Halfdan the Old
Encyclopedia
Halfdan the Old was an ancient, legendary king from whom descended many of the most notable lineages of legend. A second Halfdan the Old is the purported great-grandfather of Ragnvald Eysteinsson
.
Though Halfdan is himself called a Skjöldung in verse 14, in verse 16 the Skjöldungs are named instead as one of the families that sprang from Halfdan's marriage with Álmveig.
explains in the Skáldskaparmál
:
Snorri then gives examples from skaldic verse where these names are used as general terms for 'lord' or 'ruler'. The promise of three hundred years of no women among Halfdan's descendants is paralleled in the story of Ríg-Jarl who has sons only but no daughters. See Ríg (Norse god). None of the titles given here duplicate titles such as hersir, jarl, konungr, and dróttinn which appear in the Ríg account. Snorri continues:
The Skjöldungs and Skilfings mentioned in the Hyndluljód are missing here. The Ylfings are suddenly introduced at the end in a reference to Eirík the Eloquent yet are also not found among the nine families.
Snorri then immediately mentions what seem to be intended as four famous houses not descended from Halfdan the Old:
But Yngvi has been previously named as a son of Halfdan the Old and the Skjöldungs and Skilfings are counted among Halfdan's descendants in the Hyndluljód.
Snorri continues:
Snorri then quotes many skaldic verses which demonstrate this.
in the Flatey Book introduce Halfdan the Old as the ruler of Ringiríki (a territory including modern Ringerike
and Valdres in Oppland
). Halfdan is here the son of King Hring (eponym of Ringeríki) by the daughter of a sea-king named Vífil (Vífill). Hring was son of Raum the Old
(eponym of Raumaríki) by Hild (Hildr) the daughter Gudröd the Old (Guðrǫðr inn gamli). Raum the Old was son of Nór (Nórr) (the eponym of Norway). See Nór
for further details about Nór and his ancestry and descendants.
In his sacrifice Halfdan requested a lifetime of 300 years like that of his ancestor Snær
.
The form Tiggi appears instead of Tyggi in the list of the first nine sons. The list of the second nine sons has Skelfir instead of Yngvi and the form Næfil (Næfill) instead of Nefir. The order of the names is the same and it is explained that Hildir, Sigar, and Lofdi were war-kings; Audi, Budli, and Næfil were sea-kings, while Dag, Skelfir, and Bragi remained on their lands.
Óli was father of Dag, father of Óleif (Óleifr), father of Hring, father of Helgi, father of Sigurd Hart (Sigurðr Hjǫrtr), father of Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) the mother of Harald Fairhair
.
Arngrím married Eyfura who bore him Angantýr the Berserk (Angantýr berserkr). Angantýr's story is most fully treated in the Hervarar saga. It also appears in part in book five of Saxo Grammaticus
' Gesta Danorum
and an account only the deaths of Angantýr and his eleven brothers appears in Arrow-Odd's saga.
Stanza 18 of the Hyndluljód reads:
The name Ám agrees with that of a son of Dag in the Ættartolur and Jöfurmar is probably identical with Jöfur of the Ættartolur. Fradmar, Gyrd, Álf the Old, and the two Frekis bring the total to seven. Adding the names Óli and Arngrím to this list from the Ættartolur brings the tally to nine, as the Ættartolur promised. This may be conincidental. It is odd that the Hyndluljód here leaves out the only two names for which the Hversu provides descendants. It is possible that the following stanzas of the Hyndluljód down to stanza 24 cover otherwise unknown members of the Dögling lineage since stanza 23 at least returns to the Dödlings, providing the names of the twelve sons of Arngrím and the following stanza tells of their birth to Arngrím and Eyfura. Áli mentioned in stanza 14 of the Hyndluljód (quoted near the beginning of this article) may be identical to Óli son of Dag mentioned in the Ættartolur.
in northern Hordaland
in southwestern Norway. Skelfir was father of Skjöld (Skjǫldr), father of Eirík, father of Alrek (Alrekr), father of Eirík the Eloquent, father of Alrek the Bold (Alrekr inn frækni), father of Víkar (Víkarr), father of Vatnar (Vatnarr), father of two sons: Ímald (Ímaldr) and Eirík, this Eirik being father of Gyda (Gyða) who was one of the wives of Harald Fairhair. They were called the Skilfing lineage or Skjöldung lineage. For commentary on this lineage and variant traditions on those listed here as belonging to it see Scylfing
and Víkar
.
