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The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
Composed in medieval Iceland, Hrolf's Saga is one of the greatest of all mythic-legendary sagas, relating half-fantastical events that were said to have occurred in fifth-century Denmark. It tells of the exploits of King Hrolf and of his famous champions, including Bodvar Bjarki, the 'bear-warrior': a powerful figure whose might and bear-like nature are inspired by the same legendary heritage as Beowulf. Depicting a world of wizards, sorceresses and 'berserker' fighters - originally members of a cult of Odin - this is a compelling tale of ancient magic. A work of timeless power and beauty, it offers both a treasury of Icelandic prose and a masterful gathering of epic, cultic memory, traditional folk tale and myths from the Viking age and far earlier.
106 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
September 8, 2016
Viking logic:
1. A woman runs away from marrying one guy. Surely she is willing to jump into an overnight betrothal to another the moment she is offered.
2. You have a treacherous nephew who tried to assassinate you twice. Must keep him alive, because third time is the charm.
3. So, you are coming to visit your brother? Better conceal your identity and fight with him until he realizes it's you then.
4. Discovered your marriage is incestuous? Doesn't matter, had sex ~♫
5. There is such thing as hacking your opponent's buttocks off in battle while he tries to retrieve the ring you dropped as distraction earlier.
6. Icelandic sagas are awesome!
1. A woman runs away from marrying one guy. Surely she is willing to jump into an overnight betrothal to another the moment she is offered.
2. You have a treacherous nephew who tried to assassinate you twice. Must keep him alive, because third time is the charm.
3. So, you are coming to visit your brother? Better conceal your identity and fight with him until he realizes it's you then.
4. Discovered your marriage is incestuous? Doesn't matter, had sex ~♫
5. There is such thing as hacking your opponent's buttocks off in battle while he tries to retrieve the ring you dropped as distraction earlier.
6. Icelandic sagas are awesome!
December 18, 2021
"What can we do?" asked Hroar. "We are just two boys facing overwhelming odds." Spoiler: they set their uncle on fire.
King Hrolf's Berserker: so you think we're equals? Strike your sword at my helmet, see if it even hurts me, motherfucker. Spolier: it doesn't.
King Hrolf's Berserker: so you think we're equals? Strike your sword at my helmet, see if it even hurts me, motherfucker. Spolier: it doesn't.
May 31, 2017
Hrolf Kraki’s Saga has been one that I’ve loved for a long time, though this is my first time reading the actual Icelandic saga itself. My first introduction to the tale of the legendary Danish king was in the fantasy novelisation done by Poul Anderson, a version which I still love to this day and that is undoubtedly my favourite re-telling. The saga itself is classed as a ‘fornaldarsaga’ or legendary saga. These sagas differ from the perhaps more well know family sagas in that they tend to take place in the distant past long before the discovery and settlement of Iceland and often include more mythological or magical elements.
The story itself is very Arthurian (or perhaps the story of Arthur is very Hrolf-ian) and revolves around the rise and ultimate tragic fall of the legendary King Hrolf Kraki. As with almost all sagas we begin at least a generation before the main events and follow the adventures of Hrolf’s (and other characters’) forebears, witnessing the ways in which their actions and decisions will help lead to the fated conclusion woven by the Norns. Betrayal, slaughter, and incest characterize this section as Hrolf’s father Helgi and uncle Hroar attempt to regain the kingdom wrongfully taken from them by their own uncle Frodi and they become embroiled in the usual complications of saga life. Hrolf eventually succeeds his father as the King of Denmark and ushers in a golden age of prosperity and valour, subjugating nearly all of the northern kings under his benevolent (though unyielding) rule.
Hrolf himself comes into the action almost off-stage and (again like Arthur) is often something of a background figure in his own saga. As with Arthur one of the things that makes Hrolf’s kingdom such an exceptional one is the presence of a great number of peerless warriors that flock to his banner as champions. Amongst these are Svipdag, the Odinic son of a freeholder; Bodvar Bjarki, the magically touched warrior without equal who shares more than a few similarities with Tolkien’s Bjorn the skinchanger; and Hjalti the Magnanimous, an intriguing figure who literally encompasses the trope “from zero to hero” when he is taken under Bjarki’s wing.
The saga narrative is not surprisingly somewhat episodic in makeup as each of these heroes has their tale told and we witness both their origins and the paths that lead them to Hrolf’s royal seat at Hleidargard. These are all great stories that have everything you could want from a mythical saga: magic and prophecy, battles with berserkers and trolls, the appearance of gods in disguise, and the pre-eminence of honour and valour. Once Hrolf’s ‘round table’ has been filled, however, we know that the end is not far away no matter how great his current victories. The tragic mistakes made by his forebears, and his own unwitting insult to Odin, will lead Hrolf to the last glorious battle in which he will die (once more, like Arthur, due to the machinations of a close relative), though his memory will remain as a bright remembrance amongst his people.
