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Hrolf Kraki's Saga
Poul Anderson has long been known for his love affair with the legends and myths of the great Norse heroes. Coordinating, translating, re-telling the scattered heroic literature could only be the work of a scholar and a lover of the genre. That Mr. Anderson also happens to be a talented writer is our great good luck. Ballantine Books Adult Fantasy Series is proud to present HROLF KRAKI'S SAGA, a keening, blood-rimed tale of men who walked like gods.
261 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1973
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About the author
Poul Anderson
1,621 books1,106 followersPseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 19, 2023
Un clásico que merece la pena, narrado de manera ágil siguiendo diferentes aventuras con acción y sangre a raudales.
Hrolf Kraki es para los daneses lo que Arturo para los británicos o Carlomagno para los franceses.
En esta recreación épica de una saga vikinga auténtica, Poul Anderson nos sumerge en un mundo medieval precristiano poblado de seres feéricos, pero sobre todo la naturaleza heroica de un pasado en el que, junto a la brutalidad cotidiana, el honor, la amistad y la camaradería pueden ser indestructibles.
Precedida de una agradable introducción del propio Anderson, que nos sitúa en el contexto histórico del relato, la saga se compone de siete largos episodios que narran las gestas de la familia de Hrolf, como las de sus compañeros y enemigos, y su final junto a sus fieles guerreros “berserkir”.
Narrado de forma amena, muy ágil, muy bien escrito y documentado. Me ha gustado.
Y vikingos a punta pala, que significa lectura épica. Lo único de lo que le pesa es que tiene partes en las que decae un poco. Disfrutable igualmente.
Hrolf es el heredero de la oscuridad. Su padre murió en un complot. Su abuelo pereció a manos de su propio hermano...
Hijo del poder. Por sus venas fluye la sangre de los Skjoldung, los gobernantes de una Dinamarca despiadada, cruda y salvaje.
Él es Hrolf Kraki, el mayor príncipe danés de la Alta Edad Media, nacido de un amor incestuoso en plena guerra por acceder al trono. 🗡
La dinámica y cruel historia de una época en que reinaba la magia de las runas, en que seres sobrenaturales caminaban junto a los hombres, en que la historia se llamaba destino en la que sólo los más fuertes pueden grabar su nombre a través del color de la sangre vertida.💀
Esa sangre fue por el acero de un hombre. Una salvaje historia, un clásico que merece la pena..✍️
Hrolf Kraki es para los daneses lo que Arturo para los británicos o Carlomagno para los franceses.
En esta recreación épica de una saga vikinga auténtica, Poul Anderson nos sumerge en un mundo medieval precristiano poblado de seres feéricos, pero sobre todo la naturaleza heroica de un pasado en el que, junto a la brutalidad cotidiana, el honor, la amistad y la camaradería pueden ser indestructibles.
Precedida de una agradable introducción del propio Anderson, que nos sitúa en el contexto histórico del relato, la saga se compone de siete largos episodios que narran las gestas de la familia de Hrolf, como las de sus compañeros y enemigos, y su final junto a sus fieles guerreros “berserkir”.
Narrado de forma amena, muy ágil, muy bien escrito y documentado. Me ha gustado.
Y vikingos a punta pala, que significa lectura épica. Lo único de lo que le pesa es que tiene partes en las que decae un poco. Disfrutable igualmente.
Hrolf es el heredero de la oscuridad. Su padre murió en un complot. Su abuelo pereció a manos de su propio hermano...
Hijo del poder. Por sus venas fluye la sangre de los Skjoldung, los gobernantes de una Dinamarca despiadada, cruda y salvaje.
Él es Hrolf Kraki, el mayor príncipe danés de la Alta Edad Media, nacido de un amor incestuoso en plena guerra por acceder al trono. 🗡
La dinámica y cruel historia de una época en que reinaba la magia de las runas, en que seres sobrenaturales caminaban junto a los hombres, en que la historia se llamaba destino en la que sólo los más fuertes pueden grabar su nombre a través del color de la sangre vertida.💀
Esa sangre fue por el acero de un hombre. Una salvaje historia, un clásico que merece la pena..✍️
September 17, 2017
Poul Anderson has demonstrated his passion for Norse mythology in several of his works and throughout his prolific career, most notably The Broken Sword and Three Hearts and Three Lions.
In 1973 he published Hrolf Kraki's Saga, a fictionalized re-telling of the ancient Danish saga, which was a contemporary tale with Beowulf. Anderson mentions the more recognized hero in his saga and introduces readers to this legend.
Drawing from multiple sources, Anderson recreates and gives life to Hrolf Kraki’s story and has as a narrator a later Anglo-Saxon storyteller. Anderson uses the saga format but adds action and detail to make this an enjoyable historic fiction with magical realism elements reminiscent of Jack Vance.
This was good enough to be a British Fantasy Award Winner for 1974. A good book for Norse legend enthusiasts, Tolkien fans, sword and sorcery readers and a must read for Anderson fans.
In 1973 he published Hrolf Kraki's Saga, a fictionalized re-telling of the ancient Danish saga, which was a contemporary tale with Beowulf. Anderson mentions the more recognized hero in his saga and introduces readers to this legend.
Drawing from multiple sources, Anderson recreates and gives life to Hrolf Kraki’s story and has as a narrator a later Anglo-Saxon storyteller. Anderson uses the saga format but adds action and detail to make this an enjoyable historic fiction with magical realism elements reminiscent of Jack Vance.
This was good enough to be a British Fantasy Award Winner for 1974. A good book for Norse legend enthusiasts, Tolkien fans, sword and sorcery readers and a must read for Anderson fans.
June 21, 2019
I find Poul Anderson pretty uneven. I tend to either really like his books, or be left cold by them. I also tend to enjoy his fantasy much more than his science fiction (for which he is probably better known). This book is obviously in the former camp. For my money it's probably his best book (even better than _The Broken Sword_ or _Three Hearts & Three Lions_ which mine a similar vein). In essence this is a novelisation of the fragmentary saga tales of the Danish King Hrolf Kraki. Pulling together elements from various sources, Anderson creates a unified tale of a Nordic King Arthur...actually going back a generation in order to set the stage for this tragic tale.
I think that Anderson's greatest achievement here is his ability to convincingly portray the world of the mythic North. He gives us vivid details that truly bring it to life and the harsh grandeur of Midgard is effectively protrayed as equal parts the land of men and playground of the gods. It's a work that, for me at least, really captures that "Northern thing" that so enamoured Tolkien and Lewis and satisfies me when I'm hungering for such a thing myself.
The characters are sufficiently mythic, yet still flawed and human enough to hold the reader's interest and the encroachment of the supernatural into the human world is never overdone, displaying the characteristic wildness and unpredictability of the sagas from which they come.
I think that Anderson's greatest achievement here is his ability to convincingly portray the world of the mythic North. He gives us vivid details that truly bring it to life and the harsh grandeur of Midgard is effectively protrayed as equal parts the land of men and playground of the gods. It's a work that, for me at least, really captures that "Northern thing" that so enamoured Tolkien and Lewis and satisfies me when I'm hungering for such a thing myself.
The characters are sufficiently mythic, yet still flawed and human enough to hold the reader's interest and the encroachment of the supernatural into the human world is never overdone, displaying the characteristic wildness and unpredictability of the sagas from which they come.
March 18, 2023
Another masterpiece. Anderson’s nordic and fantasy tales are so much better than his sci fi, yet it seems his sci fi is most of his catalog. I encourage anyone who likes historical fiction/ fantasy/ viking sagas to read this. Anderson pieced together various Nordic Sagas to create a fantastic tale of King Hrolf Kraki, King of Denmark, during the most brutal of times-The Dark Ages. Hrolf carved out s peaceful Denmark that wouldn’t be seen again for many, many centuries. Expect everything to show up in this book. Gods, Seafolk, creatures, sorcery, magic blades. Excellent!
