nor attained to any other distinction. The renunciation of a kingdom for
the fate of a man who appears among strangers and gets what his own
right arm can win for him is a rare occurrence; and when the saga-man
lets Bjarki become a king and then, without reason, renounce this
highest of all earthly dignities, it can only be in servile imitation
of the corresponding feature of the Siward saga.

Besides those already mentioned, the two stories have other features in
common. It is said of Siward, that when he learned that his son Osbeorn
had fallen in battle, he became so angry that he sank his sword into a
rock. It is said of Elgfrothi, Bjarki's brother, that he swung his sword
against a rock with such force that it sank in to the hilt. But
Elgfrothi's feat was performed under such widely different circumstances
that the author may, or may not, have had Siward's feat in mind in
recording the incident. However, suggestions received from one story are
often employed in another quite as the author sees fit, so that,
although one is not inclined to attach much importance to this incident,
it is, nevertheless, worth noting.

Somewhat more noteworthy than the incident just mentioned is the
introduction of Odin in both stories in the disguise of an old man. In
the Siward story he appears on a hill as Siward reaches Northumberland
on his journey from the Orkney Islands, and tells Siward what course to
pursue, presents him the banner Ravenlandeye, which is accepted, and
predicts for him a brilliant future. In the _Hrólfssaga_ Odin appears as
a one-eyed old man living in a hut in Sweden. Hrolf and his men seek a
night's entertainment of him while on their way to the Swedish court,
and the old man tests their endurance and instructs Hrolf in regard to
the measures he must take to accomplish his purpose. Odin also appears
to the men as they return on their way to Denmark, when he offers Hrolf