Egil Saga Round Two

Looking at Egil Saga as a whole, there were many elements that surprised me because they were very different from other sagas we're read before. I know Egil saga is thought by many to be the most important or the most typical of the sagas, so it was even more confusing to me why there are so many fundamental differences between this saga and pretty much all of the others.

For instance,

1.Because much of the saga takes place in Norway, we are not exposed to the Althing. Instead, the readers here of the Gula Assembly and laws being interpreted by and cases presented to Kings.

2. Direct reference to the terms "viking," and direct mention of plundering without stating reason or the line of revenge being taken.

3. Simple poetry in place of flowery and more eloquent verses

4. Very powerful woman figure, Gunnhild. First mention of "Queen," with a direct influence over the King's decision. On pg. 113 a ruling is referred to in the context of "[King Eirik] and Gunnhild decided." She speaks with authority, compared to women we've seen in other saga's implementing their power through withholding sex or other methods of more discret coersion of their husbands.

Egi's wide array of traits also struck me as interesting througout the saga. At times, he apears as ruthless as a berserk, and then at other times he is a family man. He is brutal, but loyally abides by the cultural traditions and regulations of the time regarding honor. He forms fierces alliances, where anyone who wrongs his friends, family, or the family of his friends, experience the brute of his force and the wrath of his merciless strength. When he (or one ofhis alliances) is wronged, or believed he has been wronged, though, he wastes no time in punishing the offender in the most vulgar way acceptable at the time. This is a trait he portrays from childhood into adulthood. When his brother refuses to let him accompany him when he is younger, he ruins his ships. When he is older and believes Kings (such as Erik) or King's men have wronged him, he is quick to kill them all. He even goes to the length of killing an entire farm's herd of cattle because the farm owner had betrayed or wronged him in some way. He is also very concerned throughout the saga in gathering what possesions he believes are rightfully his. He goes to great lengths to accquire every property and goods that befall him according to line and custom.

He carries out both acts of kindness and aggression through utilizing his force and brutality. When he is engaged in a fight, he is merciless (a trait he perhaps inherited from Skalligrim). His sence of right and wrong was weird to me because it seemed so twisted. He had no problem stealing booty from innocent towns, but he did have a problem stealing it in the secrecy of night without announcing his presence. Of course, announcing his presence would lead to having to kill them all in order to escape with the booty, but Egil's sence of honor and dignity require that acts such as plunder not be carried out in secrecy like a coward, so he "goes back to the farm and lets the people know what has happened," (74) by burning down their houses and "kill[ing] them in the doorway and just outside" (74) as they ran out and tried to escape.

As he grows older, this odd sense of logic continues. For example, when he lands in a terratory King Erik has accquired, instead of leaving or trying to hide out until it is possible to sail out in the morning, his honour requires that he present himself to the King and not hide in the shadows as a coward. Even though he knows the King hates him for killing his brother, Egil figures it is better to go and chance the likelihood of King Erik having him murdered than avoid the confrontation and therefore dishonor himself for acting un-manly. This twisted sense of logic really stood out to me throughout the saga. We have seen such thoughts in other sagas, but not to the extent that the character really risks his life unnecessarily like that just due to a way of thinking.

But as he grows older, I believe he also grows wiser. He begins to take his problems to the legal system in that country, he argues and talks his way in and out of a variety of situations, and he uses his poetry and flattery to save him in place of violence in the case of his imprisonment under King Erik's rule. He has learned a better way to accomplish his ever present goal: gaining what is rightfully his, wherever it may be. Even though the result of his legal consultations often end in him challenging his oponent to a duel, at least he is doing things formally and according to rules in stead of ambushing people as he did as a child.

Another interesting component of Egil's character is his displays of emotion. There are several occurances when it is noted he is so upset he refuses to speak, and when his son is killed he retires to his room alone for 3 days. He composes a poem that speaks of "heavy sobbing" (152), a highly unusual event to be recorded in a saga. His display of emotion makes him a more dynamic character, tearing him away from the stereotypical bloodthirsty brute, and making the readers sympathize with him, for they can finally see a human-being side to him. Also, the fact that the saga clearly states that Egil causes no drama or conflict while in Iceland shows his respect for the land his family lives in, and also shows that he is capable of existing peacefully.

Ultimatley, I found Egil to be such a complex and interesting character, that he made the read fun because it was never easy to predict his actions or reactions, or sometimes even what he was thinking.