This saga is very enjoyable, and is a relatively short read. If you’re at all interested in Norse mythology, sagas in general, or the roots of some of modern fantasy’s tropes and ideas then this is a great place to start. It seems obvious that various elements of the story had a direct influence on Tolkien and the saga also shares close connections in both story and characters with other medieval works, chief amongst them the poems Beowulf and Widsith. The edition I read, translated and edited by Jesse Byock, has some excellent prefatory material on the Skjoldung dynasty (of which Hrolf was a part), Berserkers, and the Saga’s relationship to other medieval sources, as well as notes and genealogies than can help fill in any blanks in your knowledge of the world of the sagas. That being said I’d still highly recommend reading Poul Andersons’ version as well if you want something that stays true to all of the elements of the tale, but fleshes out many of the characters and storylines in very satisfying ways.
The story itself is very Arthurian (or perhaps the story of Arthur is very Hrolf-ian) and revolves around the rise and ultimate tragic fall of the legendary King Hrolf Kraki. As with almost all sagas we begin at least a generation before the main events and follow the adventures of Hrolf’s (and other characters’) forebears, witnessing the ways in which their actions and decisions will help lead to the fated conclusion woven by the Norns. Betrayal, slaughter, and incest characterize this section as Hrolf’s father Helgi and uncle Hroar attempt to regain the kingdom wrongfully taken from them by their own uncle Frodi and they become embroiled in the usual complications of saga life. Hrolf eventually succeeds his father as the King of Denmark and ushers in a golden age of prosperity and valour, subjugating nearly all of the northern kings under his benevolent (though unyielding) rule.
Hrolf himself comes into the action almost off-stage and (again like Arthur) is often something of a background figure in his own saga. As with Arthur one of the things that makes Hrolf’s kingdom such an exceptional one is the presence of a great number of peerless warriors that flock to his banner as champions. Amongst these are Svipdag, the Odinic son of a freeholder; Bodvar Bjarki, the magically touched warrior without equal who shares more than a few similarities with Tolkien’s Bjorn the skinchanger; and Hjalti the Magnanimous, an intriguing figure who literally encompasses the trope “from zero to hero” when he is taken under Bjarki’s wing.
The saga narrative is not surprisingly somewhat episodic in makeup as each of these heroes has their tale told and we witness both their origins and the paths that lead them to Hrolf’s royal seat at Hleidargard. These are all great stories that have everything you could want from a mythical saga: magic and prophecy, battles with berserkers and trolls, the appearance of gods in disguise, and the pre-eminence of honour and valour. Once Hrolf’s ‘round table’ has been filled, however, we know that the end is not far away no matter how great his current victories. The tragic mistakes made by his forebears, and his own unwitting insult to Odin, will lead Hrolf to the last glorious battle in which he will die (once more, like Arthur, due to the machinations of a close relative), though his memory will remain as a bright remembrance amongst his people.
This saga is very enjoyable, and is a relatively short read. If you’re at all interested in Norse mythology, sagas in general, or the roots of some of modern fantasy’s tropes and ideas then this is a great place to start. It seems obvious that various elements of the story had a direct influence on Tolkien and the saga also shares close connections in both story and characters with other medieval works, chief amongst them the poems Beowulf and Widsith. The edition I read, translated and edited by Jesse Byock, has some excellent prefatory material on the Skjoldung dynasty (of which Hrolf was a part), Berserkers, and the Saga’s relationship to other medieval sources, as well as notes and genealogies than can help fill in any blanks in your knowledge of the world of the sagas. That being said I’d still highly recommend reading Poul Andersons’ version as well if you want something that stays true to all of the elements of the tale, but fleshes out many of the characters and storylines in very satisfying ways.
November 7, 2015
Introduction
Map
Note on the Translation
--The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
Notes
Genealogical Tables
Equivalent Characters in Old Norse, Old English and Latin Accounts of King Hrolf Kraki
Glossary of Proper Names
Map
Note on the Translation
--The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
Notes
Genealogical Tables
Equivalent Characters in Old Norse, Old English and Latin Accounts of King Hrolf Kraki
Glossary of Proper Names
May 8, 2023
As it is common in medieval literature, main protagonist is often absent in great part of the plot, overshadowed by the individual stories about his champions. Thus is with king Hrolf (as well as with Charlemagne and King Arthur). As incestuous child of lustful King Helgi and his daughter Yrsa, he became the great King of the North.
Saga is indistinctively divided into four parts: the first part explains lives of King Hrolf's ancestors, which is of great importance for later sequences; the second part is about King's curious birth; the third part tells about Svipdag, the berserker, and his battles with King Adils of Sweden; the last – fourth part was the most interesting to me, for it is full of seidr and sibyls, as well as with shape-shifting warriors (Bjorn – bear-man and Bjarki – bear-cub-man as well as King's berserkers) and stories about magnificent arms hidden within the cave, waiting for proper warrior to unleash it from its scabbard (with proper tasks that follow that ritual, of course).
I recognised many parts that are very similar to those in Beowulf, and in afterward I've read that critics confirmed that assumption. As well, Bodvar Bjarki was Tolkien’s inspiration for Beorn's character in The Hobbit.
Saga is indistinctively divided into four parts: the first part explains lives of King Hrolf's ancestors, which is of great importance for later sequences; the second part is about King's curious birth; the third part tells about Svipdag, the berserker, and his battles with King Adils of Sweden; the last – fourth part was the most interesting to me, for it is full of seidr and sibyls, as well as with shape-shifting warriors (Bjorn – bear-man and Bjarki – bear-cub-man as well as King's berserkers) and stories about magnificent arms hidden within the cave, waiting for proper warrior to unleash it from its scabbard (with proper tasks that follow that ritual, of course).