(The text actually reads "Harald Grenski" (Haraldr inn grenski) instead of Harald Red-beard, but that must be an error. Harald Grenski was the name of a later figure, the father of King Olaf II of Norway
, and the Ynglinga saga and many other sources name Harald Red-beard as Ása's father.
is prominent in Volsunga saga
as the villanous husband of Signý the daughter of Völsung. Sigmund son of Sigar married Hild, daughter of King Grjótgard (Grjótgarðr) of Mœr. (See Gard Agdi
for Grjótgard's genealogy.) Their son was Sigar, father of Signý, that Sigar who caused Hagbard
(Hagbarðr) to be hanged.
One of the sources where the story of Hagbard appears is in Gesta Danorum, Book 7, which relates the love between Hagbarthus son of Hamundus and Signe daughter of King Sigarus despite Hagbarthus having slain her brothers. When Sigarus discovered the affair, he had Hagbarthus hanged. Then Hagbarthus' brother Haco/Hako/Haki
avenged Hagbarthus. In this version Sigar/Sigarus is a king of Denmark, son of Sivaldus, son of King Ungvinus who was originally king of Götaland
(see Hagbard and Signy
for more).
There are places all over Scandinavia, associated with this legend such as Asige in the former Danish (presently Swedish) province of Halland
, which borders Götaland
, where there are two large menhirs called Hagbard's gallows.
Hagbard and his brother Haki
are mentioned as great sea-king
s in the Ynglinga saga
where Haki wrests the Swedish throne from king Hugleik
(this event also appears in Gesta Danorum
where Haco kills the Irish king Huglethus) only to be killed later in battle with Hugleik's cousin Jorund
.
A third reference to Hagbard and his brother Haki appears in the Völsunga saga, chapter 25. It is there said that Hagbard and Haki not yet avenged themselves for Sigar's abduction of one sister and the slaying of another. Either the reference is garbled or it refers to a lost variant with a more extended account of Sigar's feud with Hagbard and his brothers.
See Hagbard
and Haki
for more.
(Reiðgotaland) and became king there. Lofdi's sons were Skekkil Sea-king (Skekkill sækonungr) and Skyli. Skyli was father of Egdir (Egðir), the father of Hjálmthér (Hjálmþér), the father of Eylimi, the father of Hjördís (Hjǫrdís), the mother of Sigurd Fáfnir's-bane, father of Áslaug
(Áslaugr) by Brynhild whose ancestry appears below in the Budling discussion. This Áslaug was a wife of Ragnar Lodbrok
and by him the mother of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (Sigurðr ormr í auga) who was father of a second Áslaug who was mother of Sigurd Hart
. Sigurd Hart was father of Ragnhild (Ragnhildr), mother of Harald Fairhair as already stated.
But stanza 26 of the Hyndluljód identifies Eylimi the father of Hjördís as an Ödling.
) and Saxland (Saxony
). Audi ruled in Valland. He was father of Fródi (Fróði), father of Kjár (Kjárr
), father of Ölrún (Ǫlrún).
Ölrún, daughter of King Kjár of Valland, appears in the prose introduction to the Völundarkvida, as a Valkyrie
swan-maiden who became the wife of Völund
's brother Egil. The name Kjárr can be etymologically derived from Latin Caesar. But here the connection with France suggests it might be an adaptation of French Charles.
Atli is a legendary version of Attila the Hun
and the name Budli comes from Bleda
who was the historical Attila's elder brother. The name Sörli is given to a brother of Atli only in this text. But in the eddic poem Atlamál hin grœnlenzku (stanza 50), Atli declares that he was one of four living brothers when his father Budli died and that half of them are now dead, slain by his wife Gudrún. In the German Nibelungenlied
Attila is called Etzel and said to be son of Botelung, obviously Budlung interpreted as a name. In this account Etzel has a younger brother named Bloedelin who was slain by Dancwart, Hagen
's brother. Blowdelin is probably another memory of the historical Bleda. The eddic poem Oddrúnargrátr
tells of Atli's sister Oddrún and her forbidden love affair with Gunnar
, which was, according to this poem, one of the motivations for Atli's later treachery. Oddrún is also mentioned in Sigurðarkviða, in the prose introduction to Dráp Niflunga
, and in the Völsunga saga.
. Gjúki was father of two sons named Gunnar
(Gunnarr) and Högni (Hǫgni) and of two daughters named Gudrún
(Guðrún) and Gudný
(Guðný). For commentary and variant traditions see Nibelung
.
's brother.
