Egils Saga (Penguin Classics) by
Anonymous
One Of The Best Of The Icelandic Sagas!
Egil’s Saga tells the story of the long and brutal life of tenth-century
warrior-poet and farmer Egil Skallagrimsson: a psychologically
ambiguous character who was at once the composer of intricately
beautiful poetry and a physical grotesque capable of staggering brutality.
This Icelandic saga recounts Egil’s progression from youthful savagery to
mature wisdom as he struggles to defend his honor in a running feud with
the Norwegian king Erik Bloodaxe and fight for the English king Athelstan
in his battles against Scotland. Exploring issues as diverse as the
question of loyalty, the power of poetry, and the relationship between two
brothers who love the same woman, Egil’s Saga is a fascinating depiction
of a deeply human character.
Personal Review: Egils Saga (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous
Egil's Saga, most likely written by Snorri Sturlusson, an Icelandic chieftain,
scholar, writer, and storyteller, is a tale regarding his ancestor - a man

called Egil Skallagrimsson. This (famously ugly) man was himself well-
versed in the arts of poetry, but also had the benefit of being a fierce
warrior with a rough sense of honor and something of a soft (shy?) spot for
women and children. That isn't to say that some of his deeds were heinous
by modern standards, as is to be expected from many noteworthy men
from the ages described the saga, but in spite of that one can't help but
root for Egil in his personal ventures of achieving respect, wealth, and his
(in some ways striking) concept of justice.
(INTRODUCTION TO STORY - SPOILERS)
Like many of the Icelandic Sagas, the tale does not begin in Iceland but
rather in Norway - King Harald Tangle-Hair is finishing up the job of uniting
the counties of his country under one king and one of the king's who
opposes him wants a notable man of his realm, Kveldulf, to support him in
an alliance against Harald's enroachment. Kveldulf suspects that King
Harald is fated to rule Norway (a prominent theme in Saga literature) and
that his own king doesn't have enough luck to fill the palm of his hand (and
these are basically the words right out of his mouth). As such, Kveldulf
stays home and his king goes to battle and (predictably) loses. In Viking
fashion, King Harald is generous to his friends (those who supported him)
and brutal with his enemies (those who fought against him who are still
alive or their close family) - but Kveldulf, being a man of note in the county
he has conquered, is something of an oddity in that he neither supported
nor fought against him (why this should be so when King Harald is, in other
sagas, more inclined to view those who remained neutral as his enemies is
not known to me - probably because they were written by other storytellers
or maybe because some of Kveldulf's close kin did support him and it
would be poor repayment to drive one of their family out of the country for
no offense except not making an offense). King Harald speaks to some of
Kveldulf's kin who supported him and asks that the man come see him.
Kveldulf has an intuition that, in the long run, his family will receive little
good from King Harald should they serve too strongly and so refuses - but
promises to maintain good relations with his new king from afar. King
Harald takes this in ill stride, thinking he is dealing with some very arrogant
people, so Kveldulf's kin who are in his service become insistant. Finally,
Kveldulf says he will send, if they are willing, one of his sons. The younger
of these, Skallagrim, says he doesn't have much interest in serving the
king and suspects he will do badly in a royal court anyway. The older son,
Thorolf, is not at home, but Kveldulf assures his kin he'll ask him once he
returns from raiding. His kinsmen return to the king and soften things up to
make it sound more attractive: Kveldulf will send one of his sons but the
more suitable one is not home yet. King Harald accepts that with grace
and so forgets about the matter for awhile. Once Thorolf has come home,
he is more than willing to join King Harald - after all, the king's men live in
greater luxury and honor than anyone else in Norway - and finds that
serving the new king is a good position. He thinks little of his father's
warning that King Harald will bring their family bad fortune and so goes to
see the king. King Harald thinks he has a promising look and so grants him

a position among his retinue. They fight in battle together (during which
Thorolf makes some friends and reacquaints himself with his kinsmen
already serving Harald) and Thorolf is found to be exceptionally brave and
strong. When one of his closest companions perish, Thorolf is charged (by
his deceased friend) to care for his wife (implying marriage) and to take
over the rule of his lands, property, and duties. After receiving the king's
blessing, Thorolf does so and thus becomes very rich and famous. Among
the duties assigned to him is the collection of taxes (from Lapps) and in
this he excels (for they both respect and fear him). For a long time Thorolf
enjoys this sort of good fortune, but sadly slander (lies) are thrown about
by men who mean him evil (because he received their kinsmen's property
ahead of them) and King Harald hears it - most of these ugly rumors
revolve around Thorolf wanting to kill Harald and seize the throne of
Norway out from under him. This understandly leads to some conflict and
misunderstandings, eventually accumulating in the king relieving Thorolf of
most of his lands and duties and bequething them to the men who had told
the lies about him. Thorolf takes this in stride (for he still has plenty of
wealth, servants, and warriors) and goes to build in a new house in the
north where he lives just as grandly as before. In the end, however,
Harald's anger grows so great that he marshals an army against Thorolf
and the two clash at his new household. Thorolf has many men loyal to
him and so puts up a valiant fight, but is ultimately cut down by the king
himself. The king notes that, in spite of the the perceived wrongs he
implemented against him, Thorolf is a good warrior and that he should
receive due honor (allowing the men who served him to be spared and a
proper burial). Sadly, this does little to allay the grief of Kveldulf or
Skallagrim. Both of them have ill feelings toward the king and contemplate
revenge, but ultimately decide it would be best to just leave Norway and
head for Iceland (where many worthy men who dislike or fought against
King Harald have gone for safety). After some trouble with the king's men
who assault them, Kveldulf and Skallagrim make good of their escape.
Ultimately, however, Kveldulf dies and is laid to rest at sea. His coffin
miraculously floats all the way to Iceland - in keeping with his father's last
words, Skallagrim builds his household near where his father's coffin came
to shore. It is here he has two children - an elder, named Thorolf after his
deceased brother, and a younger, named Egil (the main protagonist and
namesake of the story - hence, Egil's Saga). The rest of the story (which I
will no longer relate) pretty much follows Egil's life story (from childhood till
death) throughout a hundred or so pages of aweseome classical drama
written in masterful prose written by a skilled (and probably famous, if it
was indeed written as most historians suspect, by Snorri) storyteller.
(END SPOILERS)
I've read a couple of the sagas (as the title says, eleven) and this one's the
first of them. As such, it should be expected I feel a strong loyalty toward it.
Putting that aside, however, this saga has objectively been considered one
of the top three, and sometimes top two, of the genre (of about - I think -
forty or so, give or take some tales which aren't really sagas but are written

in a similiar style by the same class of writers) ... in short, whether your a
veteran looking to expand his horrizon or a newbie to the Icelandic Sagas,
this is no mean place to start. It is a thrill from beginning until end.
On a side note - I never acutally bought this version. I have the Penguin
Classics Deluxe Edition Sagas of the Icelanders which has 8 of the
Icelandic Sagas, the first of which is (predictably) Egil's Saga. Thus it is the
same edition published by the same company, but you might want to
consider buying the Deluxe Edition (it's on this website - just search for
'Sagas of the Icelanders') so that you can have this and 7 more (plus some
tales) for just a little more than this is worth.
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