I recognised many parts that are very similar to those in Beowulf, and in afterward I've read that critics confirmed that assumption. As well, Bodvar Bjarki was Tolkien’s inspiration for Beorn's character in The Hobbit.
April 19, 2022
A fantastic fantastical saga that is kin to Beowulf and all other heroic tales of champions and fierce kings and clever queens and men that shapeshift into bears and whatnot. Such fun to read.
March 1, 2016
So, what do you do when the odds are against you? You set fire to your enemy, of course.
This is an absolutely hilarious Saga! There are no grand descriptions of events or very detailed character development, yet the action is continuous and never looses it's momentum. Despite focusing on the adventures of the manliest of men (tm), the women are superb: they raise armies and defend their kin; it was the most pleasant change to read about women who protected their agency and acted in accordance to their convictions, instead of being political pawns delegated to scheming and conniving. There is also a strong element of the supernatural as well as a whole lot of blood, chopped buttocks, and lost eyes and limbs. All in all it was tremendous fun.
This is an absolutely hilarious Saga! There are no grand descriptions of events or very detailed character development, yet the action is continuous and never looses it's momentum. Despite focusing on the adventures of the manliest of men (tm), the women are superb: they raise armies and defend their kin; it was the most pleasant change to read about women who protected their agency and acted in accordance to their convictions, instead of being political pawns delegated to scheming and conniving. There is also a strong element of the supernatural as well as a whole lot of blood, chopped buttocks, and lost eyes and limbs. All in all it was tremendous fun.
January 13, 2023
Put together in this form around 1400, Hrolf’s Saga is a wonderfully barbaric tale, a composition with roots deep in northern mythology and, for its time, hardly touched by Christian values or notions of chivalry. The modern reader may recognise many elements and motifs familiar from other narratives and traditions – Beowulf and Hamlet, for example, the Nibelungenlied, even Arthurian legend – all of which suggests that the well of story is broad as well as deep.
Although for modern tastes it’s a narrative that may somewhat meander, switching its focus from one individual to another, there’s no doubting that the saga’s thrust is towards the story of a certain Hrolf, a part-historical, part-legendary figure around in fifth- or sixth-century Denmark, localised on the island of Sjælland (anglicised as Zealand).
Yet even though its action takes place in lands surrounding both the North Sea and the Baltic this saga was to find its final form across the North Atlantic in Iceland, settled by Norse descendants.
Jesse Byock’s 1998 translation, the most accessible one currently available, is equipped with a detailed introduction, copious notes, family trees, a glossary of proper names and a map of the saga’s principal locations. The tale is told in 34 relatively short chapters, each effectively an episode, to which Byock has added succinct headings like ‘The Death of King Frodi’, ‘The Elfin Woman and the Birth of Skuld’, and ‘King Hrolf Tricks King Hjorvard’.
For anyone interested in history, archaeology, mythology, folklore, or storytelling, for example, there is much to relish in the translated narrative and not just in the apparatus of the commentary; and all of that is tethered around the succession of male and female characters who push the action forward. These include royal figures like Danish kings Helgi, Hroar and Hrolf, Queen Olof of Saxland, Ogn the daughter of a Northumbrian king, King Hring of Norway, King Adils of Sweden, and so on. But it also includes commoners like the warrior Svipdag and a freeman’s daughter called Bera; and then there are the more uncanny individuals – trolls, witches, and sorcerers, and shapeshifters like Bodvar Bjarki, the Icelandic cognate of the Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf.
At times it might seem that Hrolf’s Saga is, in the words of Wordsworth, only about “old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago,” about dynasties from distant times, and about petty quarrels and cruel conquests. But truly this is about very human emotions and passions: jealousy and love, greed and generosity, loyalty and treachery, despair and hubris. It all may get complicated by natural misunderstandings or supernatural happenings, but there’s no denying that the stories of Hrolf’s forebears (including Yrsa, who's his mother as well as his sister), of his champions including Bodvar Bjarki (who like Arthur draws a sword from a stone), and of Hrolf, his adversary King Adils, and his last great battle all have the potential to engage our attention and encourage investment in their fates.
With my student cap on I want to keep returning to this, consider its analogues in legends, folklore and myth, and draw out the history of its transition from oral tradition to manuscript; but as an ordinary reader I’ve found this important saga as enjoyable as any novel, contemporary or classic. It’s well worth more than a passing glance, I feel.
Although for modern tastes it’s a narrative that may somewhat meander, switching its focus from one individual to another, there’s no doubting that the saga’s thrust is towards the story of a certain Hrolf, a part-historical, part-legendary figure around in fifth- or sixth-century Denmark, localised on the island of Sjælland (anglicised as Zealand).
Yet even though its action takes place in lands surrounding both the North Sea and the Baltic this saga was to find its final form across the North Atlantic in Iceland, settled by Norse descendants.
Jesse Byock’s 1998 translation, the most accessible one currently available, is equipped with a detailed introduction, copious notes, family trees, a glossary of proper names and a map of the saga’s principal locations. The tale is told in 34 relatively short chapters, each effectively an episode, to which Byock has added succinct headings like ‘The Death of King Frodi’, ‘The Elfin Woman and the Birth of Skuld’, and ‘King Hrolf Tricks King Hjorvard’.
