Eystein Halfdansson
Encyclopedia
Eystein Halfdansson was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn
of the House of Yngling according to Heimskringla
. He inherited the throne of Romerike
. He was known by his nickname Eysteinn Fart, an Old Norse name, possibly meaning "the swift".
His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold
, Erik Agnarsson. Erik had no son, so Eystein obtained Vestfold
as his wife's inheritance.
Eystein died while pillaging in Varna. King Skjöld of Varna, a great warlock
, arrived at the beach and saw the sails of Eystein's ships. He waved his cloak and blew into it which caused a boom of one ship to swing and hit Eystein so that he fell overboard and drowned. His body was salvaged and buried in a mound. Eystein was succeeded by his son Halfdan the Mild
.
Halfdan Hvitbeinn
Halfdan Whiteshanks was a mythical petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern...
of the House of Yngling according to 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...
. He inherited the throne of Romerike
Romerike
Romerike is a traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Fet, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen, Skedsmo, Sørum and Aurskog-Høland in the southern end , and Ullensaker, Gjerdrum, Nannestad, Nes, Eidsvoll and Hurdal...
. He was known by his nickname Eysteinn Fart, an Old Norse name, possibly meaning "the swift".
His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
, Erik Agnarsson. Erik had no son, so Eystein obtained Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
as his wife's inheritance.
Eystein died while pillaging in Varna. King Skjöld of Varna, a great warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
, arrived at the beach and saw the sails of Eystein's ships. He waved his cloak and blew into it which caused a boom of one ship to swing and hit Eystein so that he fell overboard and drowned. His body was salvaged and buried in a mound. Eystein was succeeded by his son Halfdan the Mild
Halfdan the Mild
Halfdan the Mild was the son of king Eystein Halfdansson, of the House of Yngling and he succeeded his father as king, according to Heimskringla. He was king of Romerike and Vestfold....
.