Sunday 30 September 2012

Hrolf's Peace And Doom

At last, we learn what has really happened in Poul Anderson's Hrolf Kraki's Saga (New York, 1973):

"The Father of Victories must cast down whoever might bring a stop to war." (p. 260)

Hrolf made peace but too soon. That was why Odin opposed him. With the benefit of historical hindsight, Anderson (not the tenth century narrator) concludes:

"Long would the years and hundreds of years be until Denmark was whole again. Now watchfires burned anew to warn of foes on their way. Vikings, outlaws, wild men harried dwellers throughout the North...N othing but a tale was left of a day which had been." (p. 261)

- like Camelot and Ys. We know what happened in history. This is one tale of how it happened.

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