The supposed geography of the collection of stories is centred on the royal court at Hleidargard, on the Danish island of Sjælland (Zealand). However, it ranges far and wide, from arctic Lapland to northern England. And its relationship to Norse mythology is shown in the stories of Odin (disguised as the character named Hrani), an elf-woman, magic spells, sorceresses, a monstrous boar and Bodvar Bjarki who appears in Hrolf Kraki’s final battle in the form of a giant bear unstoppable by weapons. The later negative references to Odin and the statement about Hrolf Kraki not worshipping the old gods reveal the outlook of the Christian writer(s) who recorded the story in its current form.
The stories associated with King Hrolf Kraki clearly fascinated later Icelanders. In the twelfth- to thirteenth-century Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements) is recounted how (in c.900) one of the early settlers of Iceland – named Skeggi – broke into the Danish burial mound of King Hrolf Kraki and took his sword, called Skofnung, along with an axe and treasure. When he went on to attempt to steal the sword of Bodvar Bjarki, he discovered that this long-dead warrior was still keeping watch over the treasure and rose up against him. It was only when King Hrolf Kraki himself came to Skeggi’s aid that he managed to escape with the treasure. According to later Icelandic tradition, the sword was last heard of in the 1070s when it accompanied the Christian Icelander, Gellir, on a pilgrimage to Rome.
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The exile and eventual triumph of the princes Hroar and Helgi
There were once two royal brothers and their names were Halfdan and Frodi. Halfdan was kind and generous, while Frodi was cruel and greedy. They both ruled kingdoms but that of Halfdan – Denmark – was the more desirable of the two. This caused Frodi to resent him deeply. In time, this resentment grew so great that Frodi invaded Denmark and killed Halfdan.
However, he was unable to capture the sons of Halfdan. They were named Hroar and Helgi. Their foster-father was named Regin (it was common then to place children with other nobles in order to strengthen bonds of loyalty). At great risk to himself, he took the boys to an island where lived a man named Vifil, who was both a great friend of King Halfdan and well versed in ancient magic. There the boys were hidden.
Now Frodi hunted high and low for the young princes and offered rewards to those with information and threats to those concealing them. In the end, he turned to his own workers of magic and they said that he should search the island home of Vifil but that his home was protected by magic mist for they could not see into it. So Frodi sent men to search.
Early one morning, Vifil woke with a sense that his island had been visited by the magic of others and so he warned the boys to hide. It was not a moment too soon, for Frodi’s men arrived, although they were unable to find the boys. When they returned to Frodi he was angry and told them to search again – but still they could not find the boys.
At last, Frodi himself visited the island but even he could not find the boys for they had been well hidden by Vifil.
After this, Vifil sent them to seek shelter with their brother-in-law Jarl (Earl) Saevil. He was the husband of Signy, their sister. This they did and they went in disguise and always wore their hoods up. It was three winters since they had first fled into exile and still Frodi could not find them. But he suspected they might be hiding with Saevil so he summoned him to court to a feast. When the jarl refused to take the boys they followed him anyway. The youngest – Helgi – was the bravest and rode his horse facing backwards, making himself look like a fool. His older brother – Hroar – rode after him. As they rode they were recognised by their sister. She told Jarl Saevil who warned the boys to return to his hall but they would not.
When they reached the royal hall of Frodi, he summoned a seeress to foretell where the boys were. She began to speak but when Signy (the sister of Hroar and Helgi) threw her a gold ring she stopped revealing secrets. At last, when pressed by Frodi to continue, the seeress warned the boys to escape and she and they ran from the hall. It was then that they were recognised by Regin, their foster-father. He followed them to the woods and, by careful communication (so that he did not break his oath of loyalty to Frodi but still gave them advice), he advised them to set fire to the hall. This they did and Frodi and his supporters were trapped inside and died. But Regin escaped, as did Jarl Saevil and Signy. However, their mother, Sigrid, died in the hall because she refused to leave.