This second Halfdan the Old is father of Jarl Ívar of the Uplands who married a daughter of a certain Eistein and so became father of Eystein the Clatterer
(Eysteinn Glumra) who was father of Jarl Rögnvald
of Møre
and of Rögnvald's brother Sigurd Eysteinsson
, and also of two daughters: Svanhild who was one of King Harald Fairhair's wives and another daughter named Malahule. According to various sources, Jarl Rögnvald had three illegitimate sons: Hallad (Hallaðr), Hrollaug (Hrollaugr), and Torf-Einarr
. Later, by his wife Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) daughter of Hrólf Nose (Hrólf Nefja), Rögnvald was father of three legitimate sons: Hrólf, Ívar, and Thórir (Þórir) the Silent. Hrólf, also called Ganger-Hrólf (Gǫngu-Hrólfr 'Hrólf the walker'), Icelandic/Norwegian historians identify him as the Rollo
who conquered Neustria
which was then renamed as Normandy
, but that identification seems very doubtful. Thórir inherited his father's lands. The first four Jarls of Orkney were successively Rögnvald's brother Sigurd, Sigurd's son Guthorm (Guttormr), Rögnvald's son Hallad, and Rögnvald's son Turf-Einar. From Turf-Einar the later Jarls descended. Hrollaug and his wife and sons settled in Iceland
.
Ragnvald Eysteinsson
Rognvald "The Wise" Eysteinsson is the founder of the Earldom of Orkney in the Norse Sagas. Three quite different accounts of the creation of the Norse earldom on Orkney and Shetland exist...
.
Hyndluljód
The eddic poem Hyndluljód states in verses 14–16:"Of old the noblest of all was Áli,
Before him Halfdan, foremost of SkjöldungScyldingOld English Scylding and Old Norse Skjöldung , meaning in both languages "People of Scyld/Skjöld" refers to members of a legendary royal family of Danes and sometimes to their people. The name is explained in many text by the descent of this family from an eponymous king Scyld/Skjöld...
s [Skjǫldungar];
Famed were the battles the hero fought,
To the corners of heaven his deeds were carried.
"Strengthened by Eymund [Eymundr], the strongest of men,
Sigtrygg [Sigtryggr] he slew with the ice-cold sword;
His bride was Álmveig [Álmveigr], the best of women,
And eighteen boys did Álmveig bear him.
"Hence come the Skjöldungs, hence the SkilfingYnglingThe 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...
s,
Hence the Ödlings [Ǫðlingar], hence the YnglingYnglingThe 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...
s,
Hence come the free-born, hence the high-born,
The noblest of men that in MidgardMidgardMidgard is one of the Nine Worlds and is an old Germanic name for our world and is the home of Humans, with the literal meaning "middle enclosure".-Etymology:...
dwell:
And all are thy kinsmen, Óttar, thou fool!"
Though Halfdan is himself called a Skjöldung in verse 14, in verse 16 the Skjöldungs are named instead as one of the families that sprang from Halfdan's marriage with Álmveig.
Skáldskaparmál
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
explains in the Skáldskaparmál
Skáldskaparmál
The second part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda the Skáldskaparmál or "language of poetry" is effectively a dialogue between the Norse god of the sea, Ægir and Bragi, the god of poetry, in which both Norse mythology and discourse on the nature of poetry are intertwined...
:
There was a king named Halfdan the Old, who was most famous of all kings. He made a great sacrificial feast at mid-winter, and sacrificed to this end, that he might live three hundred years in his kingdom; but he received these answers: he should not live more than the full life of a man, but for three hundred years there should be in his line no woman and no man who was not of great repute. He was a great warrior, and went on forays far and wide in the Eastern Regions: there he slew in single combat the king who was called Sigtrygg. Then he took in marriage that woman named Alvig the Wise, daughter of King Eymund of Hólmgard [Hólmgarðr]: they had eighteen sons, nine born at one birth. These were their names:the first, Thengil [Thengill], who was called Thengil of Men;
the second, Ræsir;
the third, Gram [Gramr];
the fourth, GylfiGylfiIn Norse mythology, Gylfi, Gylfe, Gylvi, or Gylve was the earliest king in Scandinavia recorded. The traditions on Gylfi deal with how he was tricked by the gods and his relations with the goddess Gefjon.-The creation of Zealand:...
;
the fifth, Hilmir;
the sixth, Jöfur [Jǫfurr];
the seventh, Tyggi;
the eighth, Skyli or Skúli;
the ninth, Harri or Herra.
These nine brothers became so famous in foraying that, in all records since, their names are used as titles of rank, even as the name of King or that of Jarl. They had no children, and all fell in battle.
