Pseudo-Egill, the Víkingr-Poet. More on the Authenticity of the Verse in Egils Saga

Abstract

This article focuses on a lausavísa found in chapter 49 of Egils saga Skalla- Grímssonar, concerning a sea-battle between Egill and a villain named Eyvindr skreyja. The lausavísa contains several indications of being a product of the saga author, rather than of the historical Egill, to whom it is attributed. The stanza is first compared to other sources about the elusive figure of Eyvindr skreyja, including poetic ones, namely lausavísur 3–5 by Eyvindr skáldaspillir Finnsson, first attested in Fagrskinna. It follows a formal and metrical analysis of the stanza, which contrasts its features with those observed in other pseudonymous stanzas in Egils saga. The analysis reveals traits that are typical of this pseudonymous poet (here called Pseudo-Egill), including a fondness for the word víkingr and a creative use of echoes from earlier poems. The article thus sheds light on several aspects of the saga-author’s modus operandi when composing poetry for the saga, includ- ing his capacity for reproducing archaic metric-linguistic features and the nature of his poetic sources. Finally, these traits are evaluated in light of the wide-spread scholarly assumption that the author of Egils saga and of the pseudonymous poetry contained in it was Snorri Sturluson.