The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
Jesse L. Byock - Author
Jesse L. Byock - Translator
ISBN 9780140435931 | 144 pages | 01 Feb 1999 | Penguin Classics | 5.07 x 7.79in | 18 - AND UP
|
Composed in medieval Iceland, Hrolf’s Saga recalls ancient
Scandinavia of the Migration Period, when the warrior
chieftain King Hrolf ruled in Denmark.
Translated with an Introduction by Jesse L. Byock
In the Viking World, King Hrolf served as a symbol of courage. Sharing rich oral traditions with the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Hrolf’s Saga recounts the tragedy of strife within Denmark’s royal hall. It tells of powerful women and the exploits of Hrolf’s famous champions – including Bodvar Bjarki, the ‘bear-warrior’, who strikingly resembles Beowulf. Combining heroic legend, myth and magic, Hrolf’s Saga is full of wizards, sorceresses, and ‘beserker’ fighters, originally members of the cult of Odin. Most startling is the central love triangle: Hrolf’s father, a man of insatiable appetites, unknowingly abducts his daughter, who later marries the despised sorcerer King Adils of Sweden. A powerful human drama with deep historical roots, extraordinary events and fierce battle scenes, Hrolf’s Saga ranks among the masterworks of the Middle Ages.
Introduction
Map: The World of The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki The Saga Notes |
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