Part 8 (1/2)
The numbers in parentheses in the above chart represent the chronological order of marriages and liaisons. According to the saga, Helgi had offspring first with Queen Olof, next with Queen Yrsa and then with the Elfin Woman
The Family of Bodvar Bjarki.
The Family of Svipdag.
Equivalent Characters in Old Norse, Old English and Latin Accounts of King Hrolf Kraki This table is designed to a.s.sist the reader in comparing different versions of the story of King Hrolf Kraki by providing a quick means of identifying equivalent characters in the Old Norse Hrolfs Saga, the Old English Bowulf, Saxo Grammaticus's Latin Gesta Danorum (History of the Danes) and the Latin paraphrase of the Old Norse Skjoldunga Saga.
Hrolfs Saga Skjoldunga Saga Gesta Danorum Bowulf Ails Adillus Athislus adgils Bovarr Bjarki Bodvarus Biarco Bowulf*
Froi Frodo Frotho Frda Halfdan Halfda.n.u.s Halda.n.u.s Healfdene Helgi Helgo Helgo Hlga Hroarr Roas Roe Hrgr Hrolfr Kraki Rolfo Krake Roluo Krake Hrulf Skjoldr Skioldus Skioldus Scyld Scfing Yrsa Yrsa Vrsa Yrse*
Glossary of Proper Names This glossary has been compiled to provide the reader with a tool for locating the people (both human and supernatural), groups, places, animals and objects that appear in The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. Entries are alphabetized. Numbers refer to the chapters in the saga. When entries appear in brackets it signifies that the character plays an important part in the chapter without being explicitly named there.
ADILS: King of Sweden, marries Yrsa, 11; treacherously ambushes and kills Helgi, 12; gloats over Helgi's death, 13; takes champion Svipdag into his retinue, but abandons Svipdag in battle against berserkers, 14; Hrolf wants treasure of Helgi which Adils has, 15; mentioned 16, 33; Bodvar incites Hrolf to get treasure from him, 25; Hrolf's champions tested by Hrani to prepare them to meet Adils, 26; when Hrolf and his champions come to his hall, he uses magic against them and has armed men treacherously attack them, 27; has fires built up to try to scorch Hrolf and his men, 28; sends a boar against them, 28; attempts to burn them in the house, 28; has Hrolf and his men attacked, but hides himself, 29; pursues Hrolf, 29; stoops to pick up the ring Sviagris which Hrolf has thrown down, and Hrolf cuts off his b.u.t.tocks, 30.
AGNAR: son of Hroar and Ogn, 9; becomes a famous warrior, 9; retrieves ring that was thrown into the sea, 9.
AGNAR: a berserker killed by Bodvar, 33.
BERA: a farmer's daughter, loved by Bjorn, 18; meets Bjorn, now a were-bear, 20; receives the ring that is under Bjorn's shoulder when he is killed in bear form, 20; forced by Hvit to eat some of the bear's flesh, 20; gives birth to Bjorn's sons Elk-Frodi, Thorir and Bodvar, 20; gives sons their father's legacy, 20; reveals to Bodvar and to King Hring the story of Bjorn's death, shows ring as proof, 22; marries Valsleyt, 22.
BEYGAD: son of Svip, who sends him to help his brother Svipdag, in dire straits in battle with berserkers, 14; [goes with Svipdag to join King Hrolf, 15]; in Hrolf's retinue, 24; accompanies Hrolf to Adils' hall, 27; holds the horn, 30; called by Hjalti to Hrolf's final battle, 32.
BJALKI: a man in King Hrolf's retinue, 15.
BJORN: son of King Hring of Uppdales in Norway, 17; loves Bera, 18; remains at home with Queen Hvit while his father goes raiding, 18; turned into a bear by Hvit, who is angry because he rejected her advances, 19; Bjorn, now a were-bear, meets Bera, 20; he tells her of his impending death and of the sons they will have, 20; he is killed in bear-form, 20; Bera and Bodvar reveal the story of his death and punish Hvit for it, 22.
BODVAR BJARKI: son of Bjorn and Bera, 20; tortures and kills Hvit to avenge his father Bjorn, 22; succeeds Hring as king, 22; draws from a rock the sword left him by his father, 23; visits Elk-Frodi, receives a strengthening drink of Elk-Frodi's blood, 23; visits Thorir, 23; joins King Hrolf's retinue, 23; rescues Hott from mistreatment by Hrolf's retainers, 23; kills monster, makes Hott drink its blood, 23; challenges one of Hrolf's berserkers, 24; accounted Hrolf's greatest champion, 24; marries Hrolf's daughter Drifa, 24; incites Hrolf to reclaim his father's wealth from King Adils, 25; withstands ordeal set by Hrani (Odin), 26; with Hrolf in Adils' hall, 27, 28, 29; realizes that by refusing Odin's gift of weapons, Hrolf has lost victory, 30; called Bjarki because he cleared out Hrolf's berserkers, 32; a great bear his fetch fights while he sits in the hall, 33; Hjalti rouses him to battle, and the bear disappears, 33; falls in battle against Skuld and Hjorvard, 34.
