Sæl Daniel, Jed, Laurel, Simon, Thomas and anyone
else who wants to join in!
Simon asked for some background information on the
tale, so here's some info taken from the introduction to Byock's
translation...
It is one of the major Scandinavian legendary tales
and belongs to the mythic-heroic sagas known as fornaldar sagas. These
tell of events which are supposed to have occurred long before the settlement of
Iceland.
Hrolf's saga was written in the 14th century and is
similar to the English poem Beowulf. Both draw on a common tradition of
storytelling, recounting events that are supposed to taken place in the 5th or
6th century in Denmark. Both Beowulf and Hrolf's saga provides information
about a powerful champion (Beowulf and Bodvar) whose bearlike character may
reflect the distant memory of early cultic practices.
If you want to know how Bodvar came to be known as
Bjarki, you'll have to read the first 23 chapters of the saga!!!
Anyway, here are lines 8-20 from Gordon's reader in
the attachment.
Have fun!
Sarah.