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Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Happy Thorsday – Prince Egil One-Hand, Berserker of the Many Rings Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic) mythological characters.  This week it’s Egil / Egill One-Hand mentioned in the Egilis Saga.

TLDR at the bottom.

Hi name has been translated to ‘Awe’, or ‘Fear’, or ‘dread’ combined with ‘edge’ or ‘point’ of a weapon. Which unlike the farmer Giant Egil who shares his name, where the meaning had the context of being afraid of the sword. Egil here, much like Egill Skallagrimson, is meant to imply the use of the sword, and that others should be afraid of his blade’s edge.

His father was King Hring of Smaland, and Ingibjorg the Earl’s daughter of Gautland. As a young man, Egil and his friends were known for going around causing lots of trouble. Egging each other on to do dumber and more selfish things that upset and hurt the people and animals of the land. Loving spending more time in the forest than the city.

 One day he and his friends decided to see who could swim across a great lake. During the swim a fog formed on the lake, and while his friends fell behind, Egil pushed on into it. But the fog went on for days, with no clear path to land no matter what direction he went. It’s not known if the fog was a natural one, or one sent by the Gods to punish Egil for his arrogance. But eventually there was a break in the fog on an unknown shore. Egil couldn’t stand, move or stay awake for another moment. He fell into a deep sleep that lasted nearly as long s his time in the fog.

 He awoke to find himself in a large columned cave home, now the prisoner of a giant. Who informed Egil that he was now his goat herd, and that he would kill him if he did not perform his duties.

 Over the course of the next year, Egil recovered from his near week long swim. He tended the goats, who were difficult for him, got stronger, and plotting his escape. At the end of that first year, Egil, after careful planning, managing to sneak away and run for his freedom beyond the Giant’s home. He had been swift and careful, and made a good distance. But on the fourth day from his escape he found the giant, with his large stride, and his intelligence, had followed Egil’s footprints, and caught up to him. Egil was caught again.

 The giant, upset at Egil’s escape, but not wanting to kill him, clamped forty pound bands around each foot (or leg) that he would have to wear at all times.

 It took him a long time to learn to walk with that weight, while still being expected to perform his goat herding duties. He knew he could not simply run away again, especially slowed down as he was.

 Time passed, and Egil got used to the weight, getting stronger and stronger, living a simple, but uneasy life forced to tend the goats.  Feeding, caring, milking, and retrieving the ones who ran off.

 It was seven years since his capture, and one night while off retrieving several lost goats, he came across a cat with golden eyes. Capturing it before returning to his captor’s home.

 The Giant was curious how Egil had been able to find the goats in the dark. Egil told him that he cold see In the dark because of his golden magic eyes that had captured starlight in them. The giant not believing him said he’d never seen him use other eyes before and asked if he could see them. Egil at first refused, asking for a promise that the Giant wouldn’t steal them. When the Giant agreed, Egil uncovered the cat’s eyes from under his cloak, reflecting the firelight in them. Telling the giant that there was a magical procedure that allowed him to remove one set of eyes and replace them with the other.

 The Giant after hearing this wanted them very badly, but knew he could not force Egil to tell him how to make his eyes exchangeable for the other. So he offered Egil his freedom for both the eyes, and the procedure to use them.

 Egil agreed to the deal. The giant agreed to be tied to a column in the cave to avoid trashing about during the operation. But once Egil had the Giant’s eyes he apologized saying that the procedure had failed while throwing the eyes into the fire.  The Giant, sure that he had been tricked ran to the front door of the cave, blocking the way and locking the door.

 After a long while considering his options now, decided on a plan. After several days, he killed one of the goats and made a goat costume for himself. Egil getting into his disguise waited for the Giant to open the door for the goats to go graze, started a stampede. The Giant felt at each goat as it went by, and was almost fooled by Egil’s disguise before he realized he couldn’t hear the click clack hoof sounds on the stone floor from Egil. The Giant grabbed Egil, trying to kill him with his knife, missing Egil except for his left ear, taking it clean off. Egil in response cut off the giants hand holding him. Taking the hand still gripping him as he made his escape. Along with that hand came a large very valuable ring that Egil could wear as an armband.

 He ran for his life for some time, knowing the Giant could still be following him with his other senses. After a while living in the wild, he came across a Viking ship and it’s company. Joining them he would have been a strange sight, with one, ear, metal shackles on his legs / feet, and Prince’s ring on his hand, and a giant gold ring around his arm. He was a strong man at this point, and learned to be a capable sailor. He would end up leading the company and another once when the leaders of both fought a duel where they both died. Taking the best 32 best from each band, he would go on to raid the Baltic lands. Collecting fame, fortune, and most notably, collecting rings, as he went. It’s never said if he is able to remove his foot / leg shackles.