Snorri then gives examples from skaldic verse where these names are used as general terms for 'lord' or 'ruler'. The promise of three hundred years of no women among Halfdan's descendants is paralleled in the story of Ríg-Jarl who has sons only but no daughters. See Ríg (Norse god). None of the titles given here duplicate titles such as hersir, jarl, konungr, and dróttinn which appear in the Ríg account. Snorri continues:
Halfdan and his wife had nine other sons also; these were:Hildir, from whom the Hildings are come;
Nefir, from whom the Niflungs sprang;
Audi [Auði], from whom the Ödlings [Ǫðlingar] are come;
YngviYngviYngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr ....
, from whom the Ynglings are descended;
Dag [Dagr], from whom come the Döglings [Dǫglingar];
Bragi, from whom the Bragnings are sprung (that is the race of Halfdan the GenerousHalfdan the MildHalfdan 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....
(Hálfdanr inn mildi);
Budli [Buðli], from whom the Budlungs [Buðlungar] are come (from the house of the Budlungs AtliAttila the HunAttila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
and Brynhild [Brynhildr] descended);
the eighth was Lofdi [Lofði], who was a great war-king (that host who were called Lofdar [Lofðar] followed him; his kindred are called Lofdungs [Lofðungar], whence sprang Eylimi, SigurdSigurdSigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
Fáfnir's-bane's mother's sire);
the ninth, SigarSigarThe name Sigar can refer to three people in Scandinavian mythology, surrounding the legends of Sigurd the dragon slayer. One of them only appears as the friend of Helgi Hjörvarðsson in the eddic lay Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar...
[Sigarr], whence come the Siklings: that is the house of SiggeirSiggeirSiggeir is the king of Gautland , in the Völsunga saga. In Skáldskaparmál he is given as a Sikling and a relative of Sigar who killed the hero Hagbard...
[Siggeirr], who was son-in-law of VölsungVolsungIn Norse mythology, Völsung was the son of Rerir and the eponymous ancestor of the ill-fortuned Völsung clan , including the greatest of Norse heroes, Sigurð...
[Vǫlsungr],—and the house of Sigar, who hanged HagbardHagbardHagbard , the brother of Haki and son of Hamund, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in Skáldskaparmál, Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga and Gesta Danorum...
[Hagbarðr].
From the race of Hildings sprang Harald Red-beard [Haraldr granrauði], mother's father of Halfdan the BlackHalfdan the BlackHalfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
[Hálfdanr inn svarti].
Of the Niflung's house was Gjúki.
Of the house of Ödlings, Kjár [Kjárr].
Of the house of the Ylfings was Eirík the Eloquent [Eiríkr inn málspaki].
The Skjöldungs and Skilfings mentioned in the Hyndluljód are missing here. The Ylfings are suddenly introduced at the end in a reference to Eirík the Eloquent yet are also not found among the nine families.
Snorri then immediately mentions what seem to be intended as four famous houses not descended from Halfdan the Old:
These also are illustrious royal houses:
from Yngvi, the Ynglings are descended;
from SkjöldScyldScyld Scefing is the legendary ancestor of the Danish royal lineage known as the Scyldings. He is the counterpart of the Skioldus or Skjöldr of Danish and Icelandic sources....
in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, the Skjöldungs are come;
from Völsung in the land of FranksFranksThe Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, those who are called Völsungs.
One war-king was named Skelfir; and his house is called the House of Skilfings: his kindred is in the Eastern Region.
But Yngvi has been previously named as a son of Halfdan the Old and the Skjöldungs and Skilfings are counted among Halfdan's descendants in the Hyndluljód.
Snorri continues:
These houses which were named but now have been used in skaldship for titles of rank.
Snorri then quotes many skaldic verses which demonstrate this.
Halfdan and his sons
The Ættartolur, the genealogies appended to the Hversu Noregr byggdistHversu Noregr byggdist
Hversu Noregr byggðist is an account of the origin of various legendary Norwegian lineages, which survives only in the Flatey Book. It traces the descendants of the primeval Finnish ruler Fornjót down to Nór, who is here the eponym and first great king of Norway, and then gives details of the...
in the Flatey Book introduce Halfdan the Old as the ruler of Ringiríki (a territory including modern Ringerike
Ringerike
oskar er kjempe kulRingerike is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike...
and Valdres in Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
). Halfdan is here the son of King Hring (eponym of Ringeríki) by the daughter of a sea-king named Vífil (Vífill). Hring was son of Raum the Old
Raum the Old
Raum the Old is a legendary king in Norway in the Hversu Noregr byggdist and in Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar. He was said to have been ugly, as was his daughter, Bryngerd, who was married to King Álf. Indeed, in Old Norse, raumr means a big and ugly person...
