Agne
Encyclopedia
Agne, English: Agni, Hogne or Agni Skjálfarbondi was a mythological king of Sweden
, of the House of Yngling
.
Snorri Sturluson
relates that he was the son of Dag the Wise
, and he was mighty and famous. He was also skilled in many ways.
One summer, he went to Finland
with his army where he pillaged. The Finns gathered a vast host under a chief named Frosti
.
A great battle ensued which Agne won and many Finns were killed together with Frosti. Agne then subdued all of Finland with his army, and captured not only great booty but also Frosti's daughter Skjalf and her kinsman Logi
.
Agne returned to Sweden and they arrived at Stocksund
(Stockholm
) where they put up their tent on the side of the river where it is flat. Agne had a torc
which had belonged to Agne's great-great-great-grandfather Visbur
. Agne married Skjalf who became pregnant with two sons, Erik and Alrik
.
Skjalf asked Agne to honour her dead father Frosti with a great feast, which he granted. He invited a great many guests, who gladly arrived to the now even more famous Swedish king. They had a drinking competition in which Agne became very drunk. Skjalf saw her opportunity and asked Agne to take care of Visbur's torc which was around his neck. Agne bound it fast around his neck before he went to sleep.
The king's tent was next to the woods and was under the branches of a tall tree for shade. When Agne was fast asleep, Skjalf took a rope which she attached to the torc. Then she had her men remove the tent, and she threw the rope over a bough. Then she told her men to pull the rope and they hanged Agne avenging Skjalf's father. Skjalf and her men ran to the ships and escaped to Finland, leaving her sons behind.
Agne was buried at the place and it is presently called Agnafit
, which is east of the Tauren (the Old Norse name for Södertörn
) and west of Stocksund.
Ynglingatal then gives Alrekr and Eiríkr
as Agne's successors.
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:
Agne is incorrectly called Hogne. Unlike Ynglingatal, Historia Norwegiæ does not give Dagr
as Agne's predecessor, but Alrekr
. Instead Alrekr is Agne's predecessor and Agne is succeeded by Yngvi
(incorrectly called Ingialdr). The even earlier source Íslendingabók
cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and it gives the same line of succession as Historia Norwegiæ: xii Alrekr. xiii Agni. xiiii Yngvi.
The location indicated by Snorri Sturluson as the place of Agne's death has a barrow called Agnehögen (Agne's barrow) in Lillhersby. The barrow was excavated by Oxenstierna
and dated to c. 400.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, of the House of Yngling
Yngling
The Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the clans of the Scylfings , the semi-legendary royal Swedish clan during the Age of Migrations, with kings such as Eadgils, Onela and Ohthere...
.
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
relates that he was the son of Dag the Wise
Dag the Wise
Dag the Wise or Dagr Spaka was a mythological Swedish king of the House of Ynglings. He was the son of Dyggvi, the former king. According to legend, he could understand the speech of birds and had a sparrow that gathered news for him from many lands...
, and he was mighty and famous. He was also skilled in many ways.
One summer, he went to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
with his army where he pillaged. The Finns gathered a vast host under a chief named Frosti
Fornjót
Fornjót was an ancient giant in Norse mythology and a king of Finland. His children are Ægir , Logi and Kári ....
.
A great battle ensued which Agne won and many Finns were killed together with Frosti. Agne then subdued all of Finland with his army, and captured not only great booty but also Frosti's daughter Skjalf and her kinsman Logi
Fornjót
Fornjót was an ancient giant in Norse mythology and a king of Finland. His children are Ægir , Logi and Kári ....
.
Agne returned to Sweden and they arrived at Stocksund
Stocksund
Stocksund is an upper-class or upper middle-class suburb in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden.Located immediately across the Edsviken from Bergshamra, Stocksund is one of four parts of Danderyd Municipality north of Stockholm....
(Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) where they put up their tent on the side of the river where it is flat. Agne had a torc
Torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together. The great majority are open-ended at the front, although many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Smaller torcs worn around...
which had belonged to Agne's great-great-great-grandfather Visbur
Visbur
Visbur or Wisbur in Scandinavian mythology was a king of the House of Ynglings and the son of Vanlandi. He was burned to death inside his hall by the arson of two of his own sons in revenge for rejecting their mother and denying them their heritage...
. Agne married Skjalf who became pregnant with two sons, Erik and Alrik
Alrek and Eirík
Alaric and Eric , were two legendary kings of Sweden. and may have lived in the 5th century- In the Ynglinga saga :...
.
