So...I am only to chapter 33 so far, but I have noticed that I really really like this story, much better than Njal's saga. It's easier to follow - the characters are still introduced with their long genealogies, and there are many of them, but they all have a purpose (at least so far) and the story doesn't jump back and forth between different people at different times like Njal's saga seemed to. It made me wonder...it seems like a more modern style of writing. Is it possible that Egil's saga, although it is written about events that take place before the events of Njal's saga (it's been neat to see some of the same characters in the stories!!), was actually penned after Njal's saga was? There are some things that would have been impossible to actually remember - the way characters feel, or exact sentences that they say...I am just curious. I really ought to look it up, now that I think of it!
Also, I can't believe what a meanie pants King Harald was to Thorolf, how gullible he was to believe Hildirid's sons, and how unfortunate it was that Thorolf didn't think it was necessary, out of all of his wealth, just to share a bit of it to appease those brothers and give them their inheritance.
I also thought it was interesting - we have spoken a lot in class about the power and influence that women had in this society, but I was astonished in chapter 22, when Sigrid, Thorolf's wife, demands to be taken to the king, the men take her immediately, and she is heard by the king himself immediately. That really surprised me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment