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Bard bade him drink and stop that jeering. Egil drained every cup that came to him, drinking for Aulvir likewise. Then Bard went to the queen and told her there was a man there who put shame on them, for, howsoever much he drank, he still said he was thirsty. The queen and Bard then mixed the drink with poison,<ref>'''mixed the drink with poison''': „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ ([[Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod]] (p. 97f).</ref> and bare it in. Bard consecrated the cup,<ref>'''Bard consecrated the cup''': "The verb ''signa'' is a borrowing from the Latin ''signare'' [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the ''signum'' was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." [[Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill]] (p. 328).</ref> then gave it to the ale-maid. She carried it to Egil, and bade him drink. Egil then drew his knife and pricked the palm of his hand. He took the horn, scratched runes<ref>'''scratched runes''': "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." [[Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson]] (p. 411).</ref> thereon, and smeared blood in them.<ref>''' scratched runes and smeared blood in them.''': " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." [[Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed]] (p. 31).</ref> He sang:
Bard bade him drink and stop that jeering. Egil drained every cup that came to him, drinking for Aulvir likewise. Then Bard went to the queen and told her there was a man there who put shame on them, for, howsoever much he drank, he still said he was thirsty. The queen and Bard then mixed the drink with poison,<ref>'''mixed the drink with poison''': „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ ([[Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod]] (p. 97f).</ref> and bare it in. Bard consecrated the cup,<ref>'''Bard consecrated the cup''': "The verb ''signa'' is a borrowing from the Latin ''signare'' [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the ''signum'' was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." [[Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill]] (p. 328).</ref> then gave it to the ale-maid. She carried it to Egil, and bade him drink. Egil then drew his knife and pricked the palm of his hand. He took the horn, scratched runes<ref>'''scratched runes''': "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." [[Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson]] (p. 411).</ref> thereon, and smeared blood in them.<ref>''' scratched runes and smeared blood in them.''': " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." [[Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed]] (p. 31).</ref> He sang:


'Write we runes around the horn,<br>
'Write we runes around the horn,<ref>'''Write we runes around the horn''': "This verse differs from the previous one [...] in being almost a perfect háttleysa, i.e., composed without regular internal rhyme. [...] The verse-form is a cue; it carries an implicit signal to the audience. In all, the saga contains five occurences of háttleysa, and I suggest that these instances are thematically linked." [[Guðrún Nordal. Ars metrica and the composition of Egils saga]] (p. 45).</ref><br>
Redden all the spell with blood;<br>
Redden all the spell with blood;<br>
Wise words choose I for the cup<br>
Wise words choose I for the cup<br>
Line 109: Line 109:
Þá gekk Bárður til drottningar og sagði henni að þar var maður sá er skömm færði að þeim og aldregi drakk svo að eigi segði hann sig þyrsta. Drottning og Bárður blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani<ref>'''blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani''': „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ ([[Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod]] (s. 97f).</ref> og báru þá inn. Signdi Bárður fullið,<ref>'''Signdi Bárður fullið''': "The verb ''signa'' is a borrowing from the Latin ''signare'' [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the ''signum'' was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." [[Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill]] (s. 328).</ref> fékk síðan ölseljunni. Færði hún Agli og bað hann drekka. Egill brá þá knífi sínum og stakk í lófa sér. Hann tók við horninu og reist á rúnar<ref>'''reist á rúnar''': "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." [[Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson]] (s. 411).</ref>  og reið á blóðinu.<ref>''' reist á rúnar og reið á blóðinu.''': " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." [[Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed]] (s. 31).</ref> Hann kvað:
Þá gekk Bárður til drottningar og sagði henni að þar var maður sá er skömm færði að þeim og aldregi drakk svo að eigi segði hann sig þyrsta. Drottning og Bárður blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani<ref>'''blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani''': „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ ([[Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod]] (s. 97f).</ref> og báru þá inn. Signdi Bárður fullið,<ref>'''Signdi Bárður fullið''': "The verb ''signa'' is a borrowing from the Latin ''signare'' [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the ''signum'' was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." [[Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill]] (s. 328).</ref> fékk síðan ölseljunni. Færði hún Agli og bað hann drekka. Egill brá þá knífi sínum og stakk í lófa sér. Hann tók við horninu og reist á rúnar<ref>'''reist á rúnar''': "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." [[Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson]] (s. 411).</ref>  og reið á blóðinu.<ref>''' reist á rúnar og reið á blóðinu.''': " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." [[Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed]] (s. 31).</ref> Hann kvað:


Ristum rún á horni, <br>
Ristum rún á horni,<ref>'''Ristum rún á horni''': "This verse differs from the previous one [...] in being almost a perfect háttleysa, i.e., composed without regular internal rhyme. [...] The verse-form is a cue; it carries an implicit signal to the audience. In all, the saga contains five occurences of háttleysa, and I suggest that these instances are thematically linked." [[Guðrún Nordal. Ars metrica and the composition of Egils saga]] (s. 45).</ref> <br>
Rjóðum spjöll í dreyra. <br>
Rjóðum spjöll í dreyra. <br>
Þau vel eg orð til eyrna <br>
Þau vel eg orð til eyrna <br>

Latest revision as of 06:16, 16 November 2017


Chapter 44

The slaying of Bard

King Eric and queen Gunnhilda came[1] that same evening to Atla-isle, and Bard had prepared there a banquet for the king; and there was to be there a sacrifice to the guardian spirits.[2] Sumptuous was the banquet, and great the drinking within the hall.

'Where is Bard?' asked the king; 'I see him not.'

Someone said: 'Bard is outside supplying his guests.'

'Who be these guests,' said the king, 'that he deemeth this more a duty than to be here within waiting on us?'

The man said that some house-carles of lord Thorir were come thither.

The king said: 'Go after them at once, and call them in hither.'

And so it was done, with the message that the king would fain see them.

Whereupon they came. The king received Aulvir well, and bade him sit in the high-seat facing himself, and his comrades outside him. They did so, Egil sitting next to Aulvir. Ale was then served to them to drink. Many toasts went round, and a horn should be drunk to each toast.

But as the evening wore on, many of Aulvir's companions became helpless. Some remained in the room, though sick, some went out of doors. Bard busily plied them with drink. Then Egil took the horn which Bard had offered to Aulvir, and drank it off. Bard said that Egil was very thirsty, and brought him at once the horn again filled, and bade him drink it off. Egil took the horn, and recited a stave: [3]

'Wizard-worshipper of cairns!
Want of ale thou couldst allege,
Here at spirits' holy feast.
False deceiver thee I find.
Stranger guests thou didst beguile,
Cloaking thus thy churlish greed.
Bard, a niggard base art thou,
Treacherous trick on such to play.'

Bard bade him drink and stop that jeering. Egil drained every cup that came to him, drinking for Aulvir likewise. Then Bard went to the queen and told her there was a man there who put shame on them, for, howsoever much he drank, he still said he was thirsty. The queen and Bard then mixed the drink with poison,[4] and bare it in. Bard consecrated the cup,[5] then gave it to the ale-maid. She carried it to Egil, and bade him drink. Egil then drew his knife and pricked the palm of his hand. He took the horn, scratched runes[6] thereon, and smeared blood in them.[7] He sang:

'Write we runes around the horn,[8]
Redden all the spell with blood;
Wise words choose I for the cup
Wrought from branching horn of beast.
Drink we then, as drink we will,
Draught that cheerful bearer brings,
Learn that health abides in ale,
Holy ale that Bard hath bless'd.'

The horn burst asunder in the midst, and the drink was spilt on the straw below. Then Aulvir began to be faint. So Egil stood up, took Aulvir by the hand, and led him to the door. Egil shifted his cloak to his left side, and under the mantle held his sword. But when they came to the door, then came Bard after them with a full horn, and bade them drink a farewell cup. Egil stood in the door. He took the horn and drank it off; then recited a stave:

'Ale is borne[9] to me, for ale
Aulvir now maketh pale.
From ox-horn I let pour
'Twixt my lips the shower.
But blind they fate to see
Blows thou bring'st on thee:
Full soon from Odin's thane
Feel'st thou deadly rain.'