(eponym of Raumaríki) by Hild (Hildr) the daughter Gudröd the Old (Guðrǫðr inn gamli). Raum the Old was son of Nór (Nórr) (the eponym of Norway). See Nór
Nór
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...
for further details about Nór and his ancestry and descendants.
In his sacrifice Halfdan requested a lifetime of 300 years like that of his ancestor Snær
Snær
Snær Snærr, East Norse Sniō, Latin Nix, Nivis) 'snow', in Norse mythology seemingly a personification of snow, appearing in extant text as an euhemerized legendary Scandinavian king.-Icelandic tradition:...
.
The form Tiggi appears instead of Tyggi in the list of the first nine sons. The list of the second nine sons has Skelfir instead of Yngvi and the form Næfil (Næfill) instead of Nefir. The order of the names is the same and it is explained that Hildir, Sigar, and Lofdi were war-kings; Audi, Budli, and Næfil were sea-kings, while Dag, Skelfir, and Bragi remained on their lands.
Döglings
Dag married Thóra Heroes-mother (Thóra drengjamóður) who bore him nine sons, but only four are named: Óli, Ám (Ámr), Jöfur, and Arngrím (Arngrímr).Óli was father of Dag, father of Óleif (Óleifr), father of Hring, father of Helgi, father of Sigurd Hart (Sigurðr Hjǫrtr), father of Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) the mother of Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...
.
Arngrím married Eyfura who bore him Angantýr the Berserk (Angantýr berserkr). Angantýr's story is most fully treated in the Hervarar saga. It also appears in part in book five of Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, foremost advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :The Jutland Chronicle gives...
' Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
and an account only the deaths of Angantýr and his eleven brothers appears in Arrow-Odd's saga.
Stanza 18 of the Hyndluljód reads:
The mate of Dag was a mother of heroes [drengja móður],
Thóra, who bore him the bravest of fighters,
Fradmar [Fraðmarr] and Gyrd [Gyrðr] and the Frekis [Frekar] twain,
Ám and Jöfurmar [Jǫfurmar], Álf the Old;
It is much to know,— wilt thou hear yet more?
The name Ám agrees with that of a son of Dag in the Ættartolur and Jöfurmar is probably identical with Jöfur of the Ættartolur. Fradmar, Gyrd, Álf the Old, and the two Frekis bring the total to seven. Adding the names Óli and Arngrím to this list from the Ættartolur brings the tally to nine, as the Ættartolur promised. This may be conincidental. It is odd that the Hyndluljód here leaves out the only two names for which the Hversu provides descendants. It is possible that the following stanzas of the Hyndluljód down to stanza 24 cover otherwise unknown members of the Dögling lineage since stanza 23 at least returns to the Dödlings, providing the names of the twelve sons of Arngrím and the following stanza tells of their birth to Arngrím and Eyfura. Áli mentioned in stanza 14 of the Hyndluljód (quoted near the beginning of this article) may be identical to Óli son of Dag mentioned in the Ættartolur.
Bragnings
Bragi the Old [Bragi gamli] was king of Valdres and father of Agnar, father of Álf, father of Eirík (Eiríkr), father of Hild (Hildr) the mother of Halfdan the Generous, the father of Gudröd (Guðrǫðr) the Hunter, father of Halfdan the Black, father of Harald Fairhair.Skilfings or Skjöldungs
Skilfir was king of Vörs (Vǫrs, modern VossVoss
is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....
in northern 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...
in southwestern Norway. Skelfir was father of Skjöld (Skjǫldr), father of Eirík, father of Alrek (Alrekr), father of Eirík the Eloquent, father of Alrek the Bold (Alrekr inn frækni), father of Víkar (Víkarr), father of Vatnar (Vatnarr), father of two sons: Ímald (Ímaldr) and Eirík, this Eirik being father of Gyda (Gyða) who was one of the wives of Harald Fairhair. They were called the Skilfing lineage or Skjöldung lineage. For commentary on this lineage and variant traditions on those listed here as belonging to it see Scylfing
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...
and Víkar
Víkar
Víkar was a legendary Norwegian king who found himself and his ships becalmed for a long period. To raise a wind, a human blood sacrifice was needed, and the lots fell on King Víkar himself...
.
