Yngvi and Alf

Last updated
Alf and Yngvi slaying each other Konung Alf dodar konung Yngve by Hugo Hamilton.jpg
Alf and Yngvi slaying each other

Yngvi and Alf, according to legend, were two Swedish kings of the House of Yngling. Some versions indicate they were brothers or other close relations. They killed each other.

Contents

History

According to Ynglingatal , Historia Norwegiae and Ynglinga saga , Yngvi and Alf were the sons of Alrik.

Snorri Sturluson relates that Yngvi was an accomplished king: a great warrior who always won his battles, the master of all exercises, generous, happy and sociable. He was both loved and famous.

Alf was unsociable and harsh and stayed at home instead of pillaging in other countries. His mother was Dageid, the daughter of king Dag the Great from whom is descended the Dagling family. Alf was married to Bera who was happy and alert and a very lovable woman.

One day in the autumn, Yngvi returned to Uppsala from a very successful Viking expedition which had rendered him famous. He used to spend time at the drinking table until late in the night, like Bera, and they found it pleasant to talk to each other. Alf, however, preferred to go to bed early and he started to tell her to go to bed early as well so that she did not wake him. Then Bera used to answer that Yngvi was much better for a woman than Alf, an answer that was getting on Alf's nerves.

One evening, the jealous Alf entered the hall and saw Yngvi and Bera converse on the high seat. Yngvi had a short sword in his lap and the other guests were too drunk to see that Alf had arrived. From under his cloak Alf drew a sword and pierced Yngvi. Yngvi, mortally wounded, got up, drew his own short sword and slew Alf. They were buried in two mounds on the Fyrisvellir (Fyris Wolds).

Alf was succeeded by his son Hugleik.

The poem in Ynglingatal :

Ok varð hinn,
er Alfr of vá
vörðr véstalls,
of veginn liggja,
er dölingr
dreyrgan mæki
öfundgjarn
á Yngva rauð.
Var-a þat bært
at Bera skyldi
valsœfendr
vígs of hvetja,
þá er brœðr tveir
at bönum urðusk,
óþurfendr,
of afbrýði. [1] [2]
I tell you of a horrid thing,
A deed of dreadful note I sing --
How by false Bera, wicked queen,
The murderous brother-hands were seen
Each raised against a brother's life;
How wretched Alf with bloody knife
Gored Yngve's heart, and Yngve's blade
Alf on the bloody threshold laid.
Can men resist Fate's iron laws?
They slew each other without cause. [3] [4]

The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:

Cujus [Hogne, i.e. Agne ] filius Ingialdr in Swethia a fratre suo ob infamiam uxoris ejus occisus est, quæ Bera dicta est (hoc nomen latine sonat ursa). Post hunc filius ejus Jorundr [...] [5]

His [Agne's] son, Ingjald, was murdered in Sweden by his own brother because he had brought discredit on the latter's wife, whose name was Bera (Ursa in Latin). After him his son Jorund ruled, [...] [6]

Ingjaldr is held to be an error for Yngvi. [7] Unlike Ynglingatal, Historia Norwegiæ gives Agne as Yngvi's predecessor. Instead Alrekr precedes Agne and Agne is succeeded by Yngvi. The even earlier source Íslendingabók cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and it gives the same line of succession as Historia Norwegiæ: xi Dagr. xii Alrekr. xiii Agni. xiiii Yngvi. xv Jörundr. [8]

Ari Frodi's Younger Íslendingabók

According to Ari Frodi's line of Swedish kings Yngvi was the son of Agne, and not of Agne's son Alrik.

Gesta Danorum

In Gesta Danorum, Alf (Alverus) was the father of Yngve (Ing) and Ingjald (Ingild). Ingjald, in his turn was the father of Sigurd Hring and the grandfather of Ragnar Lodbrok.