For anyone interested in history, archaeology, mythology, folklore, or storytelling, for example, there is much to relish in the translated narrative and not just in the apparatus of the commentary; and all of that is tethered around the succession of male and female characters who push the action forward. These include royal figures like Danish kings Helgi, Hroar and Hrolf, Queen Olof of Saxland, Ogn the daughter of a Northumbrian king, King Hring of Norway, King Adils of Sweden, and so on. But it also includes commoners like the warrior Svipdag and a freeman’s daughter called Bera; and then there are the more uncanny individuals – trolls, witches, and sorcerers, and shapeshifters like Bodvar Bjarki, the Icelandic cognate of the Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf.
At times it might seem that Hrolf’s Saga is, in the words of Wordsworth, only about “old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago,” about dynasties from distant times, and about petty quarrels and cruel conquests. But truly this is about very human emotions and passions: jealousy and love, greed and generosity, loyalty and treachery, despair and hubris. It all may get complicated by natural misunderstandings or supernatural happenings, but there’s no denying that the stories of Hrolf’s forebears (including Yrsa, who's his mother as well as his sister), of his champions including Bodvar Bjarki (who like Arthur draws a sword from a stone), and of Hrolf, his adversary King Adils, and his last great battle all have the potential to engage our attention and encourage investment in their fates.
With my student cap on I want to keep returning to this, consider its analogues in legends, folklore and myth, and draw out the history of its transition from oral tradition to manuscript; but as an ordinary reader I’ve found this important saga as enjoyable as any novel, contemporary or classic. It’s well worth more than a passing glance, I feel.
August 29, 2018
"I suspect that the dead are wandering about. They rise up again to fight against us, and it becomes difficult to fight with ghosts. ... the encounters with the dead are the grimmest." -- spoken by Bodvar Bjarki, the most formidable of King Hrolf Kraki's men.
June 24, 2024
„Trink das Bärenblut, Schwächling, damit du stark wirst“ hat die selben vibes wie Joe Rogan Podcasts 5/5
February 14, 2024
My favorite Icelandic saga so far!
November 10, 2013
(This is a review of Jesse L. Byock's translation in Penguin Classics, and if we can talk of spoilers in a legend, here are lots of spoilers.)
The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is a legendary tale and one of the greatest Old Icelandic legendary sagas.
Hrolf Kraki, king in ancient Denmark, was not as many of the other legendary heroes; he was among the quiet and mild rulers, which, of course, didn’t prevent him from taking action and revenge when required. He is famous for having sowed pieces of gold on the Fyri’s Plane (in Sweden) to distract King Adils and his warriors. Hrolf was fleeing after having regained the gold Adils stole when he killed Helgi, Hrolf’s father. Hrolf also threw a gold ring in front of the pursuing king. When King Adils stopped to acquire the ring, Hrolf said that now “I have made the greatest of the Swedes stoop like a swine.” His most glories moment came when Adils bent forward to fetch the ring and Hrolf sliced off both his buttocks “right down to the bone.”
Hrolf was the result of an incestuous relation. His father, King Helgi, was also his grandfather. It started when Helgi met Olof, a powerful Saxon warrior queen who wore mail and weapons. Olof had no intention of marrying, and when Helgi wanted to force her, she tricked and humiliated the king, who wreaked a cruel vengeance by repeatedly raping her.
As a result, Olof gets pregnant and gives birth to the girl Yrsa, who grows up in poverty not knowing her parents. Queen Olof tells nothing to Helgi, who later, on a raid to Saxland, captures Yrsa, falls in love with her, marries her, and gets a son with her.
When Queen Olof learns that King Helgi’s and Yrsa’s marriage is a happy one, she travels to Denmark and tells Yrsa that she is her mother and that Helgi, her husband, is her father. Yrsa feels forced to leave Helgi and returns to Saxland with her mother, who marries her to the Adils, the Swedish king.
When Helgi returns from his Viking raids and hears what has happened, he mourns his loss, mates with an elf-woman and gets Skuld, a girl who from an early age shows a vicious temperament. After some time, however, Helgi prepares a voyage to Uppsala to retrieve Yrsa. King Adils receives Helgi in honour, but deceives and kills him and takes all his gold.
Thus, young Hrolf, Helgi’s son, becomes king in Denmark. In his time, Hrolf is the greatest of the Scandinavian kings, so powerful he can live in relative peace. The only one he is forced to subdue is his brother-in-law, Hjorvard, who is married to Skuld, Hrolf’s elfish half-sister.
In the saga of Hrolf and his family, women play an important part; their doings set off the action and their relations to the male heroes bind the tale together. Most of the tragedies in Hrolf’s family are the results of characters living out their problematic sexual desires.
Despite the focus on Hrolf’s family, in large parts of the saga Hrolf is overshadowed by the feats of two of his champions: Svipdag and Bodvar Bjarki. Twined into the action, Svipdag and Bodvar have their own sagas within the saga. Both the champions have supernatural powers, as do several of the other characters, most notably King Adils and Skuld. The gods too, especially Odin, both helps and works against the characters. All in all, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is an exceptionally rich in Old Norse magic.
