Egil's Saga

Egill Skallagrímsson in a 17th-century manuscript of Egill's Saga

Egill's Saga or Egil's saga (Old Norse: Egils saga [ˈeɣels ˈsɑɣɑ]; Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈeijɪls ˈsaːɣa] ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson),[1] an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the years c. 850–1000[2] and traces the family's history from Egill's grandfather to his offspring.

Its oldest manuscript (a fragment) dates back to c. 1250 AD.[3] The saga comprises the sole source of information on the exploits of Egill, whose life is not historically recorded. Stylistic and other similarities between Egill's Saga and Heimskringla have led many scholars to believe that they were the work of the same author, Snorri Sturluson.[4][5][6] The work is generally referred to as Egla [ˈɛkla] by Icelandic scholars.[a]

  1. ^ Scudder 2000 trans., Chapter 3
  2. ^ Scudder 2000, p. 3
  3. ^ "Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar". ONP: Dictionary of Old Norse Prose. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ^ Pálsson & Edwards 1976, p. 7
  5. ^ Einarsson, Stefán (1957). A History of Icelandic Literature. New York: Johns Hopkins Press for the American-Scandinavian Foundation. p. 140. ISBN 0801801869. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  6. ^ Tulinius, Torfi. "Islandica 57: The Enigma of Egill: The Saga, the Viking Poet, and Snorri Sturluson". ecommons.cornell.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2021-03-26.


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