Gripla - 2021, Blaðsíða 267

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Bildur and Vóli are introduced at the beginning of the saga, while in A601
the saga-writer introduces them later in the text, after Hrómundur and his
family have been introduced. Moreover, Ólafur’s sisters are not introduced
until they play a role in the narrative (chapter 3 of A601). In B11109, on the
other hand, most of the characters are introduced right at the beginning of
the story, while Kári and Örnúlfur are not introduced until they are sup-
posed to play a role in the narrative (chapter 2 of B11109). When they are
introduced in chapter 2, Kári is presented as Hrómundur’s foster-brother
and a prow-man in Ólafur’s army, who was very strong, etc. (B11109, f.
107r:13–16). This change is peculiar, and it is uncertain why the saga-writ-
er decided to introduce Bildur and Vóli first, instead of Kári and Örnúlfur,
since Kári and Örnúlfur appear already in chapter 2, while Bildur and Vóli
are not mentioned until chapter 7 of B11109.
From a structural point of view, it seems more logical either to intro-
duce both pairs of characters immediately before the episodes in which
they play a role, or to consistently introduce all characters at the beginning
of the story. The saga-writer of 19HsG, however, chose a hybrid of these
two approaches, which allows us to hypothesize about the intentions be-
hind these changes. First, at the beginning of the story, the saga-writer in-
troduces all characters who could be considered the saga’s main characters,
such as King Ólafur and related characters, and Hrómundur and related
characters. Then, over the course of the story, the saga-writer introduces
the secondary characters immediately before the episodes in which they
play a role. For example, as mentioned previously, Kári and Örnúlfur
are introduced in chapter 2, as is Hröngviður, while Máni is presented in
chapter 5, etc. Taking into consideration this transposition, we can assume
that, in the saga-writer’s view, Bildur and Vóli were more important for
the story than Kári and Örnúlfur. Bildur and Vóli are main characters of
the saga, while Kári and Örnúlfur are not. This can be explained by the
role the two pairs of brothers play in the saga. Kári’s role is to die, and his
death is supposed to prompt Hrómundur into killing Hröngviður, while
Bildur and Vóli reappear in most of the main episodes: they do not want to
enter Þráinn’s mound, they kill Hrómundur’s dog Hrókur, they defame
Hrómundur at Ólafur’s court, and finally, Hrómundur fights Vóli at the
frozen lake Vänern after the battle with the Swedes.
HRÓ MUNDUR IN PROSE AND VERSE