Bjarnardóttir), who had been reared in Iceland, trans., Chapter 35 to ask her father Bjorn and uncle Thorir for permission to marry. While staying with Thorir, Egill became attached to Thorir's son Arinbjorn (Arinbjörn Þórisson), an important figure in the saga and Egill's lifelong friend.
Egill missed the wedding on account of illness, and joined Thorir's men on an errand in Atloy, where he was slighted by the king's steward Bard (Bárðr), and wound up killing him. When Bard received Egill's party, he would only serve curd (skyr) to drink, pretending ale had run out. But later that night when king and queen arrived for the feast to the dísir, ale was served plentifully. Egill relentlessly jibed Bard about the deceit with sarcastic poetry, and his unquenchable thirst embarrassed the host. Bard and the queen sent Egill a poisoned drink, but the attempt was foiled by Egill, who inscribed runes on the horn and besmeared it with his own blood, causing the horn to shatter. Egill then went up to Bard and stabbed him to death with his sword. Discovering Egill had fled, Eirik ordered an unsuccessful manhunt to have Egill killed, and lost several men. Despite the affront, Eirik was persuaded by Thorir (his foster-father) to settle this by compensation. trans., Chapters 42–45
Mercenary service in England, Thorolf falls in battle
While raiding near Frisia, Egill and Thorolf hear that King Æthelstan of England is in need of warriors. The brothers and their men sail to England to join the armies of the English king, are placed in charge of the Scandinavian contingent of Æthelstan's forces. The saga here displays contact with English historical tradition, correctly providing Æthelstan's lineage and offering only one of two instances of King Alfred being called 'the Great' outside of English sources. The battle that follows the brothers' arrival in England, named Vínheiðr in the text, is widely accepted as being the same as the Battle of Brunanburh, from which Æthelstan emerged victorious in 937. The saga identifies the primary antagonist at Vínheiðr as "Olaf the Red of Scotland", who appears to be a conflation of the Æthelstan's historical opponents, Constantine II of Scotland and Olaf Guthfrithson, a Hiberno-Norse Uí Ímair dynast. Egill and Thorolf are instrumental in Æthelstan's victory; however, Thorolf is killed on the second day of battle. In the aftermath of the conflict, Æthelstan gives Egill two chest of silver in compensation for Thorolf's death, intending that they be passed on to Skallagrim. Egill, however, keeps the silver for himself along with an arm-ring that the king passes him at sword-point at the victory feast. trans., Chapters 54–55 Egill stays at Æthelstan's court for the winter, during which time he composes a drápa in praise of the king. Æthelstan rewards Egill with yet two more gold arm-rings as well as an expensive cloak that the king himself had worn. At Egill's parting, Æthelstan expresses a wish that he would stay permanently in his service, an offer which Egill declines.
Inheritance case at the Gula-Thing
Egill married his brother Thorolf's widow, Asgerd. trans., Chapter 56 Some time later, Asgerd's father Bjorn the Wealthy died in Norway, but she received no inheritance, the entire estate having been claimed by Berg-Onund, married to Gunnhild Bjarnardottir (Asgerd's half-sister). Egill wanted to claim half-share for his wife, but the prospect was bleak because Berg-Onund was a favorite of Eirik and his consort Gunnhild. The case was argued at the Gulaþing assembly, where Berg-Onund asserted that Asgerd as a slave-woman entitled to no share (due to the circumstance that her mother eloped without her kinsmen's consent). Asbjorn countered with witnesses swearing that Asgerd was acknowledged as heiress, but the processing was blocked by Queen Gunnhild who ordered a henchmen to disrupt the assembly. Egill made threat against anyone who tried to make use of the disputed farm, and fled by ship. Eirik pursued with a fleet, and a skirmish ensued. trans., Chapter 57, Chapters 33–34; , Ch. 33–34: "Bjorn had eloped with Thora against her kinsmen's wishes, and as a result the King had made him an outlaw in Norway."
Eirik's power, cursed by Egill