The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin Classics)

by Jesse L. Byock

  King Hrolf began a persuasive speech. He explained to them that they could now see that nothing existed so famous, so strong, or so big that an equal could not be found. ‘I forbid you to awaken any animosity in my hall. If you defy me in this matter, you will pay with your lives. Be as savage as you like when I have dealings with my enemies and thus win honour and renown. Now, however, I have so choice a selection of champions that I do not need to depend upon you beserkers.’

  The king’s speech was well received, and the men were fully reconciled with one another.

  The hall was now arranged in the following manner: Bodvar, who had become the most esteemed and the highest valued, sat at the king’s right. Then came Hjalti the Magnanimous; it was the king himself who gave him that name. Hjalti was called the Magnanimous for this reason: he spent every day with the king’s retainers, the same ones who had treated him so badly, as has been told earlier, yet Hjalti did them no injury, although he had now become a man far greater than they. The king would have thought it excusable had Hjalti given them some reminder, even killing one or another of them. On the king’s left hand sat the three brothers–Svipdag, Hvitserk and Beygad–so important had they become. Next came the twelve berserkers. All the other heroes were then seated on both sides the length of the stronghold, but they are not named here.

  The king arranged that his men take part in all kinds of sports and refinements, as well as amusements and pleasures of every kind. In whatever contests were tried, Bodvar proved the foremost of all the king’s champions. He came to be held in so much esteem by King Hrolf that the king gave to him in marriage Drifa, his only daughter.62 And so time passed for a while. They sat at home in the kingdom and were the most famous of men.

  25. Bodvar Encourages King Hrolf to Recover His Inheritance

  It is said that one day King Hrolf sat in his royal hall. He was holding a costly feast in company with all his champions and his great men and, as the king looked to both sides, he said, ‘Overwhelming strength has been assembled here in this hall.’

  Next King Hrolf asked Bodvar whether he knew of any king his equal, or of one who commanded such champions. Bodvar replied that he did not, but added ‘to my mind there is one thing that diminishes your royal status’.

  King Hrolf asked what that might be. Bodvar said, ‘It is a shortcoming, Sire, that you have not yet recovered from Uppsala your father’s inheritance, the one that King Adils, your in-law, unjustly withholds.’63

  King Hrolf said it would be difficult to seek that wealth, ‘because King Adils is not a simple man. Rather, he is skilled in the black arts; a crafty, guileful, cunning and cruel-hearted man who is the worst to contend against.’

  Bodvar said, ‘Nevertheless, it would be fitting for you, Sire, to seek your allotted share, meeting once with King Adils in order to learn how he would answer such a claim.’

  King Hrolf replied, ‘It is a grave action that you are proposing. Wherever King Adils, the ambitious and the guileful is, we have a debt of vengeance for my father. All the same, we will risk it.’

  Bodvar said, ‘Just this once I would like to find out what King Adils is made of.’64

  26. Three Strange Nights with Hrani

  King Hrolf prepared himself for his journey, assembling a hundred men in addition to his twelve champions and his twelve berserkers. Nothing is told of their travels until they came upon a farmer, who was standing outside as they rode up. He invited all the king’s men to stay at his house. The king answered, ‘You are a bold man, but do you have the means for this? We are not so few, and more than a small farmer is needed to take care of all of us.’

  The farmer laughed, saying, ‘Yes, Sire, I have at times seen no fewer men come to where I have been. You will lack neither drink nor anything else that you might need during the night.’

  The king said, ‘Then we will risk it.’ The farmer was pleased with this decision. The newcomers’ horses were taken care of and shown proper treatment.

  ‘What is your name, farmer?’ asked the king.

  ‘Some men call me Hrani,’ he answered.65

  The hospitality was so good at Hrani’s that the king felt he had rarely been received with so much generosity. The farmer was full of cheer, and there was no question to which he did not have an answer. They found him to be no fool.

