What is "egil"

Egil or Egill is a masculine given name derived from Old Norse. It may refer to:

Eğil (or Egil) (, , ) is a district of Diyarbakır Province of Turkey.

Eğil is an ancient city 50 km away from Diyarbakir with many ancient forts and caves dating to the time of the Armenian kingdom of Sophene. It is identified with ancient Armenian city of Carcathiocerta. It is known as "City of Prophets." It has been ruled by the Armenians, the Assyrians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Abbasids, the Seljuks, the Ottoman Empire, and (currently) the Republic of Turkey.

The majority of the population of the district is Zaza, and is composed of Turks.

In Norse mythology, Egil is the name of a farmer in the poem Hymiskvida who looked after Thor's goats while the god was visiting the giant Hymir. Egil is possibly the father of Thor's servants Þjálfi and Röskva due to certain similarities found in Snorri's Gylfaginning. In both poems the gods embark on a journey to visit giants, on the way they stop at the home of a farmer or peasant, and at one point one of Thor's goats becomes lame. Hymiskvida states that Loki was the cause of the laming, but Egil was held responsible since in the next stanza his two children (who are not named) are taken by Thor into his service just before the end of the poem.

Category:People in Norse mythology and legends