Augvald
Encyclopedia
King Augvald was a semi-legendary figure from the Norse sagas. He reportedly lived at Karmøy
, controlling the realm that included parts of what is today Hordaland
and southern Norway
. Avaldsnes
on the island of Karmøy
is allegedly named after King Augvald.
from Gotland
. King Augvald originally ruled an area between Hjelmeland
and Fyresdal
. King Augvald was a battle-hungry man who often raided foreign land, amassing great wealth and honour in his stride. He was considered to be a great conqueror. King Augvald had several daughters, two of which were female warriors, known as
Shieldmaidens (Skjøldmøy), who fought together with their father in all of his battles. He won a large territory after fighting many sea battles. Then he settled at Karmøy
, the largest island in the traditional district of Ryfylke
.
Augvald is noted for his honoring of a holy cow and drinking its milk to gain power. Augvald and the cow were killed at a battle against his rival King Ferking
of western Karmøy. The last battle between the two kings took place in a field about 500 meters from Stava, Ferkingstad
. It was a fierce battle with a great loss of men, and King Augvald was mortally wounded. When his two daughters saw that Augvald had died, they jumped in a river and drowned.
Augvald had a son, Jøsur, who became king of Rogaland
and parts of Hordaland. Jøsur's son, Hjør, inherited the throne of both Rogaland and Hordaland. Hjør himself was the ancestor of Norwegian west coast kings including Hjørleiv and Halv.
It is said that when King Olav Tryggvason arrived on Karmøy, two mounds were dug up, revealing the bones of a man in the one and the bones of a cow in the other.
, in the Heimskringla
and The Saga of Olav Tryggvason, as well as in The Saga of Halv and Halvsrekkene
. Augvald also appears in Historia rerum Norvegicarum and other works of Icelandic historian, Tormod Torfaeus.
Karmøy
Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located southwest of the city of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland....
, controlling the realm that included parts of what is today Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
and southern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Avaldsnes
Avaldsnes
Avaldsnes was an ancient centre of power on the west coast of Norway and is the site of one of Norway’s more important areas of cultural history...
on the island of Karmøy
Karmøy
Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located southwest of the city of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland....
is allegedly named after King Augvald.
Biography
according to the sagas, King Augvald was the son of Rognvald, who was the son of Rugalf. Rugalf was the son of Gard Agde who in turn was the son of NórNór
Nór or Nori is firstly a mercantile title and secondly a Norse man's name. It is stated in Norse sources that Nór was the founder of Norway, from whom the land supposedly got its name...
from Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
. King Augvald originally ruled an area between Hjelmeland
Hjelmeland
is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Hjelmeland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Two other municipalities were later separated from it: Årdal and Fister , but these were both again merged with Hjelmeland on 1 January 1965.Hjelmeland is known for their fruit and fish...
and Fyresdal
Fyresdal
Fyresdal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moland. The municipality of Moland was established on 1 January 1838 . In 1879, the name was changed to...
. King Augvald was a battle-hungry man who often raided foreign land, amassing great wealth and honour in his stride. He was considered to be a great conqueror. King Augvald had several daughters, two of which were female warriors, known as
Shieldmaidens (Skjøldmøy), who fought together with their father in all of his battles. He won a large territory after fighting many sea battles. Then he settled at Karmøy
Karmøy
Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located southwest of the city of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland....
, the largest island in the traditional district of Ryfylke
Ryfylke
Ryfylke is a traditional district in Norway, located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. In the east it borders Setesdal and Sirdal.Ryfylke comprises the contemporary municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, Finnøy, Hjelmeland, Forsand, Strand, Kvitsøy and Rennesøy...
.
Augvald is noted for his honoring of a holy cow and drinking its milk to gain power. Augvald and the cow were killed at a battle against his rival King Ferking
King Ferking
King Ferking was a semi-legendary figure recorded in local church literature. He lived in the 7th century, controlling a realm that included western parts of island of Karmøy...
of western Karmøy. The last battle between the two kings took place in a field about 500 meters from Stava, Ferkingstad
Ferkingstad
Ferkingstad is a village in the county of Rogaland, Norway within the municipality of Karmøy. It is known for its highly rich archeology finds, from the early Viking period to the late medieval era....
. It was a fierce battle with a great loss of men, and King Augvald was mortally wounded. When his two daughters saw that Augvald had died, they jumped in a river and drowned.
Augvald had a son, Jøsur, who became king of Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
and parts of Hordaland. Jøsur's son, Hjør, inherited the throne of both Rogaland and Hordaland. Hjør himself was the ancestor of Norwegian west coast kings including Hjørleiv and Halv.
It is said that when King Olav Tryggvason arrived on Karmøy, two mounds were dug up, revealing the bones of a man in the one and the bones of a cow in the other.
Sources
Augvald is depicted in the FlateyjarbokFlateyjarbók
The Flatey Book, is an important medieval Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name Codex Flateyensis.- Description :...
, in the Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla 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...
and The Saga of Olav Tryggvason, as well as in The Saga of Halv and Halvsrekkene
Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka
Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka or Hálfssaga is a legendary saga composed in the early 14th century. It is about Halfr who was one of Norway's most famous legendary sea-kings.His champions had to submit to harsh rules...
. Augvald also appears in Historia rerum Norvegicarum and other works of Icelandic historian, Tormod Torfaeus.
Other sources
- Hernæs, Per (1997) Karmøys historie - som det stiger frem. Fra istid til 1050 (Karmøy kommune) ISBN 978-82-7859-003-4
- Opedal, Arnfrid (1998) De glemte skipsgravene: Makt og myter pa Avaldsnes (Arkeologisk museum i Stavanger) ISBN 978-82-7760-043-7