  They now went to sleep, but they awoke to such extreme cold that their teeth were chattering. They all got up together, dressed and covered themselves with whatever they could find. All, that is, except for the king’s champions, who were content with the clothing they already were wearing. Everyone felt the cold throughout the night.

  The farmer asked, ‘How have you slept?’

  ‘Well,’ replied Bodvar.

  Then the farmer spoke to the king, ‘I know that your retainers found it cold in the hall during the night, and so it was. They cannot be expected to withstand the hardships that King Adils will try on you in Uppsala, if they thought this trial was so difficult. Send home half your company, Sire, if you want to stay alive, because it is not with a large force that you will overcome King Adils.’

  ‘You are an impressive man, farmer,’ said the king. ‘And I will adopt the counsel that you offer.’

  When they had prepared themselves they set out, wishing the farmer well. The king sent home half his force. The rest rode on their way, and at once another small farm appeared in their path. They thought they recognized the same farmer with whom they had just stayed. Matters now seemed to them to be taking a strange turn.

  The farmer greeted them well, asking why they came so often. The king replied, ‘We hardly know what tricks we are facing. You might be called a truly crafty fellow.’

  The farmer said, ‘Again you will not be poorly received.’

  They were there another night and were shown fine hospitality. They fell asleep but were awakened by a thirst they found almost unbearable. They could hardly move their tongues in their mouths, so they got up and went to a vat filled with wine and drank from it.

  In the morning farmer Hrani spoke, ‘Once again, Sire, matters are such that you might well listen to me. I think that there is little endurance in the men who drank during the night. You will have to endure trials more difficult than that when you visit King Adils.’

  Suddenly a fierce storm struck, so the men remained there that day and the third night came. Again a fire was built for them in the evening, and those who sat near the fire felt the heat on their hands. Most of the men quickly abandoned the places on the benches that farmer Hrani had allotted them, with everyone moving back from the flame except King Hrolf and his champions.

  The farmer said, ‘Yet again Sire, you can cull from your company, and it is my counsel that no one should go except you and your twelve champions. Then there would be some hope that you will return, but otherwise there is none.’

  King Hrolf replied, ‘You impress me, farmer, as so sensible that we will take your advice.’ They stayed there three nights.

  The king rode out with twelve men, sending back the rest of his company. King Adils learned of Hrolf’s progress and said that it was well that King Hrolf had chosen to visit him, ‘because, before we part, he will surely have an errand here, and the stories about it will be thought well worth the telling.’

  27. King Adils’ Deceitful Welcome

  King Hrolf and his champions rode up to King Adils’ hall. All the townsfolk crowded into the highest towers of the stronghold to see the splendour of King Hrolf and his champions, they were equipped so handsomely. Many of the townsfolk admired such chivalrous knights.66 At first the men rode slowly and grandly, but when they were a short distance from the hall they let the horses feel the spurs. They raced onward to the hall and all in their path, both man and beast, leapt out of the way.

  King Adils had his men receive the arrivals with graciousness and ordered that their horses be attended to. Bodvar said, ‘Pay attention, boys, not to tangle either the forelock or the tail. Tend them well, watching carefully that th
ey do not soil themselves.’

  King Adils was told immediately of the care they showed concerning the stabling of their horses. He said, ‘Their insolence and arrogance are vast. Follow my counsel and do as I order. Cut off the tails of the horses up to the rump, and cut the forelocks in such a way that the skin on the forehead peels off. Treat them in all ways with as much ridicule as you can. Just leave them barely alive.’

  Then the newcomers were led to the doors of the hall, but King Adils was nowhere in sight. ‘I am,’ said Svipdag, ‘familiar with this place from before. I will go in first, because I am suspicious about what the manner of our reception will be and what is in store for us. We must give no indication as to which of us is King Hrolf, making King Adils unable to recognize him in our company.’