With that Egil threw down the horn, but gripped his sword and drew; it was dark in the room. He thrust Bard right through the middle with the sword, so that the point went out at the back. Bard fell dead, the blood welling[10] from the wound. Aulvir fell too, vomiting.[11] Then Egil dashed out of the room; it was pitch dark outside. Egil at once ran off from the buildings. But in the entrance-room it was now seen that Bard and Aulvir were fallen.[12]

Then came the king, and bade them bring light; whereupon they saw what had happened, that Aulvir lay there senseless; but Bard was slain, and the floor all streaming with blood. Then the king asked where was that big man who had drunk most that evening. Men said that he had gone out.

'Seek him,' said the king, 'and bring him to me.'

Search was made for him round the premises, but nowhere was he found. But when they came to the detached fire-hall, there lay Aulvir's comrades. The king's men asked if Egil had come there at all. They said that he had run in, taken his weapons, and so out again.

This was told to the king. The king bade his men go with all speed and seize every ship or boat on the island.

'But in the morning,' said he, 'when it is light, we must search all the island and slay the man.'

References

  1. King Eric and queen Gunnhilda came: "Konungshjón Sporðdreka, Plútó og Próserpína, nefndust oftar Hades og Persephone (í grískum goðsögnum) og ríktu þau að sjálfsögðu yfir landi dauðans. Er ekki staður hér til að rekja þær flóknu goðsagnir sem að þessu lúta; meginatriðið er að Eiríki blóðöx og Gunnhildi kóngamóður hefur augljóslega verið líkt við þessi konungshjón dauða og kynfæra". Einar Pálsson. Eirikur blóðöx, Gunnhildur og sporðdrekinn (p. 2).
  2. sacrifice to the guardian spiritis: "There seems... no doubt that the Dísablót or sacrifice to the Dísir which is mentioned occasionally in the sagas, was a sacrifice to spiritual powers of a vague kind, not yet grown into individual deities; female, and representing in some way the underworld of the dead... The Dísablót has sometimes been described as connected with the worship of Freyja, and taking place at midwinter, but there is no saga-authority for this. There is no recorded case of a Dísablót in Iceland, but there are cases in Norway". Faraday, L. Winifred. Custom and Belief in the Icelandic Sagas (p. 399-400).
  3. Egil took the horn, and recited a stave: “Den poetiske ordlegginga har fyrst komi inn i hans eiga forteljing om hendingane etterpå. Såleis er det t. d. rimeleg å tenkje seg at dei versa som soga let Egil kveda i gildet på Atløy, er laga etterpå.“ Hovstad, Johan. Tradisjon og diktning i Egils saga (p. 88).
  4. mixed the drink with poison: „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ (Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod (p. 97f).
  5. Bard consecrated the cup: "The verb signa is a borrowing from the Latin signare [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the signum was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill (p. 328).
  6. scratched runes: "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson (p. 411).
  7. scratched runes and smeared blood in them.: " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed (p. 31).
  8. Write we runes around the horn: "This verse differs from the previous one [...] in being almost a perfect háttleysa, i.e., composed without regular internal rhyme. [...] The verse-form is a cue; it carries an implicit signal to the audience. In all, the saga contains five occurences of háttleysa, and I suggest that these instances are thematically linked." Guðrún Nordal. Ars metrica and the composition of Egils saga (p. 45).
  9. ale is borne: "Vísuhelmingarnir tveir kallast ... á við það sem koma skal: Ölvir ofurölvi mun spúa yfir stofuna, en í síðari hlutanum er ýjað að drápi Bárðar, þar sem blóðið hleypur úr sárinu. Myndin er óhugnaleg og minnir á sögur af því hvernig Óðinn komst yfir skáldskaparmjöðinn, eins og Jón Karl Helgason hefur fjallað um. ... Tvískipt form vísunnar kallast á við vökvana tvo sem renna úr líkama Ölvis og Bárðar og gefa hugboð um ævi Egils sem helguð er skáldskap og vígum." Guðrún Nordal. Egill, Snorri og höfundurinn (p. 9).
  10. the blood welling: "Thus in terms of these myths there is a sense in which poetry is blood and poetry is vomit, and the mead or intoxicating drink of poetry is the fundamental metaphoric equation of this tradition.“ Hill, Thomas D.. Beer, Vomit, Blood, and Poetry: Egils saga, Chapters 44-45 (p. 250).
  11. fell too, vomiting: " In the story of the winning of the poetic mead, Odinn steals three draughts after he had had sexual congress with the giant Suttungr's daughter, Gunnloo. Suttungr had earlier taken it from dwarves in return for rescuing them from off a skerry. Odinn leaves Giantland in the form of an eagle pursued by the giant and then regurgitates the poetic mead when he has successfully returned to Asgaror. This vomiting up, with its homologue in inspired extemporaneous versifying, is echoed at various points in the sagas, sometimes literal vomiting as in Egils saga, and here in Fostbraeora saga in inverted parodic form when Gestr/Odinn douses Pormodr with a bucket of sea-water." Sayers, William. Scarfing the Yard with Words (Fostbræðra saga) (p. 4).
  12. Bard and Aulvir were fallen: "Þessi speglun innan frásagnarinnar styður frekar þá kenningu að sýnilegur þráður hennar endurspegli atburði brúðkaupsnæturinnar sem líður án þess að frá henni sé sagt. [...] Öðrum megin höfum við andstæðingana Egil og Gunnhildi/Bárð, hinum megin hjónakornin Þórólf og Ásgerði". Jón Karl Helgason. Rjóðum spjöll í dreyra (p. 75).

