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

  Map: The World of The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki

  Centred in Denmark, the action of the saga spreads over most of Scandinavia and a large area of Northern Europe. This map names some of the major lands and seas while locating the following sites and kingdoms:

  ENGLAND: King Nordri, father of Ogn the wife of Hroar, ruled over part of England.

  DENMARK: Kingdom of Hrolf, ruled from his stronghold at Hleidargard. Early in the saga, Halfdan rules Denmark until deposed by his jealous brother Frodi. Halfdan’s son Helgi recovers the kingship and rules until slain. He is succeeded by his son Hrolf.

  FINNMARK: The home of Hvit in far northern Scandinavia.

  FYRIS PLAINS: Plains in Sweden, located south of Uppsala. Hrolf scatters gold on the Fyris Plains, distracting the pursuing forces of King Adils.

  GAUTLAND: The kingdom of Bodvar Bjarki’s brother, Thorir Hound’s Foot. Located in southwestern Sweden.

  HLEIDARGARD: King Hrolf’s royal seat, located on the central island of Sjælland. Today, the modern town of Lejre near Roskilde (Hroar’s Spring).

  NORTHUMBERLAND: The kingdom of Hroar, Halfdan’s son, located in northeastern England.

  SAXLAND: The kingdom of Queen Olof, mother of Yrsa and grandmother of Hrolf, located in northern Germany.

  SWEDEN: The kingdom ruled by Adils, and the home of farmer Svip, whose son, Svipdag, becomes one of Hrolf’s champions.

  UPPSALA: Royal seat of Sweden, site of King Adils’ court.

  ‘King Hrolf established the seat of his kingdom at a place in Denmark called Hleidargard. His fortress was large and strong, and he and his followers lived lavishly. At Hleidargard there was more splendor than at any other noble establishment known at the time.’

  Note on the Translation

  The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki survives in part or whole in over forty paper manuscripts. The earliest of these date from the first part of the seventeenth century and the extant manuscripts almost certainly stem from a single lost original. This translation is based on Desmond Slay’s careful edition of the manuscript AM 285 4to, as published in the Editiones Arnamagnœanœ series (Copenhagen, 1960). Today the manuscript, which was written in January 1654 by the scribe Brynjólfur Jónsson, contains only Hrólfs saga kraka. Originally, however, this text was part of a larger codex, probably written for the Bishops of Hólar in northern Iceland.

  I thank Örnólfur Thorsson for sharing his unpublished modern Icelandic adaptation of Slay’s edition. So too I thank my former student Jeffrey Mazo for his assistance with the notes. My friend Finnur Torfi Stefánsson spent several winter nights on his farm at Tungufell in Borgarfjörður reading a draft of my translation and I thank him for his suggestions and for his hospitality. Hallfreður Örn Eiríksson, at the Árni Magnússon Manuscript Institute in Reykjavík, helped me work through some of the knottier points of translation and Professors Robert Kellogg and David Dumville offered insightful comments on the Introduction. I also thank my old friends from early days in Iceland, Robert Guillemette, who is still in Reykjavik, and Dominic X. Cooper, now living on Ardnamurchan in Argyll, for their hospitality and discussions while I was translating this saga. Robert designed the illustrations.

  The spelling of proper names and special terms in the text has been anglicized, usually by omitting the Old Norse inflectional endings and replacing non-English letters with their closest equivalents. I do not strive for complete consistency, especially when a name is familiar to English speakers in another form; thus, I use Valhalla rather than Valhöll. I added chapter titles to aid the reader. My goal throughout has been to produce an accurate, readable translation of an important medieval text.

  At the end of the book is a Glossary of Proper Names. I compiled this index to provide the reader with a tool for locating the characters (both human and supernatural), groups, places, animals and objects that appear in the saga. Also at the rear of the volume the reader will find genealogies, notes and a listing of prominent characters in the saga and their equivalents in three other medieval texts.

