The Saga of Hrólf Kraki: Difference between revisions

''Hrolf Kraki's Saga'' is also the name of a novel by [[Poul Anderson]], a retelling of ''Hrólfs saga kraka'' augmented by various other sources on King Hrolf, such as Saxo Grammaticus’ ''Gesta Danorum'' and the ''Prose Edda''.

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* [[Cinderella Circumstances]]: Yrsa is raised as a servant, without knowing that Queen Oluf is her mother.

* [[Cool Sword]]: Bödvar Bjarki's sword willed to him from his father is a supreme weapon, but it has also many magic limitations: If drawn, it can only be put back into the scabbard after having killed a man, and Bödvar is not allowed to put it under his head when sleeping, to whet it more than three times in his life, and to use it at all during certain intervals.

* [[Does Not Know His Own Strength]]: When the superhumanly strong Elk-Frodi is called out for maiming or killing other kids, he argues that it's not his fault that they are so frail.

* [[Depending on the Writer]]: ''Hrolfs saga'' makes it a point that Hrolf is physically unimpressive. This is the exact opposite of Hrolf’s description in ''Gesta Danorum'', where he is unusually tall and strong. ''Gesta Danorum'' has also the scene when Vögg (Wigg) wonders at Hrolf’s size – only he wonders at Hrolf being so big, while in ''Hrolfs saga'' he wonders that he is so ''short''.

* [[Last Stand]]: Hrolf and his champions at Hleidragard.

* [[Mugging the Monster]]: When Bodvar Bjarki first arrives at Hleidragard, the retainers in Hrolf's hall think it's a good idea to pick on the newcomer. They are wrong.

* [[Only the Chosen May Wield]]: Bödvar Bjarki's father Bjorn leaves his three sons three weapons struck into a wall of rock. When the sons later arrive to retrieve the weapons, everyone of them can only take the one weapon intended for him: Elk-Frodi a short-sword, Thorir Dogfoot a battle-axe; only Bödvar can pull out the most precious weapon, a longsword.

* [[Retcon]]: ''Hrólfs saga'' describes a situation where Hrolf has twelve "champions" and twelve "berserkers" in his service, but a few decades prior, ''Snorra Edda'' was clear that Hrolf's twelve champions ''were'' Hrolf's twelve berserkers. An oversight of the author when making that change has left a slight [[Continuity Snarl]] in the expedition to Sweden, when the saga first says that Hrolf takes both the berserkers ''and'' the champions with him, but a little later it becomes clear that only the 'champions' are there.

* [[Same Sex Triplets]]: Elk-Frodi, Thorir Dogfoot, and Bodvar Bjarki.

* [[Take Our Word for It]]: Quite cleverly used to top off [[The Climax]], the last stand of Hrolf and his champions:

{{quote|''No need to spin it out with words: there fell King Hrolf and all his champions with good glory. But what a slaughter they dealt out there, words cannot describe it.''}}

* [[Traumatic Haircut]]: Queen Olof has the sleeping Helgi’s hair shorn off to humiliate him.

* [[The Undead]]: When Skuld and Hjörvard attack Hleidragard, Skuld’s magic makes her fallen warriors come alive again to continue fighting.

[[Category:The Epic]]

[[Category:Classic Literature]]

[[Category:Literature]]