The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin Classics) Read online

  BJALKI: a man in King Hrolf’s retinue, 15.

  BJORN: son of King Hring of Uppdales in Norway, 17; loves Bera, 18; remains at home with Queen Hvit while his father goes raiding, 18; turned into a bear by Hvit, who is angry because he rejected her advances, 19; Bjorn, now a were-bear, meets Bera, 20; he tells her of his impending death and of the sons they will have, 20; he is killed in bear-form, 20; Bera and Bodvar reveal the story of his death and punish Hvit for it, 22.

  BODVAR BJARKI: son of Bjorn and Bera, 20; tortures and kills Hvit to avenge his father Bjorn, 22; succeeds Hring as king, 22; draws from a rock the sword left him by his father, 23; visits Elk-Frodi, receives a strengthening drink of Elk-Frodi’s blood, 23; visits Thorir, 23; joins King Hrolf’s retinue, 23; rescues Hott from mistreatment by Hrolf’s retainers, 23; kills monster, makes Hott drink its blood, 23; challenges one of Hrolf’s berserkers, 24; accounted Hrolf’s greatest champion, 24; marries Hrolf’s daughter Drifa, 24; incites Hrolf to reclaim his father’s wealth from King Adils, 25; withstands ordeal set by Hrani (Odin), 26; with Hrolf in Adils’ hall, 27, 28, 29; realizes that by refusing Odin’s gift of weapons, Hrolf has lost victory, 30; called Bjarki because he cleared out Hrolf’s berserkers, 32; a great bear – his fetch – fights while he sits in the hall, 33; Hjalti rouses him to battle, and the bear disappears, 33; falls in battle against Skuld and Hjorvard, 34.

  DENMARK: kingdom of Halfdan, seized by Frodi, 1; kingdom of Helgi, 5, 8, 12; kingdom of Hrolf, 15, 16, 23, 30, 31, 34.

  DRIFA: daughter of King Hrolf, 15; married to Bodvar, 24.

  ELK-FRODI (FRODI): son of Bjorn and Bera, 20; man above and elk below the navel, 20; draws from rock a short sword left him by his father, 20; becomes an outlaw, 20; advises his brother Thorir how to become king of the Gauts, 21; mentioned, 22; Bodvar visits him in disguise, 23; they wrestle until Elk-Frodi recognizes Bodvar; 23; advises Bodvar to join Hrolf’s champions, 23; gives Bodvar a strengthening drink of his blood, 23; avenges Bodvar, 34.

  ENGLAND: Nordri king there, 5; Hroar settles there, 5.

  FINN: King of Finnmark, father of Hvit, 17.

  FINNMARK: Hring’s men, searching for a bride for him, come ashore in Finnmark, where they find Hvit, 17.

  FRODI: king who seizes Denmark from his brother Halfdan, 1; unsuccessfully searches for Hroar and Helgi, 2; discovers identity of Hroar and Helgi when they come to his hall in Saevil’s train, 3; burned in his hall by Hroar and Helgi, Regin and Saevil, 4.

  FRODI – see ELK-FRODI.

  FYRIS PLAINS: Hrolf scatters gold on the Fyris Plains, his pursuers stop to retrieve it and are slowed down, 30.

  GALTERUS: Master Galterus attributed Hrolf’s defeat to the fact that he did not know his Creator (i.e. was a pagan), 34.

  GAUTLAND: Thorir Hound’s Foot becomes king there, 21; Bodvar visits Thorir in Gautland, 23.

  GAUTS: only the man who can fill a large chair can become their king – Thorir Hound’s Foot does so, 21.

  GOLDEN HILT (Gullinn-hjalti): Hrolf’s sword, which he gives to Hott, renaming him Hjalti in its honour, 23.

  GRAM: Hrolf’s dog, fells monstrous boar sent by Adils, 28.

  HABROK: Hrolf’s hawk, 27; [kills all of Adils’ hawks, 29].

  HAKI, ‘the Valiant’: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  HAKLANG: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  HALFDAN: King of Denmark, defeated and killed by his brother Frodi, 1; mentioned, 2, 3, 4, 5.