  THE SAGA OF KING HROLF KRAKI

  Here begins the Saga of King Hrolf Kraki,

  and first is written the tale of King Frodi

  1. King Frodi Kills His Brother King Halfdan

  A man was named Halfdan and another Frodi; the two were brothers. They were the sons of a king and each ruled his own kingdom. King Halfdan1 was mild-mannered and easygoing; he was quiet and good-natured, but King Frodi was the harshest and greediest of men. King Halfdan had three children: two of them were sons. The third, a daughter named Signy, was the eldest.2 She was married to Jarl Saevil* At the time of these events Halfdan’s sons were young; one was named Hroar and the other Helgi.3 Their foster–father4 was named Regin, and he loved the boys deeply.

  An island lay a short distance from Halfdan’s stronghold; on it lived a karl or freeman5 named Vifil.6 The place, called Vifil’s island, was named for the freeman, who was a lifelong friend of King Halfdan. He had two hounds, one called Hopp and the other Ho. Vifil was a man of substance and, if threatened, was well versed in the arts of old magic.

  Now it is told that King Frodi stayed home in his kingdom. He bitterly envied his brother, King Halfdan, because Halfdan alone ruled Denmark. As King Frodi felt that he had not fared as well, he assembled a large following of armed men and set out for Denmark.

  Arriving in the dead of night, Frodi burned and destroyed everything. King Halfdan, unable to defend himself, was seized and killed, but some of his followers managed to escape. All the inhabitants of the stronghold were forced to swear allegiance to King Frodi; those who refused were subjected to torture.

  Helgi and Hroar’s foster father, Regin, helped the boys escape to Vifil on his island. They mourned their loss deeply, and Regin said that, if Vifil were unable to hide the boys from King Frodi, ‘then all places of shelter will be filled with snow’.* Vifil responded that ‘here is a dangerous contest with a powerful adversary,’ but he added that it was his obligation to help the boys. He then accepted the boys and led them to an underground room,7 where they often stayed. During the day they were able to breathe freely in the freeman’s woods, because the island was half – covered with forest. The boys were now separated from Regin, who had many valuable estates as well as a wife and children in Denmark. For himself, Regin saw no other way than to submit to King Frodi, swearing to him oaths of allegiance. King Frodi took control of the Danish kingdom, levying tribute and taxes. Most people submitted unwillingly because he was a much despised man. Frodi also laid tribute on Jarl Saevil.

  Despite his successes, Frodi did not have peace of mind, because he could nowhere find Helgi or Hroar. He sent his spies everywhere, near and far, north and south, east and west. He promised generous gifts to those who could give him information about the boys. For those who concealed them, he swore tortures upon discovery. Yet no one seemed to know anything to tell the king about the boys.

  Then Frodi sought the aid of seeresses and soothsayers8 in all parts of the land. He had them search the country up and down, even the islands and the outlying rocks. They found nothing.

  Now the king sought out sorcerers,9 who could pry into anything they wished. They told him the boys were not being brought up on land, yet they were not far off from the king, who responded, ‘We have searched widely for them, and it seems to me least likely that they are nearby. Nevertheless, there is an island that we have not scoured thoroughly. Almost no one lives on it except for one poor freeman.’

  ‘Search there first,’ said the sorcerers, ‘because mist and secrecy shroud that island. Only with difficulty can we see the area around this man’s house. He seems to be a person of profound learning, and there is more to him than meets the eye.’

  The king replied, ‘Then we will search there again, although it seems strange to me that a poor fisherman would harbour the boys, daring to withhold them from me.’

  2. The Search

  Early one morning, Vifil awoke with a sense of foreboding. He sai
d, ‘The air and the paths are alive with magic, and powerful spirits10 have visited the island. Get up, Hroar and Helgi, sons of Halfdan. Keep yourselves hidden today in the underbrush of my woods.’

  The boys ran into the woods and events unfolded as the freeman had predicted. King Frodi’s messengers arrived on the island and searched for the boys. They looked everywhere they could imagine, but nowhere could they find the brothers. Although the freeman seemed to be of questionable nature, Frodi’s men left. They had accomplished nothing and reported to the king that they were unable to find the boys.

