Byock, Jesse L.. The Skull and Bones in Egils saga

• Author: Byock, Jesse L.
• Title: The skull and bones in Egils saga. A viking, a grave, and Paget’s disease
• Published in: Viator 24
• Place, Publisher:
• Year: 1993
• Pages: 23-50
• E-text:
• Reference: Byock, Jesse L. "The skull and bones in Egils saga. A viking, a grave, and Paget’s disease." Viator 24 (1993): 23–50.

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• Key words: characterisation, medicine (persónusköpun, læknisfræði)

Annotation

This article includes an in-depth look into Egil as well as the characteristics he shared with his father and grandfather. Various attributes of these family members are used to make a potential case for them having had Paget‘s disease. Egil's physical problems in old age as well as his disfigured skeleton are used as possible evidence in this context. Egil‘s father, Skallagrim, and grandfather, Ulf, were also said to have some characteristics of the disease, including irritability in the evenings. Medical research into the occurrences of Paget‘s disease is also discussed, in depth, throughout the article. This includes the possibility of the disease being passed through the family and why the diagnosis rate of Paget‘s disease is still so low in Iceland today.

Lýsing

Þessi grein lýsir persónu Egils og persónueinkennum sem hann á sameiginleg með föður sínum og afa. Ræddar eru nokkrar vísbendingar um að feðgarnir þrír hafi verið með Paget-sjúkdóm. Egill þjáðist af mörgum líkamlegum kvillum í elli sinni, og er bent á að afmynduð beinagrind Egils sé ein vísbending af mörgum um sjúkdóminn. Sagan bendir til að faðir Egils og afi hafi einnig búið yfir einkennum Paget-sjúkdómsins, þeim hætti t.d. til pirrings á kvöldin. Tíðni og útbreiðsla sjúkdómsins í gegnum aldirnar eru raktar í greininni. Þá er fjallað um ættgengni sjúkdómsins, og leitað svara við því hvers vegna sjúkdómurinn virðist vera svo sjaldgæfur á Íslandi enn þann dag í dag.

See also

• Byock, Jesse L.. Egil’s Bones
• Byock, Jesse L.. Hauskúpan og beinin í Egils sögu
• Hermann Pálsson. Egils saga og fornir járnhausar
• Örnólfur Thorlacius. Hjálmaklettur Egils
• Þórður Harðarson. Sjúkdómur Egils Skallagrímssonar
• Þórður Harðarson & Elisabet Snorradóttir. Egil’s or Paget’s disease

References

Chapter 89: hvítnaði fyrir: "Even the saga description of the whitening of the skull (hvítnaði hann) when hit by Skapti's axe is a clear indication of Paget's" (p. 33).

Links

• Written by: Ko-Leen Berman
• English translation: Ko-Leen Berman