Bodvar Bjarki, the champion, is the Scandinavian equivalent of Beowulf, the Old English hero. They both have bear-like qualities and both fight and kill threatening monsters. The final battle between King Hrolf and Hjorvard, his brother-in-law, was in fact a fight between Bodvar and Skuld and their supernatural powers. During the fight, Bodvar went into a trance, changed shape and fought like a bear on which no weapons would bite. Skuld, skilful in magic and sorcery, fashioned a spell of high potency. Her spells, however, only gained full effect after one of Hrolf’s retainers woke Bodvar up from his trance and the bear disappeared from the battlefield. From then on, the battle-luck changed, and Hrolf and his retainers had to fight draugar or living dead: fallen enemies that kept on fighting.
Hrolf and all of his champions were all killed in the battle, and Skuld seized the power in Denmark. But her rule was short. One of Bodvar’s brothers took revenge, killed Skuld, and Hrolf’s daughters became rulers of Denmark.
Jesse L. Byock’s translation is excellent, and the book, published in Penguin Classics, is equipped with informative endnotes, maps, a glossary of proper names, and a very instructive introduction. These extras are very helpful and make the book a memorable read.
The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is a legendary tale and one of the greatest Old Icelandic legendary sagas.
Hrolf Kraki, king in ancient Denmark, was not as many of the other legendary heroes; he was among the quiet and mild rulers, which, of course, didn’t prevent him from taking action and revenge when required. He is famous for having sowed pieces of gold on the Fyri’s Plane (in Sweden) to distract King Adils and his warriors. Hrolf was fleeing after having regained the gold Adils stole when he killed Helgi, Hrolf’s father. Hrolf also threw a gold ring in front of the pursuing king. When King Adils stopped to acquire the ring, Hrolf said that now “I have made the greatest of the Swedes stoop like a swine.” His most glories moment came when Adils bent forward to fetch the ring and Hrolf sliced off both his buttocks “right down to the bone.”
Hrolf was the result of an incestuous relation. His father, King Helgi, was also his grandfather. It started when Helgi met Olof, a powerful Saxon warrior queen who wore mail and weapons. Olof had no intention of marrying, and when Helgi wanted to force her, she tricked and humiliated the king, who wreaked a cruel vengeance by repeatedly raping her.
As a result, Olof gets pregnant and gives birth to the girl Yrsa, who grows up in poverty not knowing her parents. Queen Olof tells nothing to Helgi, who later, on a raid to Saxland, captures Yrsa, falls in love with her, marries her, and gets a son with her.
When Queen Olof learns that King Helgi’s and Yrsa’s marriage is a happy one, she travels to Denmark and tells Yrsa that she is her mother and that Helgi, her husband, is her father. Yrsa feels forced to leave Helgi and returns to Saxland with her mother, who marries her to the Adils, the Swedish king.
When Helgi returns from his Viking raids and hears what has happened, he mourns his loss, mates with an elf-woman and gets Skuld, a girl who from an early age shows a vicious temperament. After some time, however, Helgi prepares a voyage to Uppsala to retrieve Yrsa. King Adils receives Helgi in honour, but deceives and kills him and takes all his gold.
Thus, young Hrolf, Helgi’s son, becomes king in Denmark. In his time, Hrolf is the greatest of the Scandinavian kings, so powerful he can live in relative peace. The only one he is forced to subdue is his brother-in-law, Hjorvard, who is married to Skuld, Hrolf’s elfish half-sister.
In the saga of Hrolf and his family, women play an important part; their doings set off the action and their relations to the male heroes bind the tale together. Most of the tragedies in Hrolf’s family are the results of characters living out their problematic sexual desires.
Despite the focus on Hrolf’s family, in large parts of the saga Hrolf is overshadowed by the feats of two of his champions: Svipdag and Bodvar Bjarki. Twined into the action, Svipdag and Bodvar have their own sagas within the saga. Both the champions have supernatural powers, as do several of the other characters, most notably King Adils and Skuld. The gods too, especially Odin, both helps and works against the characters. All in all, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is an exceptionally rich in Old Norse magic.
Bodvar Bjarki, the champion, is the Scandinavian equivalent of Beowulf, the Old English hero. They both have bear-like qualities and both fight and kill threatening monsters. The final battle between King Hrolf and Hjorvard, his brother-in-law, was in fact a fight between Bodvar and Skuld and their supernatural powers. During the fight, Bodvar went into a trance, changed shape and fought like a bear on which no weapons would bite. Skuld, skilful in magic and sorcery, fashioned a spell of high potency. Her spells, however, only gained full effect after one of Hrolf’s retainers woke Bodvar up from his trance and the bear disappeared from the battlefield. From then on, the battle-luck changed, and Hrolf and his retainers had to fight draugar or living dead: fallen enemies that kept on fighting.
Hrolf and all of his champions were all killed in the battle, and Skuld seized the power in Denmark. But her rule was short. One of Bodvar’s brothers took revenge, killed Skuld, and Hrolf’s daughters became rulers of Denmark.
Jesse L. Byock’s translation is excellent, and the book, published in Penguin Classics, is equipped with informative endnotes, maps, a glossary of proper names, and a very instructive introduction. These extras are very helpful and make the book a memorable read.
