Snær
Encyclopedia
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.
, Snow the Old (Snærr hinn gamli) is son of Frosti 'frost' son of Kári. In the account called Hversu Noregr byggdist
('How Norway was inhabited') in the Flatey Book, Snær is son of Jökul (Jǫkull 'icicle, ice, glacier') son of Kári. This Kári is lord of the wind and brother of Ægir or Hlér and Logi, all three being sons of the giant Fornjót. Fornjót is euhemerized in these traditions as an ancient king of Gotland
, Finland
and Kvenland. See Fornjót
and Kings of Kvenland
for details.
Snow's son in Orkneyinga saga and Hversu is Thorri 'frozen-snow'. The Hversu also gives Snow three daughters: Fön (Fǫnn 'Snowdrift'), Drífa 'snowfall', and Mjöl (Mjǫll, 'powdered snow'). Sturlaugs saga (section 22) brings in King Snow of Finmark and his daughter Mjöl who flies quickly through the air.
The Ynglinga saga
relates how Vanlandi the ruler of Sweden
visited Snow in Finland and married his daughter Drífa, but left in the spring and did not return. Drífa bore Vanlandi a son called Vísbur
. See Vanlandi
for further details.
The Hversu also mentions in passing, when speaking of Snær's distant descendant Halfdan the Old
, that Snær's life lasted three hundred years.
Snow's son Thorri reigned after Snow as king of Gotland
, Kvenland, and Finland. Thorri had two sons named Nór and Gór and a daughter named Gói ('thin snow, track-snow'). See Nór
to follow this lineage further.
, section 5, between the reigns of Helgi and Hrólf Kraki
.
The Chronicon Lethrense inserts the common folktale of the dog king after Helgi's death. In this account King Hākun of Sweden
sent a small dog to the Danes to take as their king but warned that whoever told him of the death of the dog would lose his life. One day, when larger dogs are fighting, the small dog sprang to the floor among them and was torn to death. Then Lǣ, the giant of Lǣsø̄ (Læsø
), gave some advice on the matter to his herdsman Snow. (Lǣ is a Danish form of Hlér, a common name for Ægir who is Snow's great-granduncle in the Norse tradition). Snow went to Hākun's court and by riddling talk eventually got the king himself to say that the dog was dead. Snow was then appointed king of Denmark in place of the dog. Snow was a vicious, oppressive, and dishonest king. Snow sent his servant named Roth 'Red', whom he disliked, to the giant Lǣ to ask about how Snow will die, intending that Lǣ would kill Roth who would be unable to pass his tests. Roth passed and Lǣ gave Roth two gloves to take to Snow in answer. Snow put them on in an assembly and lice suddenly attacked him and ate him to death. Thereupon Helgi's son Hrólf was made king.
The Annals of Lund tells the same tale, save that the king of Sweden is Adils which harmonizes with other tales in which Adils reigns over Sweden during the reigns of Helgi and his son Hrólf Kraki.
in his Gesta Danorum
inserts the reign of Snow much later in Danish history, telling of him in book VIII among kings who reigned after the death of Harald War-tooth. Here Snow is a rightful king of Denmark, son of King Sivald.
Of King Sivald Saxo tells nothing save that Sivald was son of Broder, son of King Jarmerik (who is actually Ermanaric
King of the Ostrogoths changed by Saxo one of his sources into a king of Denmark).
Saxo makes Snow a brave Viking
during his father's lifetime, who after gaining the crown crushed two champions named Eskil and Alkil and so regained Scania. Saxo then follows with a romantic tale of Snow's love for the daughter of an unnamed King of Götaland
whom Snow eventually defeated in a single combat with the terms that the winner would rule both Denmark and Götaland. But finding that the dead king's daughter had been married to the king of Sweden, also unnamed here, Snow with the aid of an accomplice disguised as a beggar abducted her. Indecisive war with Sweden followed.
