The Heroic Legends of Denmark Volume 4 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 Excerpt: ... from a comparison of the texts. Hialti is a figure created by the poet of the Biarkamal, Biarki, a historic personage who acquired his fame in battle with the Heathobards. We shall now pass to the later monuments in order to understand the differences in the Danish and Icelandic forms of the names. Saxo Skjoldungabaga, Etc. Biarco BoiSvarr biarki Hialto Hialti hinn hugpruSi, Hottr Wiggo Voggr or Vggr. All Icelandic sources take Botivarr to be the real name, and biarki, the epithet; investigators have, as a rule, assumed that this is correct. However, the Biarkamal distinctly designates Biarki as the real name to which there is added an epithet praising him as a doughty warrior (belligeri accepi cognomen). Later Danish tradition, and the oldest Norwegian source, the Bravalla Lay (about 1066), know him only as Biarki. As we have just seen, this was a real name belonging to the great group of names in-biorn; also that it was old and that it was used in Denmark. On the other hand, it is not astonishing if Norwegians or Icelanders who did not know Biarki as a real name but only as an epithet (cf. Rygh, Tilnavne, p. 5) took Boftvarr to be his real name, and biarki, the epithet. They essay several mutually contradictory explanations of its origin. It is said to be connected with a sword sheath of birchbark (Hr6lfss. c. 31). Again we are told that it was given him on account of his bravery and sternness (Hr6lfss. c. 49, Bjarkarimur). The Icelanders conceive his real name to be Bothvar, which was a rather frequent man's name in Norwegian and Icelandic, and one not unknown in Denmark. How he got it we do not know with certainty; but the most reasonable assumption is that Biarki's "epithet of the warlike" was boftvar-Biarki (" Biarki of the fight,&quot...