April 28, 2016
3,75 / 5
A través de ocho historias intergeneracionales narradas por una mujer llamada Gunnvor al rey ingles Aethelstan en el siglo X, descubriremos la saga de Hrolf Kraki, rey de los Skioldungos y conoceremos la historia de sus valerosos guerreros. Así conoceremos la historia del rey Haldan y su malvado hermano Frodhi; el reinado de los hermanos Hroar y Helgi, la historia del héroe tuerto Svipdag, la historia de la desventurada Yrsa, el maldito y poderoso Bjarki, la vengativa y misteriosa Skuld o, el pequeño y fiel valiente Vogg. A través de ellos conoceremos el destino del reinado de Hrolf Kraki, como unifico su reino, como reunió doce grandes héroes en torno suyo y la épica batalla con la que culmina su saga.
Poul Anderson nos narra un complejo en tapiz donde las historias de entrecruzan y comparten protagonistas, creando un tapiz lleno de traiciones, odios, amores, venganzas, combates, guerras, magia y muertes no paran de suceder en solo 300 hojas. El lenguaje empleado por Anderson es directo combinada con un lenguaje poético en algunos pasajes, creando una sensación de lectura como si de un canto antiguo se tratara y trasladándonos al mundo nórdico pagana que nos transmite.El ritmo de la lectura nunca decae, siempre está a la altura, con escenas de acción a raudales, tramas sólidas y que mantienen la intriga a cada momento.
El mundo nórdico que nos traslada el autor es fantástico, y realmente logras sentirte dentro de los territorios helados escandinavos, no faltos de una magia oculta y extraña usada de modo creíble; llena de elementos que reconoceremos y serán cruciales en el destino de los personajes y el reino de Hrolf Kraki. Eso sí, como en toda saga nórdica aquí no esperes profundidad en la psique interna de los personajes, Anderson solo nos deja conocer a sus personajes a través de sus actos. Un mundo donde la violencia y la venganza es algo común, donde el honor y la camadería son valores a tener en cuenta, donde el destino y las grandes gestas otorgaban valor a los hombres.
Runas nos trae una edición muy cuidada, con una portada especialmente bonita (al menos a mi me lo parece), una traducción muy buena y un prólogo del mismo autor donde nos explica que lo llevo a escribir esta historia. Además, el mapa con el que cuenta en las primeras hojas y la cronología familiar son de agradecer para no perderse con el montón de nombres que aparecen en las primeras páginas. Añadir también las notas del traductor, muy de agradecer para aprender nuevas cosas sobre la cultura nórdica, aunque a veces son redundantes. Una aventura épica nórdica de 300 páginas llena de batallas, magia, dioses y hechicería por una Dinamarca repleta de monstruos, elfos, magia y espadas poderosas, con escenas de violencia y situaciones crudas, donde el honor y el reconocimiento de las batallas lo son todo.
A través de ocho historias intergeneracionales narradas por una mujer llamada Gunnvor al rey ingles Aethelstan en el siglo X, descubriremos la saga de Hrolf Kraki, rey de los Skioldungos y conoceremos la historia de sus valerosos guerreros. Así conoceremos la historia del rey Haldan y su malvado hermano Frodhi; el reinado de los hermanos Hroar y Helgi, la historia del héroe tuerto Svipdag, la historia de la desventurada Yrsa, el maldito y poderoso Bjarki, la vengativa y misteriosa Skuld o, el pequeño y fiel valiente Vogg. A través de ellos conoceremos el destino del reinado de Hrolf Kraki, como unifico su reino, como reunió doce grandes héroes en torno suyo y la épica batalla con la que culmina su saga.
Poul Anderson nos narra un complejo en tapiz donde las historias de entrecruzan y comparten protagonistas, creando un tapiz lleno de traiciones, odios, amores, venganzas, combates, guerras, magia y muertes no paran de suceder en solo 300 hojas. El lenguaje empleado por Anderson es directo combinada con un lenguaje poético en algunos pasajes, creando una sensación de lectura como si de un canto antiguo se tratara y trasladándonos al mundo nórdico pagana que nos transmite.El ritmo de la lectura nunca decae, siempre está a la altura, con escenas de acción a raudales, tramas sólidas y que mantienen la intriga a cada momento.
El mundo nórdico que nos traslada el autor es fantástico, y realmente logras sentirte dentro de los territorios helados escandinavos, no faltos de una magia oculta y extraña usada de modo creíble; llena de elementos que reconoceremos y serán cruciales en el destino de los personajes y el reino de Hrolf Kraki. Eso sí, como en toda saga nórdica aquí no esperes profundidad en la psique interna de los personajes, Anderson solo nos deja conocer a sus personajes a través de sus actos. Un mundo donde la violencia y la venganza es algo común, donde el honor y la camadería son valores a tener en cuenta, donde el destino y las grandes gestas otorgaban valor a los hombres.
Runas nos trae una edición muy cuidada, con una portada especialmente bonita (al menos a mi me lo parece), una traducción muy buena y un prólogo del mismo autor donde nos explica que lo llevo a escribir esta historia. Además, el mapa con el que cuenta en las primeras hojas y la cronología familiar son de agradecer para no perderse con el montón de nombres que aparecen en las primeras páginas. Añadir también las notas del traductor, muy de agradecer para aprender nuevas cosas sobre la cultura nórdica, aunque a veces son redundantes. Una aventura épica nórdica de 300 páginas llena de batallas, magia, dioses y hechicería por una Dinamarca repleta de monstruos, elfos, magia y espadas poderosas, con escenas de violencia y situaciones crudas, donde el honor y el reconocimiento de las batallas lo son todo.
November 23, 2017
heroic adventuring in the over-the-top world of the Norse -- and it was mostly grand! virile men, vivacious women; mighty warriors, stupendous feats; great valor, dastardly conniving; stalwart companions, judas brethren; capricious gods, cruel fae. this is a somewhat updated telling of a mighty family saga filled with many extended families' sagas. I must admit (and the reason 4 stars instead of 5) to growing bored mid-book. the repetitive nature of so many personage's tales grew tedious. until finally truly getting to the title namesake's story, which was violently, tragically, wonderfully lived. this stuff is the grim and the dark I enjoy and find more appealing and authentic. so much of the bounty of life -- diabolical and divine -- is found in these tellings (unlike the foul grimdark, which is filled with only the diabolically dark) which are much more realistic in depictions of man's heart. for every dozen selfish evil followers, there are those great beings who rise above the filth and inspire hope and belief and yes, heroism. Anderson delivers on a wonderful tradition of the lore of heroes.
June 25, 2011
Poul Anderson's retelling of Hrolf Kraki's Saga didn't fill me with an obsessive enthusiasm like Three Hearts and Three Lions did, or like The Broken Sword did. Part of that is my familiarity with the story, I think: Three Hearts and Three Lions and The Broken Sword surprised me. Hrolf Kraki's Saga is relatively faithful to its source material, even near-quoting it in places, though it puts more flesh on the rather spare saga-style of the original versions, and gets further into characters' feelings and motivations.
Poul Anderson's introduction is helpful, too, contextualising the story a little and explaining his decisions for the frame story of a tenth century female storyteller, etc.
The style he used in The Broken Sword would've been more appropriate here, in a sense, since this is a retelling of a Norse saga -- but it would have rendered it somewhat pointless, as the point was to put flesh on the bones. I think it worked very well: I was heart-broken for Yrsa and Helgi, and I loved Bjarki and Hrolf. It made the characters more comprehensible, and less ambiguous, and therefore probably more accessible for readers who're more modern in sensibility and not interested in the kind of narration typical in Norse sagas.
