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Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana

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Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana, or The Story of Egil One-Hand and Asmund Berserkers-Slayer, is a legendary saga set in Russia (Rússía), a country located between Garðaríki and Húnaland, the land of the Huns. There are also adventures in Hálógaland and Jötunheimar, the realm of giants (Jötnar). Ásmundr is also known as Gnoðar-Ásmundr and under this name he is mentioned in various other sagas.[1] His foster-father is Illugi, who has a saga of his own in Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra.

Manuscripts and dating

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The saga is believed to have been written down in the 14th century. It is known through Icelandic manuscripts, the oldest attested ones from the early 15th century.[2] Its first printed edition was published by the Swedish scholar Petter Salan in 1693, under the title Fortissimorum pugilum Egilli et Asmundi historiam antqvo gothico sermone exaratam.[3]

Summary

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In the assessment of Finnur Jónsson "er sagaen ret underholdende fortalt og i sin gang ret simpel" ("the saga is quite entertainingly told and quite simple in its way").[1]

The protagonists of the saga are Ásmundr berserkjabani ("slayer of berserks"), a son of Óttarr, king of Hålogaland, Egill einhendi ("one-armed"), a son of King Hringr in Småland. The story begins during the protagonists' adulthood; after fighting one another, they become each other's foster brother. But the story of their youth is later introduced via their own account of themselves, given in the abode of a giantess. One of the sub-tales of the saga concerns King Róðíán of Tartary and his son Árán, who becomes Ásmundr's foster-brother and with whom Ásmundr sits for some days after Árán has been interred in a burial mound. Meanwhile, Egill's story echoes the legend of Polyphemos.[1]

King Hertryggr in Russia has two daughters, Brynhildr and Bekkhildr, who are both abducted by giants. The foster brothers set out to look for them, and face a series of perilous adventures and journeys. They are lucky enough to meet a giantess who helps them because, as it turns out, Egill once assisted her. She has been looking after and preserving Egill's severed arm: the giantess returns it to him and reattaches it to his body. The foster brothers save the royal daughters and marry them.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "FJ-Litteraturhist.Bd.2 - Egils saga ok Ásmundar – heimskringla.no". heimskringla.no. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  2. ^ Ms. AM 343a 4°; AM 577 4° and AM 589e 4°, all in the Árni Magnússon Institute in Iceland. See Busch, Kay. Großmachtstatus und Sagainterpretation: Die schwedischen Vorzeitsagaeditionen des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts. PhD dissertation, University of Erlangen, 2002. [1]
  3. ^ Upsala, O. Rudbecks, 1693.
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