Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Qupperneq 57

Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Qupperneq 57
the poetry of egill skalla-grímsson 39 seat; he, too, had a sword across his knees, and having thus sat for a while, he drew his sword from the scabbard, took a gold-ring from his arm, great and good, drew it °ver the sword-point, rose, walked on the floor, and reached the ring °ver the fire towards Egill. Egill rose, drew his sword and walked °ver; he stuck the sword in the bend °f the ring and drew it towards him: went back to his place and the king went to his high-seat. Sitting hown, Egill placed the ring on his arm, then1 his eye-brows came to rest. He then laid down his sword and helmet, accepted a horn coming io him and recited a stanza. Thereupon Egill drank like the °thers and spoke to people. After that the King had two big chests brought forth, carried by two men each, both full of silver. The King said: “These chests, Egill, you shall have, and if you get to Iceland bring this fee to your father in an atone- ^nent for his son, but some of it you Can distribute to your and Þórólfr’s relatives, those who are the most n°ble. But you yourself shall take atonement for your brother right bere at my hand, land or loose S°ods, whichever you prefer. And ^ you will stay with me for any ^ngth of time, I shall bestow on you "’orship and honor according to y°ur own wishes.” Egill accepted the fe6j thanking the king for his gifts and his friendly words. From then on Egill began to cheer up, then he recited another stanza.” ft does really concern our theme which is Egill’s poetry — how e for ever after watched his silver chests, never parting with them and not sharing even one penny with his father and relatives. In his old age Egill once had the happy idea, truly worthy of Óðinn, to take the chests to the Althing and scatter the silver among the crowd and watch people fight over it. But when a younger and more sober generation prevented him from carrying out this genial idea, he was content to follow the example of his father and bury his silver in a gully. Many have been on the look- out for this treasure, but only three coins have ever been found; it was in 1725 and one of the coins bore the inscription AN(S)LAFR. This inscription proves that it must have come from the treasure which King Athelstan took from Ólafr Kvaran at Brunanburg. But to return to the poetry. The gist of the story, so effectively told in the saga-passage I quoted, is also to be found in verses 17-20. One of these stanzas tells of Þórólfr’s fight and fall, another of Egill’s fighting, the third celebrates the King’s giv- ing of his ring, and the fourth describes masterfully the effect of the ring on Egill’s mind and looks. To paraphrase it: The craggéd eaves, for grief’s sake, of mine eye-brows droppéd. Now find I him who forehead’s unsmooth places righteth. My girdling rocks from face-ground the great Prince hath lifted — those scowls have left mine eyes now — with pulling of an arm-string. The drooping of the mountains of his forhead have been straightened out, the rocks of the face have re- turned to their original shape. Here
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