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Heroes and Kings in the Legend of Hrolf Kraki Marianne Kalinke Bradley, Johanna 2015-09-28T15:51:12Z 2015-09-28T15:51:12Z 10000-01-01 2006 2006 The figure of the mythical Danish king has traditionally been understood as an exemplary pagan king of the heroic age. The portrayal of Hrolfr kraki as one of the great kings of prehistoric Denmark is most evident in Hrolfs saga kraka, where the narrator and various characters laud him for his generosity, his gentleness and moderation, his humility, and his strength and courage. An analysis of the saga has shown, however, that not only the behavior of the king but also that of his royal ancestors as well as his contemporaries does not support the laudatory portrait. A reading of Hrolfs saga kraka in the context of medieval historiography, didactic literature, heroic lays, and courtly fiction has supported the thesis that the saga of Hrolfr kraki can be read as a negative King's Mirror, presented not in the traditional dialogic form but rather as a narrative. The saga can be understood as a mirror that reflects not an ideal king but rather the antithesis. Despite the occasional positive portrayal of King Hrolfr kraki, his actions and those of his courtiers can be understood as a negative example of kingship. Furthermore, the saga posits as the true heroic individual not Hrolfr kraki but rather his retainer Bothvarr bjarki, a warrior who refuses to rule on his own ancestral throne. Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-28T15:51:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 4848 bytes, checksum: 96035ab3f5e1c23cc7138a224ce498bd (MD5) 3223549.pdf: 4605101 bytes, checksum: 9b32a970e6e56793e633a9f611b75dc8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 88575 Lift date: Forever Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs U of I Only 211 p. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/87294 (MiAaPQ)AAI3223549 eng Literature, Germanic text Comparative Literature Comparative Literature University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Ph.D.