Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar and the Originality of Beowulf

Abstract

For over a century and a half, scholars have worked to establish links between medieval Scandinavian saga material and the Old English alliterative epic Beowulf. The present article investigates connections between the Anglo-Saxon poem and Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar—an Old Norse saga unique for preserving a story about a Geatish monster-killer who, like Beowulf, is active in Denmark and then returns to rule his homeland as king. This investigation is first situated within the broader currents of the research field and some key assumptions about the relationship between Beowulf and its Old Norse analogues are set out. The parallels between the monster-fights of Beowulf and Hrólfr Gautreksson are then considered in detail. Hrólfr’s slaying of Grímarr in Denmark, and of his vengeful relative Grímnir further afield, are compared in turn with Beowulf’s fateful encounters with Grendel and his mother. Consideration is then given to the links between the careers and movements of these two heroes. It is demonstrated that intriguing parallels exist between the early life, fosterage and accession of these figures. The narrative links established in this article between Beowulf and Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar shed new light upon the shape of the folktale from which both texts may ultimately derive. It is argued that the political and geographical connections between these narratives tentatively point to a more significant conclusion: that both Beowulf and Hrólfs saga perhaps draw upon an older narrative concerning a Geatish monster-killer. This allows for a new insight into the relative originality of the Old English epic.