Egil's Saga: From Borg to Norway and England

When Egill's family left Norway for Iceland, his grandfather Kveldulf died on the voyage and his coffin was set adrift. Near the spot where it washed ashore, Skallagrim founded his settlement and named it Borg. There he lived as a farmer and blacksmith and raised his sons Thorolf and Egill. The nearby town of Borgarnes takes its name from Borg á Mýrum, Egill's farm, and its Settlement Center is devoted to the region's ties to Egill.

Location precision: The saga names the farm but the exact site is not pinned in our sources; the pin marks Borg á Mýrum in Iceland.

Visitor guidance: The Settlement Center in Borgarnes is devoted to Egill and his region.

On a visit to Norway, young Egill goes with Thorir's men to Atloy, where the king's steward Bard slights them. Bard serves only curds, pretending the ale has run out. When a poisoned drink is sent over, he carves runes on the horn and smears it with his blood, so it shatters. Egill then stabs Bard to death. The island of Atløyna today has no road link to the mainland, only a regular ferry.

Location precision: The saga says Atloy; matching it to the island of Atløyna is our reading, not something the sources state.

Visitor guidance: Atløyna can be reached by the regular ferry from the mainland.

Egill and his brother Thorolf sail to England to fight for King Æthelstan. The saga's battle at Vínheiðr is widely accepted as Brunanburh, an Æthelstan victory in 937. Thorolf is killed on the second day of battle. Where Brunanburh was fought is unknown. A volunteer group has searched near Bromborough on the Wirral, which is where the pin sits.

Location precision: It is unknown where the battle was fought; the pin marks Bromborough on the Wirral, one proposed area.

The saga now turns to law rather than swords. Egill wants a half-share of an inheritance for his wife Asgerd, and the case is argued at the Gulaþing assembly, one of the oldest and largest parliamentary assemblies in medieval Norway. It was an annual gathering, held at Gulen, on the west coast of Norway north of Bergen.

Location precision: The pin marks the Gulen area on the west coast of Norway; the exact assembly ground is not given in our sources.

Years later, Egill sailed to England intending to see Æthelstan and was captured by his old enemy Eirik Bloodaxe, whose consort at York was Gunnhild. Eirik was furious, but Egill's friend Arinbjorn persuaded him to spare Egill's life if he could compose a poem in his honour. Egill did, reciting Höfuðlausn, the "Head Ransom", and was allowed to leave on condition that he never appeared again before Eirik's sight.

Location precision: The saga names no building; the pin marks York as a whole.

Old and blind, Egill had one last wish: to travel to the Althing and toss the silver he had received from King Æthelstan for the people to fight over. When he was denied this, he had two enslaved men help him hide the treasure, then killed them to keep the place secret. The hoard is said to lie near Mosfellsbær, giving birth to the legend of Silfur Egils, "Egill's Silver".

Location precision: The saga's hiding place is only said to be near Mosfellsbær; the pin marks the municipality.