Egil's Saga
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.
[a] 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).
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,[8] explained in later chapters to be comparable (or equatable) with berserk fury.
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.
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).
[15] 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.
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.
[e][f][17] Afterwards Eirik Bloodaxe was crowned co-king,[g] 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.
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).
[b] 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.
[13] On this trip, Thorolf took his prospective wife, Asgerd (Ásgerðr Bjarnardóttir), who had been reared in Iceland,[19] to ask her father Bjorn and uncle Thorir for permission to marry.
[21] Egill missed the wedding on account of illness,[j] 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.
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.
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 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's movements are under surveillance, and when he appears to leave the country, Berg-Onund dismissed the men he had gathered for protection and traveled not far from his home (Ask) to the king's farm at Aarstad.
Before they leave, King Æthelstan convinced Egill to move to England and command his armies after their task is completed.
Egill returned to Norway to claim lands won in a duel with Atli the Short on behalf of his wife Asgerd.
Poetry was used to establish a person's reputation for good or evil, and a great poem could make its characters immortal.
Rulers valued poets for their ability to make or break a man, increasing his fame or besmirching his good name.
[41] In chapters 55 and 81, Egill composes two powerful poems that show how grief-stricken he is when his brother Thorolfr and his son Bodvar die.
In chapter 80, Egill composes another praise poem of 25 stanzas expressing his gratitude towards his lifelong friend Arinbjörn for saving his life in his meeting with King Eiríkr.
