Grave Of Egil Skalla-Grimsson Found? (Iceland)

Iceland Review ^ | 8-9-2005

[blam]

08/09/2005 | 13:05

Grave of Egil Skalla-Grímsson found?

Icelandic State Radio reports that the possible grave site of Egil Skalla-Grímsson, one of Iceland's most famous vikings, has been found under the altar of a church from the settlement period. No bones were found at the burial site.

Jessie Byock, archeology professor at the University of California in Los Angeles who is in charge of the excavation, emphasizes that the work being done in Mosfellsdal is not directed at finding the grave site of Egil Skalla-Grímsson. The excavation has taken many years and the church at Hrísbrú is the seventh dig site.

The purpose of the dig is to map the settlement in Mosfellsdal as it was in the time of the Vikings and understand how people lived. Professor Byock told television station Stod 2 that if they also find the burial site for Egil Skalla-Grímsson he will be very happy; it is known that Egill was buried in the area.

In the Icelandic Saga, Egil's Saga, Egil is said to have been buried underneath a church that his foster daughter Thórdís had built, but his bones were subsequently moved to a site near Mosafellsdal. The grave under the church is over two meters long, and Egil is described as having been a tall and powerfully built man.

Professor Byock says the excavation team has gained insight into the Viking Age settlement in Mosfellsdal The excavation has unveiled information on the health conditions of the people - cancer and tuberculosis were prevalent - as well as other aspects of the cultural make up.

Born around 910 A.D., Egil early showed considerable promise; he got drunk at three and killed at six. But he also revealed a more cerebral and softer side by commemorating his first slaying with a poem, paying tribute to his mother and presciently predicting his own glorious career as a viking.

During his long life, Egil not only killed but also gouged eyes out of some of his enemies and vomited over others.When his brother Thorolf died as they were fighting for King Athelstan at the battle of Vin Moor (also known as the battle of Brunnanburh) during the Scots invasion of England in 937, Egil went berserk and chased the enemy until there was no one left to kill. Only the English King's gift of two chests full of silver soothed his murderous mood.

A long running feud with Erik Bloodaxe, King of Norway, reached a climax when Egil became Erik's captive at York. Overnight he paid tribute to Erik in a poem, "Head-Ransom", and the King could only release him the next day.

Later in life, Egil fell in to a deep suicidal depression after loosing two sons. At the instigation of his daughter, instead of taking his life he eulogized them in a poem, "Lament of my sons", recovering his spirits along the way.

In old age Egil lost his sight and lived with his foster daughter and her husband at Mosfell. Shortly before his death, he asked if he could join them for the annual session of parliament at Thingvellir. When they inquired why, he replied that he intended to scatter the English silver around when parliament was in full session, hoping to instigate a fight. "It will be a big surprise to me if people agree to divide the silver evenly," he said. But his hosts were less keen on the plan, and Egil had to stay home. While everyone was away at parliament, he took his two chests of silver, a horse and two slaves and "for a short trip" he claimed. The next day, Egil and the horse were found wandering in the fields, but neither the chests of silver nor the slaves have been seen since.

[virgil]

What a charming fellow.

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"Perhaps he just found an early addtion of a Qur'an."

Maybe he crossed paths with Ibn Fadlhan.

I have long thought that ocean sailing in open boats wearing wool and leather was what made the Norse so mean.

After a few days beating from some cold northern country they would have nasty salt sores and be truly pissed at the world by the time they made landfall on Britain. The monks would bear the brunt of their anger.


Michael Frazier

[Marine_Uncle]

"After a few days beating from some cold northern country they would have nasty salt sores and be truly pissed at the world by the time they made landfall on Britain. The monks would bear the brunt of their anger."

Yes. Sort of tough old sea dogs, real bastards. Hate to have to tangle with one of em. Probably rip my head off before I knew my head was off. heh heh heh. I am learning how to losen up at FR. I had been told in no certain terms I am to damn serious. Have a good one.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

Well, I kinda' had to. I did my grad work in Anglo-Saxon and Old Icelandic literature (hence the tagline), and I hardly ever get to use it. It's not like it's a normal major: there are only three of us, and two are certifiably, carpet-chewing, moonbat nuts. I don't know where the sane one lives (Minnesota, I think)...