Skjalf asked Agne to honour her dead father Frosti with a great feast, which he granted. He invited a great many guests, who gladly arrived to the now even more famous Swedish king. They had a drinking competition in which Agne became very drunk. Skjalf saw her opportunity and asked Agne to take care of Visbur's torc which was around his neck. Agne bound it fast around his neck before he went to sleep.
The king's tent was next to the woods and was under the branches of a tall tree for shade. When Agne was fast asleep, Skjalf took a rope which she attached to the torc. Then she had her men remove the tent, and she threw the rope over a bough. Then she told her men to pull the rope and they hanged Agne avenging Skjalf's father. Skjalf and her men ran to the ships and escaped to Finland, leaving her sons behind.
Agne was buried at the place and it is presently called Agnafit
Agnafit
Agnafit or Agnefit was the name of a location where Lake Mälaren met the Baltic Sea. In the 14th century, an addition to the Historia Norwegiae described Agnafit as being where Stockholm had been founded...
, which is east of the Tauren (the Old Norse name for Södertörn
Södertörn
Södertörn is a roughly triangular peninsula in eastern Södermanland, Sweden, which is bordered by:*Lake Mälaren and the inlet of Saltsjön to the north,*Himmerfjärden and Hallsfjärden to the west and...
) and west of Stocksund.
|
|
Ynglingatal then gives Alrekr and Eiríkr
Alrek and Eirík
Alaric and Eric , were two legendary kings of Sweden. and may have lived in the 5th century- In the Ynglinga saga :...
as Agne's successors.
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:
Qui [Dagr] genuit Alrik; hunc frater suus Erikr freno percussit ad mortem. Alricr autem genuit Hogna; istum uxor sua juxta locum Agnafit, qui nunc Stokholmr dicitur, propriis manibus interfecit suspendendo ad arborem cum catena aurea. Cujus filius Ingialdr [...] |
This man [Dag] engendered Alrek, who was beaten to death with a bridle by his brother, Eirik. Alrek was father to Agne, whose wife dispatched him with her own hands by hanging him on a tree with a golden chain near a place called Agnafit. His son, Ingjald, [...] |
Agne is incorrectly called Hogne. Unlike Ynglingatal, Historia Norwegiæ does not give Dagr
Dag the Wise
Dag the Wise or Dagr Spaka was a mythological Swedish king of the House of Ynglings. He was the son of Dyggvi, the former king. According to legend, he could understand the speech of birds and had a sparrow that gathered news for him from many lands...
as Agne's predecessor, but Alrekr
Alrek and Eirík
Alaric and Eric , were two legendary kings of Sweden. and may have lived in the 5th century- In the Ynglinga saga :...
. Instead Alrekr is Agne's predecessor and Agne is succeeded by Yngvi
Yngvi and Alf
Yngvi and Alf were two legendary Swedish kings of the House of Yngling.According to Ynglingatal, Historia Norwegiae and Ynglinga saga, Yngvi and Alf were the sons of Alrik....
(incorrectly called Ingialdr). The even earlier source Íslendingabók
Íslendingabók
Íslendingabók, Libellus Islandorum or The Book of Icelanders is an historical work dealing with early Icelandic history. The author was an Icelandic priest, Ari Þorgilsson, working in the early 12th century. The work originally existed in two different versions but only the younger one has come...
cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and it gives the same line of succession as Historia Norwegiæ: xii Alrekr. xiii Agni. xiiii Yngvi.
The location indicated by Snorri Sturluson as the place of Agne's death has a barrow called Agnehögen (Agne's barrow) in Lillhersby. The barrow was excavated by Oxenstierna
Oxenstierna
Oxenstierna, an ancient Swedish noble family, the origin of which can be traced up to the middle of the 14th century, which had vast estates in Södermanland and Uppland, and began to adopt its armorial designation of Oxenstierna as a personal name towards the end of the 16th century...
and dated to c. 400.
Primary sources
- YnglingatalYnglingatalYnglingatal is a skaldic poem listing the kings of the House of Ynglings, dated by most scholars to the late 9th century.The original version is attributed to Þjóðólfr af Hvini who was the skald of a Norwegian petty king named Ragnvald the Mountain-High and who was a cousin of Harald Fairhair...
- Ynglinga sagaYnglinga sagaYnglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It was first translated into English and published in 1844....
(part of the HeimskringlaHeimskringlaHeimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
) - Historia NorwegiaeHistoria NorvegiæHistoria Norwegiæ is a short Latin history of Norway written by an anonymous monk. The only extant manuscript, in the private possession of the Earl of Dalhousie and kept at Brechin Castle, Scotland, is fragmentary; what we have of the Historia is found on folios 1r-12r...