September 10, 2014
Another fun saga, this one (like the Volsungs saga) is a 'legendary saga', it's not about Iceland or medieval personages. Instead it's about King Hrolf Kraki and other mythic germanic figures, many of the characters in this saga either appear or are mentioned in Beowulf. Their legends and myths being of the same origin, it's something to be expected.
This one has quite a few characters that receive a sort of 'character development', there is a back story for some of Hrolf Kraki's warriors, specially for the one most similar to Beowulf, Bodvar Bjarki, who also is a were-bear of course. The last few chapters were a blast, Hrolf Kraki and his twelve warriors wrecking havoc and avenging themselves.
This one has quite a few characters that receive a sort of 'character development', there is a back story for some of Hrolf Kraki's warriors, specially for the one most similar to Beowulf, Bodvar Bjarki, who also is a were-bear of course. The last few chapters were a blast, Hrolf Kraki and his twelve warriors wrecking havoc and avenging themselves.
August 30, 2011
This saga is a brief but cracklin' good tale. The usual gory battles and heroism are here, as well as some outlandish magical mischief and satisfyingly wicked sorcery. The portion dealing with Queen Bera and her transformed lover, Bjorn, has ancient underpinnings in the very early bear cults of the northern peoples. I thought Bera's three sons with their supernatural and animalistic attributes were fascinating characters and King Hrolf was suitably bad-ass. Also, if you've read Beowulf, you'll find some interesting shared elements between the two stories.
May 9, 2020
Along with Völsunga Saga this is probably my favourite saga! It's so much easier to read than most others that I've read. The narrative is more focussed and there is a little less emphasis on genealogy. Also, hardly any characters with the same name, so I could actually keep the characters apart =D If you're interested in reading Norse sagas this might be a good place to start!
October 24, 2020
Bodvar Bjarki is probably my favourite Viking hero, one of the fiercest berserkers that loyally served King Hrolf.
June 9, 2024
After my less than pleasant experience with the Volsunga Saga, which is really due to a re-read about now, I now, slightly more aged, after much reading of traditional and oral literatures of many people, can truly appreciate the understated, simple, some would say bland writing-style and seeming lightning-fast development of events. For the truth is, the saga as a literary art-form, I learned as I read the Hrólfs saga kraka, is essentially a collection of folk-tales that are woven together into a larger, cohesive whole, until you have a larger, multi-generational and multi-dynastic epic that is actually made up of a collection of expertly woven folk-tales and their motifs, as opposed to the careful unity of vision centered around one single event or person like the ancient bardic epics of Homer. A taste for saga means, then, a taste for the traditional folk-story.
The book is made up of five arcs, each of which are quite short and are themselves a folk-tale, which sometimes include other, smaller folk-tales inside of it, i.e. King Helgi's visitation by and impregnation of an Elfin woman, from which is born Skuld, the terrible magician queen which finishes off the events of the saga and Hrolf himself near the very end. Bödvar Bjarki is part of a complex of folk-tale motifs which used to be called the "Bear's Son" story, which is derived from the most ancient religious notions possible, i.e. bear hunting shamanism, which Bjarki actually engages in, in a martial context rather than an hunting one (how un-paleolithic), in ch. 33 of the Saga. The motif of the "sword in the stone" too, so familiar from Arthurian romance, shows up very prominently in the Svip The Farmer arc. Multiple folk tales form a complex, a complex is woven together with other ones to form multiple arcs which then form a small "epic" saga.
As for the enjoyment of it, as already said, it is dependent largely on one's taste for traditional/oral literature, but also, one can clearly see the affinity of this with later heroic fantasy literature - the bear shamanism of Bjarki near the end, specially, with its destructive war bear, brings to mind much of animal units in modern fantasy warfare, i.e. the Panserbjørn from the Golden Compass immediately comes to mind. As such, it is highly recommended, much like the ancient mythic epics are, to the fantasy fan to see the roots of their preferred genre of fiction.
The book is made up of five arcs, each of which are quite short and are themselves a folk-tale, which sometimes include other, smaller folk-tales inside of it, i.e. King Helgi's visitation by and impregnation of an Elfin woman, from which is born Skuld, the terrible magician queen which finishes off the events of the saga and Hrolf himself near the very end. Bödvar Bjarki is part of a complex of folk-tale motifs which used to be called the "Bear's Son" story, which is derived from the most ancient religious notions possible, i.e. bear hunting shamanism, which Bjarki actually engages in, in a martial context rather than an hunting one (how un-paleolithic), in ch. 33 of the Saga. The motif of the "sword in the stone" too, so familiar from Arthurian romance, shows up very prominently in the Svip The Farmer arc. Multiple folk tales form a complex, a complex is woven together with other ones to form multiple arcs which then form a small "epic" saga.
As for the enjoyment of it, as already said, it is dependent largely on one's taste for traditional/oral literature, but also, one can clearly see the affinity of this with later heroic fantasy literature - the bear shamanism of Bjarki near the end, specially, with its destructive war bear, brings to mind much of animal units in modern fantasy warfare, i.e. the Panserbjørn from the Golden Compass immediately comes to mind. As such, it is highly recommended, much like the ancient mythic epics are, to the fantasy fan to see the roots of their preferred genre of fiction.
