Sagas query for Scandinavians (or cleverdick non-Scandinavians)

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Quick query- can anyone explain to me the reason for why Erik Bloodaxe bore a grudge against Egill Skallagrimsson?

[chequita guevara]

He couldn't pronounce the latter's name and felt it would just be easier to kill him rather than say it?

[CerberusIV]

Egil's Saga is one of my favourite stories. You aren't asking a simple question though.

King Harald Fine Hair (Eirik Bloodaxe's father) killed Thorolf, Egil's uncle and tried to kill Skallagrim, Egil's father, when asked for compensation for the death of Thorolf.

Egil's brother, also Thorolf, later became friendly with Eirik Bloodaxe. Egil killed one of Eirik's retainers after he (Bard) conspired with Gunnhild, Eirik's wife, to poison Egil.

Egil later got involved in a land dispute in Norway where King Eirik ruled against him. This ended with Egil leaving Norway after setting up the rune-pole and cursing Eirik and Gunnhild.

Eirik was driven out of Norway by his brother and was offered the throne of Jorvik - leading to the episode of the head ransom poem.

So it's not simple. Basically a drawn out family feud which explains why Egil's family moved to Iceland.

[Space05us]

whats a saga? is it like mythology or something?

[chequita guevara]

A saga is kinda like Sava, but with a "g" instead of a "v."

[Skanky Burns]

Helpful, Che.

[Pekka]

Scandinavian sagas rules.. they are not like other stories from the older days..

In the East they have stories of the brave man who supposedly was hard worker. Mythologies of dudes with 39 arms and lots of jewerly. Whoopdidoo!

Other parts of the world.. man.. they all include men in pantyhose, a female who makes it all go bad by seducing the wrong guys to mess with. There's always weirdos in weird clothes and they do weird stuff, that makes them 'something'. That's because their history and mythologies sucks! They have no heroes, no real and they couldn't invent one either! Talk about losers huh?

But Scandinavians.. man these dudes were real. All about swords, and power. All about real manhood, and submitting the sissies. Scandinavia ruled back then, still rules and will continue ruling.

[Space05us]

so if I wanted to read one of these sagas where would I find one?

[CerberusIV]

Originally posted by Space05us
so if I wanted to read one of these sagas where would I find one?

English translations are available. My copy of Egil's Saga is in the Penguin Classics paperback series. I don't know if it is currently in print as I got mine from a second hand bookshop a few years ago. It lists 3 or 4 other sagas that were also available in translation at the time it was published.

Try a search on Amazon for norse sagas.

[Bosh]

I'd recommend grabbing The Sagas of Icelanders edited by Ornolfur Thorsson, preface by Jane Smiley and introduction by Robert Kellogg. Its a big thick thing with a good selection of the most famous sagas (its selections from a 4 volume scholarly translation, including Egil's Saga and the Greenlander Sagas) and lots of historical and cultural information. The sagas make a remarkably lively read, although it can be confusing keeping the family trees straight at times.

[Hueij]

I'm reading Njall's Saga right now. And Laxdæla Saga is next. Both are published in the Penguin Classics series and should be available at every self-respecting bookshop.

Those Icelandic sagas are amazing!

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Egil's saga-

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/egil/

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Njal's saga-

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Njal/

It's research. I've generally avoided the sagas as they're not very reliable as historic source material. However as Egil's saga covers some key events I can see I'll have to read it.

[SpencerH]

There are even icelandic movies made from the sagas.

[Arthedain]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
Eirik was driven out of Norway by his brother and was offered the throne of Jorvik - leading to the episode of the head ransom poem.

Where did Jorvik lay?