Styrbiorn the Strong [Hardcover]

Affecting the ornate cadences of King James English, which was the common usage of 19th century saga translations, E.R. Eddison here recreates the saga that might have been (had one survived) of Styrbiorn Olafsson, heir to one-half of the Swedish throne in the tenth century. Styrbiorn, surnamed "the Strong" for his remarkable size and physical accomplishments, is mentioned only briefly in Snorri Sturlasson's Heimskringla (the Norse Book of Kings) and elsewhere, and does not seem to have merited a saga of his own to chronicle his rather brief and tumultuous life. At the least, no such saga has survived. Early on Styrbiorn establishes his viking credentials when he goes into a voluntary three-year exile at the urging of King Eirik, his uncle, who will not consent to share the throne with him until he has demonstrated a certain amount of Norse maturity. Although a youth of prodigious strength, who amuses himself by wrestling with his pet ox in his spare time, and of unusual fairness, Styrbiorn is also somewhat of a dullard by modern standards -- unable to fathom the deeper matters of policy and human interaction. Still he is an honorable fellow and not unintelligent in his own way as he demonstrates in his dealings with the Jomsburg vikings, who accept him as one of their leaders after a dramatic shipboard duel, and later in his encounter with the legendary Danish King Harold Gormsson (surnamed "Blue-Tooth" for his rather prominent dental problems). Still, Styrbiorn is ultimately undone by his own impetuousness and susceptibililty to the allure of the young and beautiful wife of his uncle, the legendary Sigrid the Haughty. Having returned to Sweden earlier than promised and discovering himself drunk in Sigrid's bed after a dream-like carousal of the night before, Styrbiorn is unable to suppress his shame and despair at having cuckholded Eirik, his uncle and benefactor. Enraged by his apparently brutish rejection of her after their steamy nighttime tryst, Sigrid now plays Potiphar's wife to Styrbiorn's Joseph and cries out that she has been raped and violated by him. Eirik, knowing Styrbiorn's past arrogance only too well, is more than willing to believe the worst of him, and swiftly chases Styrbiorn from the palace and kingdom, leaving his nephew with no other means to reclaim his patrimony but the sword. Styrbiorn does not scruple at this, though it galls him to do it, and, in a final confrontation with his uncle, casts his hopes in a final toss for all or nothing on Fyrisfield. But Styrbiorn is undone and falls in the conflict while those of his followers who survive must flee into the woods to save their lives. Despite the power of the language of this tale, which is both beautifully wrought and heroically evocative, the book ultimately leaves one unsatisfied. The last great battle occurs almost as an afterthought, off-stage, while the final scene is like a deus ex machina in reverse with Odin, the chief god of the Nordic pantheon, seated like some old testament vision on his throne above the earth, prononuncing his verdict -- that he has taken Styrbiorn for his own. We are transported abruptly and without fair warning from the domain of the saga to another place, which is somehow discordant with all that has gone before. It is as though Eddison, who had labored so mightily and with such skill to render this epic tale, had suddenly grown tired of his own words and ended it as best he could, for want of anything more to say. The book, though finely crafted and with characters who come brilliantly to life in the high-toned speeches placed in their mouths by the author, ultimately totters and stumbles to an awkward and unsatisfying end. Still, for some of the finest prose in English literature (old or modern) or one of the purest evocations of the old Norse sagas and tales, few books have done it better. By Stuart W. Mirsky The King of Vinland's Saga

Affecting the ornate cadences of King James English, which was the common usage of 19th century saga translations, E.R. Eddison here recreates the saga that might have been (had one survived) of Styrbiorn Olafsson, heir to one-half of the Swedish throne in the tenth century. Styrbiorn, surnamed "the Strong" for his remarkable size and physical accomplishments, is mentioned only briefly in Snorri Sturlasson's Heimskringla (the Norse Book of Kings) and elsewhere, and does not seem to have merited a saga of his own to chronicle his rather brief and tumultuous life. At the least, no such saga has survived.