The reigns of Hroar and Helgi
Hroar went to live in England, where he married Ogn, the daughter of King Nordri of Northumbria. Helgi ruled in Denmark. It was at that time that Regin, their foster-father, died.
Meanwhile, Helgi heard that in Saxland, in northern Germany, there ruled a beautiful but proud and arrogant queen named Olof. She carried weapons as if she was a man and was a strong ruler. Helgi decided to marry her whether she liked it or not. Sailing to her land, he caught her by surprise and she had no choice but to invite him to feast in her hall. There, he insisted on marrying her and, despite her protestations that she was not willing for such a swift match, he prevailed. But Helgi had drunk too much and passed out on the bed. Olof placed a magic thorn in his ear so he could not awaken; then she shaved him, tarred his body and rolled him into a sack. Her men then carried the sleeping king to his ship. When his men, on being told that their king had returned to his ship, went after him they found him in the sack. Helgi was furious and set on revenge but could do nothing as Olof had rallied her army. So he sailed away.
Helgi got his revenge in this way. He sailed again to Olof’s land and there hid a great treasure in a forest. Disguised as a beggar he persuaded one of Olof’s slaves to tell her that he had found treasure in the forest but that she must come alone lest anyone else claim it. She was so greedy that she did this and so was caught by the angry Helgi. At once she offered to marry him but he would have none of it. His revenge on her was to take her captive to his ship where he slept with her for many nights.
When Helgi had finished with her, he let her go and she returned to her court. Helgi, though, went raiding and conquering.
Back in Saxland, Olof found that she was pregnant with Helgi’s child. She hid her condition and gave birth in secret to a girl. Olof hated the child and named her Yrsa after one of her dogs. When she turned twelve, Yrsa was sent to tend cattle and her parentage kept from her.
Next year, Helgi returned to Saxland to see what had happened there since his last visit. Again, he did so in disguise and met Yrsa in the woods. He did not know she was his daughter and he fell in love with her, for she was very beautiful. Against her will, he took her back to Denmark and married her. When Olof heard, she was glad for she knew that in time this would lead to the dishonouring of Helgi.
It was at this time that Hroar and Helgi settled the matter of the Danish inheritance. At first, Hroar had kept an interest in the kingdom of Denmark but in time he decided to remain in England and give up his claim to any land elsewhere. He sailed to Denmark to tell Helgi and, in return, Helgi gave him a magnificent ring that Hroar desired.
It was at that time that Jarl Saevil died and his widow, Signy (sister to Hroar and Helgi), advised her son, Hrok, to claim a reward from his uncles for assistance given them by Saevil. So he went to Helgi and demanded either one-third of Denmark or the great ring. But Helgi would not give him the one and could not give him the other. So Hrok sailed to England and asked Hroar for the ring. Hroar would not do so, so Hrok asked if he could see and handle the ring. When Hroar agreed, he took it and flung it into the sea. For this crime Hroar had Hrok’s foot cut off.
In time, Hrok returned to England and killed Hroar in battle. He then demanded to marry Hroar’s widow. This was Ogn, the daughter of King Nordri of Northumbria. King Nordri was old but still willing to fight to defend his daughter who had no wish to marry her nephew, the killer of her husband. Since she was carrying Hroar’s child she asked for the marriage to be delayed and sent to Helgi for assistance. When Helgi heard that Ogn had given birth to a son, named Agnar, he decided it was ti
me to act. He sailed to England, captured Hrok and had his arms and legs broken. Crippled, he was sent home.
Agnar grew up to be a strong warrior and, in time, he sailed to where the great ring had been lost to the waves. He dived three times and at the third attempt he surfaced with the ring!
Back in Denmark, Helgi became renowned for the success of his summer raiding. He and Yrsa loved each other and they had one son. So it was that Hrolf, later surnamed Kraki, was born.