Then came a famine because of bad weather, this perhaps being an allegory having to do with Snow as a personification. Because of the lack of grain, Snow forbade making strong drink from grain and ordered abstinence from drinking alcohol on pain of death. Saxo follows with a tale of a lush who saved himself from death with clever excuses and finally convinced Snow to rescind those laws.
Then Saxo introduces Paul the Deacon
's account of the origin of the Lombards
which he summarizes. Paul the Deacon and made the Lombards to have been originally from an island of Scandza
in the far north. According to Saxo this famine and the departure of many Danes explained why in his own day much of the Danish land was overrun with forests in which stone piles alone showed that the land had once been cultivated fields.
Snow was succeeded by his son Biorn.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
seemingly a personification of snow, appearing in extant text as an euhemerized legendary Scandinavian king.
Icelandic tradition
In the Orkneyinga sagaOrkneyinga saga
The Orkneyinga saga is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200...
, Snow the Old (Snærr hinn gamli) is son of Frosti 'frost' son of Kári. In the account called Hversu Noregr byggdist
Hversu 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...
('How Norway was inhabited') in the Flatey Book, Snær is son of Jökul (Jǫkull 'icicle, ice, glacier') son of Kári. This Kári is lord of the wind and brother of Ægir or Hlér and Logi, all three being sons of the giant Fornjót. Fornjót is euhemerized in these traditions as an ancient king of 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...
, 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...
and Kvenland. See Fornjót
Fornjót
Fornjót was an ancient giant in Norse mythology and a king of Finland. His children are Ægir , Logi and Kári ....
and Kings of Kvenland
Kings of Kvenland
-Icelandic sagas:Despite the fact that the legendary title "King of Kvenland" appears widely used in various contexts, it is mentioned only once in sagas: Faravid in Egil's saga is directly said to be the "King of Kvenland"...
for details.
Snow's son in Orkneyinga saga and Hversu is Thorri 'frozen-snow'. The Hversu also gives Snow three daughters: Fön (Fǫnn 'Snowdrift'), Drífa 'snowfall', and Mjöl (Mjǫll, 'powdered snow'). Sturlaugs saga (section 22) brings in King Snow of Finmark and his daughter Mjöl who flies quickly through the air.
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....
relates how Vanlandi the ruler of Sweden
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....
visited Snow in Finland and married his daughter Drífa, but left in the spring and did not return. Drífa bore Vanlandi a son called Vísbur
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...
. See Vanlandi
Vanlade
Vanlandi or Vanlande was a Swedish king at Uppsala of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology. He was the son of Sveigðir whom he succeeded as king. He married a girl from Finnland , but forgot about her. In revenge, the girl arranged so that Vanlandi was hag ridden to death...
for further details.
The Hversu also mentions in passing, when speaking of Snær's distant descendant Halfdan the Old
Halfdan the Old
Halfdan the Old was an ancient, legendary king from whom descended many of the most notable lineages of legend...
, that Snær's life lasted three hundred years.
Snow's son Thorri reigned after Snow as king of 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...
, Kvenland, and Finland. Thorri had two sons named Nór and Gór and a daughter named Gói ('thin snow, track-snow'). 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...
to follow this lineage further.
Snow and Lǣ
A legendary Danish king named Snow (Sniō) appears in the Annales Ryensis, section 14, and in the Chronicon LethrenseChronicon Lethrense
Chronicon Lethrense is a small Danish medieval work from the 12th century, written in Latin.-Themes:...
, section 5, between the reigns of Helgi and Hrólf Kraki
Hrólf Kraki
Hrólfr Kraki, Hroðulf, Rolfo, Roluo, Rolf Krage was a legendary Danish king who appears in both Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian tradition. His name would in his own language have been *Hrōþiwulfaz .Both traditions describe him as a Danish Scylding, the nephew of Hroðgar and the grandson of Healfdene...
.