DENMARK: kingdom of Halfdan, seized by Frodi, 1; kingdom of Helgi, 5, 8, 12; kingdom of Hrolf, 15, 16, 23, 30, 31, 34.
DRIFA: daughter of King Hrolf, 15; married to Bodvar, 24.
ELK-FRODI (FRODI): son of Bjorn and Bera, 20; man above and elk below the navel, 20; draws from rock a short sword left him by his father, 20; becomes an outlaw, 20; advises his brother Thorir how to become king of the Gauts, 21; mentioned, 22; Bodvar visits him in disguise, 23; they wrestle until Elk-Frodi recognizes Bodvar; 23; advises Bodvar to join Hrolf's champions, 23; gives Bodvar a strengthening drink of his blood, 23; avenges Bodvar, 34.
ENGLAND: Nordri king there, 5; Hroar settles there, 5.
FINN: King of Finnmark, father of Hvit, 17.
FINNMARK: Hring's men, searching for a bride for him, come ash.o.r.e in Finnmark, where they find Hvit, 17.
FRODI: king who seizes Denmark from his brother Halfdan, 1; unsuccessfully searches for Hroar and Helgi, 2; discovers ident.i.ty of Hroar and Helgi when they come to his hall in Saevil's train, 3; burned in his hall by Hroar and Helgi, Regin and Saevil, 4.
FRODI see ELK-FRODI.
FYRIS PLAINS: Hrolf scatters gold on the Fyris Plains, his pursuers stop to retrieve it and are slowed down, 30.
GALTERUS: Master Galterus attributed Hrolf's defeat to the fact that he did not know his Creator (i.e. was a pagan), 34.
GAUTLAND: Thorir Hound's Foot becomes king there, 21; Bodvar visits Thorir in Gautland, 23.
GAUTS: only the man who can fill a large chair can become their king Thorir Hound's Foot does so, 21.
GOLDEN HILT (Gullinn-hjalti): Hrolf's sword, which he gives to Hott, renaming him Hjalti in its honour, 23.
GRAM: Hrolf's dog, fells monstrous boar sent by Adils, 28.
HABROK: Hrolf's hawk, 27; [kills all of Adils' hawks, 29].
HAKI, 'the Valiant': one of Hrolf's champions, 32.
HAKLANG: one of Hrolf's champions, 32.
HALFDAN: King of Denmark, defeated and killed by his brother Frodi, 1; mentioned, 2, 3, 4, 5.
HAM: alias under which Hroar conceals his ident.i.ty, 3.
HARDREFIL: one of Hrolf's champions, 32.
HELGI: son of King Halfdan, 1; hides on Vifil's island from his uncle Frodi, who seeks to destroy him, 2; conceals himself with Jarl Saevil under the name Hrani, 3; follows Saevil to Frodi's hall, 3; escapes to the woods when his ident.i.ty is revealed, 3; interprets Regin's riddling hints of how to destroy Frodi, 3; burns Frodi in his hall, 4; described as a great warrior, 4; rules over Denmark, 5; attempts to marry warrior queen Olof, is disgraced by her, 6; tricks and rapes Olof in revenge for her earlier insult, 7; marries Yrsa, his daughter by Olof, not knowing her parentage, 7; gives Hroar a valuable ring, 7; refuses Hrok's demands for the ring or a share of the kingdom, 8; Ogn appeals to him to avenge Hroar, who was killed by Hrok, 8; defeats and mutilates Hrok, 9; has son Hrolf by Yrsa, 9; Olof reveals that his marriage to Yrsa is incestuous, and Yrsa leaves him, 10; Helgi mourns her loss, 10; mates with an elfin woman, by whom he has a daughter Skuld, 11; goes to Uppsala to see Yrsa, now married to Adils, 12; treacherously ambushed and killed by Adils, 12; Yrsa reproaches Adils for killing Helgi, 13, 28; Hrolf seeks treasure that belonged to him, now held by Adils, 25, 26; Hrolf gets Helgi's treasure, 29.
HEID: seeress, betrays Hroar and Helgi to Frodi and predicts his death at their hands, 3.
