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.

The Saga of the Confederates

This saga did seem to have some elements which indicated a different or later time frame from the previous sagas. One element which I noticed, was the increased amount of dialogue between the characters in this saga. I though this could reflect a later telling of the story or a change in the structure of how they presented and recorded their stories. Another thing i noticed, was the structure of the poems. They seemed to be a little easier to understand and to flow like normal sentences, rather than being made up of mostly symbolism. Whether this reflects the change in time period or is just a nice change in the form of poetry, I am not entirely sure.
I also thought it was strange on page 469 where Ospak meets the woman Svalva, and eventually married her. It seemed to imply in the saga that she owned or was in charge of her own farm and property. This is something that i do not recall being present in the previous sagas. Also, on page 490, the Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, are mentioned as part of the yearly festivities. I think this would reflect a later time period, showing how Christianity had taken hold in Iceland and was now accepted.

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this saga. One reason is that the story was told in a very straightforward manner making it easy to understand the plot. Another reason is that, unlike some of the previous sagas, there were only a few characters to keep track of.
There were a few things in this saga that i found interesting. First of all, I found it strange that Hrafnkel could get away with killing people, and never paying any compensation. This doesn't seem to correlate with the strong beliefs in revenge found in the other sagas. This man must have evoked a large amount of fear in other men, in order to keep himself from being killed out of revenge. Another thing I found interesting was that there were hardly any women in this saga at all. I think the only woman who actually appears in this saga is the woman who was out washing her linen, and she had a very minor part. This probably reflects the very masculine culture of the day.

Hovamol

Hovamol was interesting to read mostly because of all the proverbs which were included in its text. I found it interesting to get a glimpse into the "moral guidlines" of the Viking lifestyle. A few of the stanzas stood out to me:

1) stanza 6:
A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind,
But keep it close in his breast;
To the silent and wise does ill come seldom
When he goes as guest to a house;
(For a faster friend one never finds
Than wisdom tried and true.)

I found this stanza interesting because many times (especially in the honor's college) it can come off as annoying or stuck up to brag about how smart you are or how good of grades you have. Saying these types of things is often a way to make people not like you. I also thought it would be a good thing for some of the characters in the other sagas we have read to keep in mind, especially Sarcastic Hali, who pretty much boasted of his "keenness of mind" everywhere he went.

2) stanza 12:
Less good there lies than most believe
In ale for mortal men;
For the more he drinks the less does man
Of his mind the mastery hold.

Obviously, the Vikings knew the effects alcohol could have on one's inhibitions and actions. I think this stanza is one that many people, especially college students should keep in mind before they decide to drink a little too much ;)

3) stanza 78:
Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
One thing now that never dies,
The fame of a dead man's deeds.

This stanza is an example of the belief that one must make a name for himself while living so that his name will be remembered long after he is gone. This reminded me strongly of the attitudes of many war heroes in movies, especially of Achilles in the 2004 movie Troy. This same belief is stirred in Achilles by his mother, who urges him to make a name for himself:

"If you stay in Larissa, you will find peace. You will find a wonderful woman, and you will have sons and daughters, who will have children. And they'll all love you and remember your name. But when your children are dead, and their children after them, your name will be forgotten... If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years! And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again."

Gisli Sursson's Saga & Njal's Saga

Gisli's Saga was somewhat difficult to read. The story line involving the love triangle and the reoccurring fate was interesting, however the saga itself was written in a very dry way. It was difficult to keep track of the characters and the story kept switching to different people and stories without a clear transition.
One thing i found interesting was the fact that the vikings could get divorced if they so pleased, and to add to that, the women could choose to get a divorce, not just men.
My favorite part of Njal's Saga was when the berserk came and was challenged to run across the two different fires in order to see which faith was better. He could run right over the heathen fire but the christian fire made him feel like he was burning all over. I was confused in the part following it where it goes on to say how everyone joined in to kill the berserk,...why would they do this?
Finally, one proverb came up in this saga which i found entertaining: it says "A tree does not fall at the first stroke, as the saying goes."