“With bloody brand on-striding
My bird of bane hath followed;
My hurtling spear hath sounded
In the swift Vikings’ charge.
Raged wrathfully our battle,
Ran fire o’er foemen’s rooftrees;
Sound sleepeth many a warrior
Slain in the city gate.”~Egill Skallagrimson
Egill Skallagrímsson was a peculiar character in the history of Iceland. Egill’s brash and daring personality is shown through the stories and accounts written about is adventures. At one time in his life, the warrior-poet was rewarded two chests of silver from the English King Æthelstan for his deeds in war. Egill had the odd idea of dumping the silver at Allthing, the Icelandic Parliament, and watching the chieftain’s battle each other for the money. Apparently he was dissuaded from the plan, but one must wonder about his reasoning… maybe he’s the kinda guy who just likes violence? His history was indeed full of violence, but since the age of six he was the author of many poems and stories, showing him to be a very dynamic character.
“One with eight I battled
Eleven faced I twice,
Made for wolf a meal,
Myself the bane of all.
Shields shook by sword-strokes
Smitten fast and furious;
Angry fire forth-flashing
Flew my ashen spear.”
~Egill Skallagrimson
Oh, and what happened to Egill’s chests of silver? Apparently he hid it near his farm, which is a site somewhere on the Mosfell-hill, only a 15 minute car ride from Reykjavik. Treasure hunters are still looking for it today.
