Egil's Saga

Egil's grandfather, Kveldulf, is a shape-shifter. It says that he often went into some sort of angry fit/rage and was very strong and powerful during these, but afterwards would be worn out. I think this characteristic may be somewhat fanciful, like that of a werewolf. However, the characteristic of basically losing oneself in the moment continues to be seen with his grandson Egil, who seems to kill during fits of rage, without really thinking of the consequences of his actions.
Egil and his kin are also not very keen to submit to authority, as can be seen by Kveldulf who refuses to visit the King Harald, and by his son Skallagrim who refuses to join the King. The men are also very ruthless and vengeful, pillaging and plundering for their own good. The do seem to be somewhat wise, especially Thorolf (the first) who managed his possesions well, and was liked by many. The family was also very loyal to their friends.

Prologue to Prose Edda

The prologue seems to give some insight to how the Vikings veiwed the history and layout of the world. I found the description of creation, the flood, and the falling away from God's name to be quite interesting. This seems to be some sort of explanation as to why they would set up their own belief system, myths, and gods, rather than following the Christian religion right away.
Another thing i found intriguing was the description of the earth as having 3 parts. The descriptions of Europe, Africa, and Asia were all quite accurate, and i believe this is probably a strong reflection of the knowledge the Vikings gained from various explorations and trade missions. Finally, the description of Troy, it's Kings, and it's governmental system seems to somewhat give validity to the famous story of the Trojans.

Norse Mythology

Norse mythology seemed very confusing to me. I have never studied Roman or Greek mythology before, so this whole idea of multiple gods was difficult to keep straight. A few things I found interesting were the fact that our days of the week are derived from the nordic gods. I had heard that it was derived from pagan gods, but i never knew it was from the "Vikings!"
Another thing i found interesting was the fact that the Midgard serpent surrounded the earth and was underwater, and that Hel was deep under the surface. This i thought could have been derived from Christianity where the devil is often referred to as a serpent, and Hell is thought to be in the depths of the earth.
I also found throughout the book some references to giants, such as Gjalp and Gerd. The thought of giants in their mythology as well as the many references to elves and dwarves also reminded me of Lord of the Rings. The names of many of the poeple/gods/creatures in the book were very similar to those used in the stories. I can definately see a parallel between norse mythology and Tolkien's made up world.