The Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, or the saga of Hromund Grippsson, is an Icelandic saga describing the fictional events of the times preceding the settlement of Iceland . The original saga has been lost; it has survived to our time in the pro-archeological retelling of Rome about Hromund Grippsson, published in 1896.
The Saga of Torgils and Havlidi mentions how, at a wedding feast in 1119 at the Reykjaholar farm, Hrolv from Scalmarnes recounted several sagas, including this one. It also says that King Sverrir Sigurdsson , listening to this saga, noticed that such false sagas ( lygisögur ) are most fun, although there are people who can raise their kind to Hromund Grippsson.
The plot of the saga is based on the adventures of Hromund, son of Gripe and Gunnlod, daughter of Hrok the Black. He had eight brothers, and of all of them, Hromund was the most outstanding. Hromund served the Danish king Olaf and distinguished himself in the battle with Hrongvid and his army, in which the king's brothers died.
Further in the saga follows the hero’s acquisition of a sword that previously belonged to the sorcerer king Train. Train, being old, buried himself alive in a grave hill, taking with him his treasures and the Mistelane sword. Hromund descends into the mound and fights with Train, who has become a living dead, a draugr . After victory, the hero takes the sword, as well as the ring and necklace found in the mound, and distributes the remaining treasures to his comrades.
For some time, Hromund, as a glorified warrior, was at court, talking with the beautiful sister of King Svanhvit, but the envy of the courtiers made him and his brothers return to their homes.
Helgi, the brother of the defeated Hromund Hrongvid, returns to Denmark and declares war on King Olaf. The brothers of Hromund die in battle, but thanks to Helga's mistake, Hromund defeats him. Further in the battle with one of the envious courtiers, Hromund loses the Mistelstein sword, dropping it into the sea, but nevertheless wins. The sword returns to him later, in the belly of the fish he caught.
The saga ends with Hromund’s victory over King Halding of Sweden and his marriage to King Olaf’s sister, the beautiful Svanhwit.