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Title: The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin Classics) by Jesse L. Byock ISBN: 0-14-043593-X Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (8 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Part of the backbone of Danish history
Comment: I loved these stories when I was a kid.
Not to say that this is children's literature at all, but the saga of Rolf Krake (as he is spelled in modern Danish) has all the traits of a classic fairy tale. The(stereotypically heroic) hero and his various (archetypal) comrades, the treacherous, devious and un-heroic scoundrel, and a bit of shape-shifting as well.
And these tales, handed down orally from the 6th century and written down in the middle ages some eight hundred years later, are known (peripherially, at least) by most Danes today, and probably considered much more historic than they are.
How much truth there is to the legend of king Hrodulf (as his real name appears to have been) will probably never be proven...there are almost no written sources, and those who do mention him do so only in passing as one of two Danish kings in the early 6th century (no, I'm not including "Beowulf" as a historical source). But that fact doesn't detract anything from the power and the sheer entertainment value of these potent and colourful tales.
Rating: 5
Summary: A MUST READ for any fan of medieval history.
Comment: Author, Jesse Byock, is considered the world's leading expert on the vikings. This new translation of the Norse epic brings clear a tale that is very similar to the story of Beowulf---however, it is told from the Norse point of view.
This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in the Vikings .
Rating: 3
Summary: Interesting and Distinctive Saga
Comment: This is an interesting saga featuring semi-legendary Norse characters. It is presented and translated by the distinguished scholar of Icelandic history, Jesse Byock. The saga is a series of linked tales related to the life of the legendary Danish monarch, Hrolf Hraki. It is an example of a form of Icelandic saga based on the legendary or semi-legendary Norse past rather that the family or historical basis of many well known Icelandic sagas. This saga is drawn from the same stock of legends and characters used by the Beowulf poet. The stories are definitely interesting, the translation reads well, and Byock's introduction and notes are excellent. Nonetheless, this saga is of greater intellectual than artistic interest. Unlike Beowulf, this is a compilation of tales, not a unified poetic work. While the tales are good reading, this saga lacks the focus and poetic majesty of Beowulf. This saga lacks also the intensely realistic qualities of the family sagas and the unity derived from concentration on a few characters. This book is short, reads smoothly and is well worth the time expended on reading it.
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Title: The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer (Penguin Classics) by Jesse L. Byock ISBN: 0140447385 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: King Harald's Saga (Classics S.) by Magnus Magnusson, Paulsson Herman ISBN: 0140441832 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1976 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Edda (Everyman Paperback Classics) by Snorri Sturluson, Anthony Faulkes ISBN: 0460876163 Publisher: Everymans Library Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Eyrbyggja Saga (Penguin Classics) by Hermann Palsson, Paul Edwards, Hermann Palsson, Paul Geoffrey Edwards ISBN: 0140445307 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1989 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Saga of the Jomsvikings by Lee M. Hollander, Malcolm Thurgood ISBN: 0292776233 Publisher: University of Texas Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1989 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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