About “Sonatorrek”
Sonatorrek is a skaldic poem consisting of 25 stanzas found in Egil's Saga, an Icelandic saga about the life of the poet and Viking Egill Skallagrímsson. The poem mourns the deaths of two of his sons, Gunnar, who died of a fever, and Böðvarr, who drowned in a storm. According to Egil's Saga, after placing Böðvarr in the family burial mound, Egill resolved to starve himself to death. His daughter, Thorgerdr, persuaded him to compose a memorial poem for Böðvarr, which was later carved on a rune-staff. The poem has been highly regarded since the late 19th century, according to scholar Margaret Clunies Ross. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)
Some summaries adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.