Egil's Saga

Egils saga (also Egils saga Skallagrímssonar or Eglah or Eigla, German The Saga of Egil Skalla - Grimsson ) is one of the most prominent Icelandic sagas.

Action

The saga begins in Norway in the year 850 in the life of Egil's grandfather Úlfr, also called Kveldúlfr (English: Evening Wolf), and his two sons Þórólfr, a great warrior who has a complicated relationship with the King of Norway Haraldr, and Egil's father Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson.

After Þórólfrs death, due to its involuntarily broken allegiance to King Haraldr, flee Skallagrímur and Kveldúlfr from Norway to Iceland. Skallagrímur can be as a peaceful farmer and blacksmith in Borg down where his sons Egill and Þórólfr (named after his uncle ) grow up.

The saga tells the childhood Egils then that raises a clue to his future rebellious attitude. The peace which his family had found, is threatened by Egils dangerous attitude towards the social order. He stirs up trouble by committing his first murder with an ax at the age of seven years. Then on Egils trips to Scandinavia and England, his fights and friendships, his relationship with his family ( marked by jealousy, as well as the affection for his older brother Þórólfr ) reported its old year and the fate of his own son Þorsteinn and his descendants.

The saga ends in about the year 1000 and covers several generations. It considers especially the different sections in Egil's life, which are often marked by struggles and tells of Egill himself with numerous seals. Before his death, Egill allegedly hiding his accumulated during the years silver treasure near mosfellsbær, thereby founding the legend of Silfur Egils (German: Egils silver).

The well-known scholar Jesse Byock created the convincing suggestion that Egill suffered from the disease Osteitis deformans, which he proves by comparing different passages of text with the symptoms of the disease.