Kafli 44

Dráp Bárðar

Eiríkur konungur og Gunnhildur komu [1] það sama kveld í Atley og hafði Bárður þar búið veislu móti honum og skyldi þar vera dísablót[2] og var þar veisla hin besta og drykkja mikil inni í stofunni.

Konungur spurði hvar Bárður væri „er eg sé hann hvergi.“

Maður segir: „Bárður er úti og greiðir fyrir gestum sínum.“

„Hverjir eru gestir þeir,“ segir konungur, „er hann lætur sér það skyldara en vera inni hér hjá oss?“

Maðurinn sagði honum að þar voru komnir húskarlar Þóris hersis.

Konungur mælti: „Gangið eftir þeim sem tíðast og kallið þá inn hingað.“ Og var svo gert, sagt að konungur vill hitta þá.

Síðan ganga þeir. Fagnaði konungur vel Ölvi og bað hann sitja gagnvert sér í öndvegi og þar förunauta hans utar frá. Þeir gerðu svo. Sat Egill næstur Ölvi.

Síðan var þeim borið öl að drekka. Fóru minni mörg og skyldi horn drekka í minni hvert. En er á leið um kveldið þá kom svo að förunautar Ölvis gerðust margir ófærir, sumir spjóu þar inni í stofunni en sumir komust út fyrir dyr. Bárður gekk þá að fast að bera þeim drykk.

Þá tók Egill við horni því er Bárður hafði fengið Ölvi og drakk af. Bárður sagði að hann þyrsti mjög og færði honum þegar hornið fullt og bað hann af drekka. Egill tók við horninu og kvað vísu: [3]

Sögðuð sverri flagða
sumbleklu þér, kumbla,
því tel eg, brjótr, þar er blétuð,
bragðvísan þig, dísir.
Leynduð alls til illa
ókunna þér runna,
illt hafi bragð af brugðið,
Báröðr, hugar fári.

Bárður bað hann drekka og hætta flimtun þeirri. Egill drakk full hvert er að honum kom og svo fyrir Ölvi.

Þá gekk Bárður til drottningar og sagði henni að þar var maður sá er skömm færði að þeim og aldregi drakk svo að eigi segði hann sig þyrsta. Drottning og Bárður blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani[4] og báru þá inn. Signdi Bárður fullið,[5] fékk síðan ölseljunni. Færði hún Agli og bað hann drekka. Egill brá þá knífi sínum og stakk í lófa sér. Hann tók við horninu og reist á rúnar[6] og reið á blóðinu.[7] Hann kvað:

Ristum rún á horni,[8]
Rjóðum spjöll í dreyra.
Þau vel eg orð til eyrna
óðs dýrs viðar róta.
Drekkum veig sem viljum
vel glýjaðra þýja.
Vitum hve oss of eiri
öl það er Bárðr of signdi.