Their happiness was brought to an end when Queen Olof visited Denmark and at last had her revenge on Helgi when she revealed to Yrsa the truth of her parentage: that her mother was Olof but that Helgi, her husband and father of her son, was none other than her own father. In her distress, Yrsa decided she could not remain with Helgi but returned to Saxland with Olof. Helgi was devastated. He took to his bed in deep depression and could not rule the land. Olof had taken her terrible revenge.
In time, King Adils of Sweden sought the hand of Yrsa in marriage. She had no enthusiasm for the match but still it went ahead. After this, Olof no longer plays a part in this story.
When Helgi heard that King Adils had taken Yrsa to Sweden as his wife, he sunk even deeper into depression. One night, at Yule, he saw a poor beggar outside his door and invited her into his chamber. She asked to sleep in his bed and he agreed. But when he turned to her in the night he discovered that she had turned into a beautiful woman, released from a spell by his acceptance of her. He desired her and slept with her. In the morning, she left but told him to go, a year hence, to where the ships tied up and collect their child. But he forgot and three years later the child – a girl named Skuld – was brought to him at midnight by the elf-woman with whom he had slept three years before. She told Helgi that he would gain from releasing her from the spell but that his family would suffer because he had not gone to collect the child as instructed. The child grew up with a mean and dangerous character.
Helgi himself returned to his summer raiding but left Hrolf (who was later known as Kraki), his son, at home. Eventually, Helgi sailed to Sweden where he visited King Adils at Uppsala. He was received by the king and by Yrsa who was now queen of Sweden. When Adils saw how much Helgi still loved Yrsa he set a trap for him. When Helgi returned to his ship he was ambushed by the twelve berserkers who acted as King Adils’ bodyguard. Trapped between them and Adils’ army, Helgi died in battle. So ended the reign of King Helgi of Denmark.
After this, King Adils considered himself a famous and powerful king. He was a devoted follower of the Norse gods and practised magic. Yrsa was reluctantly reconciled to Adils by compensation for the death of Helgi, her father, but inside she longed to kill the king’s berserkers and she desired to free herself from the rule of Adils.
Svipdag fights the berserkers of Adils of Sweden and enters the service of King Hrolf
There was once a wealthy farmer named Svip. He lived in the mountains of Sweden and he had three sons. One of these was named Svipdag. He grew tired of living far from people and from action and so he resolved to go to the court of King Adils and become a warrior. His father armed him with a great axe and mail and a fine horse and he set out for Uppsala.
When he reached the defended royal residence, he broke down the gate to make his entrance and all were astonished. He was greeted by the king who asked who he was and he told him. But the berserkers of King Adils wished to fight him because they were provoked by his arrogance. The king, though, told them to wait. It was then that Queen Yrsa welcomed him for she wished him to kill the berserkers who had ambushed her father. She wanted them dead and sent to Hel. The berserkers knew this but defied her hatred for they were confident in their strength and skills.
In the morning, a series of single combats occurred until Svipdag had killed four of the berserkers. King Adils would have set his remaining men on Svipdag but Queen Yrsa arranged a truce that lasted until nightfall. It was then that the remaining berserkers set upon Svipdag as he left the hall on his own. They had been sent to attack him by the king. Svipdag killed another of them before the king stopped the fighting. He then banished the surviving berserkers for he was no longer impressed by their fighting skills. At this they left but threatened revenge. In this way, Svipdag replaced the berserkers at the court of King Adils and the queen was pleased at this turn of events.
Eventually, the berserkers gathered an army and returned to threaten King Adils. At his request, Svipdag was sent as leader of the king’s army to confront the invaders. Before battle was joined, Svipdag had spikes scattered on the chosen site to injure the horses of his enemies. When the battle commenced, one of the berserkers was killed along with many in the invading army and they returned to their ships in disarray.
After they had gathered more warriors, the berserkers returned once more and again Svipdag was sent against them but with a smaller army than that of the invaders; although the king promised to assist him with his bodyguards. So battle commenced and it was a hard fight.
