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. MarcusInsert non-formatted text here
• 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 excursus concerns compositional issues as well as content aspects of Egill’s Sonatorrek. Von Unwerth speaks out against Neckel’s supposition that Sonatorrek is the product of Old English elegiac poetry influences on Egill and states that it represents Egill’s thoughts and his inner conflict, which finds its expression in the flawed succession of stanzas. Since Egill frequently refers to it, the prevailing mood of the poem is his son’s death.

The main text of the book also shortly touches on Sonatorrek (§55, pp. 104-109), where von Unwerth, too, discusses its content and composition. In addition, he concludes that Sonatorrek proves the perception that death by illness could also be seen as inflicted by Óðinn and likewise that of illness deceased and drowned are taken to Valhǫll. The excursus, however, does not take this conclusion into account.

References

Chapter 78: “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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