It didn't blow me away, like I said, but it's still well worth reading -- particularly if you're interested in Hrolf Kraki but deterred by saga-style and the difficulty of fitting the whole story together and understanding why everything happens as it does. As Poul Anderson says, Hrolf Kraki is a Norse King Arthur figure, or a Charlemagne, in a way. The Matter of the Norse? But I suppose in a way the Matter of the Norse would involve Sigurd, considering how that story has survived in comparison.
Poul Anderson's introduction is helpful, too, contextualising the story a little and explaining his decisions for the frame story of a tenth century female storyteller, etc.
The style he used in The Broken Sword would've been more appropriate here, in a sense, since this is a retelling of a Norse saga -- but it would have rendered it somewhat pointless, as the point was to put flesh on the bones. I think it worked very well: I was heart-broken for Yrsa and Helgi, and I loved Bjarki and Hrolf. It made the characters more comprehensible, and less ambiguous, and therefore probably more accessible for readers who're more modern in sensibility and not interested in the kind of narration typical in Norse sagas.
It didn't blow me away, like I said, but it's still well worth reading -- particularly if you're interested in Hrolf Kraki but deterred by saga-style and the difficulty of fitting the whole story together and understanding why everything happens as it does. As Poul Anderson says, Hrolf Kraki is a Norse King Arthur figure, or a Charlemagne, in a way. The Matter of the Norse? But I suppose in a way the Matter of the Norse would involve Sigurd, considering how that story has survived in comparison.
April 5, 2016
@leerunas Muy grande Poul Anderson adaptando una de las sagas más famosas, equiparable a Beowulf. Tiene algunos detalles dudosos, pero en general me ha parecido excelente. Gran decisión de Runas de reeditar este clásico. Este 2016 parece el año de las relecturas (primero Hyperion, y ahora Hrolf Kraki)
April 28, 2016
No conocía a este héroe danés ni su historia, recogida en un poema épico en el que el autor se basa para escribir esta novela (tomándose sus licencias, claro), pero me ha resultado de lo más apasionante. Héroes, guerras, disputas familiares, seres sobrenaturales, dioses... todo ello narrado de tal manera que me transportó directamente a los salones del rey Aethelstan donde Gunnvor cuenta este relato.
Reseña completa: http://goo.gl/S1GEKH
Reseña completa: http://goo.gl/S1GEKH
October 10, 2017
Thoroughly remarkable from the start.
Hrolf Kraki is a central figure but one at the center of a tapestry; to understand his story is to must understand his father, mother, and sister and the warriors in his employ and his enemies and his sister and his mother's husband and all the rest. It is sprawling and yet woven and each seeming digression returns to Hrolf Kraki.
Hrolf Kraki is a central figure but one at the center of a tapestry; to understand his story is to must understand his father, mother, and sister and the warriors in his employ and his enemies and his sister and his mother's husband and all the rest. It is sprawling and yet woven and each seeming digression returns to Hrolf Kraki.
July 29, 2016
Ya podéis escuchar el capítulo de "los 4 navegantes" donde hablamos de este libro:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/los4nav...#
https://www.spreaker.com/user/los4nav...#
January 23, 2023
This retelling of The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (a Danish viking saga I had never heard of) was a great read! Written in what I take to be an homage to the "Sword and Sorcery" genre made popular by Conan, Poul Anderson captures that hard-edged, brutal atmosphere the viking age is so often associated with. And since I was unfamiliar with the source material, the twists and turns the book made were engaging. This is not structured like a regular story, but most similar to a book of Arthurian legends, with recurring characters and multiple protagonists.
I will say the brutal nature of the book can trip you up, especially when that brutality is visited upon women, but this is hardly the authors fault. For its credit, that kind of violence is never lingered on for too long, usually only getting a word or two. Still, it's hard to read!
Overall, this is a very interesting read, and I will definitely be picking up the original saga if I can find it.
I will say the brutal nature of the book can trip you up, especially when that brutality is visited upon women, but this is hardly the authors fault. For its credit, that kind of violence is never lingered on for too long, usually only getting a word or two. Still, it's hard to read!
Overall, this is a very interesting read, and I will definitely be picking up the original saga if I can find it.
February 9, 2023
A weird and wonderful adaptation of Norse myths, Anderson is a unique voice and pioneer in fantasy whose works should be more widely read and lauded.
June 20, 2016
Recién salido del horno de Alianza Editorial, su sello del fantástico Lee Runas nos trae este mes de abril una reedición de La saga de Hrolf Kraki, de Poul Anderson. Los que conozcáis al autor, puede que hayáis leído alguna de sus célebres novelas de ciencia ficción o fantasía, como La patrulla del tiempo (1991) o La espada rota (1954). Unos clásicos. No en vano ha recogido a lo largo de los años algunos de los galardones más importantes en el género de la ficción, como el Nébula y el Hugo. Por eso algún lector quizás puede acabar ante este libro pensando que se encontrará una novela de fantasía épica “al uso”. Nada más lejos de la verdad.
La reseña completa en español en http://elbiblionauta.com/es/2016/04/1...
La ressenya completa en català a http://elbiblionauta.com/ca/2016/04/1...
La reseña completa en español en http://elbiblionauta.com/es/2016/04/1...
La ressenya completa en català a http://elbiblionauta.com/ca/2016/04/1...
March 23, 2013
This translation of Hrolf Kraki's saga was given to me as a battered paperback by a friend I'd only met once at that time. I was sitting in a Shari's restaurant with my family, celebrating a baptism, when Sean Glenn walked up to me and handed me a book. "You'll like this," he told me.
Oh, and I did I.
This is a tale that tells you what the characters did, and what happened. It is up to the reader to supply what they felt and what they thought. For me, that meant it was a total immersion experience.
The gift of a book that does that to you--- never a thing to be forgotten!
Oh, and I did I.
This is a tale that tells you what the characters did, and what happened. It is up to the reader to supply what they felt and what they thought. For me, that meant it was a total immersion experience.
The gift of a book that does that to you--- never a thing to be forgotten!
February 5, 2017
This retelling of the Danish Sagas by Poul Anderson is very true to the original, even to the point of starting generations before the title character comes on the scene. No one lives in a vacuum and one hero's life has roots in the past.
Generations of betrayals and heroics led up to the point where Hrolf appears, and they all have a part in making his destiny. Our benefit is having someone like Poul Anderson to make the legends accessible to our time. I confess, though, that I liked Three Hearts and Three Lions better.
Generations of betrayals and heroics led up to the point where Hrolf appears, and they all have a part in making his destiny. Our benefit is having someone like Poul Anderson to make the legends accessible to our time. I confess, though, that I liked Three Hearts and Three Lions better.
July 12, 2020
Immersive, brutal, doom-laden.
April 26, 2018
Poul Anderson brings this doom-haunted saga to life with modern language that still manages to capture the original spirit and cadence.
April 12, 2018
I read this as part of Book Riot's Read Harder challenge for 2018 - for task 20, a book with a cover you hate. And make no mistake, this is an absolutely appalling cover. I don't know what the publisher was thinking, inflicting that hideousness on what is really a very good book. For Hrolf Kraki's Saga is much better than it appears: a retelling of one of the old sagas about the titular Danish King, albeit a retelling that is as much about his family and retainers as it is the title character. There's even a small crossover with the Beowulf poem, which isn't inserted randomly by Anderson as the crossover existed in the original texts - which I didn't know until I looked it up but which gives an interesting context to both.
As with a lot of the sagas, it's a grim story with moments of grace that ends badly for pretty much all concerned, but Anderson has written it well, focusing as much on character as on action. Having read it, I now want to find a copy of my own... but a copy of a different edition, because I can't get over the sheer bloody awfulness of that cover.
