Unwerth, Wolf von. Zu Egills Sonatorrek

• Author: Unwerth, Wolf von
• Title: Zu Egills Sonatorrek
• Published in: Untersuchungen über Totenkult und Odinnverehrung bei Nordgermanen und Lappen
• Place, Publisher: Breslau: M. & H. Marcus
• Year: 1911
• Pages: 173-75
• E-text:
• Reference: Unwerth, Wolf von. "Zu Egills Sonatorrek." Untersuchungen über Totenkult und Odinnverehrung bei Nordgermanen und Lappen. Breslau: M. & H. Marcus, 1911, pp. 173–75.

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Annotation

This short chapter concerns compositional issues as well as content aspects of Egil’s Sonatorrek. Von Unwerth speaks out against Neckel’s supposition that Sonatorrek is the product of Old English elegiac poetry influences on Egil and states that it represents Egil’s thoughts and his inner conflict, which finds expression in the flawed succession of stanzas. Since Egil frequently refers to it, the prevailing mood of the poem is his son’s death. In the main text of the book, Unwerth also discusses Sonatorrek (§55, pp. 104-109), both its content and composition. In addition, he concludes there that Sonatorrek suggests that death by illness could also be seen as inflicted by Odin and likewise that of illness deceased and drowned are taken to Valhalla. The excursus, however, does not take this conclusion into account.

References

Chapter 80: hann mundi þá yrkja mega: “Es ist nicht eine im Gedanken an englische Vorbilder ausgearbeitete Elegie, sondern ein poetischer Ausdruck der Gedanken und Empfindungen Egills, wie sie ihn an jenem Tage erfüllten“ (p. 174).

Links

• Written by: Felix Lummer
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