  HAM: alias under which Hroar conceals his identity, 3.

  HARDREFIL: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  HELGI: son of King Halfdan, 1; hides on Vifil’s island from his uncle Frodi, who seeks to destroy him, 2; conceals himself with Jarl Saevil under the name Hrani, 3; follows Saevil to Frodi’s hall, 3; escapes to the woods when his identity is revealed, 3; interprets Regin’s riddling hints of how to destroy Frodi, 3; burns Frodi in his hall, 4; described as a great warrior, 4; rules over Denmark, 5; attempts to marry warrior queen Olof, is disgraced by her, 6; tricks and rapes Olof in revenge for her earlier insult, 7; marries Yrsa, his daughter by Olof, not knowing her parentage, 7; gives Hroar a valuable ring, 7; refuses Hrok’s demands for the ring or a share of the kingdom, 8; Ogn appeals to him to avenge Hroar, who was killed by Hrok, 8; defeats and mutilates Hrok, 9; has son Hrolf by Yrsa, 9; Olof reveals that his marriage to Yrsa is incestuous, and Yrsa leaves him, 10; Helgi mourns her loss, 10; mates with an elfin woman, by whom he has a daughter Skuld, 11; goes to Uppsala to see Yrsa, now married to Adils, 12; treacherously ambushed and killed by Adils, 12; Yrsa reproaches Adils for killing Helgi, 13, 28; Hrolf seeks treasure that belonged to him, now held by Adils, 25, 26; Hrolf gets Helgi’s treasure, 29.

  HEID: seeress, betrays Hroar and Helgi to Frodi and predicts his death at their hands, 3.

  HJALTI (see HOTT): new name given to Hott by Hrolf after Hott ‘kills’ a monster, 23; challenges Hrolf’s berserker, 24; one of Hrolf’s greatest champions and given the name ‘the Magnanimous’, 24; with Hrolf in Adils’ hall, 27, 28, 29; mutilates his mistress, 32; gives alarm to Hrolf’s champions of attack by Hjorvard and Skuld, 32; rouses Bodvar to battle so that the bear which was Bodvar’s fetch disappears, 33.

  HJORVARD: marries Skuld, 16; tricked into being subject to Hrolf, 16; incited by Skuld to attack Hrolf, 31; battles Hrolf and his champions, 32, 33; killed, 34.

  HLEIDARGARD: Hrolf’s royal seat in Denmark, 16, 23, 32.

  HO: one of Vifil’s two dogs, 1; Vifil calls dogs to warn Hroar and Helgi, 2; seeress reveals that ‘Ho’ was Helgi, 3.

  HOPP: one of Vifil’s two dogs, 1; Vifil calls dogs to warn Hroar and Helgi, 2; seeress reveals that ‘Hopp’ was Hroar, 3.

  HOTT (see HJALTI): farmer’s son, pelted with bones by Hrolf’s retinue, 23; Bodvar rescues him from the bone heap, 23; Bodvar kills a monster and makes him drink its blood, 23; he becomes strong and courageous, 23; they set up the dead monster and Hott ‘kills’ it a second time in front of Hrolf’s retinue, 23; Hrolf gives him a new name, Hjalti, 23.

  HRANI: alias under which Helgi conceals his identity, 3.

  HRANI (ODIN): tests Hrolf’s men with cold, thirst and heat, 26; offers Hrolf weapons, is offended when he refuses, Hrolf then realizes that he was Odin, 30.

  HRING: king in Norway, 17; has son Bjorn, 17; marries Hvit, 17; goes out raiding, leaving Bjorn at home with Hvit, 18; Hvit tries to seduce his son Bjorn, 19; urged by Hvit to kill bear (who is Bjorn), 20; gives Bera the ring from the bear’s shoulder, 20; mentioned, 21; told the story of Bjorn’s death, 22; makes Bodvar his heir, 22; dies, 22.

