The Origin of King Arthur
Hrolf Kraki, The Volsung Saga tell of Britain's famous medieval King
In ancient poetry there are some interesting parallels to the famous medieval legend of King Arthur.
Found in the Icelandic legends of the fourteenth century, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki gives us an early look at Arthuria, this legend of the son of Uther, the “Battle Bear" of medieval times.
In this story, there was a farmer’s daughter named Bera, who fell in love with the Kings son, Bjorn. The Queen, a stepmother to Bjorn, wanted an affair with Bjorn, but the King's son refused to grant it. In anger she cursed him with being a bear which would feed on the king’s cattle.
With Bjorn’s disappearance, Bera was despondent, but upon seeing a larger-than-normal bear, which refused to leave or attack her, she recognizes him as the king’s son and follows him to his cave. She there finds Bjorn the man. He explained the curse he was under; a bear by day and a man by night. They spent many days together sharing their love.
Bjorn, as a bear has meantime killed many of the king’s livestock, and the wicked Queen knowing who it is pleads with the King to kill it. One night, Bjorn tells Bera that he will be hunted and trapped on the morrow, and that she will have three sons.
Upon his death, she gives birth and raises the three boys to adulthood. Upon their leaving home, she takes them to the cave where they might be given their inheritance. The first is allotted the smallest portion. Upon seeing a long sword in the rock wall of the cave that is associated with the birthright, he tries to free it and is unable.
The second likewise tries to free the sword, but must leave with his inheritance only.
Finally the third and youngest son comes for his legacy. He is not only given wealth, but he is able to pull the sword from the stone wall.
In this epic, Odin, eerily similar to Merlin of the Arthur tales, places to the hilt, his own sword in a tree. Each man at the wedding of the bridegroom makes an attempt to pull the sword from an apple tree. They find the only man among them that is capable of pulling it free, is Volsung. He does so and inherits the Kingship that belongs to the sons of Odin.
Each of these is obviously reminiscent of the Tale of King Arthur. Each of the young men descends from someone that offers ultra-human abilities, intermingled with purely human ones; each is offered, just on the cusp of manhood, an inheritance far larger than originally believed.
Many of the worlds most famous legends have been hidden all around us in the leaves of ancient manuscripts, between the lines of well known poetry, stories, and psalms. As the inheritors of these great treasures of the past, and with greater access than ever online, we owe it to those who have given so much, to preserve history, our attention.