Hornið sprakk í sundur en drykkurinn fór niður í hálm. Þá tók að líða að Ölvi og stóð þá Egill upp og leiddi hann út til dyranna. Egill kastaði yfirhöfn sinni á öxl sér og hélt á sverðinu undir skikkjunni. En er þeir koma að dyrunum þá gekk Bárður eftir þeim Agli með horn fullt og bað Ölvi drekka brautfararminni sitt. Egill stóð í dyrunum og kvað vísu:

Ölvar mig[9] því að Ölvi
öl gerir nú fölvan.
Atgeira læt eg ýrar
ýring of grön skýra.
Öllungis kanntu illa,
oddskýs, fyr þér nýsa,
rigna getr að regni,
regnbjóðr, Háars þegna.

Egill kastaði þegar niður horninu og greip sverðið og brá. Myrkt var orðið í stofunni. Egill lagði sverðinu að Bárði miðjum svo að blóðrefillinn gekk út um bakið. Féll Bárður niður dauður en blóð hljóp út úr undinni.[10] Þá féll Ölvir og gaus spýja úr honum.[11] Egill hljóp út um forstofudyrnar en niðamyrkur var úti. Tók Egill þegar á rás af bænum.

Gengu menn út úr stofunni og sáu að þeir voru fallnir báðir,[12] Bárður og Ölvir, og hugðu menn fyrst að hvorir þeirra mundu hafa vegið annan. En af því að dimmt var lét konungur bera til ljós og sá þá hvað títt var um Ölvi, að hann lá þar í spýju sinni í óviti, en Bárður dauður og flaut í blóði hans gólf allt.

Þá spurði konungur hvar sá hinn mikli maður var er mest hafði drukkið um kveldið. Menn sögðu að hann gekk fram fyrir Ölvi.

„Leitið að honum,“ segir konungur, „og látið hann koma til mín.“

Síðan var hans leitað um bæinn og fannst hann hvergi. En er þeir komu í eldahús það er þeir höfðu matast í um kveldið þá lágu þar margir förunautar Ölvis en sumir lágu úti undir húsveggjum. Konungsmenn spurðu hvort Egill hefði nokkuð þar komið.

Þeim var sagt að hann hefði hlaupið þar inn og tekið ofan vopn sín og gengið út síðan.

Þeir fóru inn í stofu og sögðu konungi allt þetta. Konungur bað menn sína fara sem hvatast og taka skip öll er voru í eynni „en á morgun sem ljóst er skal rannsaka eyna.“