  HROAR: son of King Halfdan, 1; hides on Vifil’s island from his uncle Frodi, who seeks to destroy him, 2; conceals himself with Jarl Saevil under the name Ham, 3; follows Saevil to Frodi’s hall, 3; escapes into the woods when his identity is revealed, 3; burns Frodi in his hall, 4; described as a mild and gentle man, 4; marries Ogn the daughter of Nordri and settles in England, 5; asks for and receives valuable ring from Helgi, 7; cuts off Hrok’s feet when Hrok throws ring into the sea, 8; Hrok kills him in revenge, 8; Helgi takes revenge from him, 9.

  HROK: son of Saevil and Signy, 5; demands from Helgi a valuable ring or a third of the kingdom of Denmark, 8; Helgi refuses, saying he has given the ring to Hroar, 8; Hrok asks Hroar to show him the ring, then flings it into the sea, 8; Hroar cuts off Hrok’s feet, 8; Hrok, in revenge, kills Hroar and demands that Ogn marry him, 8; defeated and mutilated by Helgi, 9.

  HROLF: son of Helgi and Yrsa, 9; mentioned, 11; Svip tells of his fame and that of his champions, 15; Svipdag joins his retinue, 15; tricks Hjorvard into being his subject, 16; Bodvar joins his retinue, 23; he renames Hott, Hjalti, 23; makes peace between his berserkers and Bodvar and Hjalti, now the greatest members of his retinue, 24; incited by Bodvar to reclaim his father’s wealth from King Adils, 25; journeys to meet Adils, 26; encounters farmer Hrani (Odin) who tests his men with cold, thirst and heat, 26; enters Adils’ hall, 27; his men conceal from Adils which one is Hrolf, 27; Adils attacks with magic and armed me
n, 27; he repulses attack, 27; Adils builds up fires in hall to scorch him, 28; he leads his men in leaping over fire, 28; Yrsa welcomes him, 28; Vogg gives him name kraki and promises to avenge his death, 28; Adils sends boar to attack him, 28; Adils tries to burn him in the house, 28; escapes from burning hall, 29; fights and fells Adils’ men, 29; receives ring Sviagris and much treasure from Yrsa, 29; scatters treasure, so that pursuers stop to pick it up and are slowed down, 30; throws down ring Sviagris, 30; cuts off Adils’ buttocks when he stoops to retrieve it, 30; refuses weapons offered him by Hrani, who is Odin – he thereby loses the gift of victory, 30; Skuld plans attack on him, 31; warned by Hjalti of attack, 32; battles Skuld and Hjorvard, 33; killed, 34.

  HROLF, ‘the Swift-Handed’: one of King Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  HROMUND, ‘the Hard’: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  HVIT: daughter of King Finn, 17; taken as bride for King Hring, 17; asks that Bjorn be left home with her while Hring goes raiding, 18; [tries to seduce Bjorn, turns him into a bear when he rejects her, 19]; [urges killing of bear, 20; forces Bera to eat bear’s flesh, 20]; tortured and killed by Bodvar, 22.

  HVITSERK, ‘the bold’: son of Svip, who sends him to help his brother Svipdag, in dire straits in battle with berserkers, 14; [goes with Svipdag to join King Hrolf, 15]; in Hrolf’s retinue, 24; with Hrolf in Adils’ hall, 27; warned by Hjalti of attack by Hjorvard and Skuld, 32.

  INGEBJORG: mother of Hvit, 17.

  NORDRI: a king in England, 5; Hroar befriends him and marries his daughter Ogn, 5; wants to repulse Hrok, but too old, 8.

  NORTHUMBERLAND: land where Hroar rules, 7, 8.

  NORWAY: Hring, king in Norway, 17.

  ODIN: [a voice (Odin?) welcomes home Frodi and his men, about to be killed, 4]; [as farmer HRANI, tests Hrolf’s men with cold, thirst and heat, 26]; as Hrani, offers Hrolf weapons which he refuses, 30; Hrolf then realizes that Hrani was Odin, for he had only one eye, 30; Hrolf has lost the gift of victory henceforth, 30; Bodvar threatens that he would treat Odin abusively if he saw him, 33.

