The Relation of the Hrólfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarímur to Beowulf: A Contribution To The History Of Saga Development In England And The; Scandinavian CountriesOlson, Oscar Ludvig
History
The Relation of the Hrólfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarímur to Beowulf: A Contribution To The History Of Saga Development In England And The; Scandinavian Countries
Our next question is, What stories of the "exile-return" type were
current in the portions of England in which the Hroar-Helgi story would
naturally circulate? We think, of course, immediately of _Havelok the
Dane_. Deutschbein has shown that _Havelok_ is founded on historical
events that occurred in the first half of the tenth century.[133] The
gist of the story is that an heir to the Danish throne is deprived of
his heritage, suffers deep humiliation, but finally regains his heritage
and, through marriage, the crown of Norfolk in England in addition. The
story was of a nature to make a strong appeal to the Scandinavians,
especially the Danes, in England. It achieved, in fiction, the ambition
which the Danes realized under Swen and Canute, when these sovereigns
governed both Denmark and England. It was a Danish story; it was
developed after 950, which was about the time the third stage in the
development of the Hroar-Helgi story had been reached; and it was a
creation of the Scandinavians in England, among whom the story
circulated.
Closely connected with the Havelok story is the Meriadoc story, the
first part of which, as Deutschbein has shown,[134] and in regard to
which J.D. Bruce agrees with him,[135] is based on the Havelok story.
These stories Deutschbein calls "cymrisch-skandinavische Sage" and says,
"Wir sehen, dass den Cymren und den Skandinaviern in England der
wesentliche Anteil an der Entwicklung unserer Sage zukommt."[136]
It is evident that in the Havelok and Meriadoc stories we have every
condition present for contact between them and the Hroar-Helgi story,
namely: time (after 950); place (England); people among whom all the
stories would circulate (Scandinavians, coming in contact with the
Welsh); and, in the case of the Havelok and Hroar-Helgi stories, a
popular theme dealing with Danish princes who regain a lost kingdom. The
theme would be all the more popular as the time when the Havelok story
was developed was a period of struggle on the part of the Scandinavians
in the British Isles to gain and maintain supremacy.[137] Again, the
nature of the Hroar-Helgi story was such that its development depended
wholly on invention or on contact with other stories.
The first part of the Meriadoc story, with which a comparison will be
made, is summarized by J.D. Bruce as follows:--
"In the time of Uther Pendragon, Caradoc ruled over Wales. He had a
son and a daughter by his wife, a princess of Ireland, which
country he had conquered. As old age approaches, he turns over the
government of his kingdom to his brother Griffith and devotes
himself to hunting and amusement. Wicked men persuade Griffith to
slay his brother and seize the throne. Despite the warning of a
dream, Caradoc goes hunting and is slain by hired assassins in the
forest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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