2 G. STOKM. HAVELOK THE DANE AND THE NOKSE KING OLAF KUAEAN. 



a scullion. Alsi deternrined to marry Argentille to Cuaran, who was 

 confessedly the strongest man in those parts, hoping thereby to 

 disgrace her for ever. After the marriage Argentille saw during 

 the night a flame round the head of Cuaran and asked a hermit 

 for the explanation. He told her that Cuaran must be of royal 

 lineage and said „Ask him for his parentage, and remember to 

 repair to his native place". Cuaran replied, that he was bom at 

 Grimsby and Grim was "his father. They went to Grimsby, where 

 meanwhile Grim had died. His daughter Celloc said, that Cuarans 

 father was the Danish king Gunter, whom Hodulf slew, and that 

 his name was Aveloc. Aveloc goes to Denmark and with the help 

 of„Sigar 1'estal" he slays king Hodulf and is elected king. There- 

 upon on the advice of his wife he returns to England and after 

 a battle at Thetford king Alsi gives him the land which belonged 

 to Argentille „from Holland to Gloucester" ; king Alsi survived the 

 battle only fifteen days and after that Aveloc becomes king over 

 „all Lincoln and Lindisey." 



The English lay on the whole corresponds with the French, 

 only some details and names are different, Thus we find no men- 

 tion of Arthur; the king of Denmark ..Birkabeyn" commends on 

 his death his son „Havelok" to the care of the earl Godard, who 

 seizes the crown. The wife of Havelok is named Goldborough 

 („ Argentille" of the french poem is probably a sort of translation), 

 her father is Athelword, king of all England; and Havelok thus 

 after his victory becomes king of all England and is crowned at 

 London. 



It seems to me that the English commentators. misled by the 

 medieval Chronicles, have sought for the historical graund of the 

 poem in a wrong place: The northern („Danish") vikings come 

 first to England, resp. Lincolnshire, in the latter part of the 9^ 

 century; therefore, if we seek historical traditions in the poem, 

 these connot go further back. Among the northern vikings there 

 is in the lOth century a king, who bore the same surname as the 

 hero of our poem, viz. Cuaran, that is A ni a f son of Sigtryg, 

 king of Northumberland. And on closer inspection, also the real 