*grin*

[Tax-chick]

How interesting! I was telling one of my sons recently that he could go to college and study Icelanding, if he really wanted to. (Seriously ... he was wondering if you could only learn useful stuff in college.)

[g'nad]

Egil is muh role model...

muh mothers side is from Yorkshire... lotsa Viking blood round those parts still...

[brazzaville]

Thank you, much.

My grandson gets to play a viking in a school play this year and I get to make his gear and weapons. He's going to be one bad 9 year old. I think I'm going to enjoy it more than he is.

Have a good night.

[paulat]

I read this to mean he was dead at age six. "He got drunk at three and killed at six." Talk about a poorly cast sentence...

You're daft.

It's read as. "He got drunk at three and {he} killed at six."

The meaning is perfectly clear and finely cast.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

My grandson gets to play a viking in a school play this year and I get to make his gear and weapons.

Please, no horns on the helmets!!! That is completely historically inaccurate (and even defeats the purpose of the helmet, which is to deflect a blow).

The best explanation (apochryphally) of the "viking horned helmet" comes from the staging of Wagner's Ring. The costumer used various source material to develop the costumes, one of which was an old painting of vikings standing together. He mistook the blade of a spear that was hidden behind a viking to be a horn coming out of the helmet, and designed his costumes accordingly. Thus, the horned viking helmet became ingrained in popular opinion, despite absolutely no evidence for it from the vikings or their artifacts. Or so the story goes...

P.S. chain mail over a leather jerkin, a conical helmet with a piece coming down over the nose, and a broad-bladed sword or axe are pretty standard...

[Marine_Uncle]

" Have a good night."
And you to. Hope he doesn't knock anyone of the stage. Enjoy the play. Kids are truely great!

[School of Rational Thought]

"In Yorkshire today you can see clear evidence (faces and hair) of the Viking influence in the gene pool of the local population."


Princess Di, the actress from "Ronin" are good examples.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

Another "And the old ladies of the town are thrown into the fjords with their boots tied around their necks" ping.

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[Dustbunny]

I bet he was fun.

That thought ran through my mind also.

[BigCinBigD]

'during the Scots invasion of England in 937, Egil went berserk and chased the enemy until there was no one left to kill. Only the English King's gift of two chests full of silver soothed his murderous mood"

Ah. Those were the days.

[dsc]

Speaking of moonbats, I ran across a guy somewhere on the net who insisted that there never had been such a thing as chain mail; that it was entirely mythical.

[blam]

"Please, no horns on the helmets!!! That is completely historically inaccurate (and even defeats the purpose of the helmet, which is to deflect a blow)."

Yup. Complete inaccurate, no horns on the helmets.

[ValerieUSA]

Not quite the Elizabeth Browning poet's lifestyle....

[lexington minuteman 1775]

This guy does not sound a lot different than the BTK killer who was sentenced yesterday. Apparantly had a blood lust.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

Speaking of moonbats, I ran across a guy somewhere on the net who insisted that there never had been such a thing as chain mail; that it was entirely mythical.

So I suppose all of the contemporary pieces we have found are just... oddly-shaped metal fishing nets, perhaps? LOL! Considering that Beowulf (despite being a mythical story, it's historical value in terms of lifestyle is immense) is quite insistent on the value and efficacy of the hero's mail shirt, I'd say that guy has less legs to stand on than Monty Python's Black Knight...

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

This guy does not sound a lot different than the BTK killer who was sentenced yesterday. Apparantly had a blood lust.

That's part of the charm of the sagas, actually (not that I think BTK is charming...). While most "heroic" literature goes out of its way to make the hero's victories seem noble (a grand duel with the hero allowing the opponent to regain his weapon after being disarmed, for example), the sagas are brutally honest about the nature of violence. Often they will tell of a "hero" walking up behind his enemy and sticking an axe in his head, or ambushing an enemy and cutting his arm off before he can draw a weapon. Not flowery or idealized at all, just the gruesome reality of people killing other people...