Early on Styrbiorn establishes his viking credentials when he goes into a voluntary three-year exile at the urging of King Eirik, his uncle, who will not consent to share the throne with him until he has demonstrated a certain amount of Norse maturity. Although a youth of prodigious strength, who amuses himself by wrestling with his pet ox in his spare time, and of unusual fairness, Styrbiorn is also somewhat of a dullard by modern standards -- unable to fathom the deeper matters of policy and human interaction. Still he is an honorable fellow and not unintelligent in his own way as he demonstrates in his dealings with the Jomsburg vikings, who accept him as one of their leaders, despite his extreme youth, after a dramatic shipboard duel and, later, in his encounter with the legendary Danish King Harold Gormsson (surnamed "Blue-Tooth" for his rather prominent dental problems).

Still, Styrbiorn is ultimately undone by his own impetuousness and susceptibililty to the allure of the young and beautiful wife of his uncle, the legendary Sigrid the Haughty. Having returned to Sweden from his voluntary exile earlier than promised and discovering himself drunk in Sigrid's bed, after a dream-like carousal of the night before, Styrbiorn is unable to suppress his shame and despair at having cuckholded Eirik, his uncle and benefactor. Enraged by Styrbiorn's apparently brutish rejection of her after their steamy nighttime tryst, Sigrid now plays Potiphar's wife to Styrbiorn's Joseph and cries out that she has been raped and violated by him.

Eirik, knowing Styrbiorn's past arrogance only too well, is more than willing to believe the worst of him, and swiftly chases Styrbiorn from the palace and kingdom, leaving his nephew with no other means to reclaim his patrimony but the sword. Nor does Styrbiorn scruple at this, though it galls him to do it, and, in a dramatic confrontation with his uncle, casts his hopes in a final toss for all or nothing on Fyrisfield. But Styrbiorn is undone as the battle goes against him and falls in the conflict while those of his followers who survive must flee into the woods to save their lives.

Despite the power of the language of this tale, which is both beautifully wrought and heroically evocative, the book ultimately leaves one unsatisfied. The last great battle occurs almost as an afterthought, off-stage, while the final scene is like a deus ex machina in reverse with Odin, the chief god of the Nordic pantheon, seated like some old testament vision on his throne above the earth, prononuncing his verdict -- that he has taken Styrbiorn for his own. We are transported abruptly and without fair warning from the domain of the saga to another place, which is somehow discordant with all that has gone before. It is as though Eddison, who had labored so mightily and with such skill to render this epic tale, had suddenly grown tired of his own words and ended it as best he could, for want of anything more to say.

The book, though finely crafted and with characters who come brilliantly to life in the high-toned speeches placed in their mouths by the author, ultimately totters and stumbles to an awkward and unsatisfying end. Still, for some of the finest prose in English literature (old or modern) or one of the purest evocations of the old Norse sagas and tales, few books have done it better.

SWM

Other saga novels if you're interested:

Eric Brighteyes: The Works of H. Rider Haggard

The Golden Warrior

Saga: A Novel Of Medieval Iceland

The King of Vinland's Saga

Two Ravens

The Greenlanders

This is Eric Eddison's first novel. It is shorter than the masterpieces that followed, and has a rather tacked-on last chapter entitled "Valhalla", of which Eddison himself later said should not have been added. He writes in his usual faux-jacobian prose, and while it still blows the doors off of anything any other writer could come up with, in this one it is not quite up to the superhuman standards set in his later books. Nor are the philosophical themes as deep, the story quite as engaging, the characters quite so well-wrought.

In other words, this is a great writer warming up to the task of creating the 20th centuries' greatest masterpieces, Ouroboros and Zimiamvia.

The question is, is it worth buying for the Eddison devotee, or for someone interested in Viking literature, seeing as how it's long out of print and rather pricey? The answer is, absolutely, if you can get it at any kind of reasonable price. I frankly don't see why this one is out of print. This is a far more accessible novel than the Zimiamvia books and one would think the mass public would be more inclined towards this one than any of Eddison's books. In short, Eddison at 70 percent is still better than just about anyone else at 100 percent, so don't hesitate for a moment if you are a fan of his.

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