As with a lot of the sagas, it's a grim story with moments of grace that ends badly for pretty much all concerned, but Anderson has written it well, focusing as much on character as on action. Having read it, I now want to find a copy of my own... but a copy of a different edition, because I can't get over the sheer bloody awfulness of that cover.
August 16, 2020
Poul Anderson may be passionate about these sagas, many fanasy authors are, but even at the end i still don't know whether he tried to tell a fantasy story or a historical biography. The way it is told, with all names closely resembling each other, many characters only being present briefly, the whole story spanning several life-times, could hardly keept my attention focused. Actually, it couldn't, i had to put this book aside and read something else in between to be able to get through it to the end.
I did recognize some paragraphs as being used also in fantasy novels of others authors.
Paul Anderson is a great sci-fi and fantasy writer but the books similar to this one that he wrote are to me completely unpalatable.
I did recognize some paragraphs as being used also in fantasy novels of others authors.
Paul Anderson is a great sci-fi and fantasy writer but the books similar to this one that he wrote are to me completely unpalatable.
April 1, 2016
La reseña completa en http://inthenevernever.blogspot.com.e...
"Los hombres buscan ganar fama para que su memoria no muera con ellos".
Dioses, sacrificios, trolls, elfos de luz y elfos oscuros, brujería, hechizos, espadas mágicas, monstruos, maldiciones, madrastras malvadas, todas y cada una de las historias están plagadas de detalles impresionantes, donde las fronteras entre la realidad y la ficción se desdibujan y nada es fácil, la violencia es la moneda común, la venganza un estilo de vida y el honor lo es todo.
"Los hombres buscan ganar fama para que su memoria no muera con ellos".
Dioses, sacrificios, trolls, elfos de luz y elfos oscuros, brujería, hechizos, espadas mágicas, monstruos, maldiciones, madrastras malvadas, todas y cada una de las historias están plagadas de detalles impresionantes, donde las fronteras entre la realidad y la ficción se desdibujan y nada es fácil, la violencia es la moneda común, la venganza un estilo de vida y el honor lo es todo.
July 18, 2008
Another outstanding heroic fantasy.
October 12, 2009
An attempt at modern "saga" from a female (apparently) bard or skald. It didn't make a big impression on me, but was well liked when it came out.
September 23, 2023
“Iron sang. A man smote at Hrolf with a halberd. The king was less tall and more slender than him. Yet the king was not halted. He took that booming blow on his shield while his blade leaped and shrilled. The man went down. Hrolf sprang over him and heard a way deeper into the rebel ranks. On his right rang Hjalti’s Goldhilt, on his left thundered Svipdag’s ax. The hound Gram tore at legs, jumped at necks. Overhead the hawk Highbreaks soared on shining wings.”
4.5 stars. Not only was this my first exposure to Hrolf Kraki’s saga, but it was my first Poul Anderson novel, and it was so epic! Poul Anderson does a fantastic job of using the language and tone of the Old Norse sagas and enhancing them to be more readable and enjoyable to a modern audience. It feels authentically Norse while also bringing a level of suspense and detail the sagas don’t usually have. It also shows off Anderson’s writing prowess — his knowledge of the voice of the sagas combined with his mastery create prose brimming with clever alliteration and wonderful kennings.
Speaking of the writing, the way Anderson translates the poems are fantastic. I loved the translation of Grottasöngr in the first chapter; he used the Old Norse meter Fornyrdislag to relate the poem, so it’s not a wholly literal translation but it is faithful, and that same meter was probably the one the original was composed in. The same can be said for every other poem in this book, he clearly has an intense knowledge of Old Norse poetry and knows how to use it well in English.
The character arcs are fantastic. Old Norse sagas are usually (with a few exceptions), not this long and thus don’t have time for proper character development. If they do, it’s often quick and/or subtle, and rely heavily on characterization. In this book, we get to know Hroar and Helgi and see how they fare in various circumstances. And once Helgi is dead, we see how Hrolf’s upbringing effected him and how he learned from his father and uncle. We see Svipdag’s courtly upbringing clash with his sense of duty and honor, where he eventually finds Hrolf. We see Bjarki use the pain of his tragic upbringing and ancestry to fuel his duty to Hrolf. We also see Yrsa stand never waver in her duties wherever she may be, but always keeps her honor and love for Helgi alive through her relationship with Svipdag and Hrolf, and the role she plays in avenging Hrolf. Even the minor characters, like Elk-Frodhi, and Vögg, are very interesting. Hjälti was a fun and dynamic character, although I didn’t feel like he was developed as much as I would have liked for him to have been. By the end, we see all the characters work in tandem with each other, and the unwavering loyalty to King Hrolf feels justified and earned. It shows how important a good king is to this culture.
There is one “negative” aspect to these characters, but it’s no fault of Anderson or his writing: they all feel very similar. They all fight for similar reasons and they all act the same. Anderson did the best he could with the material he had, but still. Hjalti was the only one that was noticeably different, though I did stop liking him after he slut-shamed his girlfriend and cut off her nose…
While we’re on the “negative” aspect of things, there were some bits that made me a bit uncomfortable. The sexual assault scene with Björn and his step mother made me put down the book, and the scene with Hjalti and his girlfriend made me wince. However, these and scenes like these are taken directly from the original saga, as far as I can tell. Anderson does have a trigger warning about this in the forward where he says, “Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life. … Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, we’re only for one’s kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey.” I don’t mark this book because it shows the bad with the good, but it is something to be aware of.
The only truly negative thing is the use of some weirdly archaic words. To be fair, this was standard practice in Anderson’s day, but it’s still very awkward in the modern day. Some examples include the f-slur in its original context and an adverb of the n-word, the origin of which is apparently (according to Google) from the mid-16th century and not a spin on the slur, although it is still pretty jarring.
Overall, this is an incredible book. It is exactly what it sets out to be and so much more. He truly does capture the “rare, strange quality” of “the magic of the North,” in Lin Carter’s words. Anderson says that he wanted to create “A construction, if not THE construction.” I believe he has created THE construction of Hrolf Kraki’s Saga.
4.5 stars. Not only was this my first exposure to Hrolf Kraki’s saga, but it was my first Poul Anderson novel, and it was so epic! Poul Anderson does a fantastic job of using the language and tone of the Old Norse sagas and enhancing them to be more readable and enjoyable to a modern audience. It feels authentically Norse while also bringing a level of suspense and detail the sagas don’t usually have. It also shows off Anderson’s writing prowess — his knowledge of the voice of the sagas combined with his mastery create prose brimming with clever alliteration and wonderful kennings.
Speaking of the writing, the way Anderson translates the poems are fantastic. I loved the translation of Grottasöngr in the first chapter; he used the Old Norse meter Fornyrdislag to relate the poem, so it’s not a wholly literal translation but it is faithful, and that same meter was probably the one the original was composed in. The same can be said for every other poem in this book, he clearly has an intense knowledge of Old Norse poetry and knows how to use it well in English.
The character arcs are fantastic. Old Norse sagas are usually (with a few exceptions), not this long and thus don’t have time for proper character development. If they do, it’s often quick and/or subtle, and rely heavily on characterization. In this book, we get to know Hroar and Helgi and see how they fare in various circumstances. And once Helgi is dead, we see how Hrolf’s upbringing effected him and how he learned from his father and uncle. We see Svipdag’s courtly upbringing clash with his sense of duty and honor, where he eventually finds Hrolf. We see Bjarki use the pain of his tragic upbringing and ancestry to fuel his duty to Hrolf. We also see Yrsa stand never waver in her duties wherever she may be, but always keeps her honor and love for Helgi alive through her relationship with Svipdag and Hrolf, and the role she plays in avenging Hrolf. Even the minor characters, like Elk-Frodhi, and Vögg, are very interesting. Hjälti was a fun and dynamic character, although I didn’t feel like he was developed as much as I would have liked for him to have been. By the end, we see all the characters work in tandem with each other, and the unwavering loyalty to King Hrolf feels justified and earned. It shows how important a good king is to this culture.