HJALTI (see HOTT): new name given to Hott by Hrolf after Hott 'kills' a monster, 23; challenges Hrolf's berserker, 24; one of Hrolf's greatest champions and given the name 'the Magnanimous', 24; with Hrolf in Adils' hall, 27, 28, 29; mutilates his mistress, 32; gives alarm to Hrolf's champions of attack by Hjorvard and Skuld, 32; rouses Bodvar to battle so that the bear which was Bodvar's fetch disappears, 33.
HJORVARD: marries Skuld, 16; tricked into being subject to Hrolf, 16; incited by Skuld to attack Hrolf, 31; battles Hrolf and his champions, 32, 33; killed, 34.
HLEIDARGARD: Hrolf's royal seat in Denmark, 16, 23, 32.
HO: one of Vifil's two dogs, 1; Vifil calls dogs to warn Hroar and Helgi, 2; seeress reveals that 'Ho' was Helgi, 3.
HOPP: one of Vifil's two dogs, 1; Vifil calls dogs to warn Hroar and Helgi, 2; seeress reveals that 'Hopp' was Hroar, 3.
HOTT (see HJALTI): farmer's son, pelted with bones by Hrolf's retinue, 23; Bodvar rescues him from the bone heap, 23; Bodvar kills a monster and makes him drink its blood, 23; he becomes strong and courageous, 23; they set up the dead monster and Hott 'kills' it a second time in front of Hrolf's retinue, 23; Hrolf gives him a new name, Hjalti, 23.
HRANI: alias under which Helgi conceals his ident.i.ty, 3.
HRANI (ODIN): tests Hrolf's men with cold, thirst and heat, 26; offers Hrolf weapons, is offended when he refuses, Hrolf then realizes that he was Odin, 30.
HRING: king in Norway, 17; has son Bjorn, 17; marries Hvit, 17; goes out raiding, leaving Bjorn at home with Hvit, 18; Hvit tries to seduce his son Bjorn, 19; urged by Hvit to kill bear (who is Bjorn), 20; gives Bera the ring from the bear's shoulder, 20; mentioned, 21; told the story of Bjorn's death, 22; makes Bodvar his heir, 22; dies, 22.
HROAR: son of King Halfdan, 1; hides on Vifil's island from his uncle Frodi, who seeks to destroy him, 2; conceals himself with Jarl Saevil under the name Ham, 3; follows Saevil to Frodi's hall, 3; escapes into the woods when his ident.i.ty is revealed, 3; burns Frodi in his hall, 4; described as a mild and gentle man, 4; marries Ogn the daughter of Nordri and settles in England, 5; asks for and receives valuable ring from Helgi, 7; cuts off Hrok's feet when Hrok throws ring into the sea, 8; Hrok kills him in revenge, 8; Helgi takes revenge from him, 9.
HROK: son of Saevil and Signy, 5; demands from Helgi a valuable ring or a third of the kingdom of Denmark, 8; Helgi refuses, saying he has given the ring to Hroar, 8; Hrok asks Hroar to show him the ring, then flings it into the sea, 8; Hroar cuts off Hrok's feet, 8; Hrok, in revenge, kills Hroar and demands that Ogn marry him, 8; defeated and mutilated by Helgi, 9.
HROLF: son of Helgi and Yrsa, 9; mentioned, 11; Svip tells of his fame and that of his champions, 15; Svipdag joins his retinue, 15; tricks Hjorvard into being his subject, 16; Bodvar joins his retinue, 23; he renames Hott, Hjalti, 23; makes peace between his berserkers and Bodvar and Hjalti, now the greatest members of his retinue, 24; incited by Bodvar to reclaim his father's wealth from King Adils, 25; journeys to meet Adils, 26; encounters farmer Hrani (Odin) who tests his men with cold, thirst and heat, 26; enters Adils' hall, 27; his men conceal from Adils which one is Hrolf, 27; Adils attacks with magic and armed men, 27; he repulses attack, 27; Adils builds up fires in hall to scorch him, 28; he leads his men in leaping over fire, 28; Yrsa welcomes him, 28; Vogg gives him name kraki and promises to avenge his death, 28; Adils sends boar to attack him, 28; Adils tries to burn him in the house, 28; escapes from burning hall, 29; fights and fells Adils' men, 29; receives ring Sviagris and much treasure from Yrsa, 29; scatters treasure, so that pursuers stop to pick it up and are slowed down, 30; throws down ring Sviagris, 30; cuts off Adils' b.u.t.tocks when he stoops to retrieve it, 30; refuses weapons offered him by Hrani, who is Odin he thereby loses the gift of victory, 30; Skuld plans attack on him, 31; warned by Hjalti of attack, 32; battles Skuld and Hjorvard, 33; killed, 34.