Page:The Story of Egil Skallagrimsson.djvu/236

twenty-six years according to his Saga. He came to Norway in 934, his death was in 960 or 961. We should suppose it after Bodvar's death from our Saga. A very interesting account of the fight at Fitjar, where Hacon faced great odds, is given in Hacon's Saga. Eight sons of Harold Fairhair are said to have fallen in battle before Hacon fell.

Arinbjorn] He joined Eric's son's nine years before, as we saw ch. lxxii.

A part thereof] How much more there was, we cannot exactly determine. There is no appearance of incompleteness in the first twenty-four stanzas (except a few lines lost in 12 and 23-24). The poem begins with a sketch of Egil's own principles and early fortunes: then he comes to the great danger of his life at Eric's court in England, in which Arinbjorn saved him. This he treats of fully: then goes on to praises which lie ready and plentiful. First he tells of his generosity; and of this he speaks much. Then we should expect much about his warlike prowess: he had been on free-booting expeditions with Egil, had fought much for Eric and his sons, 'was a great warrior and a victorious.' But there is nothing: 'a large gap,' says Petersen. The whole 'drápa' may have been of sixty stanzas: this is mentioned as a not unusual length in Vigfusson's Dict.

st. 3. Yngling's son] Yngling is a proper name of a descendant of Odin, to whom the kings of Norway traced back their pedigree. So that the phrase about matches Homer's 'Zeus-born kings.'

hood of daring] Egil we are told 'took a bold heart' and rode to York to Arinbjorn's.

6. bolster-mate] i.e., head. There are some other explanations of this kenning and of the lines: but the whole must be meant of the Höfudlausn.

7. Not beauteous] Just what Egil said in ch. lxiv. He now goes on to describe his head and all its parts in very curious kennings: 'hood-knoll' or 'hat-knoll,' etc.

8. pit-holes] i.e., his eye-sockets or eyes.

9. Tooth-fence] ἕρκος ὀδόντων. The inner and outer part of the ear are next described.

11. framed no lies] Arinbjorn's bold truthfulness before Eric was re-markable.

12. Of the stay] This stanza is corrupt: but the general opinion is that it alludes to what Harold Fairhair said about Thorolf the elder, whose death he pronounced to be a great loss.

13. Wrong] '’Twere wrong that such help were wasted in vain,' is the whole sense: 'thrown to the seas' is curiously amplified. But not very unlike is Horace's tristitiam et metus tradam protervis in mare Creticum portare ventis.

15. Now] The debt of gratitude paid, I go on to further praises.

16. voice-plane] Cf. 'song-pounder' in st. 1 of Sona-torrek.

17. hearth-fire] This kenning has been noticed in the Introduction, p. x., as one of the riddle kind.

20. The last part of this stanza is of uncertain text and meaning.

21. Few] Arinbjorn is generous, which is rare: he is friendly and suits everyone: which is rare. To repair with shaft broken spears, etc., may have been a not uncommon duty of a host to his guests in a break-spear age.

23. Draupnir] The ring which Odin laid on Baldur's pyre: 'it was such that every ninth night eight gold rings of the same weight dropped therefrom.' As good as the gold-egg-laying goose.

23, 24. It is not certain how these lines should be arranged. But it looks as if the chief gap should come here. The stanza 25, 'Long course of life,' would come best after some description of Arinbjorn's warlike exploits.