Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1967, Page 63

THE POETRY OF EGILL SKALLA-GRÍMSSON
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Egill said: “How is that, daughter
— are you chewing something?”
“Yes, I am chewing seeweed,” she
answered, “because I think I shall
be worse off than before; for else
I think I might live too long.”
“Ts it bad for people to eat?” ask-
ed Egill.
“Very bad,” she said. “Will you
have some?”
“Why not?” he said.
A little later she called out and
asked that she be given something
To drink, and they brought her some
Water. Then Egill said: “That is
^bat happens when one eats sea-
Weed — one will thirst all the
more.” — “Do you want a drink,
father?” she asked. He seized hold
atld took a big swallow. The drink
wes in. a drinking-horn. Then Þor-
Serðr said: “Now we are tricked;
this is milk!”.
Then Egill bit a piece of the horn
as big as his teeth would allow and
threw the horn down. Then Þor-
§ei'ðr said: What shall we do now;
beeause our purpose is foiled? Now
t Would wish, father that we live
°n: so that you can compose a fun-
eral poem for Böðvar — I would cut
lt 111 runes on a stick, and then we
Can die, if that seems best to us. It
WUl be a long time, I fear, before
your son Þorsteinn (the youngest)
wiU compose the poem for Böðvar
atl(l it will not do that there is no
funeral feast for him; because I
ou’t think we shall be sitting at the
anquet table when he is so
honored.”
Egill replied that it was unlikely
at he would be able to compose
a poem at this time even though he
tried, “but try I shall” he said.
Egill regained his spirits as he
went on composing the poem; and
when he had finished it he recited
it to Ásgerðr and Þorgerðr and to
the other members of the household.
Then he rose up out of bed and
seated himself in the high-seat. This
poem he named Sonatorrek (The
Difficult Vengeance After the Death
of My Sons). Afterwards Egill went
about arranging the funeral feast of
his sons according to old custom.
But when Þorgerðr departed for her
home Egill gave her handsome fare-
well presents.”
For Egill it was a tremendous
effort to get the poem under way.
Once started he laments the loss of
his kin. He himself feels like an old
exposed tree shaking in a tempest.
We must recall that to Egill the
family had a very deep significance.
To the Norsmen — as to all other
Germanic tribes — especially before
they were scattered by the Viking
expeditions, the family was almost
identical with society: outside the
bonds of family a man was com-
pletely alone; there was no security
except within the family circle. No
vengeance could be carried out and
no recompense was to be expected
without the support of a family.
This importance of the family-so-
ciety is graphically illustrated in
Baugaial, the ‘Reckoning of Rings’,
a law code, dealing with wergild in
minute and concrete terms.
In his poem Sonatorrek Egill
laments the loss of his parents, his
brothers, and particularly his be-
loved sons. He also deplores the fact