  ‘You have searched poorly,’ said the king. ‘That man is skilled in magic. Now retrace your steps and then return there immediately so that the freeman will not have time to hide them again, if they are there.’

  The men, obliged to do as the king commanded, went once again to the island. Vifil said to the boys, ‘This is not the time to be sitting around inside. Head for the woods as quickly as you can.’ They did so, arriving before the king’s men rushed in, demanding the right to search.

  Vifil had everything opened up for the searchers. But, wherever they looked, the king’s men could not find the boys on the island. They then returned and reported the lack of success to the king.

  King Frodi answered, ‘We will no longer deal leniently with this man. Tomorrow I myself will go to the island.’ And the result was that the king himself did go.

  Vifil awoke troubled. He quickly realized that he had to devise a plan. He told the brothers to be ‘aware that, if I call loudly to my dogs, Hopp and Ho, you must run to your underground shelter. Calling to the dogs is a signal that danger has come on to the island. You will need to protect yourselves, for now your kinsman Frodi himself is in the hunt. He seeks your lives with all kinds of schemes and tricks, and it is no longer clear that I will be able to keep you safe.’

  Then Vifil went down to the shore. The king’s shiphadalready landed, but Vifil acted as if he saw nothing, walking around as though looking for his sheep. He carried on in this way, concentrating so hard that he never once looked toward the king or his men. The king ordered his men to seize Vifil. They did so and then led him to the king.

  ‘You are a crafty sort,’ said the king, ‘and a cunning one too. Now tell me where the princes are, because you must surely know.’

  The freeman replied, ‘Greetings, my lord, but do not hold me, for if you do the wolf will tear my sheep apart.’ He then called loudly, ‘Hopp and Ho, look after the sheep, because I cannot save them.’

  The king said, ‘What are you shouting now?’

  The man replied, ‘My dogs are named in that way. Search as freely as you desire, Sire. I do not suppose that the princes will be found here, and I am amazed that you think that I would hide anyone from you.’

  The king said, ‘You are without doubt a sly one. But this time the boys will not be able to conceal themselves, although they have succeeded thus far. It would be fitting if I were to take your life.’

  ‘That is now within your power,’ replied the freeman. ‘Should you so decide, then you will have accomplished something on the island, rather than leaving with matters as they now stand.’

  The king said, ‘I cannot be bothered to kill you, although it seems to me that not doing so is ill – advised.’ Then he sailed home. Vifil now went to tell the boys that they could no longer stay there: ‘I will send you to Jarl Saevil, your brother-in-law. You will become famous men if you live long enough.’

  3. The Boys Helgi and Hroar Revealed

  Hroar was then twelve years old, but Helgi who was only ten was the bigger and more courageous of the two. The boys now left the island. They called themselves Ham and Hrani wherever they went or when ever they spoke with people.11 The boys reached Jarl Saevil’s estate, but then let a week pass before they asked the jarl for permission to stay. The jarl replied, ‘From you two I think I will acquire little, but I will not deny you food, at least for awhile.’ The brothers stayed there for a time but proved to be troublesome. Neither their rank nor their family was known. Even the jarl did not suspect who they were, since they had told him nothing about themselves.

  Some men, saying that the boys were born with scurvy on their heads, mocked them as they always wore hooded cloaks. Because the boys never pushed back their hoods, many thought their heads were covered with sores and vermin. The brothers stayed there into the third winter.

  Next it happened that King Frodi invited Jarl Saevil to a feast. The king’s suspicions were aroused that Saevil might be hiding the boys because of their kinship. The jarl prepared for the journey, intending to take a large following. The boys volunteered to go, but the jarl refused. Signy, the jarl’s wife, went along on the journey.

  Ham, who was really Helgi in disguise, found for himself an unbroken colt to ride. Once seated on it, he raced after the company, riding backward, thus facing the tail. He behaved in every way like a fool. His brother, Hrani, finding a similar mount, rode facing the correct way.

