Eadgils

Beowulf and Icelandic Sagas                     There are many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and the heroes of the two Icelandic sagas, The Saga of The Volsungs and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. The former saga is an Icelandic saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun was fighting on the northern fringes of the Roman Empire; the latter is an Icelandic saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the

The world as it is depicted in Beowulf is home to many aspects of society that are at odds with behaviors acceptable in modern culture, but perhaps shares a startling number of similarities as well. As part of the Anglo-Saxon society, the concept of loyalty is imbued into the seams of the civilization, and allegiance can be found split between lords and kin. Tales concerning themselves with eternal human problems are not few and far between in Beowulf—given that it is an epic poem—and antithesis

Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki      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 1300’s when it was written, that these similarities cannot be attributed solely to coincidence.   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

In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki we are introduced to multiple kings who are different in many ways. Each one of these achieve their leadership roles in different ways and are held to different standards. Some of these kings include King Frodi, King Hegi, and of course King Hrolf Kraki. King Frodi is one of the first kings mentioned in The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki and portrayed as the jealous, cold hearted brother of Halfdan. King Frodi and King Halfdan both achieved their leadership due

Fierceness in Beowulf and in The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki        Is fierceness mentioned only in Beowulf or is it an element common also to this famous Icelandic saga? Is fierceness described the same way as in Beowulf?   The Anglo-Saxons prior to 1000AD were as a race fierce. They possessed great courage. Beowulf reflects their fierceness and courage in a variety of ways. Beowulf complains to Unferth in the Danish court: “Grendel would never have done such horrors … if you were so

Vraj Patel What were the roles of women in the Saga of King Hrolf Kraki? Compare and contrast the various female characters in the story. How were women viewed in Viking culture in general? In the Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, there were four main groups of women: “ Queens, sorceresses, a freeman’s loyal daughter and an elfin woman and her daughters” (Anon, Introduction). As stated in the Introduction of the book, the “important events turn on decisions made by women.” Throughout the book, this quote

not only concern people (e.g., Healfdene, Hroðgar, Halga, Hroðulf, Eadgils and Ohthere), but also clans (e.g., Scyldings, Scylfings and Wulfings) and some of the events (e.g., the Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern). The dating of the events in the poem has been confirmed by archaeological excavations of the barrows indicated by Snorri Sturluson and by Swedish tradition as the graves of Ohthere (dated to c. 530) and his son Eadgils (dated to c. 575) in

Though Beowulf holds many significant lines throughout its text, the first eleven introductory lines serve as a strong setup for the epic’s broad themes and cultural values. While these lines may easily be brushed off as a simple hook for the poem’s beginning, the first lines hold much more significance than one might initially assume. Within the poem, Beowulf, the poet manages to employ the first eleven lines as a means of conveying the most essential theme of kingship. The poet achieves this illustration

Beowulf's fight with the dragon is a puzzle. On the surface, it appears to be the hero's final victory, and a fitting end to his noble life. Yet, the circumstances surrounding the battle – Beowulf's disregard for his thanes' advice and the Geats' bleak future without their king – raise pointed questions about Beowulf and his motivations. No where else in the poem are the hero's actions portrayed as anything but right and good.ǂ Not surprisingly, this issue has drawn considerable critical attention

Beowulf – the Conflicts              J.D.A. Ogilvy and Donald C. Baker in “Beowulf’s Heroic Death” comment on the hero’s culpability in his final conflict:   . . .the author describes Beowulf and the dragon lying dead side by side and observes rather sententiously that it was a bad business fighting with a dragon or disturbing his hoard. Beowulf, he adds, had paid for the treasure with his life. Some commentators seem to consider this passage, combined with Wiglaf’s remarks about Beowulf’s