Gripla - 2021, Page 268

GRIPLA266
The saga-writer is, however, not consistent in his practice of introduc-
ing secondary characters. The kings of Sweden, both called Hálfdan,9
are mentioned in chapter 5 although they do not play any role in the nar-
rative until chapter 9. This might be a borrowing from the rímur, where
the Swedish kings are already mentioned in stanza II:16. The relationship
between the saga and the rímur is treated in the next section.
As the opening of the saga shows, one of the striking differences be-
tween 17HsG and 19HsG is the level of detail and description provided in
the two sagas. The main characters in 19HsG are frequently introduced
with a short description involving a few adjectives, to give the reader
background information on the characters; on the other hand, no – or very
sparse – descriptions are provided in 17HsG, aside from the crucial features
of the characters which are communicated using more-or-less fixed expres-
sions, such as “hermenn miklir” to describe Kári and his brother. This is
also true for our main hero, Hrómundur.
17HsG 19HsG
Þo var Hrómundr fyrir þeim
aullom. hann kunni eigi at
hrædast, hann var augna fagr,
hárbiartr, oc herþamikill, mikill
oc stercr, lýktiz miöc Hróki
móþr fauþr sýnom (1r:9–11)
⟨Hrómundur⟩ var eldstr þeira bræþra oc hinn
frægasti maþr at hreysti oc öllom fræcleica,
sva hann bar langt af mönnom þar í byg-
gþom, þeir bræþr allir voro af alþýþo kallaþir
Hrócar, því þeir voro af Hrócs ætt qvomnir.
Hrómundr var bjartr á hár, hýr í tilliti, en
snar í augom, breiþr á herþar oc stormenni
at vexti, hann gaf sic alldrei fyrir und eþr
ákomo, oc vit enga æþru var hann kéndr; þeir
bræþr hans voro oc allir miclir menn til allra
mannburþa (106v:27–107r:6)
As the example above illustrates, there are clear stylistic differences be-
tween these two sagas when it comes to descriptions of characters. While
17HsG is more laconic and to some extent closer to the traditional saga
style – characterized, among other things, by brief descriptions of charac-
ters (Finnur Jónsson 1923, 2:303–35) – 19HsG is more verbose and may
reflect the stylistic preferences of late eighteenth- or early nineteenth-
century audiences.
9 Notice the difference in the name Hálfdan in 19HsG for Halldingur of 17HsG and Hadd-
ingur of Griplur.