Gripla - 2019, Page 95

95
in the context of this investigation. Indeed, risar are represented in some
texts as the mythical ancestors of humans, and the source of their most
noble qualities. The narrator of Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar urges “undrist
menn eigi, þó at menn hafi verit fyrr ágætari at vexti ok afli en nú. Hefir
þat satt verit, at þeir hafa skammt átt at telja til risanna sinnar ættar” [men
should not marvel that people were formerly more famous in size and
strength than now [since] it is true that they were descended more closely
from risar].49 The prestige of risar is so great here that they are seen as the
progenitors of the strength and size of ancient heroes. A similar statement
is found in the U redaction of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks: “en áðr Tyrkjar
ok asíamenn kómu í norðrlǫnd byggðu norðrhálfurnar risar ok sumt
hálfrisar; gerðisk þá mikit sambland þjóðanna; risar fengu sér kvenna or
Mannheimum, en sumir giptu þangat dœtr sínar” [but before the Turks
and the Asians came into the northern lands, risar and some half-risar in-
habited northern parts; then a great mixing of peoples occurred; risar got
wives for themselves from Mannheimar, and some gave their daughters to
there]. The risar are granted a kind of antique dignity that the jötnar appear
to have lost in their transition to Icelandic saga literature. It is no exag-
geration to say that in these cases, risar enjoy a connection with the human
world that is unparalleled by any other supernatural being in the saga
corpus. The distinction between jötnar and risar in this regard cannot be
stressed enough: while the former are almost invariably the mortal enemies
of humankind in the sagas, the latter are often able to freely enter dynastic
relationships with humans and are even exalted as their ancestors.
It should be said that the image of risar as socially sophisticated and
pro-human is not without exception. Two risar encountered in Yngvars
saga are described as ógurligr “terrible” and are hostile to the human pro-
tagonists. In Hrólfs saga Gautrekssonar, a well-dressed risi is ostensibly
hospitable, but seeks to exact revenge on the protagonist for the slaying
of his brother. A hostile risi also appears at the conclusion of Kormáks
saga. Further, some terminological overlap between jötunn and risi appears
sporadically in the sagas. Individual risar who are also referred to as jötnar
appear in Örvar-Odds saga, Hjálmþés saga ok Ölvis, Egils saga ok Ásmundar
and Sörla saga sterka, and in the last three of these, they are also hostile
to humans. These are important exceptions. The fact that the authors of
49 Guðni Jónsson, Fornaldarsögur, iv, 176.
A PROBLEM OF GIANT PROPORTIONS