Egil's Saga occupies a fascinating space between historical fact and legendary fiction. Modern historians and literary scholars believe it is based on real historical figures, genuine geopolitical conflicts between Norway and early Iceland, and authentic surviving poems composed by Egil Skallagrimsson himself. However, like most medieval Icelandic sagas, generations of oral transmission led to dramatized storytelling, exaggerated feats of strength, and folklore elements being woven into the historical record.