such as Andrew Merrill have pointed out that the similar elements in the accounts of Jordanes and Procopius may come from a common source, such as Cassiodorus, who worked for Theoderic. Apart from the name Rudolf, the association with the region of the Dani, their apparent allegiance to Theoderic is notable. Another possible record of Rodulf is thus one of the surviving state papers of Theoderic shows that he adopted a Herule king (who is not named in that passage) as a "son in arms". The letter was made during the time of Cassiodorus's public service in the early 6th century, and is dated to 507-511. More speculatively, another debated issue is whether Rodulf could be the inspiration for certain aspects of later heroic poetry, possibly including the Norse saga character Hrólfr Kraki. King of the Heruls The Herul kingdom was centred on Lower Austria and Moravia, north of the Middle Danube. It had existed there since 454, after the Battle of Nedao. Rodulf is the first known king of this kingdom, and the first mention of him which can be associated with a date is the remark of Procopius that implies he was ruling already in the early 490s. This was in the period after Theoderic the Great, took over the Kingdom of Italy from Odoacer. In Italy, Odoacer had been named as a king over the Heruli, and other Danubian peoples who had followed him there. After his murder in 493, the Herules still ruled a kingdom north of the Danube: Procopius thus sees the conflict with the Langobards starting already in the 5th century, around 494. If however the un-named Herule king who was adopted by Theoderic was Rodulf, based on the idea that there was no Herule king after him who Theoderic would have allied to, then the letter announcing his adoption is estimated to be from 507-511, and the war can not have been earlier than that. Jordanes also wrote about an unnamed king of the Heruli, who has been identified with Rodulf by some historians. He mentioned that Theodoric adopted a king of the Heruli as his "son in arms," by giving him a horse, sword and shield, probably around 507. The letter to the king, which was to be translated and explained by the envoys, stated that the king would "hold the first rank among the peoples." After becoming ruler of Italy, Theodoric