November 2, 2024
A ripping good read that feels far more like a fairy tale or contemporary dark fantasy than the average Nordic saga. Whether that's down to the source tradition itself, its reception history, or this particular translation isn't entirely clear to me, but characters, events, and plot sequences work together the way modern readers tend to expect: "A does B because of C which causes D" rather than the sequence of many Norse sagas and historical narratives which are more like "A happens; B also happens; C also happens, now there be D." The Saga of King Hralf Kraki reads like Grimm's fairy tales or Game of Thrones, not just in its content, but often in character psychology, plot cause and effect, and through-lines integrated from start to finish.
Also, it's frequently hilarious and has genuinely compelling female characters to whom the narrative, despite giving lip service to patriarchy and Christianity, bestows a great deal of agency, cunning, and dynamic plot presence.
Reading this, I couldn't help but mentally translate it into the six-part series this should become and all the sequences I'd most look forward to seeing. Bjorn and Bera, can't wait for your episode.
In a world where we have a new Beowulf adaptation or interpretation every few years, where is our King Hrolf content? Especially since there are numerous overlapping characters between Beowulf and King Hrolf's saga. Let's get on it, people.
Also, it's frequently hilarious and has genuinely compelling female characters to whom the narrative, despite giving lip service to patriarchy and Christianity, bestows a great deal of agency, cunning, and dynamic plot presence.
Reading this, I couldn't help but mentally translate it into the six-part series this should become and all the sequences I'd most look forward to seeing. Bjorn and Bera, can't wait for your episode.
In a world where we have a new Beowulf adaptation or interpretation every few years, where is our King Hrolf content? Especially since there are numerous overlapping characters between Beowulf and King Hrolf's saga. Let's get on it, people.
April 26, 2024
What a wild ride!! The only reason I picked this book up was because of a class at my university on Vikings, and I'm glad I did. Icelandic sagas are really something else. Would read again.
It's a pretty simple read (as long as you can keep track of the plethora of characters and family members), and over half of the book is just setup for the actual story. Aside from plenty of very unfortunate (yet very understated) situations, you get 2 evil stepmothers, a tragic love story between a prince and a farmer's daughter, a Robin Hood cameo, berserkers (who are really bad at their jobs), bear-men, mysterious rings, inevitable fates, Odin in disguise, and lines like "This queen is a great troll," "You and your shield wall are pathetic," "Are you going to kill me now, kind sir?" and "You are a thoroughly odious man." What more could you ask for?
My favorite part was probably the Bjorn & Bera story, and then King Hrolf's story was pretty solid once it got going. And of course, the part where Adils is dealt the ultimate humiliating blow.
Anyhoo, if you're ever looking to expand your knowledge of viking literature, read this. Oh, and read the footnotes as you go – they actually make it more fun.
It's a pretty simple read (as long as you can keep track of the plethora of characters and family members), and over half of the book is just setup for the actual story. Aside from plenty of very unfortunate (yet very understated) situations, you get 2 evil stepmothers, a tragic love story between a prince and a farmer's daughter, a Robin Hood cameo, berserkers (who are really bad at their jobs), bear-men, mysterious rings, inevitable fates, Odin in disguise, and lines like "This queen is a great troll," "You and your shield wall are pathetic," "Are you going to kill me now, kind sir?" and "You are a thoroughly odious man." What more could you ask for?
My favorite part was probably the Bjorn & Bera story, and then King Hrolf's story was pretty solid once it got going. And of course, the part where Adils is dealt the ultimate humiliating blow.
Anyhoo, if you're ever looking to expand your knowledge of viking literature, read this. Oh, and read the footnotes as you go – they actually make it more fun.
January 2, 2022
The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is a fun, quick read that I finished in a single night. This is one of the legendary sagas, with a good dash of fantasy and plenty of fun moments. The translation reads smoothly, and it's easy to keep track of family relationships and events, making this another excellent choice for anyone new to reading the sagas, since it's both easy to follow and entertaining. There are definitely some moments that will stick with me, such as the hewing off of an opponent's buttocks during a confrontation. All up, this was such fun that I think it's one of my favourites of all the sagas I've read so far. The introduction and notes provided are also excellent and useful.
November 13, 2023
One of the shorter but more mythologically based sagas. Somewhat reminiscent of Arthur and his knights, King Hrolf Kraki gathers champions and yet is fated for a bad end. The introductions to the champions are worthy stories in and of themselves. Interesting how the Christian scribes who copied the story left it mostly intact with only a few obvious interpolations.
January 16, 2021
Vengeful royalty? Magical hijinks? Bears rushing into battle? People using swords to cut off their enemy's buttocks? This book has it all!
Read
July 6, 2022discussing this with my medieval lit students in the fall should be a TIME
February 28, 2025
Dynamic and unhinged. Truly peak epic
December 13, 2025
I will never write a story this good :(
January 15, 2025
trying to figure out the family tree in this book gave me a headache
July 22, 2023
Another one for Ye Olde World Literature Syllabus. I read this back in grad school and remembered really liking it, and since I got such a good response to the Vinland Sagas back in 2020-2021, I figured putting another Icelandic saga on my syllabus this fall might not go awry. Technically, like the title says, this one is about Hrolf Kraki, but it’s also about how his father and uncle escaped their uncle to become kings, and the ramifications of his conception, and how the bear-warrior Bodvar Bjarki and the hero Svipdag rose to prominence.
