Sölve
Encyclopedia
Sölve was a sea-king
who conquered Sweden
by burning the Swedish king Östen
to death inside his hall
.
The Heimskringla
relates that he was the son Högne of Nærøy
, and that he had his home in Jutland
(however, according to the older source Historia Norwegiae, he was Geatish). He pillaged in the Baltic Sea
and at night they made shore in the hundred
of Lofond/Lovund (perhaps Lovön
or the Lagunda Hundred) where they surrounded a house and set it on fire killing everybody inside. In the house there was a feast where the Swedish king Östen
was invited. Then Sölve and his men arrived in Sigtuna (Old Sigtuna) and declared that the Swedes had to accept him as king. The Swedes refused and fought Sölve for eleven days until they lost. Sölve then ruled Sweden until the Swedes rebelled and killed him.
Historia Norwegiae only relates that the Geats burnt Östen and his people to death inside his house.
Sölvi also appears in Half's saga, of which there is a version from the year 1300. This saga relates that Sölvi was the son of Högne the rich of Nærøy
fyrir Naumundalsminni in Norway
and that he was the brother of Hild the Slender. Sölvi's brother-in-law, Hjorleiv, was the king of Hordaland
and Rogaland
and Hjorleiv killed Hreidar, the king of Zealand. Then Hjorleiv put Sölvi as the jarl of Zealand. Later in the saga, Sölvi is no longer the jarl of Zealand, but the king of Sweden. Hjorleiv had a son named Half (after whom the saga is named), and after the Norwegian king Asmund had killed Half, a couple of his champions go to Sweden and king Sölvi (til svíþjóðar ; fóru þeir ... á fund Sölva konungs) (see also Gard Agdi
).
Sölvi is also mentioned in a few other sources, but none of them relate of his Danish and Swedish dominions.
He was succeeded by Ingvar
of the Swedish royal dynasty, the House of Yngling.
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...
who conquered 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....
by burning the Swedish king Östen
Östen
Eysteinn was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians...
to death inside his hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
.
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...
relates that he was the son Högne of Nærøy
Nærøy
Nærøy is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Nærøy is part of the Namdalen region. Norway's smallest town, Kolvereid, is the administration centre of the municipality...
, and that he had his home in Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
(however, according to the older source Historia Norwegiae, he was Geatish). He pillaged in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and at night they made shore in the hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Lofond/Lovund (perhaps Lovön
Lovön
Lovön is an island located in the Swedish Lake Mälaren in Ekerö Municipality of Stockholm County. It was a municipality of its own until 1952, when it was joined with Ekerö Municipality. Lovön's greatest attraction is Drottningholm Palace and its many public gardens, which were built on the island...
or the Lagunda Hundred) where they surrounded a house and set it on fire killing everybody inside. In the house there was a feast where the Swedish king Östen
Östen
Eysteinn was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians...
was invited. Then Sölve and his men arrived in Sigtuna (Old Sigtuna) and declared that the Swedes had to accept him as king. The Swedes refused and fought Sölve for eleven days until they lost. Sölve then ruled Sweden until the Swedes rebelled and killed him.
Historia Norwegiae only relates that the Geats burnt Östen and his people to death inside his house.
Sölvi also appears in Half's saga, of which there is a version from the year 1300. This saga relates that Sölvi was the son of Högne the rich of Nærøy
Nærøy
Nærøy is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. Nærøy is part of the Namdalen region. Norway's smallest town, Kolvereid, is the administration centre of the municipality...
fyrir Naumundalsminni in 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...
and that he was the brother of Hild the Slender. Sölvi's brother-in-law, Hjorleiv, was the king of 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 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 Hjorleiv killed Hreidar, the king of Zealand. Then Hjorleiv put Sölvi as the jarl of Zealand. Later in the saga, Sölvi is no longer the jarl of Zealand, but the king of Sweden. Hjorleiv had a son named Half (after whom the saga is named), and after the Norwegian king Asmund had killed Half, a couple of his champions go to Sweden and king Sölvi (til svíþjóðar ; fóru þeir ... á fund Sölva konungs) (see also 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...
).
Sölvi is also mentioned in a few other sources, but none of them relate of his Danish and Swedish dominions.
He was succeeded by Ingvar
Ingvar
Yngvar Harra Proto-Norse *Ingu-Hariz was the son of Östen and reclaimed the Swedish throne for the House of Yngling after the Swedes had rebelled against Sölvi....
of the Swedish royal dynasty, the House of Yngling.
Primary 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...
- Halfs saga