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).

With the mead of poetry once again flowing, Egil composes a praise poem to his best friend Arinbjorn. The Arinbjarnarkviða 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.

If 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.

For those of you who want to go deep with the Arinbjarnarkviða, you can access the Old Norse version here. I also recommend you consult Þorgeir Sigurðsson'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.

Music Credits:

Intro Music - "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Summary Music – "The Vamp" by the Rega Dance Orchestra

Preview - "Fornheim" by Danheim

Poetry Music - "Valravn" by Danheim

Outro Music - "Stormfront" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Selections from music by Kevin MacLeod licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/