This week, we will be discussing two genres of saga literature, king and mythical-hero. I will start by discussing the genres and then I will provide summaries of a few sagas that are well known from these categories. I will avoid summaries and spoiling details, but I will discuss the most popular kings and heroes that appear in these saga types. I will also try to avoid spoiling any of the stories too much.

Contents:

1. Konungasögur and Fornaldasögur
2. Sigurðr and the Volsungs
3. Ragnarr Loðbrók
4. King Hrolf Kraki and Beowulf
5. Performance

Konungasögur and Fornaldasögur

Konungasögur (King Sagas) are sagas that tell of the lives and feats of various, historical kings. The majority of sagas that fall under this category are in Heimskringla, a collection of Norwegian king sagas written by Snorri Sturluson. The centerpiece of this collection is the saga of Saint Olaf. The basis for these sagas come from skaldic poetry, for the court poets recorded the lives and achievements of their respective kings. Their verses are often quoted in sagas and as a result, they add authority to their credibility as well (at least in the eyes of their contemporary audience).

Fornaldasögur (Mythical-hero Sagas) tell of great heroes, far-flung events, and supernatural intervention. The majority of these sagas a set before the Viking Age (prior to 870, mostly). They present a world full of trolls, giants, dwarves, and tyrants. As a result, a lot of mythological information gets tied up into these works, which is quite useful for the study of lore and myth. These stories likely derive from oral tradition and were for entertainment and forging social bonds.

Sigurðr and the Volsungs

Sigurðr (Sigurd) is known by more than one name and come from more than one telling. The one to be discussed in this lesson will be the Volsunga saga version, but there is another, later version called the Nibelungenlied, which features Sigurd as Siegfried. He is a very old Germanic hero, his story taking place near the Rhine. His story likely dates back to the fifth or sixth century, when Attila threatened Europe and the Roman Empire only just recently dissolved.

Sigurd comes from a family line known as the Volsungs, who are the great grandsons of Odin. This makes Sigurd a great, great, great (etc) descendant of Odin himself. Even Sigurd’s horse, whose name is Grani, is a descendant of Sleipnir (Odin’s eight-legged horse) and gift from Odin. Sigurd’s greatest achievement is his slaying of the dragon Fafnir. He even tastes Fafnir’s blood and can understand the language of birds. However, there is a great deal more within this saga than just that feat alone.

These achievements are even on a runestone, not just a saga. Here is an image of this runestone below:

Ragnarr Loðbrók

A big-time favorite among modern audiences, Ragnarr Loðbrók (Ragnar Hairy-breeches) is much like Sigurd. Sometimes, Ragnar is considered to be similar to King Arthur as well (A Danish version), for he is likely to have existed in reality, but has also been woven strongly into mythological legend. His story is told in Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum, which is a blend between oral tradition and propaganda.

The historical legend differs a bit from the popular show. It is difficult to say whether or not the show will turn out like the saga (and I honestly do hope it doesn’t). Still, I won’t share any details, since a lot of you do watch the show and would rather go without possible spoils. However, I will note that his events, and even Lagertha’s, are recorded in this saga. I will also say that the complicated patterns of love and battle are also much like they are in the show.

King Hrolf Kraki and Beowulf

King Hrolf Kraki was a Danish, legendary king of “ancient times”. His saga was written in Iceland around the year 1400 (much later than the time it discusses), but it is a compilation of older material. Hrolf and his family descend from the famous Skjoldung Dynasty, a legendary family in Denmark that is also featured in Beowulf. 

In fact,  such of the material regarding Hrolf and Beowulf are interconnected, characters most notably. The connection between these literatures is quite interesting to keep in mind. Here is a list of people who appear in both Hrolf´s saga (Old Norse) and Beowulf (Old English):

1. Aðils –> Ēadgils
2. Böðvarr Bjarki –> Beowulf* (probable association)
3. Fróði –> Frōda (Frodo in Latin, by the way *hint, hint*)
4. Hálfdan –> Healfdene
5. Helgi –> Hālga
6. Hróarr –> Hrōðgār
7. Hrólfr Kraki –> Hrōðulf
8. Skjöldr –> Scyld Scēfing
9. Yrsa –> Yrse* (probable association)

Much of Hrolf’s saga actually covers his various campions, much like how Arthurian literature spend more time on the knights of his table rather than King Arthur himself. Once again, mythological material plays a vital role in his saga. All I shall say is to never offend Odin.

Performance

These epic narratives were actually performed in courts and halls, covering the stories of these ancient germanic heroes. They were done in a meter called Fornyrðislag and were narrated by a third party and recited by a single skald, who would play multiple parts. Dialogs and present actions would be done in a meter called Ljóðaháttr. It is impressive to keep this in mind, that these skalds had these massive narratives memorized and performed them infant of audiences. In this time, stories were expected to be fluid and change to fit the audience or occasion. 

Key Terms

1. Konungasögur – Sagas about kings
   1. Heimskringla – A collection of sagas written by Snorri Sturluson on various Norwegian kings.
2. Fornaldasögur – Mythical-hero sagas
3. Sigurðr – Sigurd, the most famous germanic hero
   1. Volsunga saga – the Old Norse version of his story
   2. Nibelungenlied – the later medieval German version of his story
   3. Siegfried – Sigurd’s name in the Nibelungenlied
   4. Volsungs – descendants of Odin
   5. Grani – Sigurd’s horse (descendant of Sleipnir)
   6. Sleipnir – Odin’s eight-legged horse
   7. Fafnir – dragon
4. Ragnarr Loðbrók – Ragnar Hairy-breeches
   1. Gesta Danorum – a work by Saxo Grammaticus that is a blend between oral tradition and propaganda.
5. King Hrolf Kraki – Famous Danish king
   1. Skjoldung Dynasty – once a legendary family in Denmark
6. Beowulf – the well known hero and slayer of Grendel
7. Fornyrðislag – meter for performing epic narratives
8. Ljóðaháttr – meter for dialog and present events while performing epic narratives.

Wrap-up

Although I was rather brief about many of their legends a stories, I do hope this lesson was fruitful. I encourage those interested to read these sagas and stories to get the best idea of their heroic and kingly nature. With this lesson as your background, you should be able to read them with a better understanding of their changes, connections, and significances.

Next week’s lesson: Literature and the Sagas, Part V: The Icelandic Sagas and Saga Style. [multi-part lesson series]

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Sources

1. Jennifer Dukes-Knight, “Literature and the Sagas.” Lecture, Viking History, University of South Florida, 2015.
2. Ann-Sofi Cullhed, Detail of the Ramsund Sigurd stone, c. 1030. <link>
3. Jesse L. Byock trans., The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. (London: Penguin Classics, 1998), 90.

Recommended reading:

• The Saga of Ragnar Loðbrók (link)
• The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (link)
• Beowulf (link) or (link)
• Volsunga Saga (link)
• Nibelungenlied (link)
• Elder/Poetic Edda Poems on Sigurd (link) or (link) or (link)