Franz, L. Egils ‘Sonatorrek’ und die Inschrift von Rök

• Author: Franz, L.
• Title: Egils ‘Sonatorrek’ und die Inschrift von Rök
• Published in: Mitteilungen der Islandsfreunde 11
• Year: 1923
• Pages: 3-5
• E-text: http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=4116210
• Reference: Franz, L. "Egils ‘Sonatorrek’ und die Inschrift von Rök. Das Schicksal zweiter Väter." Mitteilungen der Islandsfreunde 11 (1923): 3–5.

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Annotation

L. Franz briefly surveys the main themes of Sonatorrek, using the Latin philosophical approach of mourning (such as in Cicero's Ad Familiares, IV, 5-6) as a contrasting, negative point of comparison, and the runic inscription of Rök as a positive one. Egil's torrek is defined in terms of complaint, thwarted vengeance, and revolt against the forces of destiny. On the basis of the subject matter - the loss of a son, Franz traces a parallel between Sonatorrek and the Rök inscription, which he interprets, following Otto von Friesen, as a call onto vengeance. It could thus be destined to a son whom the father goads to avenge his departed brother, or meant as a magical imprecation against the son's killers, which would then be, still after von Friesen, comparable to Egil's niðstöng.

See also

Von Friesen, Otto. Rökstenen. runstenen vid Röks kyrka, Lysings härad Östergötland. Uppsala: J. Bragges söner,1920

References

Chapter 59: úr landi: " Egill drove Eric Blood-Axe and Gunnhilda out of the land by the means of runes that he carved in a wooden pole and, as Magnus Olsen has shown, in the construction of his niðvísa, the magic line of the younger rune series, which was also meaningful to Varinn [i.e. the dedicant of the Rök inscription] among the older ones, plays a role." ("Egill trieb Erich Blutaxt und Gunhild mitels Runen, die er in eine Holzstange einschnitt, aus dem Lande, und im Baue seiner niðvisa spielt, wie Magnus Olsen gezeigt hat, die magische Zeile der jüngeren Runenreihe, deren sich auch Varinn neben der der alten bediente, eine Rolle.") (p. 5)

Chapter 80: færi ég andvígr / Ægis mani: Egil doesn't comfort himself with a yelding "the Lord has given, the Lord has taken", but he wishes to raise his sword against the superior powers themselves. (Egill tröstet sich nicht mit einem ergebenen: der Herr hat's gegeben, der Herr hat's genommen, sondern selbst gegen die Überirdischen möchte er sein Schwert erheben.") (p. 4)

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