Hildings
Hildir was father of Hildibrand (Hildibrandr), father of Vígbrand (Vígbrandr), father of Hildir and Herbrand (Herbrandr). Herbrand was father of Harald Red-beard, father of Ása who was the mother of Halfdan the Black, the father of Harald Fairhair.(The text actually reads "Harald Grenski" (Haraldr inn grenski) instead of Harald Red-beard, but that must be an error. Harald Grenski was the name of a later figure, the father of King Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
, and the Ynglinga saga and many other sources name Harald Red-beard as Ása's father.
Siklings
Sigar is provided with two sons Siggeir and Sigmund (Sigmundr). SiggeirSiggeir
Siggeir is the king of Gautland , in the Völsunga saga. In Skáldskaparmál he is given as a Sikling and a relative of Sigar who killed the hero Hagbard...
is prominent in Volsunga saga
Volsunga saga
The Völsungasaga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Völsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry...
as the villanous husband of Signý the daughter of Völsung. Sigmund son of Sigar married Hild, daughter of King Grjótgard (Grjótgarðr) of Mœr. (See Gard Agdi
Gard Agdi
Gard Agdi appears in the legendary genealogies of Hversu Noregr byggdist as one of the three sons of Nór, the legendary first king of Norway, and as ruler and ancestor of rulers over southwestern Norway...
for Grjótgard's genealogy.) Their son was Sigar, father of Signý, that Sigar who caused Hagbard
Hagbard
Hagbard , the brother of Haki and son of Hamund, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in Skáldskaparmál, Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga and Gesta Danorum...
(Hagbarðr) to be hanged.
One of the sources where the story of Hagbard appears is in Gesta Danorum, Book 7, which relates the love between Hagbarthus son of Hamundus and Signe daughter of King Sigarus despite Hagbarthus having slain her brothers. When Sigarus discovered the affair, he had Hagbarthus hanged. Then Hagbarthus' brother Haco/Hako/Haki
Haki
Hake, Haki or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century Gesta Danorum, and in 13th-century sources including Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga...
avenged Hagbarthus. In this version Sigar/Sigarus is a king of Denmark, son of Sivaldus, son of King Ungvinus who was originally king of Götaland
Götaland
Götaland , Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gautland or Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises provinces...
(see Hagbard and Signy
Hagbard and Signy
Hagbard and Signe or Habor and Sign'ild were a pair of lovers in Scandinavian mythology and folklore whose legend was widely popular. The heroes' connections with other legendary characters place the events in the 5th century AD...
for more).
There are places all over Scandinavia, associated with this legend such as Asige in the former Danish (presently Swedish) province of Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
, which borders Götaland
Götaland
Götaland , Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gautland or Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises provinces...
, where there are two large menhirs called Hagbard's gallows.
Hagbard and his brother Haki
Haki
Hake, Haki or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century Gesta Danorum, and in 13th-century sources including Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga...
are mentioned as great sea-king
Sea-King
A Sea King was the Viking name for a powerful pirate chieftain.They could be actual kings of Sweden , Denmark or a Norwegian kingdom, and sons of kings, such as Refil, but they could also be men "without roof" like Hjörvard the Ylfing.In the Norse sagas, such men without roof could be so powerful...
s in the Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga saga
Ynglinga 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....
where Haki wrests the Swedish throne from king Hugleik
Hugleik
Hugleik or Ochilaik was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling, according to the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Alf and Bera.Some commentators assimilate Hugleik with his namesake, the Geatish king Hygelac...
(this event also appears in Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
where Haco kills the Irish king Huglethus) only to be killed later in battle with Hugleik's cousin Jorund
Jorund
Jorund or Jörundr was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling. He was the son of Yngvi, and he had reclaimed the throne of Sweden for his dynasty from Haki .Snorri Sturluson relates...
.
A third reference to Hagbard and his brother Haki appears in the Völsunga saga, chapter 25. It is there said that Hagbard and Haki not yet avenged themselves for Sigar's abduction of one sister and the slaying of another. Either the reference is garbled or it refers to a lost variant with a more extended account of Sigar's feud with Hagbard and his brothers.
See Hagbard
Hagbard
Hagbard , the brother of Haki and son of Hamund, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in Skáldskaparmál, Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga and Gesta Danorum...
and Haki
Haki
Hake, Haki or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century Gesta Danorum, and in 13th-century sources including Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga...
for more.
Lofdungs
Lofdi was a great king who raided ReidgotalandReidgotaland
Reidgotaland, Hreidgotaland or Hreiðgotaland was a land in Scandinavian sagas as well as in the pre-Viking English Widsith, which usually referred to the land of the Goths...
