He undoubtedly
did; but the deception was not intended to mislead the king. Hott _was_
brave and strong, and Bjarki knew it; and even if Hott's strength and
bravery should gain recognition through the employment of a ruse that
involved no real test, no harm would be done. The author, however,
planned that all should turn out otherwise. The reader will also
remember the deception practiced by the shepherd boy in the story from
J?n Arnason's collection.[102] The boy, who is there the hero of the
story, as is Bjarki in the _Hr?lfssaga_, is represented as deceiving his
master, but likewise without doing him appreciable harm, and furthermore
without raising reflections on the part of the author as to the
rectitude of his conduct.
Panzer says that Hott's explanation that the repeated breaking-in of the
monster is due to the fact that the king's best men do not return home
at that time of the year is a strange explanation.[103] But in regard to
Hott's statement a distinction must be made between fact and opinion.
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