Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Page 58

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TÍMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
we have the harmony of metaphor
(termed nýgörfingar by Snorri
Sturluson) often found in Egill’s
poetry, but we have also here for
the first time his proneness to de-
scription of himself, his playful
dwelling on his own1 ugly exterior,
something quite characteristic of
Egill. In English poetry I doubt
whether such self-mockery is found
until Chaucer’s day.
Egill composed a drápa or a
praise-poem about King Athelstan,
but only one stanza and the stef
(refrain) is preserved.
Soon1 after this Egill returned to
Norway where his brother’s widow,
Ásgerðr, was staying. Ásgerðr was
still so attractive that Egill did not
dare address her except through
stanzas of elusive meaning, but he
could tell his friend Arinbjörn who
was not afraid to woo her for him.
They were married and Egill now
became allkátr — quite happy.
Soon, however, loomed the prob-
lem of claiming her possessions
from a man favored by Eiríkr and
Gunnhildr. The fact that Egill mar-
ried a wealthy widow and claimed
her possessions in Norway in spite
of almost insurmountable obstacles
has been attributed to Egill’s inor-
dinate avarice, and no doubt the
motive of gain played some part in
his decision to marry Ásgerðr. Still
here was also a point of honor at
stake, for Egill’s opponent based his
claim to the property on the fact
that Egill’s wife had been born a
slave. There were reasons for this
claim, but reasons which could not
be accepted from the family point
of view, even Arinbjörn who other-
wise was noted for his equanimity
became furious when his cousin was
referred to as a bondwoman.
Egill went ahead and pressed his
claim. His saga states that when
the King learned about these dem-
ands he became so furious, that he
all but attacked Egill. At their meet-
ing Egill had a narrow escape, lost
ten men but killed one instead
(stanza 27). To pacify Egill his
friend Arinbjörn generously gave
him a ship with which to go to
Iceland — for Egill had now been
outlawed by the King from the
entire Norwegian territory. But
before leaving Norway, E g i 11
managed to kill several of the
King’s men and even the King’s own
son Rögnvaldr. Now, to add in'sult
to injury Egill decided to make use
of his powers of magic. Just before
sailing, he landed on an outlying
Norwegian island. “He had in his
hand a pole of hazel wood and with
it he mounted a rocky knoll which
faced the coast. Then he took a
horse’s skull and set it up on the
poie. Thereupon he spoke this mali-
son: “Here I erect a spite-pole (níð-
stöng) and this spite I turn against
King Eiríkr and Queen Gunnhildr.”
And herewith he turned the horse-
head toward the land. “I turn this
spite against the wights that inhabit
this land, so that they may all S°
wilding ways (astray), nor reach
nor find their haunts ere they
drive King Eiríkr and Gunnhildr
out of the land.” Thereupon he
thrust the pole in a cleft between
the rocks and left it standing there.
He turned the horsehead toward
land and he scratched the runes on