There is one “negative” aspect to these characters, but it’s no fault of Anderson or his writing: they all feel very similar. They all fight for similar reasons and they all act the same. Anderson did the best he could with the material he had, but still. Hjalti was the only one that was noticeably different, though I did stop liking him after he slut-shamed his girlfriend and cut off her nose…
While we’re on the “negative” aspect of things, there were some bits that made me a bit uncomfortable. The sexual assault scene with Björn and his step mother made me put down the book, and the scene with Hjalti and his girlfriend made me wince. However, these and scenes like these are taken directly from the original saga, as far as I can tell. Anderson does have a trigger warning about this in the forward where he says, “Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life. … Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, we’re only for one’s kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey.” I don’t mark this book because it shows the bad with the good, but it is something to be aware of.
The only truly negative thing is the use of some weirdly archaic words. To be fair, this was standard practice in Anderson’s day, but it’s still very awkward in the modern day. Some examples include the f-slur in its original context and an adverb of the n-word, the origin of which is apparently (according to Google) from the mid-16th century and not a spin on the slur, although it is still pretty jarring.
Overall, this is an incredible book. It is exactly what it sets out to be and so much more. He truly does capture the “rare, strange quality” of “the magic of the North,” in Lin Carter’s words. Anderson says that he wanted to create “A construction, if not THE construction.” I believe he has created THE construction of Hrolf Kraki’s Saga.
July 29, 2018
I haven't read too many books like this. This is a novelization of the legendary saga of Hrolf Kraki, a semi-mythical king of Denmark, set before, during, and after the events of "Beowulf", and involving some of the same characters. Trust Master Anderson to draw from another little-used well from Northern European legend to excellent effect. This is on the grimmer side of his style, though not so bleak as "The Broken Sword", but readers will find a continuity of style between the two, a feeling that seems that both tales belong to the same world. It should be noted that Anderson pulls not only from the original saga but elsewhere that the story is recounted - Snorri Sturlusson and Saxo Grammaticus, and more besides.
Anderson feels that Hrolf was a real historical figure, and dates his existence to a reference in Gregory of Tours to a figure that he feels is Hygelac, king of the Geats and father of Beowulf, coming to the conclusion that Hrolf lived at the end of the sixth century, during the late Migration Period, long before Christianity came that far north. He has little love for the ways of his people during those days:
"Here is no 'Lord of the Rings', work of a civilized, Christian author - though probably it was one of Tolkien's many wellsprings. Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life...Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, were only for one's kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey. And often anger or treachery broke what bonds there might have been." (ix)
But Hrolf and his closest comrades are not these sort of people, even if they are known to take plunder and 'harry' (an innocent-sounding archaism for most of the stuff Anderson spelled out above) the lands of their enemies, they don't do it as often and would more often than not be at home and at peace. Outlaws and vikings (one assumes the likes of those that harry as a way of life) are rather ruhlessly rooted out with fire and sword, and Hrolf and his two greatest companions, Svipdag and Bjarki, are notable for the kindness they show to the helpless and downtrodden, even if it is a trifle gruff and likely to end with an affectionate threat and a cuff round the ear to man up and stop sniveling with gratitude. For the men, anyhow. Hrolf is a great king, known to rule the whole of his people as justly and generously as he can, and is swift and devasting in battle, usually in defense of or vengeance for his realm and family. He also has a marked distaste for excesses in sacrifice, and steadfastly refuses human sacrifice to the gods (a very real and long practice in pagan Scandinavia).
Hrolf and his twelve hirdsmen remind me a fair bit of Arthur and the Round Table, or the literary Charlemagne and his twelve paladins, though their noted virtue has less to do with any abstract self-image than their own personalities and the fact that King Hrolf doesn't put up with less. The comparison isn't lost on Master Anderson either:
"We can understand why Hrolf Kraki was gloriously remembered, why the saga tellers generation by generation brought every hero they could to his court, even if this meant giving less and lsss of the cycle to the king himself. His reign was - by comparison, anyhow; in story, at least - a moment of sunshine in a storm that lasted for centuries. He became to the North what Arthur did to Britain and Charlemagne, afterward, to France. On the morning of Stiklestad, five hundred years later and away off in Norway, the men of King Olaf the Saint were wakened by a skald who chanted aloud a Bjarkamaal: one of those lays where the warriors of the pagan Dane-King Hrolf were called to their last battle."
Perhaps it is best to conclude with the fragment of that old war-song that Master Anderson chose for the epigram of his retelling of Hrolf's deeds:
"Though life is lost, one thing will outlive us;
memory sinks not beneath the mould.
Till the Weird of the World stands, unforgotten,
high under heaven, the heroes' name."
They were the heroes of my ancestors, long ago in the midst of dark days. Read, and find honor, courage, and loyalty. Even those who lived in the midnight of their times knew right from wrong at its heart.
Anderson feels that Hrolf was a real historical figure, and dates his existence to a reference in Gregory of Tours to a figure that he feels is Hygelac, king of the Geats and father of Beowulf, coming to the conclusion that Hrolf lived at the end of the sixth century, during the late Migration Period, long before Christianity came that far north. He has little love for the ways of his people during those days:
"Here is no 'Lord of the Rings', work of a civilized, Christian author - though probably it was one of Tolkien's many wellsprings. Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life...Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, were only for one's kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey. And often anger or treachery broke what bonds there might have been." (ix)
But Hrolf and his closest comrades are not these sort of people, even if they are known to take plunder and 'harry' (an innocent-sounding archaism for most of the stuff Anderson spelled out above) the lands of their enemies, they don't do it as often and would more often than not be at home and at peace. Outlaws and vikings (one assumes the likes of those that harry as a way of life) are rather ruhlessly rooted out with fire and sword, and Hrolf and his two greatest companions, Svipdag and Bjarki, are notable for the kindness they show to the helpless and downtrodden, even if it is a trifle gruff and likely to end with an affectionate threat and a cuff round the ear to man up and stop sniveling with gratitude. For the men, anyhow. Hrolf is a great king, known to rule the whole of his people as justly and generously as he can, and is swift and devasting in battle, usually in defense of or vengeance for his realm and family. He also has a marked distaste for excesses in sacrifice, and steadfastly refuses human sacrifice to the gods (a very real and long practice in pagan Scandinavia).
Hrolf and his twelve hirdsmen remind me a fair bit of Arthur and the Round Table, or the literary Charlemagne and his twelve paladins, though their noted virtue has less to do with any abstract self-image than their own personalities and the fact that King Hrolf doesn't put up with less. The comparison isn't lost on Master Anderson either:
"We can understand why Hrolf Kraki was gloriously remembered, why the saga tellers generation by generation brought every hero they could to his court, even if this meant giving less and lsss of the cycle to the king himself. His reign was - by comparison, anyhow; in story, at least - a moment of sunshine in a storm that lasted for centuries. He became to the North what Arthur did to Britain and Charlemagne, afterward, to France. On the morning of Stiklestad, five hundred years later and away off in Norway, the men of King Olaf the Saint were wakened by a skald who chanted aloud a Bjarkamaal: one of those lays where the warriors of the pagan Dane-King Hrolf were called to their last battle."
Perhaps it is best to conclude with the fragment of that old war-song that Master Anderson chose for the epigram of his retelling of Hrolf's deeds:
"Though life is lost, one thing will outlive us;
memory sinks not beneath the mould.