  Then Svipdag placed himself in front of the group, followed by his brothers, Hvitserk and Beygad. Next came King Hrolf and Bodvar, and then all the champions one after the other. There was no one to take their measure, because Adils’ men, who had escorted them to the hall, had disappeared. Hrolf’s company had their hawks on their shoulders, which at that time was considered a display of gallantry. King Hrolf’s hawk was called Habrok.

  Svipdag led the way. He carefully examined everything, noting the many changes that had been made. Hrolf’s company made its way past so many obstacles set in its path that it is not easy to record them all. The further the men went into the hall, the more difficult the going became. This continued all the way until they saw where King Adils, bloated with pride, sat on his high seat. When the one side saw the other, each realized that an important moment had come. Hrolf’s company understood that it still would be difficult to reach King Adils, even though they had come so close that they were within speaking distance.

  Then King Adils began to speak, ‘So, Svipdag my friend, you have now come. What might be the errand of the champion here? Or are these matters not as they appear to be:

  9. A dent is in the back of his skull,

  the eye is out of the head,

  a scar is in the forehead,

  two blows on the hand.

  Also his brother Beygad is all crippled.’

  Svipdag now spoke in so loud a voice that all could hear: ‘I ask at this time to receive from you, King Adils, safe-conduct for these twelve men who have come here. I make this request in accordance with the agreement that I earlier made with you.’

  King Adils replied, ‘I will agree to this. With a secure feeling go now quickly and bravely into the hall.’.

  Within the hall they expected to find pits, dug as traps, but it proved difficult to ascertain what had been prepared to thwart them. It was so dim around King Adils that they could scarcely see his face. They could see that the ornamental wall hangings, which ringed the hall, had been broken from their mountings and moved forward, seeming to provide cover for armed men lying in wait. This assumption turned out to be correct, because a man in mail coat pushed forward from under each fold as King Hrolf and his champions made their way past the pits. King Hrolf and his champions found themselves engaged in a hard fight, and they cleaved their opponents as far down as their teeth. King Adils’ men were piled in heaps, and still they were unable to determine which one was King Hrolf.

  In his high seat, King Adils swelled with rage when he saw Hrolf’s champions cutting down his troops like dogs. Realizing that the game could not go on in this way, he stood up and said, ‘What is the meaning of this fighting? You are acting like scoundrels, attacking men of distinction who have visited us. Stop immediately and seat yourselves. Kinsman Hrolf, let us all set about greeting one other with good cheer.’

  Svipdag said, ‘You show little regard for the truce, King Adils, and you will find no renown in such conduct.’ After that they sat down. Svipdag sat closest to the wall, next to Hjalti the Magnanimous, followed by Bodvar, who sat beside the king. They still wanted King Hrolf to remain unrecognized.

  King Adils said, ‘I see that you do not travel in a foreign land in a dignified manner, or why, kinsman Hrolf, do you not travel with a larger following?’

  Svipdag replied, ‘I see that you do not shrink from working treacherously against King Hrolf and his men; it is not your concern whether he rides here with few or with many men.’

  And so they ended their talk.

  28. King Adils Attempts to Defeat King Hrolf

  King Adils ordered the hall cleaned, and the dead were carried out. Many of his men had been killed and a large number were wounded.

  King Adils said, ‘Let us make fires the length of the hall for our friends and show genuine hospitality to these worldly guests so that everyone will be pleased.’

  Men were then sent to light the fire. Meanwhile, King Hrolf and his men sat with their weapons, never letting them out of their reach. The flames increased quickly, as neither pitch nor dry wood was spared. King Adils and his retainers arranged themselves on one side of the fire, and King Hrolf and his champions were on the other side. Each group sat on a long bench, and they spoke graciously across to each other.

  King Adils said, ‘Concerning you, champions of King Hrolf, there is no exaggeration in what is said about your valour. Of course, you think yourselves better than anyone else, but there is no lie in what is said about your stamina. Now build up the fires,’ said King Adils, ‘because I cannot discern clearly which one of you is the king. They will not flee from the fire, even if they are rather warmed by it.’