  The jarl now saw that the boys were following him and that they were unable to manage their horses. The shaggy colts leapt backwards and forwards under them, and Hrani’s hood fell down. Signy, their sister, noticed and immediately recognized them. She began to sob deeply. The jarl asked her why she was crying. Signy spoke this verse:

  1. All the royal family

  of the Skjoldungs’

  princely grove

  have become limbs only.12

  My brothers, riding

  bareback, I saw,

  but Saevil’s men sit on

  saddled horses.

  ‘This is good news,’ said the jarl, ‘but keep it from becoming known.’

  He then rode back to the boys, asking them to go home. He called them a disgrace to a company of good men. By then both boys were walking, and the jarl spoke in this way so as not to expose them. But the boys, refusing to turn back, moved to the fringes of the escort and travelled at the far rear of the company.

  When they arrived at the feast, Helgi and Hroar ran back and forth in the hall. At one point, this activity brought them to the place where Signy, their sister, was sitting. She whispered to them, ‘Do not stay in the hall, because you are not yet fully grown.’ But they paid no attention to her warning.

  King Frodi then started to speak. He announced that he wanted the sons of King Halfdan found and promised, for his part, to show great honour to the man who could tell him something about the boys.

  Then a seeress who was called Heid arrived.13 The king told her to use her art to divine what she could learn about the boys. The king had a magnificent feast prepared for her and had her placed on a high trance platform.14 Then he asked what she could see of the future, ‘because I know,’ he said, ‘that much will be made clear to you. I see that there is great luck in you, so answer me as quickly as possible.’

  She wrenched open her jaws and yawned deeply, and this chant emerged from her mouth:

  2. Two are the men

  I trust in neither,

  they the excellent ones

  who sit by the fire’s side.

  The king replied, ‘Are you speaking about the boys or about those who have saved them?’ She answered,

  3. They who long were

  on Vifil’s island

  and there were hailed

  with hounds’ names,

  Hopp and Ho.

  Just then Signy threw a gold ring to the Sybil. Heid was pleased with the gift, and she wanted to stop her divining. She said, ‘This is how matters stand. What I said is only a lie, and now all my prophecies have gone astray.’

  The king replied, ‘If you do not choose more wisely, you will be tortured into speaking. Here among so many people, I still do not understand any better than previously what you are saying. And why is Signy not in her seat? Can it be that wolves are plotting with predators?’15

  The king was told that Signy had been sickened by the smoke from the hearth. Jarl Saevil asked her to sit up and behave courageously, ‘for it can
have much bearing on keeping the boys alive, if that is what is meant to be. Act in such a way that your thoughts cannot be read. As matters stand, there is nothing that we can do to help them.’

  King Frodi now pressed the sorceress hard. He commanded her to tell the truth if she did not want to be tortured. Her mouth gaped wide, but the spell became difficult. Finally she spoke this verse:

  4. I see where they sit,

  sons of Halfdan,

  Hroar and Helgi,

  healthy both.

  They will rob

  Frodi of life.

  ‘Unless they are quickly dealt with,’ she said, ‘but that will not happen.’

  Then she jumped down from the trance platform and said:

  5. Hard are the eyes

  of Ham and Hrani;

  they are princes

  wonderfully bold.

  The boys, now frightened, ran from the hall and headed for the woods. Regin, their foster father, recognized them and was much moved. The sorceress, who herself now ran from the hall, had given the boys good advice when she told them to save themselves.

  The king ordered his men to rise and chase after the boys. Regin then extinguished all the lights in the hall. Men began to grapple with one another, and some of them held the king’s men back. There were those in the hall who wanted to see the boys escape and, because of that intervention, the two reached the woods. King Frodi said, ‘They came close this time, and many here have been plotting with them. When I have the time, I will take a fearful vengeance for their doing so. Now, however, we are free to drink all night long. The princes will be so relieved at having escaped that they will first try to save their lives.’