Till the Weird of the World stands, unforgotten,
high under heaven, the heroes' name."
They were the heroes of my ancestors, long ago in the midst of dark days. Read, and find honor, courage, and loyalty. Even those who lived in the midnight of their times knew right from wrong at its heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2017
uena entrada a la leyenda Danesa
La Saga de Hrolf Kraki cuenta la vida del rey Danés Hrothulf con un enfoque más mágico, legendario y épico que la crónica histórica. La trama es contada por diversas historias que abordan desde el origen de la dinastía Real danesa hasta los casos de la medio hermana de Hrolf y su último vasallo.
Estas sagas parten describiendo como se originó el nacimiento de Hrolf y de su esplendor. La más notables de ellas son la Historia de Los hermanos, la historia de Svipdag y la de Bjarki. La primera es sobre el padre y tío de Hrolf, Helgi y Hroar (Hrothgar de la leyenda de Beowulf). El primero es un imbatible guerrero, que nunca está quieto; el segundo, un armador de tratos y amante de la paz.
La historia cuenta sobre su ascenso al poder y de cómo nació Hrolf en unas circunstancias para nada comunes. Las otras dos historias cuentan sobre la vida de los 2 principales campeones de Hrolf y de cómo fueron a dar con él.
Si bien está basado en una etapa histórica, hay mucha magia y seres antropomórficos, hechizos e incluso dioses metidos entre las páginas lo que le da el toque sobrenatural al relato.
En general las historias están bien entrelazadas y son consecutivas entre sí, por lo que una sienta precedentes (algunos inmediatos) para la siguiente. En ellas encontremos nuestra buena dosis de elemntos que componen la épica nórdica, batallas, valor, honor, héroes y como no lo puede ser de otro modo, tragedia.
El personaje principal, Hrolf es relatado como justo, sabio y amante de la paz, sin dejar tampoco lugar a dudas de que es valiente y buen guerrero, siempre acompañado de su espada Skofnung y su grupo de guerreros. Él hará que el reino florezca y se recordado como el mejor que haya habido. Posterioriormente, debido a malas decisiones producidas por la ignorancia o por la soberbia, vendrá la inminente tragedia que sumirá a esta edad dorada en el caos.
Cambiéle los nombres y váyase hacia el oeste y tendrá una historia similar en la corte más famosa de la Literatura. Hay muchos paralelismos entre la leyenda artúrica y esta saga como para pasar por la alto las semejanzas; Hrolf tiene muchas cosas en común con Arturo, una medio hermana mágica (Skuld/Morgana), una espada mágica (Skofnung/Excalibur) y dos campeones (Bjarki/Gawain y Svidgag/Lancelot). Eso sin contar además de las características de Hrolf y de otros muchos elementos que se parecen.
Si bien es una crónica detalla de un período turbulento, tendría que ser honesto en decir que le falta personalidad, que es habitual en estos relatos. Los personajes son muy arquetípicos y pocos se alejan de ser planos. Además, si bien la historia es entretenida, tiene momentos algo pesados y el final es muy abrupto.
En resumen, es un libro que todo iniciado en las tradiciones nórdicas debe leer para seguir la búsqueda de la historia de los héroes, pero que dista de ser profunda y tener de personajes muy entrañables. El concepto de rey justo y amante de la paz, al mismo tiempo que un valiente y buen guerrero, se puede tomar como la idea principal del libro y que junto con el esfuerzo de hombres de honor ayudaron a construir una época dorada en la historia danesa.
La Saga de Hrolf Kraki cuenta la vida del rey Danés Hrothulf con un enfoque más mágico, legendario y épico que la crónica histórica. La trama es contada por diversas historias que abordan desde el origen de la dinastía Real danesa hasta los casos de la medio hermana de Hrolf y su último vasallo.
Estas sagas parten describiendo como se originó el nacimiento de Hrolf y de su esplendor. La más notables de ellas son la Historia de Los hermanos, la historia de Svipdag y la de Bjarki. La primera es sobre el padre y tío de Hrolf, Helgi y Hroar (Hrothgar de la leyenda de Beowulf). El primero es un imbatible guerrero, que nunca está quieto; el segundo, un armador de tratos y amante de la paz.
La historia cuenta sobre su ascenso al poder y de cómo nació Hrolf en unas circunstancias para nada comunes. Las otras dos historias cuentan sobre la vida de los 2 principales campeones de Hrolf y de cómo fueron a dar con él.
Si bien está basado en una etapa histórica, hay mucha magia y seres antropomórficos, hechizos e incluso dioses metidos entre las páginas lo que le da el toque sobrenatural al relato.
En general las historias están bien entrelazadas y son consecutivas entre sí, por lo que una sienta precedentes (algunos inmediatos) para la siguiente. En ellas encontremos nuestra buena dosis de elemntos que componen la épica nórdica, batallas, valor, honor, héroes y como no lo puede ser de otro modo, tragedia.
El personaje principal, Hrolf es relatado como justo, sabio y amante de la paz, sin dejar tampoco lugar a dudas de que es valiente y buen guerrero, siempre acompañado de su espada Skofnung y su grupo de guerreros. Él hará que el reino florezca y se recordado como el mejor que haya habido. Posterioriormente, debido a malas decisiones producidas por la ignorancia o por la soberbia, vendrá la inminente tragedia que sumirá a esta edad dorada en el caos.
Cambiéle los nombres y váyase hacia el oeste y tendrá una historia similar en la corte más famosa de la Literatura. Hay muchos paralelismos entre la leyenda artúrica y esta saga como para pasar por la alto las semejanzas; Hrolf tiene muchas cosas en común con Arturo, una medio hermana mágica (Skuld/Morgana), una espada mágica (Skofnung/Excalibur) y dos campeones (Bjarki/Gawain y Svidgag/Lancelot). Eso sin contar además de las características de Hrolf y de otros muchos elementos que se parecen.
Si bien es una crónica detalla de un período turbulento, tendría que ser honesto en decir que le falta personalidad, que es habitual en estos relatos. Los personajes son muy arquetípicos y pocos se alejan de ser planos. Además, si bien la historia es entretenida, tiene momentos algo pesados y el final es muy abrupto.
En resumen, es un libro que todo iniciado en las tradiciones nórdicas debe leer para seguir la búsqueda de la historia de los héroes, pero que dista de ser profunda y tener de personajes muy entrañables. El concepto de rey justo y amante de la paz, al mismo tiempo que un valiente y buen guerrero, se puede tomar como la idea principal del libro y que junto con el esfuerzo de hombres de honor ayudaron a construir una época dorada en la historia danesa.
January 23, 2023
General
Including a pronunciation key is goddamn genius.
This book is definitely worth reading at least once. It’s an interesting mythology well-told.
Pg. 30
Reference for clerestory.
Wainscot is wood paneling.
Here’s a sweet description of a building.
“When the English first came hither, their great men doubtless built halls like hose in the Northlands. They do no more. Let me therefore tell about such a house. It is a long wooden building, with a roof of sod or of shakes, ofttimes a clerestory; the beam-ends are apt to be carved in fanciful shapes. If there are two floors, a gallery runs around the walls. Windows are shuttered in bad weather, and belike covered by thin-scraped skins. Inside, one enters through a foreroom, where feet are wiped and outer garments left hanging. Unless the lord is suspicious and commands his guests to leave their weapons here as well, these are brought into the main room and hung up, that the luster of metal and of the painted leather on shields help brighten its gloom.