This is a fun one, but with a lot more serious stuff than I remembered—for example, I’d forgotten the rape and incest in the Helgi/Olof/Yrsa plotline, or the bit where Hjalti randomly bites his mistress’s nose off. I remembered the Beowulf connections, and I’ll definitely have to bring those up when talking about it in class. But when I read this for the first time, I hadn’t read nearly as many medieval romances as I have now, and reading it now, I can also see some traces of the romance influence on this fourteenth-century text. Of course the rape and incest motifs appear in Arthurian romance, and the nose-biting shows up in Marie de France’s Bisclavret, but there’s other stuff as well. There’s something very Arthur/Morgana about the relationship between Hrolf and Skuld, the sorceress sister who eventually defeats him, and the references to courtesy, chivalry, and (randomly!) Walter of Châtillon indicate the influence of courtly literature from elsewhere in Europe on Iceland’s saga tradition by this point. I think there’ll be a lot to talk about! Byock’s translation is very readable and divided into very self-contained chapters, and the notes are very helpful. I think (and hope!) it’ll work well in the classroom this fall.
This is a fun one, but with a lot more serious stuff than I remembered—for example, I’d forgotten the rape and incest in the Helgi/Olof/Yrsa plotline, or the bit where Hjalti randomly bites his mistress’s nose off. I remembered the Beowulf connections, and I’ll definitely have to bring those up when talking about it in class. But when I read this for the first time, I hadn’t read nearly as many medieval romances as I have now, and reading it now, I can also see some traces of the romance influence on this fourteenth-century text. Of course the rape and incest motifs appear in Arthurian romance, and the nose-biting shows up in Marie de France’s Bisclavret, but there’s other stuff as well. There’s something very Arthur/Morgana about the relationship between Hrolf and Skuld, the sorceress sister who eventually defeats him, and the references to courtesy, chivalry, and (randomly!) Walter of Châtillon indicate the influence of courtly literature from elsewhere in Europe on Iceland’s saga tradition by this point. I think there’ll be a lot to talk about! Byock’s translation is very readable and divided into very self-contained chapters, and the notes are very helpful. I think (and hope!) it’ll work well in the classroom this fall.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2025
this certainly was one of the sagas !
June 13, 2016
The book is principally blood and thunder. I don't know if I have even encountered anything quite so, umm, manly or blunt (the constant "and they went to bed together", for example, graded, somewhat, on my rather Victorian ear in its bluntness). Upon opening the book, I was quite literally drowned by the flood of testosterone rupturing from the pages. I guess the Norse did not mess around! I have never seen a book so bloody, more people die in violent ways (but to the Norse a violent, heroic, and valiant death was even better than living) in 78 pages then probably anything ever. It is very smashing (literally) and is jolly good fun, I say! Some of the peoples names are rather hard to pronounce and often as so cacophonous that one does not really want to repeat them. Thus I sort of gave people other names on occasion, my favourite being an enemy king whom I renamed "King Harvard", as his name was similar. The story contains strange, amusing, and very antiquated ideas. There is a stern belief in magic which made me laugh at such simplicity. Also there are events which make no sense and have an unflagging disregard of reality, such as at the end; King Harvard loses a hand, a foot, and is cut down the spine in a battle but somehow continues to fight. I guess being literally cut in half is just a flesh wound to a Norseman! I found this sort of thing to be extremely amusing, partially because the author states it so bluntly that indeed it cannot be taken as exaggeration, it is meant to be solid fact. This utter and nearly constant disregard for anything remotely resembling reality, I found to be wonderful and hearty (especially since most of the people in the story, the Kings at least, probably existed or where based on real people, as are the places). It must be remembered that this is written by a culture much different than the one today, thus to judge it by modern standards would be not only unfair but false in pretensions or action. This book is the beef stew of books, with double beef! If you are looking for a fine, polished, mannered, or even civilized book, this is not it. This book is mad, bonkers, absurd, and absolutely loony; if you don't take it to seriously, it is jolly good fun.
October 18, 2011
Trolls AND Berserkers in the same story..what could go wrong?!
The berserkers were disappointingly crap, though. They seem to travel and do everything together in groups of twelve and possible share a brain. They are also easily defeated by our various heroes and we don't get to seem them in a battle frenzy. In what appears to be a later medieval interpolation, they also seem to wear armour. Some of these interpolations are a bit random.. at the very end of the saga it says 'And events turned out a expected' said Master Galterus. Who?! Some one who translated the life story of Alexander the Great into Icelandic, according to the notes,which sounds very interesting and has no place in this story.
But then again, there is what could possibly be a were-bear in the book.
The berserkers were disappointingly crap, though. They seem to travel and do everything together in groups of twelve and possible share a brain. They are also easily defeated by our various heroes and we don't get to seem them in a battle frenzy. In what appears to be a later medieval interpolation, they also seem to wear armour. Some of these interpolations are a bit random.. at the very end of the saga it says 'And events turned out a expected' said Master Galterus. Who?! Some one who translated the life story of Alexander the Great into Icelandic, according to the notes,which sounds very interesting and has no place in this story.
But then again, there is what could possibly be a were-bear in the book.
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