Share Page References from Heimskringla for Good Parts

[marcus]

that old translation from 1893 of Egil doesn't do it for me

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/egil/
it is by an English clergyman Rev. WC Greene or somebody like that
and his language is antique and not direct

I am glad of all the other links.
Maybe Evo you could find the Penguin Egil in the library?
It is one book that is worth owning in my view, but then tastes differ.

I just finished reading Chapter 71 about a dinnerparty Egil had at Armod's house.
there was a girl waiting table who made up a poem on the spur of the moment to persuade Egil to stop drinking at a certain point, but it didnt work (you see even waitresses made 8-line alliterative stanzas in those days or somehow in the story they managed to)
. then after he was totally drunk Egil made up a couple of stanzas himself.
a lot of other things happened that evening too, spoil it to explain.
the penguin translates the poems well----that 1890s clergyman doesn't always cut the mustard.
You'll see.

we must find Palsson and Edwards translation of Egil, or else Evo get hardcopy.

 

[marcus]

I looked and could not find Palsson/Edwards online but however found
a synopsis of the plot of Egil Saga written in 2003 by someone named
McKenny who uses the Palsson/Edwards and gives page references to it and exerpts from it.

this is the readers digest Egil:
http://www.geocities.com/solarguard/germanic/egil.html
the whole story in two pages by Michael McKenny

 

[Evo]

that old translation from 1893 of Egil doesn't do it for me

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/egil/
it is by an English clergyman Rev. WC Greene or somebody like that
and his language is antique and not direct

I had the same concerns, I almost didn't post that link. I have found that the translation can make or break a story. I will see what else is available.

I just finished reading Chapter 71 about a dinnerparty Egil had at Armod's house.
there was a girl waiting table who made up a poem on the spur of the moment to persuade Egil to stop drinking at a certain point, but it didnt work (you see even waitresses made 8-line alliterative stanzas in those days or somehow in the story they managed to)
. then after he was totally drunk Egil made up a couple of stanzas himself.

I know, these people make me feel really unworthy. I seldom am able to break into prose that would be worthy of repeating. I do, however, constantly create songs at the drop of a hat, perhaps I am not so untalented after all?

a lot of other things happened that evening too, spoil it to explain.
the penguin translates the poems well----that 1890s clergyman doesn't always cut the mustard.
You'll see.

we must find Palsson and Edwards translation of Egil, or else Evo get hardcopy.

I accept the challenge. Let me see what I can find.

 

[marcus]

BTW I looked in the penguin Egil for the same event
Olaf Peacock wooing Egil's daughter
and found it on page 201, chapter 78, of my edition.
In this case Laxdale gives more detail and Egil saga just the bare fact.

I I do, however, constantly create songs at the drop of a hat, .

this is a good thing to be able to do

when do we get some more comment on Egil?

 

[Evo]

Ok, I am back & will continue where we left off in my next post.

I loved what you wrote about your aunt, I wish you had left it.

marcus, I hope you don't mind, we had discussed other creation myths and I thought this was a cute one. It's from the Ainu people of Japan. There are a bunch of animal myths.

I can just picture the person eating the otter head.

I can delete it if you feel it's too off topic.

Ainu Legends

The Ainu believe that the world rests on the back of a giant trout, that otters caused human beings to be flawed, and that seeing an owl fly across the face of the moon at night is cause for great trepidation.
continued...

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hokkaido/legends.html

Trout

How the humble trout carries the world upon its back

"Before God made the world, there was nothing but swamp to be seen, in which, however, there dwelt a very large trout. This trout was indeed a mighty fish, for his body reached from one end of the swamp to the other. Now, when the Creator produced the Earth, He made this creature to become its foundation. There lies the living trout beneath the world, taking in and sending out the waters of the sea through his mouth. When he sucks the water in, the ebb of the tide takes place, but when he sends it out the tide flows"...

"The trout upon whose back the world is founded is the cause of tidal waves. Every now and again he takes in a vast quantity of water, and then with an extraordinary effort shoots it out of his mouth in one mighty blow of his breath. It is this which makes the tidal waves.

Continued…

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hokkaido/legtro.html

Otter

Why it is responsible for man's imperfect nature, and why you should be careful about eating its head

"The otter's head must not lightly be used as an article of food, for unless people are very careful they will, if they eat it, become as forgetful as that creature. And hence it happens that when an otter has been killed the people do not usually eat the head.

"But if they are seized with a very strong desire for a feast of otter's head, they may partake thereof, providing proper precautions are taken. When eating it the people must take their swords, knives, axes, bows and arrows, tobacco boxes and pipes, trays, cups, garden tools, and everything they possess, tie them up in bundles with carrying slings, and sit with them attached to their heads while in the act of eating ... If this method be carefully adhered to, there will be no danger of forgetting where a thing has been placed, otherwise loss of memory will be the result."

whole article -

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hokkaido/legott.html

 

[marcus]

"But if they are seized with a very strong desire for a feast of otter's head, they may partake thereof, providing proper precautions are taken. When eating it the people must take their swords, knives, axes, bows and arrows, tobacco boxes and pipes, trays, cups, garden tools, and everything they possess, tie them up in bundles with carrying slings, and sit with them attached to their heads while in the act of eating ... If this method be carefully adhered to, there will be no danger of forgetting where a thing has been placed, otherwise loss of memory will be the result."

whole article -

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hokkaido/legott.html

I must have eaten the otter's head last week because I forgot about Heimsk. thread and just returned, find (to my considerable delight) these Ainu myths.

It reminds me of HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE the episode of insomnia which the whole town of Macondo got
and they were enjoying it a lot, finding congenial ways to pass the sleepless nights, and never getting tired or sleepy but just evermore alert to the present

but then the past and future faded, along with memory and purpose, and they found they had to start tying labels on all their implements to remind them of what they were for. and a label tied to the cow to remind them to milk it

I hope you and your daughter are well and are finding books you can both enjoy reading, or films. lonliness across generations--and discontinuity of the cultural things one loves---are the most severe divides and probably the reason why everyone wishes so hard to have grandchildren---because with them at least one hopes to be able to share what are the deepest satisfactions in life, like kiteflying and hot chocolate.

 

[hypnagogue]

bump...

 

[Evo]

I was re-reading this thread earlier tonight, glad you thought to move it here. I assume you are the busy history fairy here?

 

[arildno]

Oh, I had totally forgotten about this thread.