The Middle English romance Havelock the Dane exhibits an interesting thesis about the innateness of a noble character. Havelok, the rightful heir of Denmark, is forced by circumstances to obscure his royal origins. However, in ways both natural and supernatural, his innate superiority is continually revealed, without any intention on the part of the humble man. Men respond to Havelok’s acts of physical prowess and the mysterious light which he emits by promoting him through the ranks of medieval society, first recognizing his natural superiority, and eventually realizing his right to the throne. This thesis of innate nobility does not, however, suggest the immutability of social realities; both Havelok’s time spent humbly as a porter, and Grim the fisherman’s sons’ promotion to the ranks of knights and barons suggest that one’s social position is not static, but is oriented by a complicated interplay of external circumstances and innate characteristics.
The first sign of Havelok’s innate goodness and nobility comes at a time when he is in a particularly unprincely state. The three-year old Havelok is bound in rags and left on the floor by his would-be murderer, Grim the fisherman. However, in the dark of morning, Grim’s wife “saw therinne a lith ful shir, / Al so brith so it were day, / About the knave ther he lay. Of hise mouth it stod a stem / Als it were a sunnenbem” (602-6). Havelok’s character is literally shining out of him. In this strange picture, it seems that Havelok is so filled with goodness that he cannot contain it; it must burst out of him, and effectively illuminate his situation. Upon seeing the light, and “on hise rith shuldre a kynmerk” (619), Grim and his wife correctly infer that “this ure eir, / That shal louerd of Denemark,” and somehow are inspired to prophecy: “He shal ben king, strong and stark; / He shal haven in his hand / Al Denemark and Engeland” (624-5). Of course this type of explicit foreshadowing gives the narrative impetus, but also demonstrates that the type of qualities which will make Havelok king of two nations are already visible in him as a small orphaned child. In addition to his light-emitting, child Havelok demonstrates his future greatness with his appetite: “Haveloc anon bigan to ete / Grundlike, and was ful blithe. / Couthe he nouth his hunger mithe. / A lof he het, I woth, and more” (667-70). Havelok maintains this great appetite throughout his adolescence, and it is partly this which sends him out of hiding and into Lincoln, and the public eye.
When Havelok comes to Lincoln, he first earns the admiration of a cook by his willingness to beat other men to hard work, but soon, after being well-fed and clothed, Havelok’s positive qualities win the admiration of the public: “Him loveden alle, stille and bolde, / Knictes, children, yunge and holde— / Alle him loveden that him sowen, / Bothen heye men and lowe” (975-8). People of all social stations see him and love him immediately; there is something about him that seems to cause an innate response. This echoes the description of the good king of England, of whom we are told “hym lovede yung, him lovede holde” (30). The parallelism between the popular love of Havelok and Athelwold emphasizes the quality one must have to be a good, and therefore legitimate, ruler, as well as creating continuity between them; there is a lack of consanguinity, but there is an affinity of essence. We are told the public perspective of Havelok, even before his wins himself fame in the shot put: “It was nevere man that yemede / In kinneriche that so wel semede / King or cayser for to be, / Than he was shred, so semede he” (995-8). This seemliness is of course natural, because Havelok is of royal blood, but it is important that the public takes note of it despite any explicit indication.
Ultimately it is a combination of natural bearing, an act of physical prowess, and the symbolic emission of light, that position Havelok to receive fealty from the Danish polity. When he first arrives in Denmark, ostensibly as a trader, the powerful Ubbe’s impression of Havelok is that “Betere semede him to bere / Helm on heved, sheld and spere, / Thanne to beye and selle ware” (1683-5). Havelok’s disguise as a trader cannot obscure the fact that it would be more natural for him to lead troops into battle, bearing helmet, shield and spear. And this is, in fact, subsequently confirmed, when thieves attack, and armed with nothing but “the dore tre” (1845) Havelok “slawen sixti” (1969). It is this act of bravery and prowess in battle that wins him so much respect from Ubbe that, despite Havelok’s seemingly lowly station, Ubbe decides “myself shal dubben him to knith” (2083). Ubbe’s judgment of Havelok is only confirmed when he “saw a mikel lith / In the bowr thar Havelok lay / Al so brith so it were day” (2134-6). Havelok, ever humble, never needs to openly assert his royal privilege because all these signs of it conspire to betray it. From all this diverse evidence, his comeliness, his courage, the light that shines from his mouth, and his birthmark, it eventually becomes clear that Havelok is the royal heir: “Thanne bihelden he him faste, / So that he knewen at the laste / That he was Birkabeyes sone” (2190-2). Of course, the natural reaction of Ubbe and his knights to such concentrated goodness is that “he fellen sone at hise fet” (2200).
The romance of the poem is clear: a noble character cannot be obscured by a humble estate; events will conspire to disclose the truth, whether in ways natural or supernatural. In many ways, the light of day which shines from Havelok’s mouth is only the ultimate confirmation of his goodness and right to be king; his external appearance and actions have already convinced men of his qualities. But the light importantly demonstrates that Havelok’s goodness is innate, it comes from within, even at times when he is least in control of his self-presentation. It implies a marriage of the inner man with his public image, and importantly reveals his private character in a way that his actions cannot. It confirms him as a ruler vastly in contrast to the “Sathanas” Goddard (2562); he is instead “Havelok the gode” (2948).
—Nate
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