Hrothgar

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Hrothgar , Anglo also Hroðgar (died around 594 ) was a historically unsecured King of the Danes, the sex of the Scyldinge came and said to have lived in the 6th century. He was a relative of Rolf Krake and is mentioned or described in the heroic poem Beowulf , the Widsith , in Nordic sagas or in medieval Danish chronicles.

background

Hrothgar was the son of King Hal [f] dan and a clever, great man. He led the Scyldinge to military and social unity, which was particularly symbolized by the great Heorot Hall (also known as the Deer Hall, which the King had built in Middangard zu Mettrunk), which was decorated like a palace with fine tapestries and golden decorations was. This hall formed the center of his empire and aroused the envy of Grendel , who had attacked the hall for over 12 years until he finally ravaged it. As a young king, Hrothgar had once protected Ecgþeow, Beowulf's father, during a blood feud by buying him peace with his enemies by paying a sum of money. He was known for his generosity, leadership, and caring for his thanos , which were important virtues in the world of Beowulf. So he shared his riches and lands with them.

Hrothgar turned to Beowulf with a speech that can be described as "Hrothgar's sermon". This speech is thematically important as it warns of the dangers of fame and the changeability of time. Hrothgar spoke of the temptations, of the danger of overestimating himself, and admonished the young Beowulf to always remember that great joy is often followed by great suffering. Using the example of his own life, Hrothgar shows how he ruled successfully for 50 years until Grendel brought him down. The Widsith reports how Hrothwulf and Hrothgar, as uncles and nephews , kept peace for a long time after they had repulsed Ingeld at Halle Heorot.

The hall of the King of the Scyldinge is said to have been in Lejre , both according to the Skjöldunga Saga and according to the statements of Snorri Sturluson in the Ynglingasaga . However, this place name is neither mentioned by the poet of Beowulf nor by other English authors in connection with Scyld (Skjöld) or his descendants. Hrothgar is said to have been one of these descendants, a great-grandson of that Scyld. Hrothgar had two sons Hrethric and Hrothmund and a nephew Hroth [w] ulf, who is equated with Hrolf, so possibly corresponds to Rolf Krake.

According to the Danish legend of King Roe (= Hröarr = Hrödgär), Hrothgar is also the founder of the Danish port city of Roskilde .

reception

King Hrothgar and the story of Beowulf and Grendel were described, for example, in the films Beowulf , Beowulf & Grendel and The Legende von Beowulf and. For his novel series The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien took the King's Hall Heorot as a model for the "Golden Hall Meduseld" (which literally means the seat of the Mets), which was located in Edoras in the Riddermark and served as a residence for King Théoden. The situation is similar with the tapestry and the duty in Hrothgar's hall to hand in weapons in front of the door, both of which were also taken over by Tolkien.

The name Hrothgar has also been used in other literature and media:

  • In the Eragon book series, the dwarf king is called Hrothgar.
  • There is a place in Skyrim called High Hrothgar.

literature

  • Johannes Hoops: English Studies. Volume 42. OR Reisland, Leipzig 1877, pp. 7-11. ( archive.org )
  • Gregor Ignatz Sarrazin: Beowulf studies a contribution to the history of old Germanic legend and poetry. Mayer & Müller, Berlin 1888, OCLC 697896920 , pp. 42-43. forgottenbooks.com
  • RW Chambers: "Widsith". A Study in Old English Heroic Legend. The University Press, Cambridge 1912. ( academia.edu )
  • The deer hall. In: Anglia - Journal of English Philology. November 2009, Volume 1897, Issue 19, pp. 368-392, ISSN  0340-5222 , doi: 10.1515 / angl.1897.1897.19.368 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Arnulf Krause : The real Middle-earth. Tolkien's mythology and its roots in the Middle Ages. Theiss, Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-8062-2478-8 , p. 173.
  2. ↑ a b Hrothgar. In: cliffsnotes.com. Retrieved December 14, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Beowulf text with diacritical marks with parallel translation by Hugo Gering, edited by Benjamin Slade. on heorot.dk line 1700 ff.
  4. ↑ Widsith. Line 45 ff.
  5. ^ Marijane Osborn: Legends of Lerje - Home of the Kings. (PDF, pp. 235–254.)
  6. ↑ Roskilde. Hej Denmark, accessed December 14, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Fantasy saga: "Eragon" conquers the bestseller lists. stern.de, October 31, 2008, accessed February 8, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Hrothgar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hroar; Hrōðgār; Roe; Ro
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish king of legends
DATE OF BIRTH 6th century
DATE OF DEATH 594