  OGN: daughter of Nordri, 5; married to Hroar, 5; Hrok, when he has killed Hroar, seeks to marry her, 8; with child by Hroar, she appeals to Helgi for protection against Hrok, 8; has son Agnar, 9.

  OLOF: warrior queen of Saxland, 6; disgraces Helgi when he seeks to marry her, 6; Helgi tricks and rapes Olof in return for her earlier insult to him, 7; she bears a daughter Yrsa by Helgi, 7; spitefully keeps silent about Yrsa’s parentage when Helgi marries Yrsa, 7; reveals to Yrsa that she is incestuously married to her father, 10; receives Adils’ proposal to marry Yrsa, 11.

  REGIN: foster-father of Hroar and Helgi, hides them from Frodi, 1; creates confusion in Frodi’s hall to give Hroar and Helgi a chance to escape, 3; gives them riddling hints how to destroy Frodi, 3; ‘warns’ Frodi in ambiguous punning verse of danger he is in, 4; joins in burning Frodi in his hall, 4; dies, 5; mentioned, 8.

  SAEVIL: a jarl, husband of King Halfdan’s daughter Signy, 1; Vifil sends Hroar and Helgi into hiding with Saevil, 2; Hroar and Helgi follow him in disguise to Frodi’s hall, 3; he attempts to conceal their identity, 3; joins Hroar and Helgi in burning Frodi in his hall, 4; has son Hrok, 5; dies, 8.

  SAXLAND: land where warrior queen Olof rules 6, 7, 10; Yrsa takes refuge in Saxland from her incestuous marriage, 10.

  SIGNY: daughter of King Halfdan, wife of Jarl Saevil, 1; recognizes her disguised brothers Hroar and Helgi, 3; attempts to forestall seeress from revealing their identity to Frodi, 3; has son Hrok, 5; covets ring that Helgi owns, 7; [incites Hrok to demand ring, 8].

  SIGRID: mother of Hroar and Helgi, 4; refuses to leave Frodi’s hall and is burned inside, 4.

  SKJOLDUNGS: dynasty to which Halfdan, Hroar and Helgi belong, 3; Skuld has fierceness of the Skjoldungs, 32.

  SKOFNUNG: sword with which Hrolf cuts off Adils’ buttocks, 30; Hrolf fights with Skofnung in battle against Hjorvard and Skuld, 33; it rings when it touches bone, 33; sword buried with Hrolf, 34.

  SKULD: Helgi’s daughter by an elfin woman, 11; marries Hjorvard, 16; attacks Hrolf, 31, 32; fights Hrolf and his champions with witchcraft, 33; sends a great boar, 33; raises the dead to continue fighting, 33; wins battle, 34; rules Hrolf’s kingdom until killed by army said to be led by Vogg, 34.

  SKUR: daughter of King Hrolf, 15.

  STOROLF: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  SVIAGRIS, ‘pig of the Swedes’: a precious ring belonging to Adils, given to Hrolf by Yrsa, 29; Hrolf, pursued by Adils, throws down Sviagris, 30; Adils stoops to retrieve the ring, and Hrolf cuts off his buttocks, 30.

  SVIP: Swedish farmer, father of Svipdag, Beygad and Hvitserk, 14; has dream warning him that Svipdag is in trouble in battle, sends Beygad and Hvitserk to help him, 14; praises King Hrolf to his sons, 15.

  SVIPDAG: son of farmer Svip, 14; joins Adils’ retinue, 14; does battle with berserkers, 14; leaves Adils, who has abandoned him in battle, to seek a better king, 14; joins King Hrolf in Denmark, 15; mentioned, 16; in Hrolf’s retinue, 24; with Hrolf in Adils’ hall, 27; warns that Adils is likely to be treacherous, 27; asks Adils for truce for Hrolf, 27; flings fire-stoker into flames in Adils’ hall, 28; wants to test if Hrani was Odin, 30; warned by Hjalti of attack by Hjorvard and Skuld, 32.

  SWEDEN: ruled by Adils, 11; Svip lives in Sweden, 14; Svipdag leaves Sweden, 15; Hrolf sends men to Sweden to meet Queen Yrsa, 15.

