Åsa Haraldsdottir of Agder
Encyclopedia
Åsa Haraldsdottir of Agder (Floruit
834) was a semi-legendary Norwegian Viking age
Queen regnant
of the petty kingdom Agder and mother of Halfdan the Black
and grandmother of Harald Fairhair, according to the sagas of the Yngling
clan.
of Agder
and a reputed beauty. King Gudrød the Hunter
of Borre in Vestfold
proposed marriage to her after the death of his first wife, but her father refused the marriage. Gudrød Veidekonge then killed her father and her brother, abducted her and married her. One year later, she became the mother of Halfdan the Black
. One year after this, Åsa took her revenge and had her servant kill her husband. She left the kingdom of Borre to her stepson Olaf Geirstad-Alf
and took her own son with her to the kingdom of Agder, her birth country, where she took power. Åsa ruled Agder for twenty years, and after this she left the throne to her son. He also demanded half of his father's kingdom from his halfbrother.
There are theories that queen Åsa is the woman buried with the famous Oseberg ship
from 834, but this is not confirmed.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
834) was a semi-legendary Norwegian Viking age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
Queen regnant
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of the petty kingdom Agder and mother of Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan 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:...
and grandmother of Harald Fairhair, according to the sagas of the Yngling
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...
clan.
Biography
Åsa was the daughter of King Harald GranraudeHarald Granraude
Haraldr hinn granrauði was a king of the district Agder, Norway, and lived in the 9th century.He was married to Gunnhild Ragnvaldsdottir, daughter of Ragnvald Sigurdsson, Lord of Huseby on Lista...
of Agder
Agder
Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
and a reputed beauty. King Gudrød the Hunter
Gudrød the Hunter
Gudrød the Hunter was a semi-legendary king in Vingulmark in south-east Norway, during the early Viking Age from 804 until 810...
of Borre in 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...
proposed marriage to her after the death of his first wife, but her father refused the marriage. Gudrød Veidekonge then killed her father and her brother, abducted her and married her. One year later, she became the mother of Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan 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:...
. One year after this, Åsa took her revenge and had her servant kill her husband. She left the kingdom of Borre to her stepson Olaf Geirstad-Alf
Olaf Geirstad-Alf
Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.Gudrød died when Olaf...
and took her own son with her to the kingdom of Agder, her birth country, where she took power. Åsa ruled Agder for twenty years, and after this she left the throne to her son. He also demanded half of his father's kingdom from his halfbrother.
There are theories that queen Åsa is the woman buried with the famous Oseberg ship
Oseberg ship
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway.-Burial mound:...
from 834, but this is not confirmed.