Overview

Composed in medieval Iceland, Hrolf's Saga is a story from the Viking Age that recalls ancient Scandinavia of the Migration Period, when the warrior chieftain King Hrolf ruled in Denmark.

In the Viking World, King Hrolf served as a symbol of courage. Sharing rich oral traditions with the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Hrolf's Saga recounts the tragedy of strife within Denmark's royal hall. It tells of powerful women and the exploits of Hrolf's famous champions - including, Bodvar Bjarki, the 'bear-warrior,' who strikingly resembles Beowulf. Combining heroic legend, myth, and magic, Hrolf's Saga tells of wizards, sorceresses, and 'berserker' fighters, originally members of a cult of Odin. Most startling is the central love triangle: Hrolf's father, a man of insatiable appetites, unknowingly abducts his daughter, who later marries the despised sorcerer King Adils of Sweden.

A powerful human drama with deep historical roots, extraordinary events, and fierce battles, Hrolf's Saga ranks among the masterworks of the Middle Ages.

[See the Penguin Classics edition's Table of Contents]