Monday, August 19, 2019
Essay Comparing Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki
Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki à à à There are so many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, an Iceland saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300ââ¬â¢s when it was written, that these similarities cannot be attributed solely to coincidence. à The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states that the hero of the poem, Beowulf himself, may be the same person as Bodvar Biarki, the chief of Hrolfr Krakiââ¬â¢s knights (v1, ch3, s3, n13). George Clark in ââ¬Å"The Hero and the Themeâ⬠mentions: ââ¬Å"The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ââ¬ËBearââ¬â¢s Sonââ¬â¢ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ââ¬Ëcombat mythââ¬â¢. . . .â⬠(286). In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, Bodvar is the grandson of a king (Hring); in Beowulf the hero is the grandson of a king (Hrethel). Bodvarââ¬â¢s father has been expelled from his country, Gautland; Beowulfââ¬â¢s father Ecgtheow has been expelled from Geatland. Bodvarââ¬â¢s father is dead; Beowulfââ¬â¢s father is dead (Hrothgar says,â⬠his father, now dead, was named Ecgtheowâ⬠) (373). Bodvar as a boy was so strong that he was not permitted to take part in the kingââ¬â¢s games past the ag e of twelve because he injured too many of his opponents; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that ââ¬Å"he was the strongest of all living menâ⬠(196). Bodvar was huge; Beowulf was ââ¬Å"noble and hugeâ⬠(198). Bodvar was more noble than the people around him; Beowulf refused to accept the kingship from Queen Hygd upon Hygelacââ¬â¢s death, risked his life various times for the benefit of others, put his own welfare last instead of first, and distributed his wealth generously when it was warranted. ââ¬Å"Though Beowulf is careful to collect his winnings, ... ...en and the gentlest, the kindest to his peopleâ⬠(3181). à The Iceland saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, written in the 1300ââ¬â¢s, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. The remarkable similarities between this sagaââ¬â¢s main character and Beowulfââ¬â¢s main character are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences. à BIBLIOGRAPHY à Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977. à Clark, Gorge. ââ¬Å"The Hero and the Theme.â⬠In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. à The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, translated by Jesse L. Byock. New York: Penguin Books, 1998. à Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnamââ¬â¢s Sons, 1907ââ¬â21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000
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