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Egil's Saga

In: English and Literature

Submitted By stephanie14343
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Egil Saga was authored by Bernard Scudder who lived in Reykjavk while working as a full-time translator. Egil's Saga is a story that tells about the life of a poet who experienced brutality for a very long time. He was also a farmer. His name was Egil Skallagrimsson. In the story, he is depicted as a psychologically, ambiguous character who was at one point in time a great and wonderful composer of poetry but who was also endowed with staggering brutality. The sags shows the progression of Egil who moves from a naïve savagery youth to a pronounced mature man who bears with him a serious content of wisdom. His wisdom and maturity comes at a time when he struggles to defend his honor in a consecutively solving dispute with the Norwegian King, Erik Blood-axe, and fight for the English King, Athelstan, in his battles against Scotland. Despite every other thing that happens, he is depicted as one character who is fascinating and complete with human character.
Egil Saga has been considered by many to be one of the deepest arts of insight into ethos of the Viking Age of many works of fiction. For those who always tend to think that an anti-hero is a current idea will be disillusioned of that concept by this account, which is pinpointed on an obnoxious and violent man who strangely wins our sympathy but continuously loses it through his murderous reactions. The story offers a very good insight as to the development of Norway and Iceland. The story is premised on the conventions of the genre, it commences with ancestors. Further, you come to realize in the book that the title character is only procreated when it comes to the pages in the fifties. Like any other saga, it is important to note that the plot in Egil saga is episodic and in most cases can be said to be straying to the secondary characters. The situation is true because the characters in the story stop and talk about certain things in the past and the future. It is also worth noting that the character in egil is one that is multifaceted and shrouded in immense contradiction. This is clearly depicted from the contribution of Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards who state that:
"He is inflated far beyond the type of Viking hero, yet he also falls short of it, and while he is often on the edge of the tragic he eludes definition. He can be vicious, absurd, infantile, pathetic, but he is never dull, and though we may not like some of the things he does we are never allowed to settle into a fixed attitude towards him." I7
It is also important to consider that the complicated nature of Egil is used perfectly to show both extremes of a man through his family. Hence, there are men who are very ugly or profoundly handsome. Through his family we see a unique concept. The family does not support the king neither do they support the rebellion. This is the same family that can be violent and cruel but still exhibits wisdom and good decision.
A critical element that comes out of the story is one of inheritance and succession. Whereas there are those who believe that inheritance is not of significant aspect, Egil’s Saga shows a society where inheritance is at the core of the family. It also brings in the role played by the second wife. The question thus is, is there polygamy in the white society? Second, what is the position of the children born out of a relationship insinuated to be a second wife? Further, is it right to classify a child born out of such arrangement as illegitimate? The ultimate reasoning is that it does not matter whether one is born of a polygamous marriage or not. The test is, was the claimant dependent on the deceased? If the claimant from a second wife was dependent on the deceased then the he or she is entitled to benefit from the estate of the deceased. It is also interesting to note the composition of the family. First, the two handsome Thorolfs go through tragic but heroic deaths. On the other hand, their bothers Skallagrímr and Egil equally die in old age after malevolently entombing their wealth in the wilderness. Finally, the descendant of Kveldúlfrare caught up is a serious feud where some children are considered illegitimate and therefore not entitled. It is important to note that the illegitimacy of the second marriage is doubted legally. To this extend, is it possible for them to share from the family. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards note that:
"At the root of the first half of the Saga are two family conflicts which extend far beyond the domestic issues which give rise to them, and lead ultimately to enmities with the royal household of Norway. These cases both begin with a man of wealth and power who marries twice, one of the two marriages being in some way of doubtful legality, and illustrate the effect upon the family of the two conflicting lines of descent."
Egil is also depicted as a true person to value and humanity. Whereas he is depicted as a very angry man who decides on actions irrationally, he takes it so personal when someone goes against the virtues he ascribed to in the story. The reaction is so bad that he can either proceed to hurt the surrounding either physically or through his poetry. It is also important to note that the values which Egil believed in were more of Scandinavians and was believed to be the true code of conduct. In fact, despite having numerous problems and deficiency, Egil is depicted as a true Scandinavian spirit.
The use of poetry in this piece is not only an exhibition of the art expertise of the author, but one that looks into the society that was at the time. It is significant to note along these lines that poetry was very dear to the hearts of rulers. Poetry was therefore one of the tools used by the ruler to break a man. It was also a tool that a ruler could use to increase his fame and to boost his ideologies. Therefore being a poet was not just an act, but one who could be summoned by the sitting ruler to enhance the status of the later through poems. It shows the reason why as a poet, egil was a powerful and a valued man. From the foregoing, it is important to note that poem and poetry was a significant element of customs and traditions. Through the first poem in the story at chapter 27 he is able to show the display of power by Skallagrim immediately as he plunders the ship and kills many men. There is also a poem composed later in the book which is insulting the king after the king had given Skallagrim a gift that is measurable to his worth. He also composes a poem in chapter 55 and chapter 81 where he laments and shows sorrow at the death of his brother and son, Thorolf and his son Bodvar. If you go through the poems, you realize that apart from being in a mourning mood, they are also meant to praise the deceased. It is also through the poems that we are able to see the tender and human side of Egil. This is seen when he constitutes a further praise poem of 25 stanzas articulating his appreciation to his lasting friend Arinbjorn for saving his life in his meeting with King Eirik. For me the existence of several poems in the story and the ways they have been used is an exhibition societal values. Hence, through poem we are able to fight for the right thing and justice in the society.

Work cited
Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards translation, Penguin Classics, 1976
Green, W. C. Egil's Saga. Icelandic Saga Database. 1893. http://sagadb.org/egils_saga.en#81 3 May 2013
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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