  SWEDES: ruled by Adils, 29, 39.

  THORIR HOUND’S FOOT: son of Bjorn and Bera, 20; born with dog’s feet, 20; draws from rock an axe left him by his father, 21; visits his brother Elk-Frodi, 21; becomes king of the Gauts, 21; mentioned, 22; Bodvar visits him, 23; avenges Bodvar, 34.

  UPPDALES: Hring, King of Uppdales in Norway, 17.

  UPPSALA: Adils’ capital in Sweden, 11, 12, 25, 26, 30.

  VALHALLA: Odin’s hall, where he receives dead warriors, 33; Hjalti expects to be entertained in Valhalla on the evening after the battle, 33.

  VALSLEYT: a jarl, marries Bera, 22.

  VAR: the name of King Frodi’s two smiths, 3; Regin warns Frodi to be ‘wary’ in punning song on names of two smiths, 4.

  VIFIL: island-dweller skilled in magic, 1; conceals Helgi and Hroar from Frodi, 2; seeress reveals that Hopp and Ho on Vifil’s island were Hroar and Helgi, 3.

  VOGG: gives Hrolf the name kraki, 28; promises to avenge Hrolf’s death, 28; warns Hrolf that Adils is sending a monstrous boar against him, 28; rewarded for his help by Hrolf, 29; leads army to avenge Hrolf, 34.

  VOTT, ‘the Arrogant’: one of Hrolf’s champions, 32.

  YRSA: daughter of Olof by Helgi, 7; Helgi marries Yrsa, not knowing her parentage, 7; has son Hrolf by Helgi, 9; Olof tells her that Helgi is her father and her marriage is incestuous, 10; Yrsa leaves Helgi and returns to Saxland with Olof, 10; marries Adils, although she expects it to turn out badly, 11; welcomes Helgi at Uppsala, not knowing that Adils plans to betray him, 12; reproaches Adils for killing Helgi, 13; urges Adils to take Svipdag into his following, 14; Hrolf appeals to her to help him get the treasure which belonged to Helgi, now held by Adils, 15; mentioned, 16; welcomes and aids Hrolf, 28; reproaches Adils, 28; gives Hrolf Adils’ treasures, including ring Sviagris, 29; aids those who avenge Hrolf and his champions, 34.

  * ‘Jarl’ was a noble title, denoting a powerful chieftain, who often ruled his own lands. The word is related to English ‘earl’.

  * A common expression in medieval Iceland, meaning that there would be no chance of finding refuge.

  * Hel was the name both for the land of the dead and for the Scandinavian goddess of death and of the underworld.

  † Regin is the word for ‘rain’ as well as a man’s name. Thus both Regin and rain are outside. The poem is full of double meanings. The smiths’ names are Var, meaning ‘to be cautious’ or ‘the careful one’. In the poem’s final line, Var makes the varnagli, the nail of caution. Because regin is also a plural word for the gods, there is a further implication that the gods are involved.

  * Saxlan
d, corresponding roughly with Saxony, was a general term for northern Germany.

  * Putting a sleep thorn into a person’s ear was thought to produce a charmed sleep from which the person would not awaken until the sleep thorn fell out.

  * Skuld means a debt or a payment due. The name is also used in the Prose Edda for one of the three Norns.

  * The saga calls the raiding berserkers Vikings (vikingar). In Old Norse the term is used to describe pirates or raiders in general. The medieval Scandinavians did not, as is popularly done today, use the word as an ethnic term.

  * Hvit means white.

  * Here Frodi is used as a shortened form of Elk-Frodi.

  * A kraki.

  * Sigrid is only mentioned as the mother of Helgi and Hroar; she may not be Signy’s mother.

  † Yrsa is both the daughter and wife of Helgi.

  ‡ The number of Hrolf’s daughters is ambiguous. Drifa, when given to Bodvar in marriage (chapter 24), is referred to as Hrolf’s ‘only daughter’. Earlier (chapter 15), Skur is also identified as Hrolf’s daughter.

  * Probable associations.