The ground floor of the hall is hard-packed earth, thickly strewn with rushes, juniper boughs, or other sweet things, often changed. Down the middle run two or three trenches, or sometimes only one, wherein roar the longfires, that servants feed with wood taken from stacks at the far end. Flanking them goes a double row of great wooden pillars, upbearing the top floor, or the rafters if there is none. They too are graven and colored, to show gods or heroes or beasts and intertwining vines. Against the wainscoted walls, earthen platforms raise the benches a foot or two above the floor. In the middle of one wall, commonly the north, stands the high seat of the master and his lady, held by two lesser posts which are especially holy. Straight across the chamber is a slightly lower seat for the most honored guest. Between the weapons ablink behind the benches are other carvings, skins, horns, torches or rushlights flaring in their sconces.
At mealtimes the women and servants set trestles in front of the benches and lay boards across them. On these go meat and drink, prepared usually in a separate cookhouse for dread of wildfire. Later the tables are removed, and when men have drunk enough, those of higher standing stretch out on the benches to sleep; their followers use the floor.
Shut-beds for the master, mistress, and chief guests may be at either end; or there may be pper rooms; or there may be a bower standing aside from the hall, a narrow building of one or two floors where women spin and weave by day in well-lighted airiness, and at night the well-born sleep free from snoring and eavesdropping.
Around a courtyard cluster the outbuildings. Beyond them may lie the homes, byres, and worksteads of humbler families; and a stockade may enclose everything.”
Including a pronunciation key is goddamn genius.
This book is definitely worth reading at least once. It’s an interesting mythology well-told.
Pg. 30
Reference for clerestory.
Wainscot is wood paneling.
Here’s a sweet description of a building.
“When the English first came hither, their great men doubtless built halls like hose in the Northlands. They do no more. Let me therefore tell about such a house. It is a long wooden building, with a roof of sod or of shakes, ofttimes a clerestory; the beam-ends are apt to be carved in fanciful shapes. If there are two floors, a gallery runs around the walls. Windows are shuttered in bad weather, and belike covered by thin-scraped skins. Inside, one enters through a foreroom, where feet are wiped and outer garments left hanging. Unless the lord is suspicious and commands his guests to leave their weapons here as well, these are brought into the main room and hung up, that the luster of metal and of the painted leather on shields help brighten its gloom.
The ground floor of the hall is hard-packed earth, thickly strewn with rushes, juniper boughs, or other sweet things, often changed. Down the middle run two or three trenches, or sometimes only one, wherein roar the longfires, that servants feed with wood taken from stacks at the far end. Flanking them goes a double row of great wooden pillars, upbearing the top floor, or the rafters if there is none. They too are graven and colored, to show gods or heroes or beasts and intertwining vines. Against the wainscoted walls, earthen platforms raise the benches a foot or two above the floor. In the middle of one wall, commonly the north, stands the high seat of the master and his lady, held by two lesser posts which are especially holy. Straight across the chamber is a slightly lower seat for the most honored guest. Between the weapons ablink behind the benches are other carvings, skins, horns, torches or rushlights flaring in their sconces.
At mealtimes the women and servants set trestles in front of the benches and lay boards across them. On these go meat and drink, prepared usually in a separate cookhouse for dread of wildfire. Later the tables are removed, and when men have drunk enough, those of higher standing stretch out on the benches to sleep; their followers use the floor.
Shut-beds for the master, mistress, and chief guests may be at either end; or there may be pper rooms; or there may be a bower standing aside from the hall, a narrow building of one or two floors where women spin and weave by day in well-lighted airiness, and at night the well-born sleep free from snoring and eavesdropping.
Around a courtyard cluster the outbuildings. Beyond them may lie the homes, byres, and worksteads of humbler families; and a stockade may enclose everything.”
December 19, 2024
Score: 6.3;
Poul Anderson continues his visceral story-telling with another compelling tale, this time contained within the Hrolf Kraki's Saga. While this story is primarily a re-telling of a saga of old, Anderson is able to apply his own coat of paint to this tale of old to make it his own, something that is equal parts captivating and ruthless.
Because Hrolf Kraki's Saga is told akin to the sagas of old, the story-telling and narrative structure are much more sparse compared to modern tales. Long periods of time are often jumped over and many events are breezed through. However, while that form of story-telling create distance between the reader and the narrative, it helps creates a fast enough pace to never create a dull moment. Thus, while the narrative depth may be lacking, Hrolf Kraki's Saga is never relenting with how the story progresses. Hrolf Kraki's Saga is always moving towards an end goal, and once that is achieved, a new goal is never far from sight. Therefore, the narrative while shallow is equally harrowing.
In how he conveys his story, Poul Anderson's writing takes on his typical visceral style that is both concise yet descriptive. As seen with the Broken Sword, the vernacular of Hrolf Kraki's Saga adopts a medieval tone, giving credence to the distant history Hrolf Kraki's Saga takes place in, as opposed to more modern, casual jargon. At times, the writing takes on a heavy-handed approach, especially when the story veers into unexpected tangents, but those moments of clunkiness less prevalent compared to the high octane action and blistering pace of the narrative. Nevertheless, the emotional bridge the prose creates is oftentimes less than stellar, due to the pace Anderson unrelenting marches by.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the characters are the weakest element of Hrolf Kraki's Saga. It is difficult to become attached to the characters when they are legends held up by sagas long past as opposed to developed humans with goals, yearnings, and aspirations. Some of the characters, such as the titular Hrold Kraki, have their moment, but it lacks the importance and care the other elements of the narrative possess. Thus, this story being a saga, it is better to keep these characters as distant legends, ones whose actions can serve as lessons, as opposed to humans who can offer comfort and familiarity in their complex psyches. Nevertheless, the characters themselves were never the point of the tale, even if their lack of presence is still a disappointment.
Ultimately, Hrolf Kraki's Saga is a bloodpumping tale that never relents in its swift pace. It offers less in terms of characters, but Anderson nonetheless makes it an enjoyable story. As I read more Poul Anderson, the more his visceral style that emphasizes fast-tempo story-telling brings me level of comfort in spite of its shortcomings.
Poul Anderson continues his visceral story-telling with another compelling tale, this time contained within the Hrolf Kraki's Saga. While this story is primarily a re-telling of a saga of old, Anderson is able to apply his own coat of paint to this tale of old to make it his own, something that is equal parts captivating and ruthless.
Because Hrolf Kraki's Saga is told akin to the sagas of old, the story-telling and narrative structure are much more sparse compared to modern tales. Long periods of time are often jumped over and many events are breezed through. However, while that form of story-telling create distance between the reader and the narrative, it helps creates a fast enough pace to never create a dull moment. Thus, while the narrative depth may be lacking, Hrolf Kraki's Saga is never relenting with how the story progresses. Hrolf Kraki's Saga is always moving towards an end goal, and once that is achieved, a new goal is never far from sight. Therefore, the narrative while shallow is equally harrowing.
In how he conveys his story, Poul Anderson's writing takes on his typical visceral style that is both concise yet descriptive. As seen with the Broken Sword, the vernacular of Hrolf Kraki's Saga adopts a medieval tone, giving credence to the distant history Hrolf Kraki's Saga takes place in, as opposed to more modern, casual jargon. At times, the writing takes on a heavy-handed approach, especially when the story veers into unexpected tangents, but those moments of clunkiness less prevalent compared to the high octane action and blistering pace of the narrative. Nevertheless, the emotional bridge the prose creates is oftentimes less than stellar, due to the pace Anderson unrelenting marches by.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the characters are the weakest element of Hrolf Kraki's Saga. It is difficult to become attached to the characters when they are legends held up by sagas long past as opposed to developed humans with goals, yearnings, and aspirations. Some of the characters, such as the titular Hrold Kraki, have their moment, but it lacks the importance and care the other elements of the narrative possess. Thus, this story being a saga, it is better to keep these characters as distant legends, ones whose actions can serve as lessons, as opposed to humans who can offer comfort and familiarity in their complex psyches. Nevertheless, the characters themselves were never the point of the tale, even if their lack of presence is still a disappointment.
