I like older Egil. Although he is impetuous and sometimes crude, he loves his brother and his friends very dearly. It is strange and yet perfect at the same time that such a dichotomy exists in one character. He is fully warrior, stabbing men through with his spear and tossing them, attacking (without fear of consequences) the son of the king who has hated him from his youth, starting fights in the same king's court. Yet at the same time he is entirely a poet. He is a loving man who is distraught over the death of his brother and is completely loyal to his friends, King Athelstan and Arinbjorn. It seemed strange at first to think that these two descriptions could fit the same man, but it doesn't anymore. Egil seems like a character who loves and hates with his whole person. If you are his friend, he will be with you to the very end. If you are his enemy, you'd be wise to watch your back (or your front - he jumps out of bushes like a bear and kills Frodi).
Another comment I had to make which wasn't related:
I was excited to see that my theory that this saga was written later than Njal's saga confirmed. All of the Viking men carry swords, not axes, and the swords have names. There are few mentions of axes used in battle in this story at all. I think that this suggests the saga was written later, when swords were the primary weapon. This would cause the audience of the time to better relate to the story being told. But that's just a guess!
Monday, November 9, 2009
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Egil's Skull
Here is the photo of what we saw in class on Monday - Egil's skull. I can imagine that if Egil did indeed have the disease which causes this type of disfiguration, it would have hurt constantly. Perhaps this is why Egil felt justified in killing his classmate who was beating him at the ball game. Perhaps too it was a genetic condition, which is why he, Skallagrim and Kveldulf were described as such frightening and ugly people.
Thjodhild's Church
Reconstructed Viking Houses
These are houses similar to the ones that Leif the Lucky would have made when he reached America - the homes he was willing to lend, not give, you know.