(Reiðgotaland) and became king there. Lofdi's sons were Skekkil Sea-king (Skekkill sækonungr) and Skyli. Skyli was father of Egdir (Egðir), the father of Hjálmthér (Hjálmþér), the father of Eylimi, the father of Hjördís (Hjǫrdís), the mother of Sigurd Fáfnir's-bane, father of Áslaug
Aslaug
Aslaug, Aslög, Kraka, Kráka or Randalin, was a queen of Scandinavian mythology who appears in Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok.-The Legendary Aslaug:...
(Áslaugr) by Brynhild whose ancestry appears below in the Budling discussion. This Áslaug was a wife of Ragnar Lodbrok
Ragnar Lodbrok
Ragnar Lodbrok was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas.-Life as recorded in the sagas:...
and by him the mother of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (Sigurðr ormr í auga) who was father of a second Áslaug who was mother of Sigurd Hart
Sigurd Hart
Sigurd Hart or Sigurd Hjort was a legendary king of Ringerike in Norway, who appears in Ragnarssona þáttr and in Halfdan the Black's saga....
. Sigurd Hart was father of Ragnhild (Ragnhildr), mother of Harald Fairhair as already stated.
But stanza 26 of the Hyndluljód identifies Eylimi the father of Hjördís as an Ödling.
Ödlings
Audi and his brother Budli were sea-kings who raided together and settled in Valland (FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and Saxland (Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
). Audi ruled in Valland. He was father of Fródi (Fróði), father of Kjár (Kjárr
Kjárr
Kjárr, or Kíarr, is a figure of Norse mythology that is believed to be the reflection of the Roman Emperors. In Old Norse sources, he appears as a king of the Valir who were the people of Valland ....
), father of Ölrún (Ǫlrún).
Ölrún, daughter of King Kjár of Valland, appears in the prose introduction to the Völundarkvida, as a Valkyrie
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decides who dies in battle. Selecting among half of those who die in battle , the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin...
swan-maiden who became the wife of Völund
Weyland
In Germanic and Norse mythology, Wayland the Smith is a legendary master blacksmith. In Old Norse sources, Völundr appears in Völundarkviða, a poem in the Poetic Edda, and in Þiðrekssaga, and his legend is also depicted on the Ardre image stone VIII...
's brother Egil. The name Kjárr can be etymologically derived from Latin Caesar. But here the connection with France suggests it might be an adaptation of French Charles.
Budlungs
Budli the sea-king settled down in Saxland. He was father of Attil (Attill), father of Vífil (Vífill), father of Læfi, father of Budli. This second Budli was father of Sörli (Sǫrli) or Serli, of Atli, and of Brynhild. Brynhild was mother of Áslaug, ancestress of Harald Fairhair as described in the previous Lofdungs discussion.Atli is a legendary version of Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun
Attila , more frequently referred to as Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in 453. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire, which stretched from the Ural River to the Rhine River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. During his reign he was one of the most feared...
and the name Budli comes from Bleda
Bleda
Bleda was a Hun ruler, the brother of Attila the Hun.As nephews to Rugila, Attila and his elder brother Bleda succeeded him to the throne. His reign lasted for eleven years until his death. While it has been speculated throughout history that Attila murdered him on a hunting trip, no one knows...
who was the historical Attila's elder brother. The name Sörli is given to a brother of Atli only in this text. But in the eddic poem Atlamál hin grœnlenzku (stanza 50), Atli declares that he was one of four living brothers when his father Budli died and that half of them are now dead, slain by his wife Gudrún. In the German Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
Attila is called Etzel and said to be son of Botelung, obviously Budlung interpreted as a name. In this account Etzel has a younger brother named Bloedelin who was slain by Dancwart, Hagen
Hagen (legend)
Hagen or Högni is a Burgundian warrior in tales about the Burgundian kingdom at Worms. Hagen is often identified as a brother or half-brother of King Gunther .In the Nibelungenlied, he is called Hagen of Tronje...
's brother. Blowdelin is probably another memory of the historical Bleda. The eddic poem Oddrúnargrátr
Oddrúnargrátr
Oddrúnargrátr or Oddrúnarkviða is an Eddic poem, found in the Codex Regius manuscript where it follows Guðrúnarkviða III and precedes Atlakviða....
tells of Atli's sister Oddrún and her forbidden love affair with Gunnar
Gunther
Gunther is the German name of a semi-legendary king of Burgundy of the early 5th century...
