Sveigder
Encyclopedia
Sveigðir, Sveigder or Swegde (Old Norse
"Waving One") was a Swedish
king
of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology
. He was the son of Fjölner, whom he succeeded as king, and he married Vana of Vanaheimr
, probably one of the Vanir
. Lured by a dwarf, Sveigðir disappeared into a stone and never came back. He was succeeded by his son Vanlandi.
wrote of Sveigðir in his Ynglinga saga
(1225):
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal
composed in the 9th century:
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal written in the late 12th century and consequently older than Snorri's quotation:
The even earlier source Íslendingabók
from the early 12th century, cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Svegðir as the successor of Fjölnir and the predecessor of Vanlandi: iiii Fjölnir. sá er dó at Friðfróða. v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi.
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
"Waving One") was a Swedish
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....
king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology
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...
. He was the son of Fjölner, whom he succeeded as king, and he married Vana of Vanaheimr
Vanaheimr
In Norse mythology, Vanaheimr is one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Vanir, a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future...
, probably one of the Vanir
Vanir
In Norse mythology, the Vanir are a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom and the ability to see the future. The Vanir are one of two groups of gods and are the namesake of the location Vanaheimr . After the Æsir–Vanir War, the Vanir became a subgroup of the Æsir...
. Lured by a dwarf, Sveigðir disappeared into a stone and never came back. He was succeeded by his son Vanlandi.
Attestations
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
wrote of Sveigðir in his 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....
(1225):
Svegðir tók ríki eptir föður sinn; hann strengði þess heit at leita Goðheims ok Óðins hins gamla. Hann fór með 12 menn víða um heiminn, hann kom út í Tyrkland ok í Svíþjóð hina miklu ok hitti þar marga frændr sína ok vini, ok var í þeirri för 5 vetr. Þá kom hann aptr til Svíþjóðar, dvaldist hann þá enn heima um hríð. Hann hafði fengit konu þá er Vana hét út í Vanaheimi; var þeirra son Vanlandi. Svegðir fór enn at leita Goðheims. Ok í austanverðri Svíþjóð heitir bœr mikill at Steini, þar er steinn svá mikill sem stór hús. Um kveldit eptir sólarfall, þá er Svegðir gékk frá drykkju til svefnbúrs, sá hann til steinsins, at dvergr sat undir steininum. Svegðir ok hans menn váru mjök druknir ok runnu til steinsins. Dvergrinn stóð í durum ok kallaði á Sveigði, bað hann þar inn ganga, ef hann vildi Óðin hitta. Svegðir hljóp í steininn; en steinninn laukst þegar aptr, ok kom Svegðir eigi aptr. |
Swegde took the kingdom after his father, and he made a solemn vow to seek Godheim and Odin Odin Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz".... . He went with twelve men through the world, and came to Turkland Seljuq dynasty The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries... , and the Great Svithiod Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"... , where he found many of his connections. He was five years on this journey; and when he returned home to 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.... he remained there for some time. He had got a wife in Vanheim Vanaheimr In Norse mythology, Vanaheimr is one of the Nine Worlds and home of the Vanir, a group of gods associated with fertility, wisdom, and the ability to see the future... , who was called Vana, and their son was Vanlande. Swegde went out afterwards to seek again for Godheim, and came to a mansion on the east side of Swithiod called Stein Stein Stein is a German and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and may refer to:* Beer stein* Stein , a beer brewery in Bratislava, Slovakia* USS Stein , a frigate in the U.S... , where there was a stone as big as a large house. In the evening after sunset, as Swegde was going from the drinking-table to his sleeping-room, he cast his eye upon the stone, and saw that a dwarf was sitting under it. Swegde and his man were very drunk, and they ran towards the stone. The dwarf stood in the door, and called to Swegde, and told him to come in, and he should see Odin. Swegde ran into the stone, which instantly closed behind him, and Swegde never came back. |
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal 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...
composed in the 9th century:
|
|
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal written in the late 12th century and consequently older than Snorri's quotation:
Froyr vero genuit Fiolni, qui in dolio medonis dimersus est, cujus filius Swegthir nanum in petram persequitur nec redisse dicitur, quod pro certo fabulosum creditur. Iste genuit Wanlanda [...] |
Frøy engendered Fjolne, who was drowned in a tun of mead. His son, Sveigde, is supposed to have pursuded a dwarf into a stone and never to have returned, but this is plainly to be taken as a fairy-tale. He sired Vanlande, [...] |
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...
from the early 12th century, cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Svegðir as the successor of Fjölnir and the predecessor of Vanlandi: iiii Fjölnir. sá er dó at Friðfróða. v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi.
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...