Egil Skallagrimsson (10th century Viking-age poet)
“Blind, I must bear
this eye ailment,
blunder to the fire, beg
mercy from a maidservant;
formerly a fierce king
warmed to my words;
the noble lords of lands
gave me gold as reward.”
- From Egil’s Saga, translated here by Sigurdur Nordal (1933). The saga, written between the 10th and 13th centuries, gives a rare glimpse into the mind of a viking warrior who outlived his prime and lived on to become an elderly man. Besides being an incredibly successful viking, Egil was also a life-long poet.
