Kraki’s Seed And King Hrolf Kraki Of Denmark

‘Why is gold called Kraki’s seed?’

‘There was a king in Denmark named Hrolf Kraki. He was the most renowned of the old kings, chiefly because of his generosity, valour and humility. A mark of his humility, and one that is often repeated in stories, is that a little poor boy named Vogg came into King Hrolf’s hall. At the time, the king was young and slender in build.

‘Vogg went before Hrolf and stared up at him. Then the king said: “What do you want to say, boy, since you are staring at me?”

‘Vogg replied: “When I was at home I heard it said that King Hrolf at Hleidra was the greatest man in the northern lands, but now there sits before me on the throne a thin pole¹ [kraki] of a man; and you call him your king!”

‘In reply the king said, “You, boy, have given me a name. I shall be called Hrolf Kraki, and it is the custom that a gift shall accompany the name giving. I can see, however, that at this naming you have no gift for me which I would find acceptable. So the one who has will give to the other.” And he took a gold ring from his arm and gave it to the boy.

‘Then Vogg said, “May your giving be blessed above all kings, and I swear an oath to be the death of the man who kills you.”

‘The king laughed as he replied, “It takes little to please Vogg.”²

King Hrolf and King Adils of Sweden

‘Another story that illustrates King Hrolf’s valour has to do with a king named Adils, who ruled over Uppsala³ and who was married to Yrsa,⁴ Hrolf Kraki’s mother. Adils was at war with the king called Ali, who ruled Norway. They arranged to meet in battle on the ice of the lake named Vaeni, and King Adils sent a request to his stepson Hrolf Kraki to come to his assistance. He promised to pay Hrolf’s whole army while it was away from home, and King Hrolf was to choose for himself three of Sweden’s treasures. As King Hrolf was unable to undertake the trip because of his conflict with the Saxons, he sent to Adils his twelve berserkers. Bodvar Bjarki was among them, and so also was Hjalti the Courageous, Hvitserk the Bold, Vott, Veseti and the brothers Svipdag and Beigud. In that battle King Ali fell, along with a large part of his army. Then King Adils took the helmet called Battle Pig from Ali’s dead body and the horse Raven.

‘Then Hrolf Kraki’s berserkers asked that each of them should be paid three pounds of gold for their services. Furthermore, they asked to take back to Hrolf Kraki the treasures that they would choose for him: the helmet Hildigolt [Battle Boar] and the mail shirt Finnsleif [Finn’s Legacy], which weapons could not pierce, and the gold ring called Sviagris⁵ [the Swedes’ Pig], which had been in the possession of Adils’ ancient ancestors. But the king refused to give up any of these treasures, and he would not even pay them their wages.

‘Little pleased with their lot, the berserkers left. They reported the outcome to Hrolf Kraki, who immediately set out for Uppsala. After first guiding his ships up the river Fyri,⁶ Hrolf rode to Uppsala accompanied by his twelve berserkers, all of them without safe conduct. Hrolf’s mother Yrsa welcomed him. She showed him to his lodgings, though not to the king’s hall. Large fires were lit for them, and they were supplied with ale. Next, King Adils’ men entered. They heaped logs on to the fires, making them burn so hot that the clothes were burned off King Hrolf and his men.

‘Adils’ men asked: “Is it true that Hrolf Kraki and his berserkers flee neither fire nor iron?”

‘Then Hrolf Kraki and all his men jumped to their feet, and Hrolf answered: “Let’s further increase the fires in Adils’ house”, and, grabbing his shield, he threw it into the blaze. As the shield burned, he jumped over the flames and said, “He does not flee fire who leaps over it.” Now, each of his men, one after the other, did the same thing. And as they did so, they took hold of those who had been feeding the fire and threw them into the blaze.

‘Yrsa now arrived and gave Hrolf Kraki an animal’s horn filled with gold, including the ring Sviagris. She advised them to ride back to their army, and they leapt on to their horses and rode down to the Fyri Plains. It was then that they saw King Adils riding after them. His army was with him, dressed for war and intending to kill. With his right hand, King Hrolf Kraki reached into the horn and, taking hold of the gold, he sowed it like seed all along the road. When the Swedes saw him doing that, they leapt from their saddles, each trying to grab as much gold as he could. King Adils commanded his men to continue riding, and he himself galloped as hard as he could. His horse, named Slungnir, was the fastest of mounts.

‘When Hrolf Kraki saw King Adils coming up fast behind him, he took the ring Sviagris and threw it in front of Adils, inviting him to take it as a gift. King Adils rode up to where the ring lay and reached for it with his spear, letting the ring slide on to the blade all the way to the socket. Hrolf Kraki now looked back and, seeing Adils bent over, he said: “I made the most powerful of the Swedes grovel like a pig.” Then they parted.

‘From this story, gold is called the seed of Kraki or the seed of the Fyri Plains.’