Episode 29m - Egil's Saga (Part 13)

Published: Dec. 20, 2019, 2:10 p.m.

b'In this episode, we turn from Egil\'s exciting adventures abroad to more serious matters back home. After the tragic deaths of his sons Bodvar and Gunnar, Egil descends into a pit of despair. Cutting himself off from society and family, Egil locks himself in his room to await death. After a clever trick by his daughter foils his plans to end it all, Egil finds solace in poetry once again. In an effort to eulogize his sons and come to terms with his grief, Egil composes what might be his very best and most famous poem, the Sonatorrek (Loss of Sons).\\nWith the mead of poetry once again flowing, Egil composes a praise poem to his best friend Arinbjorn. The Arinbjarnarkvi\\xf0a may not be as powerful as the Sonatorrek, but it\'s a great poem in its own right. As you\'d expect, we spend most of our time discussing these two incredible poems.\\n\\nIf you\'d like to hear the Sonatorrek sung, Wardruna has recorded the lament. It\'s worth listening to, especially if you read along with the Old Norse original and a good translation.\\nFor those of you who want to go deep with the\\xa0Arinbjarnarkvi\\xf0a, you can access the Old Norse version here. I also recommend you consult \\xdeorgeir Sigur\\xf0sson\'s recent dissertation, The Unreadable Poem of Arinbjorn: Preservation, Meter, and a Restored Text. It\'s an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the poem.\\nMusic Credits:\\nIntro Music\\xa0-\\xa0"Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)\\nSummary Music \\u2013 "The Vamp" by the Rega Dance Orchestra\\nPreview - "Fornheim" by Danheim\\nPoetry Music - "Valravn" by Danheim\\nOutro Music\\xa0-\\xa0"Stormfront"\\xa0by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)\\nSelections from music by Kevin MacLeod licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/'