The Saga of Egil

Iceland is forever connected to The Sagas. They tell the story of the Vikings and the early settlers on this wild island. Our recent trip to Iceland was more of a natural experience and there was not so much time for the more historical, cultural theme. I managed to pick up a few books though.

The Saga of Egil is a short version of the original saga.  As is normal for the Icelandic sagas, a lot of terrible, violent things happens. Here is the story in short, taken from the Introduction to the book.

"The Saga of Egil was written in the 13th century, possibly by chronicler Snorri Sturluson. It is about the famous Viking-Poet Egil Skallagrimsson who lived three centuries earlier and left behind a lot of outstanding poetry. Egil, born in Iceland of refugees from Norway, participated with vengeance in the long and bitter feud his family fought against the Norwegian royal family, especially against Hing Harold Fairhair, King Eric Bloodaxe and Queen Gunnhild. Tall, strong and brutal, Egil was a mercenary in the army of Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan, also going on Viking raids and missions to parts of Sweden and Latvia. Avaricious and vain, but also sensitive and generous. Egil was a true individualist, not only challenging kings who tried to put down his family, but also the heathen gods when they deprived him of two sons, after which he lamented his loss in a moving poem. The author of this saga is not oblivious to Egil's comic traits, but he also admires this larger-than-life character. "

Egil Skallagrimsson lived in 910-990. The story is in line with other stories and tells a tale of a hard life in the wild scenery of Iceland. Being there I could easily look up the areas where the family arrived and where they settled. Makes it all the more interesting to read.