Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne
In this Saga. . .what kind of creatures are the elfs?
|
Not quite like Tolkien's Elves - less 'spiritual'. There is a scene where an Elf woman appears & stays the night with one of the heroes & has a child by him, so the Elves are human sized & close enough to human kind to interbreed with them. However, they are proud & not forgiving of slights. Skuld (the child of the elf-woman is the force behind Hrolf's fall - even though he's her brother. She raises an army of 'Elves, Norns & other foul creatures' which prove difficult to kill - it seems that the fallen dead come back to life. Bodvar Bjarki is fairly close to Beorn, in that during the battle he sends out his fetch in the form of a great bear, impervious to weapons & blows who protects the king. Bodvar himself remains in the king's chamber, apparently in a trance - so, not quite like Beorn - Bodvar the man sits in the chamber, while Bodvar the bear - both equally physically present - fights on the battlefield. It is only when Bodvar is aroused by one of the other champions that the bear disappears & Bodvar has to take to the field himself, bringing disaster on Hrolf's forces, & ultimately leading to their death.