, which was, according to this poem, one of the motivations for Atli's later treachery. Oddrún is also mentioned in Sigurðarkviða, in the prose introduction to Dráp Niflunga
Dráp Niflunga
The Dráp Niflunga is a short prose section in the Poetic Edda between Helreið Brynhildar and Guðrúnarkviða II. Henry Adams Bellows notes in his commentary that the purpose of the section is to serve as a narrative link between the poems....
, and in the Völsunga saga.
Niflungs
King Næfil was father of Heimar, father of Eynef (Eynefr), father of Rakni, father of GjúkiGjúki
Gjúki was the King of the Burgundians in the late 4th century until his death in or around 407. He was the father of Gundomar I, Giselher, and Gunther....
. Gjúki was father of two sons named Gunnar
Gunther
Gunther is the German name of a semi-legendary king of Burgundy of the early 5th century...
(Gunnarr) and Högni (Hǫgni) and of two daughters named Gudrún
Gudrun
Gudrun is a major figure in the early Germanic literature centered on the hero Sigurd, son of Sigmund. She appears as Kriemhild in the Nibelungenlied and as Gutrune in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.-Norse mythology:...
(Guðrún) and Gudný
Gudny
Gudny is an old Nordic female name. The meaning of the name is: "she who the gods make young".Gudny can be found all over the Nordic countries and enjoys some popularity. It was the 18th most popular female name in Iceland in 2004 according to Hagstofa Islands ....
(Guðný). For commentary and variant traditions see Nibelung
Nibelung
The German Nibelungen and the corresponding Old Norse form Niflung is the name in Germanic and Norse mythology of the royal family or lineage of the Burgundians who settled at Worms....
.
Halfdan the Old of Gór's lineage
The Orkneying saga does not speak at all of Nór's descendants, but introduces instead a figure named Halfdan the Old as the son of Sveidi (Sveiði) the Sea-king, who is called Svadi (Svaði) in the Ættartolur. Sveidi/Svadi in both texts was son of Heiti, son of Gór who was 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...
's brother.
This second Halfdan the Old is father of Jarl Ívar of the Uplands who married a daughter of a certain Eistein and so became father of Eystein the Clatterer
Eystein Ivarsson
Eystein Glumra , also called Eystein Ivarsson was Jarl of Oppland and Hedmark in Norway....
(Eysteinn Glumra) who was father of Jarl Rögnvald
Ragnvald Eysteinsson
Rognvald "The Wise" Eysteinsson is the founder of the Earldom of Orkney in the Norse Sagas. Three quite different accounts of the creation of the Norse earldom on Orkney and Shetland exist...
of Møre
Møre
Møre is the name of two traditional districts in different parts of Scandinavia.*Møre og Romsdal, Norway.*Möre, Sweden....
and of Rögnvald's brother Sigurd Eysteinsson
Sigurd Eysteinsson
Sigurd Eysteinsson was the second Viking Earl of Orkney, who succeeded his brother Rognvald Eysteinsson. He was a leader in the Viking conquest of what is now northern Scotland. Bizarrely, he was killed by the severed head of one his enemies, Máel Brigte, who may have been mórmaer of Moray...
, and also of two daughters: Svanhild who was one of King Harald Fairhair's wives and another daughter named Malahule. According to various sources, Jarl Rögnvald had three illegitimate sons: Hallad (Hallaðr), Hrollaug (Hrollaugr), and Torf-Einarr
Torf-Einarr
Einarr Rögnvaldarson, Torf-Einarr or Turf-Einar was one of the Norse Earls of Orkney. His rise to power is related in sagas which apparently draw on verses of Einarr's own composition for inspiration...
. Later, by his wife Ragnhild (Ragnhildr) daughter of Hrólf Nose (Hrólf Nefja), Rögnvald was father of three legitimate sons: Hrólf, Ívar, and Thórir (Þórir) the Silent. Hrólf, also called Ganger-Hrólf (Gǫngu-Hrólfr 'Hrólf the walker'), Icelandic/Norwegian historians identify him as the Rollo
Rollo of Normandy
Rollo , baptised Robert and so sometimes numbered Robert I to distinguish him from his descendants, was a Norse nobleman of Norwegian or Danish descent and founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy...
who conquered Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
which was then renamed as Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, but that identification seems very doubtful. Thórir inherited his father's lands. The first four Jarls of Orkney were successively Rögnvald's brother Sigurd, Sigurd's son Guthorm (Guttormr), Rögnvald's son Hallad, and Rögnvald's son Turf-Einar. From Turf-Einar the later Jarls descended. Hrollaug and his wife and sons settled in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.