Originally posted in March 2001, but thought lost after an early upgrade. I had saved the HTML text and just found it again:



Here are some Famous Vikings and their deeds from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Although most think of Norway being "The Viking Land" and truly its contributions are great, it was not the only one. There is often an overlapping of territory when it came to kingdoms in Scandinavia. Even now some parts of Sweden were once part of Norway or Denmark or the other way around (not to mention England, Ireland and some other countries). For example, Sigurd Hring's kingdom included all of Denmark, Sweden, parts of the Baltic countries and others westward including, England.

Here quoted from some Sagas are the names of some of these early Kings and Jarls:

"When Sigurd Hring (7th and 8th Centuries)father of Ragnar Lodbok, King of Sweden and Denmark, had made peace in both and placed over them tax-kings and jarls. He bethought himself of the kingdom which his kinsman Harald Hilditönn(War Tooth) had possessed in England and before him, Ivar Vidfadmi; but it was then ruled by King Ingjald who it is said was brother of Petr, Saxon king" (Forrmanna Sögur)

King Hring summoned a great levy and went to England and when he came to Northumberland, asked help and many people did. When King Ingjald heard of this, he raised a great host and there were several battles between them. In the last, both King Ingjald and his son, Ubbi, fell. Then Hring took possession of Northumberland and the rest of Ingjald's kingdom.

He left for Sweden but not before leaving Olaf son of Kinrik who was said to be nephew of Moalda the Stout, mother of Ivar Vidfadmi. After losing a war with King Ingjald's grandson, Eava and his crown. Olaf went to Sweden to see Hring, who then made Olaf chief of Jutland and remain there as tax-king even under Ragnar Lodbok. In Jutland, Olaf was known as "the English" and his son, Grim the Grey, succeeded him. Grim was father to Audulf the Strong, who was tax-king under Ragnar Lodbok....." (Formanna Sögur)

Ragnar Lodbok was the largest and strongest man ever seen and was like his mother and her family, the Alfar, in looks. It was said about the Alfar, they were much handsomer than other men in the Norther Lands, for all the forefathers of Alfhild (his mother) and all their kindred were descended from King Alf the Old who ruled the forestlands between the rivers of Gautelf and Raumelf (Gautland and Raumríki).

When Hring died, Ragnar Lodbok became king of Sweden and Denmark. He married Thora Borgarhjort (Hart of the burgh) a very beautiful woman, skilled in many crafts and daughter of Herraud, jarl of Western Gautaland. They had several children. According to another saga, he married later to Aslaug, daughter of Sigurd Fafnisbani and had children from this union. Among them were Ivar the Boneless (because he had no bones in his body according to the tale or maybe very limber), Bjorn Hvitserk, Rognvald and Sigurd Snake-Eye. Later they avenged their father's death and went a'viking making a great name for themselves.

The Sons of Ragnar made war in many lands, including England, Valland, Frankland and Lombardi. They went to Luna, an ancient Roman city and sacked it. When they came back to Denmark, they divided the lands. Ivar the Boneless remained in England, Bjorn Hvitserk (Ironside) got Uppsala and the whole of Sweden and what belonged to it. Sigurd Snake-eye got Zeeland, Skani, Halland, the whole of Vik (Christianiafjord), another son named Agdir to Lidandisness and part of Upplönd; but Bjorn Hvitserk got Reidgotaland and Vindland." (Ragnar's Sons Saga)

From Sigurd Snake-eye was descended Harald Fairhair, who first ruled Norway alone. From Bjorn Hvitserk was descended Thord a great Icelandic chief.

Later, Bjorn Hvitserk (Ironside) made war in Eastern lands and met such an overwhelming force in one battle he could not raise his shield and was captured. He chose the means of his death...that a pyre be made of human heads and he be burnt on it; thus he died. His old mother, Randalin heard this and sang this song:

"A son whom I owned
Made death in the eastern lands;
Hvitserk was he called,
Nowhere willing to flee.

He was warmed by the heads
Of men slain in battle;
The strong-minded chief
Chose that death before he died."

More to follow.

__________________
Laurie "The Deep Minded"
Saver of Kazi's Sanity
Keeper of Kirby's Viking Weaponry

runegamegoddess@yahoo.com

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Another saved from that time:

A few more lineages of Danish and Swedish Kings:

"Harald Gormsson (c940-986) was made king in Denmark. He was a powerful king, a great warrior and conquered Holstein in Saxland. He founded the Jomsborg and the Jomsvikings.

His son, Svein (c 986-1014) took possession of Denmark after his father died; he was known as Svein Tjúguskegg (Forkbeard) and was a powerful king. In his days, Jarl Sigvaldi and the Jomsvikings when to Norway and fought against Hakon Jarl in the battle of Hjörungavang and lost. (refer to "Viking Myth" section of Runegame.com). After that, the power of Norway was lost to the Danish kings and later, Olaf Tryggvesson went to Norway and got the rule".

Svein married Gunnhild, daughter of Burislaf (King of the Wends) and their sons were Knut (Canute the Great) and Harald. Afterwards, Svein married a second time to Sigrid-Storráda (the Proud), daughter of Sköglar-Tosti and mother of King Olaf the Swedish. She had been married before to King Sigrsæli (the Victorious) of Sweden. Later King Svein Forkbeard was at the fall of Olaf Tryggvasson at the sea battle of Stiklestad with King Olaf the Swedish, his stepson and jarl Eirik, his son-in-law. Tryggvasson leaped into the sea rather than to get captured. Afterwards, King Svein, King Olaf the Swedish and jarl Eirik divided Norway between them.

Later, King Svein went to England and fought King Aethered and forced him to flee. He set up a standing army called a "Thingamannalid" in Lundunaborg (present London) and had 60 ships in the Thames. A similar army and ships were set just North at Slesvik (Southwark) He gave command to Alrek Strjóna of Lundunaborg and to rule over Northern England, Svein gave to Ulfkel Snilling ("master of speech"). When King Svein died in England, the Danes took him back to Denmark and buried him next to his father.

King Aethelred, with King Olaf Haraldsson (also known as "the Saint") help tried to take back England. One large battle was held across one of the early wooden broad "London Bridge" that spanned Southwark and London. When the combined attack was made, the Danes defended from there behind stout bulwarks raise up to mid man height. King Olaf went to Kantarabyrgi (Canterbury), defeated the Danes there and burned the town. Then sailed up Nyjarmoda (Newmouth) and defeated some Danish Thingamen there.

To fight the Thingamen at Bridge, he covered his ships with large hurdles of made of withies and softwood, as cut to make a wicker house, down to cover the sides of his ships and raised them with posts for his men to fight from under. This way his men were protected from any stones or other projectiles thrown or shot from above. Still some to his ships were damaged and rowed back. However, Olaf and his men rowed up under the bridge, tied stout ropes to the supporting posts and rowed as hard as they could downstream. This way the posts were dragged along the bottom until the supports were loosened from under the bridge. With so many men on there with stones and everything else...the bridge collapsed and many Danes were drowned while others escaped to Southwark.

Eventually Olaf won and King Aethelred got his kingdom back. But the old nursery rhyme "London Bridge is falling down" still reminds us of the bridge actually "falling down" this way. Many Viking Great Axes were dredged from the Thames in this area during the late 19th Century that date from this battle.

More to follow.

__________________
Laurie "The Deep Minded"
Saver of Kazi's Sanity
Keeper of Kirby's Viking Weaponry

runegamegoddess@yahoo.com

New Homepage website! Please update your link!
Runegamegoddess' Home & Rune Info Page