Nearby was where Svip was living with his remaining two sons. He awoke from sleep and called his sons to him. He told them to go to the assistance of their brother for he knew that Svipdag had lost an eye and had suffered many wounds. And although he had killed another three berserkers, there were still three ranged against him.
At this instruction, the two brothers went to his aid, for the king had not come to his assistance. It was this that saved Svipdag and doomed the remaining berserkers. All the time, King Adils was watching from the edge of the forest, unsure of who he wanted to win.
So it was that Svipdag survived and was nursed by the queen. But when he recovered, he resolved to leave Sweden since its king had offered him such poor support. Instead, he and his brothers went to Denmark and offered their services to King Hrolf. He accepted them and gave them places on his mead benches. At the end of summer, the twelve berserkers of King Hrolf returned to the hall. As was their custom they confronted every man there, but only Svipdag stood up then. There would have been battle but Hrolf parted them and reconciled Svipdag and the leader of the berserkers. From that moment onwards they were equals in battle and close friends.
It was after this that King Hrolf established his hall at Hleidargard in Denmark. It was then that Skuld – the half-elven half-sister of Hrolf – was married to King Hjorvard. (Some say he was king of Öland in Sweden and others that he ruled among the Germans.) A little while later, Hrolf tricked Hjorvard into becoming his tributary king. He did it in this way. While undoing his belt, he asked Hjorvard to hold his sword. This Hjorvard did and then Hrolf took back his sword. He then reminded Hjorvard that whoever held another man’s sword while he fastened his own belt accepted being of lesser rank. Hjorvard was angry but duly delivered tribute to Hrolf, as did all the other tribute-paying kings.
This is the end of the story of Svipdag, who killed the berserkers of King Adils of Sweden and became a warrior at the court of King Hrolf.
Tales of magic in Norway and Lapland: Bjorn the bear-man and his sons
Far away in the north of Norway there was a king named Hring and he had a son named Bjorn. When the queen died, King Hring sent southwards for a new wife. However, storms drove his messengers far to the north where they spent the winter among the Lapp people who lived in the frontier regions that the Norse call Finnmark (‘Finn borderlands’). There, in that isolated land, they chanced on two beautiful women in a small house. When questioned, it turned out that the older woman was the mistress of the king of the Lapps and the younger was her daughter, named Hvit. They were hiding because a powerful king had demanded to marry Hvit but she had refused him and they feared that he would take her by force.
The messengers of King Hring were sure that Hvit would be a suitable bride for their king. They persuaded her to accompany them south and the old king was pleased to marry such a beautiful young woman.
Now Hring’s son, Bjorn, loved a girl named Bera who was the daughter of a wealthy farmer. One day, when King Hring set out to war, Queen Hvit asked tha
t Bjorn might stay with her and help her govern. To this request King Hring agreed because he thought that Hvit was becoming arrogant and the people did not like her. So Bjorn remained at home, although Bjorn was not happy at this decision.
After Hring had gone, Queen Hvit came to Bjorn and tried to console him but he sent her away. But she returned and offered to share her bed with him. This she said would be better than what she experienced being married to a man as old as Hring. At this suggestion, Bjorn struck her and threw her out. In revenge, Queen Hvit slapped him with her glove that was made from wolfskin and cursed him so that he turned into a bear. At this, he left the court, for he was trapped by her magic.
After that a great grey bear attacked the king’s cattle and killed many of them. One evening, while Bera the farmer’s daughter was outside, the bear approached her but did not threaten her. She followed it to its cave and there it became Bjorn once more. By day he was a bear but a man by night. One night Bjorn told her that the king’s hunters would kill him in the morning but she would give birth to three sons after his death. When he was killed, she was to ask the king for whatever was under his left shoulder but she was not to eat any of the meat offered her by the queen, who was really a troll. After their sons were born, she was to read the runes inscribed on a wooden chest in the bear’s cave. It would reveal what weapons each son was to have and each weapon would be embedded in rock.
Tales of Valhalla Page 20