Tilvísanir

  1. Eiríkur konungur og Gunnhildur komu: "Konungshjón Sporðdreka, Plútó og Próserpína, nefndust oftar Hades og Persephone (í grískum goðsögnum) og ríktu þau að sjálfsögðu yfir landi dauðans. Er ekki staður hér til að rekja þær flóknu goðsagnir sem að þessu lúta; meginatriðið er að Eiríki blóðöx og Gunnhildi kóngamóður hefur augljóslega verið líkt við þessi konungshjón dauða og kynfæra". Einar Pálsson. Eirikur blóðöx, Gunnhildur og sporðdrekinn (s. 2).
  2. dísarblót: "There seems... no doubt that the Dísablót or sacrifice to the Dísir which is mentioned occasionally in the sagas, was a sacrifice to spiritual powers of a vague kind, not yet grown into individual deities; female, and representing in some way the underworld of the dead... The Dísablót has sometimes been described as connected with the worship of Freyja, and taking place at midwinter, but there is no saga-authority for this. There is no recorded case of a Dísablót in Iceland, but there are cases in Norway". Faraday, L. Winifred. Custom and Belief in the Icelandic Sagas (s. 399-400).
  3. Egill tók við horninu og kvað vísu: “Den poetiske ordlegginga har fyrst komi inn i hans eiga forteljing om hendingane etterpå. Såleis er det t. d. rimeleg å tenkje seg at dei versa som soga let Egil kveda i gildet på Atløy, er laga etterpå.“ Hovstad, Johan. Tradisjon og diktning i Egils saga (s. 88).
  4. blönduðu þá drykkinn ólyfjani: „Dabei wird der Leser von Gunnhilds scheinbar unmotivierter Feindseligkeit gegenüber Egil im Grunde überrascht; die Kausalitäten für den Giftanschlag sind kompliziert entwickelt. […] Eher ließen sich dafür die Triebkräfte in Anschlag bringen, die die Spannungsgeladene Stimmung hervorgerufen haben und die sich im Freudschen Sinne festmachen lassen“ (Heinrichs, Anne. Gunnhild Özurardóttir und Egil Skalla-Grímsson im Kampf um Leben und Tod (s. 97f).
  5. Signdi Bárður fullið: "The verb signa is a borrowing from the Latin signare [...] which was used in both pagan and Christian practices. To the Christians the signum was the sign of the cross, while for the pagans it was the act of consecrating an object or person to a certain god […]. It is here hard to say if Bard marked or carved the symbol of the cross or of Thor’s hammer." Meli, Marcello. Rune e magia nella saga di Egill (s. 328).
  6. reist á rúnar: "The runic law evidenced here reminds one of various comments in Eddic poetry, specifically statements in Hávamál st.144 concerning the carving and coloring of runes and the mention on Sigrdrífumál sts.7-8 of “beer-runes” (ọlrúnar) which protect against mead mixed with poison." Knirk, James E.. Runes from Trondheim and a Stanza by Egill Skalla-Grímsson (s. 411).
  7. reist á rúnar og reið á blóðinu.: " Man kan vælge at forstå magien som en pudsig folkloristisk museumsgenstand og ikke andet. I så fald er scenen bare ubegribelig. Man kan også vælge at forstå den som et udtryk for erotiske kræfter og i så fald falder scenen på plads som ophav til den langstrakte tiltrækning og frastødning mellem Egil og Gunhild, som forårsager så megen splid i resten af sagaen. Magiens anvendelse andre steder i fortællingen understøtter denne forståelse." Bredsdorff, Thomas. Kaos og kærlighed (s. 31).
  8. Ristum rún á horni: "This verse differs from the previous one [...] in being almost a perfect háttleysa, i.e., composed without regular internal rhyme. [...] The verse-form is a cue; it carries an implicit signal to the audience. In all, the saga contains five occurences of háttleysa, and I suggest that these instances are thematically linked." Guðrún Nordal. Ars metrica and the composition of Egils saga (s. 45).
  9. ölvar mig: "Vísuhelmingarnir tveir kallast ... á við það sem koma skal: Ölvir ofurölvi mun spúa yfir stofuna, en í síðari hlutanum er ýjað að drápi Bárðar, þar sem blóðið hleypur úr sárinu. Myndin er óhugnaleg og minnir á sögur af því hvernig Óðinn komst yfir skáldskaparmjöðinn, eins og Jón Karl Helgason hefur fjallað um. ... Tvískipt form vísunnar kallast á við vökvana tvo sem renna úr líkama Ölvis og Bárðar og gefa hugboð um ævi Egils sem helguð er skáldskap og vígum." Guðrún Nordal. Egill, Snorri og höfundurinn (s. 9).
  10. blóð hljóp út úr undinni: "Thus in terms of these myths there is a sense in which poetry is blood and poetry is vomit, and the mead or intoxicating drink of poetry is the fundamental metaphoric equation of this tradition.“ Hill, Thomas D.. Beer, Vomit, Blood, and Poetry: Egils saga, Chapters 44-45 (s. 250).
  11. gaus spýja úr honum: " In the story of the winning of the poetic mead, Odinn steals three draughts after he had had sexual congress with the giant Suttungr's daughter, Gunnloo. Suttungr had earlier taken it from dwarves in return for rescuing them from off a skerry. Odinn leaves Giantland in the form of an eagle pursued by the giant and then regurgitates the poetic mead when he has successfully returned to Asgaror. This vomiting up, with its homologue in inspired extemporaneous versifying, is echoed at various points in the sagas, sometimes literal vomiting as in Egils saga, and here in Fostbraeora saga in inverted parodic form when Gestr/Odinn douses Pormodr with a bucket of sea-water." Sayers, William. Scarfing the Yard with Words (Fostbræðra saga) (s. 4).
  12. þeir voru fallnir báðir: „Þessi speglun innan frásagnarinnar styður frekar þá kenningu að sýnilegur þráður hennar endurspegli atburði brúðkaupsnæturinnar sem líður án þess að frá henni sé sagt. [...] Öðrum megin höfum við andstæðingana Egil og Gunnhildi/Bárð, hinum megin hjónakornin Þórólf og Ásgerði“. Jón Karl Helgason. Rjóðum spjöll í dreyra (s. 75).

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