I do take your point , Gazesby, about the sagas being a relection of the times when they were written. Or rather, a reflection of the times when they were set. Egil is one of a particular type, and there are other examples - Grettir from Grettis Saga comes to mind, as does Skarphedin of Brennu-Njals Saga. I just thought that it was an interesting angle - I think that it may well have been on the History Channel.

Actually, this is interesting. Do the sagas really relfect what was happening in tenth and eleventh century Iceland, or are they just a twelfth century view of what was happening- mybe romanticised for an audience. I'm NO expert at all, but I do believe that the sagas are in specific cases actually very historically accurate. The description of the coming of Christianity to Iceland in Brennu Njals Saga is actually remarkably consistent with the account given in the Islendingabok. What do you think ?