  So it was done as Adils instructed. He wanted in this way to learn for certain where King Hrolf was, assuming that Hrolf would not be able to tolerate the heat as well as his champions. To Adils it seemed that it would be easier to get hold of Hrolf, when he knew for certain where he was. Truly King Adils wanted King Hrolf dead.

  Bodvar realized this fact, as did several of the others, and they could only shelter the king partly from the heat. They did this as well as they could, but not so much that he would be revealed. As the fire burned at its fiercest, King Hrolf concentrated on reminding himself that he had sworn to flee neither fire nor iron. He realized that King Adils intended to make this situation a trial: he and his champions would either burn there or fail to fulfil their solemn vow. Now they saw that King Adils had moved his throne all the way back to the outer wall of the hall, as his men also did.

  More fuel was constantly being piled on the fire. King Hrolf and his men saw that the fire would reach them unless something was done. Their clothes had already been scorched when they threw their shields into the fire. Together Bodvar and Svipdag said:

  10. Let’s feed the fires

  In Adils’ stronghold

  Next, each of them seized one of the men who were feeding the flames. Bodvar and Svipdag each pitched his man into the fire and said, ‘Enjoy the fire’s warmth in return for your pains and labour, because we are completely baked. Now it is your turn to bake because of your diligence in building a fire for us.’

  Hjalti at his end seized a third man and threw him into the flames; then they did the same to all the men who kept working the fires. Nobody was saved, and they all burned to ashes because no one dared to approach the fire.

  Then, King Hrolf said:

  11. He flees no fire

  who jumps over it.

  Next Hrolf and all his champions, intending to seize Adils, jumped over the fire. When King Adils saw what they were doing, he saved himself by running to the tree that stood in the hall. The tree was hollow, and so he used his magic and sorcery to escape from the hall.

  Next King Adils entered Queen Yrsa’s room, intending to speak with her. She received him coldly and said many harsh things to him, ‘You first had my husband King Helgi killed and you behaved deceitfully toward him, keeping his property from its rightful owner. And now you wish to kill my son. You are the cruellest and the most terrible of men. I will make every effort to see that King Hrolf gets the property and that you suffer a fitting disgrace.’

  King Adils answered: ‘Matters are such that neither of us here will trust
the other. From now on, I will not come into your sight.’ With this their talk ended.

  Queen Yrsa went to meet King Hrolf and greeted him heartily. He welcomed her greeting. She arranged for a man to serve Hrolf and provided gracious hospitality to his company. When the servingman came before King Hrolf, he said, ‘This man’s face is thin and angular like a ladder carved from a pole*–and this man is your king?’67

  King Hrolf said, ‘You have given me the name kraki and it will stick to me; but what gift will you give me to confirm the name-fastening?’

  The man, who was named Vogg, answered, ‘I have nothing to give, because I am a man without property.’

  King Hrolf said, ‘He who has must give.’ He pulled a gold ring off his own arm and gave it to the man.

  Vogg said, ‘Of all the men who give, you are the most fortunate, and that is the best of treasures.’

  But the king found that Vogg attached too much value to the gift and said, ‘Vogg rejoices in little.’

  Vogg, putting one foot up on the bench, said, ‘I swear this oath: I will avenge you, if I live longer and if you are killed by men.’

  The king said, ‘You mean well, though there are others more likely to undertake this project than you.’

  They understood that this man would be faithful and true in the small ways in which he could contribute. They thought, however, that Vogg was destined only for minor accomplishments because he was a man of little account. From then on they concealed nothing from him. Now they wanted to sleep, and they believed that they could rest without fear in the rooms chosen for them by the queen.

  Bodvar said, ‘Things have been nicely prepared for us here and the queen wishes us well, but King Adils wishes us as much harm as he can cause. I would be greatly surprised if events conclude as they are now.’