The Chronicon Lethrense inserts the common folktale of the dog king after Helgi's death. In this account King Hākun of Sweden
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....
sent a small dog to the Danes to take as their king but warned that whoever told him of the death of the dog would lose his life. One day, when larger dogs are fighting, the small dog sprang to the floor among them and was torn to death. Then Lǣ, the giant of Lǣsø̄ (Læsø
Læsø
Læsø is the largest island in the North Sea bay of Kattegat, and is located off the northeast coast of the Jutland Peninsula, the Danish mainland. Læsø is also the name of the municipality on that island...
), gave some advice on the matter to his herdsman Snow. (Lǣ is a Danish form of Hlér, a common name for Ægir who is Snow's great-granduncle in the Norse tradition). Snow went to Hākun's court and by riddling talk eventually got the king himself to say that the dog was dead. Snow was then appointed king of Denmark in place of the dog. Snow was a vicious, oppressive, and dishonest king. Snow sent his servant named Roth 'Red', whom he disliked, to the giant Lǣ to ask about how Snow will die, intending that Lǣ would kill Roth who would be unable to pass his tests. Roth passed and Lǣ gave Roth two gloves to take to Snow in answer. Snow put them on in an assembly and lice suddenly attacked him and ate him to death. Thereupon Helgi's son Hrólf was made king.
The Annals of Lund tells the same tale, save that the king of Sweden is Adils which harmonizes with other tales in which Adils reigns over Sweden during the reigns of Helgi and his son Hrólf Kraki.
Snow son of Sivald
Saxo GrammaticusSaxo 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...
in his 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...
inserts the reign of Snow much later in Danish history, telling of him in book VIII among kings who reigned after the death of Harald War-tooth. Here Snow is a rightful king of Denmark, son of King Sivald.
Of King Sivald Saxo tells nothing save that Sivald was son of Broder, son of King Jarmerik (who is actually Ermanaric
Ermanaric
Ermanaric was a Greuthungian Gothic King who before the Hunnic invasion evidently ruled an enormous area north of the Black Sea. Contemporary historian Ammianus Marcellinus recounts him as a "most warlike man" who "ruled over extensively wide and fertile regions"...
King of the Ostrogoths changed by Saxo one of his sources into a king of Denmark).
Saxo makes Snow a brave Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
during his father's lifetime, who after gaining the crown crushed two champions named Eskil and Alkil and so regained Scania. Saxo then follows with a romantic tale of Snow's love for the daughter of an unnamed King of Götaland
Götaland
Götaland , Gothia, Gothland, Gothenland, Gautland or Geatland is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises provinces...
whom Snow eventually defeated in a single combat with the terms that the winner would rule both Denmark and Götaland. But finding that the dead king's daughter had been married to the king of Sweden, also unnamed here, Snow with the aid of an accomplice disguised as a beggar abducted her. Indecisive war with Sweden followed.
Then came a famine because of bad weather, this perhaps being an allegory having to do with Snow as a personification. Because of the lack of grain, Snow forbade making strong drink from grain and ordered abstinence from drinking alcohol on pain of death. Saxo follows with a tale of a lush who saved himself from death with clever excuses and finally convinced Snow to rescind those laws.
Then Saxo introduces Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon
Paul the Deacon , also known as Paulus Diaconus, Warnefred, Barnefridus and Cassinensis, , was a Benedictine monk and historian of the Lombards.-Life:...
's account of the origin of the Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
which he summarizes. Paul the Deacon and made the Lombards to have been originally from an island of Scandza
Scandza
Scandza was the name given to Scandinavia by the Roman historian Jordanes in his work Getica, written while in Constantinople around AD 551. He described the area to set the stage for his treatment of the Goths' migration from southern Sweden to Gothiscandza...
in the far north. According to Saxo this famine and the departure of many Danes explained why in his own day much of the Danish land was overrun with forests in which stone piles alone showed that the land had once been cultivated fields.
Snow was succeeded by his son Biorn.