Essay Comparing Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki

Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki There are so many similarities amidst the hero of the poem Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, an Iceland saga representing metre years of oral traditions earlier to the 1300s when it was written, that these similarities cannot be attributed solely to coincidence. The Cambridge History of English and American books states that the hero of the poem, Beowulf himself, may be the same person as Bodvar Biarki, the captain of Hrolfr Krakis knights (v1, ch3, s3, n13). George Clark in The whiz and the Theme mentions The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the Bears Son folk tale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the combat myth. . . . (286). In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, Bodvar is the grandson of a might (Hring) in Beowulf the hero is the grandson of a king (Hrethel). Bodvars father has been expelled from his country, Gautland Beowulfs father Ecgtheow has been expelled from Geatland. Bodvars father is d eparted Beowulfs father is dead (Hrothgar says,his father, now dead, was named Ecgtheow) (373). Bodvar as a male child was so strong that he was not permitted to take part in the kings games past the age of twelve because he wound too many of his opponents Beowulf as a young man was so strong that he was the strongest of all living men (196). Bodvar was huge Beowulf was stately and huge (198). Bodvar was more noble than the people around him Beowulf refused to accept the kingship from puff Hygd upon Hygelacs death, risked his life various times for the benefit of others, put his witness welfare last instead of first, and distributed his wealth generously when it was warranted. Though Beowulf is awake to collect his winnings, ... ...en and the gentlest, the kindest to his people (3181). The Iceland saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, written in the 1300s, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. The remarkable similarities between this sagas main contribution and Beow ulfs main character are just too astonishing to dismiss as mere coincidences. BIBLIOGRAPHY Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York Anchor Books, 1977. Clark, Gorge. The Hero and the Theme. In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, northeast Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, translated by Jesse L. Byock. New York Penguin Books, 1998. Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York G.P. Putnams Sons, 190721 New York Bartleby.com, 2000