History Witch: Uncovering Magical Antiquity

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A Viking Curse

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

In chapter 60 of Egils saga Skallagrímssonar, the mighty Viking warrior poet gives voice to his anger at King Eirik 'Blood Axe' and his wife Queen Gunnhild, a powerful witch who has fought him at every turn. After many unhappy encounters between them, he curses them with a most effective method: the níðstöng or scorn-pole.

The saga records the ritual like this (leaving out the nature of the secret runes involved):

Ok er þeir Egill kómu til Herðlu, þá runnu þeir þegar upp til bæjar með alvæpni. En er þat sá Þórir ok hans heimamenn, þá runnu þeir þegar af bænum ok forðuðu sér allir, þeir er ganga máttu, karlar ok konur. Þeir Egill ræntu þar öllu fé, því er þeir máttu höndum á koma, fóru síðan út til skips. Var þá ok eigi langt at bíða, at byrr rann á af landi. Búast þeir til at sigla, ok er þeir váru seglbúnir, gekk Egill upp í eyna. Hann tók í hönd sér heslistöng ok gekk á bergsnös nökkura, þá er vissi til lands inn. Þá tók hann hrosshöfuð ok setti upp á stöngina.

Síðan veitti hann formála ok mælti svá: "Hér set ek upp níðstöng, ok sný ek þessu níði á hönd Eiríki konungi ok Gunnhildi dróttningu," - hann sneri hrosshöfðinu inn á land, - "sný ek þessu níði á landvættir þær, er land þetta byggva, svá at allar fari þær villar vega, engi hendi né hitti sitt inni, fyrr en þær reka Eirík konung ok Gunnhildi ór landi."

Síðan skýtr hann stönginni niðr í bjargrifu ok lét þar standa. Hann sneri ok höfðinu inn á land, en hann reist rúnar á stöngina, ok segja þær formála þenna allan.

Eftir þat gekk Egill á skip. Tóku þeir til segls ok sigldu á haf út. Tók þá byrrinn at vaxa, ok gerði veðr hvasst ok hagstætt. Gekk þá skipit mikit. Þá kvað Egill:

Þél höggr stórt fyr stáli
stafnkvígs á veg jafnan
út með éla meitli
andærr jötunn vandar,
en svalbúinn selju
sverfr eirar vanr þeiri
Gestils ölft með gustum
gandr of stál fyr brandi.

 

...And when all was ready for sailing, Egil went up into the island. He took in his hand a hazel-pole, and went to a rocky eminence that looked inward to the mainland. Then he took a horse's head and fixed it on the pole. After that, in solemn form of curse, he thus spake: 'Here set I up a curse-pole, and this curse I turn on king Eric and queen Gunnhilda. (Here he turned the horse's head landwards.) This curse I turn also on the guardian-spirits who dwell in this land, that they may all wander astray, nor reach or find their home till they have driven out of the land king Eric and Gunnhilda.'

This spoken, he planted the pole down in a rift of the rock, and let it stand there. The horse's head he turned inwards to the mainland; but on the pole he cut runes, expressing the whole form of curse.

After this Egil went aboard the ship. They made sail, and sailed out to sea. Soon the breeze freshened, and blew strong from a good quarter; so the ship ran on apace. Then sang Egil:

'Forest-foe, fiercely blowing,
Flogs hard and unceasing
With sharp storm the sea-way
That ship's stern doth plow.
The wind, willow-render,
With icy gust ruthless
Our sea-swan doth buffet
O'er bowsprit and beak.'

It's fascinating that Egil calls upon the spirits of the land (Norway), cursing them as well until they help drive the king and queen from their shores. There's an arrogance and power in the way that Egil forms this curse. It's almost as if he pit the elements against each other, water and against wind, sky against earth, ice against heat.

And it works -- Erik and Gunnhild leave Norway for England, where an unlucky Egil runs into them once more as he fights on the side of King Athelstan. But it leads to the composition of his famous poem "Head Ransom" -- written in an attempt to save his head from the ire of the pair.

 

Text via the Icelandic Saga Database

Last modified on
K. A. Laity is an all-purpose writer, medievalist, journalist, Fulbrighter, social media maven for Broad Universe, and author of ROOK CHANT: COLLECTED WRITINGS ON WITCHCRAFT & PAGANISM, DREAM BOOK, UNQUIET DREAMS, OWL STRETCHING, CHASTITY FLAME, PELZMANTEL, UNIKIRJA, and many more stories, essays, plays and short humour. Find out more at www.kalaity.com and find her on Facebook or Twitter.

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