Ultimately, Hrolf Kraki's Saga is a bloodpumping tale that never relents in its swift pace. It offers less in terms of characters, but Anderson nonetheless makes it an enjoyable story. As I read more Poul Anderson, the more his visceral style that emphasizes fast-tempo story-telling brings me level of comfort in spite of its shortcomings.
March 8, 2024
Marchando una de vikingoooooooooos
En realidad es la versión de Poul Anderson, novelada, de una saga vikinga “de verdad”, la de Hrólfr Kraki. Por aquí van apareciendo los antecesores de este personaje, así como su clan vikingo y sus compañeros -campeones- de aventuras.
Hay algo de magia -poquita-, personajes legendarios de la tradición escandinava como los feroces berseker, armas forjadas por dioses, muchas tradiciones vikingas, referencias a los dioses de la mitología nórdica (Odín tb aparece por estas páginas) e incluso invocaciones a monstruos o trolls.
Vale, eso es de lo que va. ¿Y qué tal?
Pues como ambientación MUY bien. Coño, qué frio he pasado según leía. Obviamente el tiempo por ahí arriba (está casi toda ambientada en la Dinamarca actual) era frío de narices, tb en el siglo V que es mas o menos cuando transcurren las aventuras.
Igualmente, bien ambientadas costumbres, comidas, bebidas y casas de la época. Menos el tema de barcos o armas, sólo da dos pinceladas.
Como enganche o habilidad narrativa se queda en suficiente. Anderson nos va contando acontecimientos desde distintos puntos de vista, desde distintos personajes, y consigue que sigas leyendo pero sin ansia, sin hype. Vas leyendo. Se nota que el libro tiene unos años (es de 1973)
Como personajes pues no valen nada. Son nombres que hacen cosas, pero no te metes en la piel de ninguno. En este aspecto es donde pierde casi todos los puntos. Vamos, que Anderson se desenvolvía mejor en los aspectos científicos o documentales que en cualidades literarias.
Resumen: 7/10, bueno para culturilla vikinga pero no para gozarla. ¡Ah!, y no os engañe que Poul Anderson solía escribir CF; esto es histórica novelada.
En realidad es la versión de Poul Anderson, novelada, de una saga vikinga “de verdad”, la de Hrólfr Kraki. Por aquí van apareciendo los antecesores de este personaje, así como su clan vikingo y sus compañeros -campeones- de aventuras.
Hay algo de magia -poquita-, personajes legendarios de la tradición escandinava como los feroces berseker, armas forjadas por dioses, muchas tradiciones vikingas, referencias a los dioses de la mitología nórdica (Odín tb aparece por estas páginas) e incluso invocaciones a monstruos o trolls.
Vale, eso es de lo que va. ¿Y qué tal?
Pues como ambientación MUY bien. Coño, qué frio he pasado según leía. Obviamente el tiempo por ahí arriba (está casi toda ambientada en la Dinamarca actual) era frío de narices, tb en el siglo V que es mas o menos cuando transcurren las aventuras.
Igualmente, bien ambientadas costumbres, comidas, bebidas y casas de la época. Menos el tema de barcos o armas, sólo da dos pinceladas.
Como enganche o habilidad narrativa se queda en suficiente. Anderson nos va contando acontecimientos desde distintos puntos de vista, desde distintos personajes, y consigue que sigas leyendo pero sin ansia, sin hype. Vas leyendo. Se nota que el libro tiene unos años (es de 1973)
Como personajes pues no valen nada. Son nombres que hacen cosas, pero no te metes en la piel de ninguno. En este aspecto es donde pierde casi todos los puntos. Vamos, que Anderson se desenvolvía mejor en los aspectos científicos o documentales que en cualidades literarias.
Resumen: 7/10, bueno para culturilla vikinga pero no para gozarla. ¡Ah!, y no os engañe que Poul Anderson solía escribir CF; esto es histórica novelada.
June 8, 2021
P.A. recupera tutto il corpus narrativo allora conosciuto e lo rende leggibile per i posteri, intercalando qualche spiegazione (non propriamente corretta storicamente, ma per allora credibile) laddove l'orginale era monco o dubbio, ma rimanendo un mero esecutore e mai un narratore, cancellandosi nell'opera di restituire alla narrativa un insieme di racconti epici del nord Europa andati nel dimenticatoio.
Ma chi è Hrólfr Kraki, quindi? E' un re e questo lo è per eredità, ma non solo visto che il suo carattere e il suo essere un buon re lo rende al centro del bene e del male del regno dei dani; è un eroe e questo lo è per il suo senso di giustizia e desiderio di avventure; è un eroe tragico sulla cui testa pende un'eredità pesante e dolorosa, frutto dell'inganno e del dolo, ma anche dell'amore. Hrólfr assomiglia a un Re Artù senza protezione magica che un Beowulf avventuriero: gli insegnamenti ricevuti gli permettono di rendere il suo regno durevole e pacifico, di riuscire ad appianare le discordie e rendere prospero chi si trova sotto l'ombrello del suo potere. Eppure...eppure niente può darsi per scontato e duraturo e si sa che gli eroi non muoiono vecchi nel proprio letto.
Il libro va letto come un'epopea e non come un fantasy come erroneamente viente presentato. Per quanto non sia un saggio storico, P.A. agisce più come uno storico che un narratore e questo è un merito. Entrare nel ritmo non è facile, ma la carica drammatica ed emotiva (forse in questo P.A. può aver calcato un po' la mano), soprattutto sui personaggi femminili, pian piano prende il lettore, avviluppandolo nella storia, nella Saga degli Skjöldungar nel suo epilogo. La magia è sempre presente nel romanzo ma mai in funzione benevola e anche quando si riconosce la presenza di Odino è sempre una prova per i nostri eroi che un vero aiuto: tutto sembra dire che ciò che viene dall'altro mondo (sia esso divino, che fatato, marino o terrestre) ha sempre un prezzo dolorosissimo e caro da pagare.
Ma chi è Hrólfr Kraki, quindi? E' un re e questo lo è per eredità, ma non solo visto che il suo carattere e il suo essere un buon re lo rende al centro del bene e del male del regno dei dani; è un eroe e questo lo è per il suo senso di giustizia e desiderio di avventure; è un eroe tragico sulla cui testa pende un'eredità pesante e dolorosa, frutto dell'inganno e del dolo, ma anche dell'amore. Hrólfr assomiglia a un Re Artù senza protezione magica che un Beowulf avventuriero: gli insegnamenti ricevuti gli permettono di rendere il suo regno durevole e pacifico, di riuscire ad appianare le discordie e rendere prospero chi si trova sotto l'ombrello del suo potere. Eppure...eppure niente può darsi per scontato e duraturo e si sa che gli eroi non muoiono vecchi nel proprio letto.
Il libro va letto come un'epopea e non come un fantasy come erroneamente viente presentato. Per quanto non sia un saggio storico, P.A. agisce più come uno storico che un narratore e questo è un merito. Entrare nel ritmo non è facile, ma la carica drammatica ed emotiva (forse in questo P.A. può aver calcato un po' la mano), soprattutto sui personaggi femminili, pian piano prende il lettore, avviluppandolo nella storia, nella Saga degli Skjöldungar nel suo epilogo. La magia è sempre presente nel romanzo ma mai in funzione benevola e anche quando si riconosce la presenza di Odino è sempre una prova per i nostri eroi che un vero aiuto: tutto sembra dire che ciò che viene dall'altro mondo (sia esso divino, che fatato, marino o terrestre) ha sempre un prezzo dolorosissimo e caro da pagare.
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