 One day while out in raiding he saw an island on which two giants, one a male Jotun with a sword, and the other female Jotun noted for wearing a very short skirt. Both fighting over a large gold ring, that appeared to be the giantesses. Egil decided to take the side of the Giantess, as he thought she was the more attacked party, and joined the battle with the giant. Cutting off a large part of the giants upper arm muscle. But the giant was able to get in his swing and took off Egil’s sword arm above the wrist. Egil just managed to get back to his ship, where they departed for safer shores. Leaving the battle unsettled, but the giantess able to keep her ring.

 Egil’s crew tended to his arm as best they could, but were not healers or any skill or magic. Once back at port, Egil had not been able to sleep for several days from the pain of the arm. He went for a walk in a nearby forest, where he met a Dwarf child out fetching water. Egil gifted the child one of his gold rings without it knowing, dropping it in his water pail.

 They parted, and after some time, an older dwarf appeared, asking who had given his child the ring, and wanting to know why they would so willingly part with it. Egil told him he’d given it freely, and that he both had many to part with and that in his pain, he could not appreciate his collection anyway. The older Dwarf thanked him and in as thanks healed the arm of all pain. He then painlessly fitted a Dvergr sword into Egil’s missing arm that would allow him to fight just as easily as if he had a hand, if not more so.

 At some time after that Egil still in command of his company was raiding the Russian kingdom of King Hertygg, when his general Rognvald and ninety six men went to stop the Berserker Egil and his 32 men. Egil and his men won the battle, Egil losing only a few men, but the Russian men losing almost all of theirs. Rognvald himself mortally wounded and only just able to make it back to the King to report on what had happened.

 It was here that the King’s man Gnodar-Asmund Berserkers-Slayer is introduced. Who himself was missing two ears from a time when his Blood Brother Aran came back from the dead and took them. On hearing Rognovald and his story Asmund would go to Egil directly. The two decided on a duel to avoid more lives lost. Three times Egil the ringed berserker with the sword arm and Asmund the famed Berserker-Slayer fought day and night into exhaustion, and without a winner. The fourth duel looked to continue the same way as the others, but as the fight wore on, Asmund managed to get just the slightest advantage, forcing Egil to surrender. Egil does so, much from his respect for Asmund, as for the safety of his men, Egil swore loyalty to the King.

 Egil and Asmund swear themselves blood brothers. Becoming friends they would serve and adventure together over the fall and winter seasons. Setting out with 24 men on a voyage to find the King’s missing daughters Brunhildr. Who though a capable fighter and huntsman had been carried off by an ancient giant monster Hare. And Bekkhildur The Wise who had been carried away by a giant vulture.

 It’s on this voyage that they track them to Jotenheim where they spend months searching shores, islands, forests, and mountains. One day, while their men were suffering from lack of food, they find in a river crosses valley a flock of giant unattended goats. When they go to take one of the Goats however they hear a booming voice from a tall Giant woman who asks who is stealing the Queen of this lands goats. The giantess Skinnnefja reveals herself as the Queen Arinnefja daughter. Telling the Egil and Asmund she will visit the Queen. Egil gives her one of his rings as payment for the trouble despite her protests.  

 The Princes goes on ahead giving her mother the ring and telling her of the men. The Queen askes her daughter to invite the men back to her. When they meet the Queen she seeming surprised at the appearance of Egil.  

 She finds they have not eaten for a week, and immediately goes to have a huge amount of foods like porridge and broth made for the group, asking them to tell their tale as they wait.  They each tell their stories and afterword the Queen tells the men that her two Princely Giant brothers Guatr and Hildr had captured the Princesses to marry them. She offers the men treasures to help them on their quest, leading them to her vault.

 There they see rare treasures beyond count, and in a place of prominence she sits a chest that opens to reveal a hand and quarter arm with a signet ring on it that Egil recognizes. Egil when touching the hand starts to feel heat in his sword arm. The queen tells him another story of a man who saved her from her brother Gautr who wanted to steal her ring, but lost his arm in the process. She then removes the sword from his arm and wraps the stump carefully in magic cloth letting him rest as his lost hand grows back, leaving a mark around the arm where it was lost. His sword refashioned for him to carry it.

The men with the help of their hosts are able to kill the giant brother and save the princesses from their forced marriage. Egil, Asmund and Arinnefja bring them home to the King. He offers Egil and Asmund either gold or his daughters hands in marriage. 

Both men choose the princesses, to marry in a years time. Egil first going back to finally meet his family in their lands to re-establish his claim to the throne, Asmundr to find his family for the wedding in his lands, and Arinnefja to return to her lands to deal with her kingdom’s matters. Arinnefja is huge amounts of gifted drinks, butter, boars and other foods not native to Jotunheim. After the massive party that was the wedding, Egil married Bekkhildur and Asmundr, who had become ruler of Halogaland while there, married Brynhildr, each going off to their lands to rule there.

And wow, I did not realize this description had gotten so long. Hope you enjoyed it, but in case you skipped right here for the TLDR version.