Bear-Dreaming: Converging Animal Traditions in Hrólfs Saga Kraka

Abstract

The final battle scene in Hrólfs saga kraka includes a striking episode in which the famed champion Bǫðvarr bjarki fights in the form of a bear. Despite the story of King Hrólfr kraki and his champions surviving in various medieval sources, Bǫðvarr’s taking bear form at the final battle is unique to Hrólfs saga . Traditionally Bǫðvarr and the rest of the king’s champions were berserkir , warriors with the strength and rage of ferocious beasts. However they could not take animal form. The presence of animal double forms is common in the Icelandic sagas, but that tradition is separate from that of the berserkir . By the time that Hrólfs saga reached its current form, continental romance influence was prominent in Icelandic literature. This created a troublesome environment for a heroic berserkr . By analyzing medieval Icelandic animal-warrior and animal-double traditions, this article explores how chivalric influence led to a convergence of these motifs in Hrólfs saga kraka .

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