See also

Notes

  1. "Ynglinga saga at Norrøne Tekster og Kvad". Archived from the original on 2005-12-31. Retrieved 2006-11-03.
  2. A second online presentation of Ynglingatal Archived September 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
  4. Laing's translation at Northvegr Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), pp. 99-100.
  6. Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003). Historia Norwegie. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 8772898135, p. 77.
  7. Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), p. 99.
  8. Guðni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ongentheow</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Ongentheow was the name of a semi-legendary Swedish king of the house of Scylfings, who appears in Old English sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohthere</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Ohthere, Old Norse Óttarr vendilkráka was a semi-legendary king of Sweden of the house of Scylfings, who is said to have lived during the Germanic Heroic Age, possibly during the early 6th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eysteinn</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Eysteinn was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, the son of Eadgils. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus (Östens hög) in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingvar</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Ingvar or Yngvar Old Norse: Yngvarr, d. early 7th century) was the son of Östen and reclaimed the Swedish throne for the House of Yngling after the Swedes had rebelled against Sölvi. He is reported to have fallen in battle in Estonia and been buried there. Although the account of Ingvar is semi-legendary, the discovery of two boat grave sites in Salme, modern Estonia has confirmed that a similar historic event took place in the 8th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anund</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Anund Swedish: Bröt-Anund meaning trail-blazer Anund or Anund the Land Clearer; alternate names Brøt-Anundr or Braut-Önundr was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Yngling who reigned in the mid-seventh century. The name would have been Proto-Norse *Anuwinduz meaning "winning ancestor".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingjald</span> Semi-legendary Swedish king

Ingjald illråde or Ingjaldr hinn illráði was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, son and successor of King Anund, and the father and predecessor of King Olof Trätälja. As with many of the 5th-7th century Yngling Kings of Sweden, his historicity is contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aun</span> Mythical Swedish king

Aun the Old is a mythical Swedish king of the House of Yngling in the Heimskringla. Aun was the son of Jorund, and had ten sons, nine of which he was said to have sacrificed in order to prolong his own life. Based on the internal chronology of the House of Yngling, Aun would have died late in the fifth century. He was succeeded by his son Egil Vendelcrow identified with Ongentheow of the Beowulf narrative and placed in the early sixth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorund</span>

Jorund or Jörundr was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling. He was the son of Yngvi, and he had reclaimed the throne of Sweden for his dynasty from Haki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaric and Eric</span> Mythological Swedish kings

Alaric and Eric, according to legend, were two kings of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agne</span> Mythological king of Sweden

Agne, Hogne or Agni Skjálfarbondi was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, of the House of Yngling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dag the Wise</span>

Dag the Wise or Dagr spaki was a mythological Swedish king of the House of Ynglings. He was the son of Dyggvi, the former king. According to legend, he could understand the speech of birds and had a sparrow that gathered news for him from many lands. When the bird was killed on one of these trips, Dag invaded Reidgotaland, in order to avenge it. There he was ambushed by a thrall and killed.

In Norse mythology, Dyggvi or Dyggve was a Swedish king of the House of Ynglings. Dyggvi died and became the concubine of Hel, Loki's daughter. Dyggvi was succeeded by his son Dag the Wise. According to Snorri Sturluson, Dyggvi was the nephew of Dan, the eponymous ancestor of Denmark, through his sister Drott, and was the first to be called King by his family.

In Norse mythology, the Swedish king Domar of the House of Ynglings was the son of Domalde. He was married to Drott, the sister of Dan the Arrogant who gave his names to the Danes. Drott and Dan are in this work said to be the children of Danp son of Ríg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domalde</span> Legendary King of Sweden

Domalde, Dómaldi or Dómaldr was a legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, cursed by his stepmother, according to Snorri Sturluson, with ósgæssa, "ill-luck". He was the son of Visbur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visbur</span> Legendary King of Sweden

Visbur or Wisbur was a legendary Swedish 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. He was succeeded by his son Dómaldi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanlandi</span> Legendary King of Sweden

Vanlandi or Vanlande according to mythology 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. He was succeeded by his son Visbur.

Sveigðir, Sveigder or Swegde 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fjölnir</span> Legendary King of Sweden

Fjölnir is a legendary king in Norse mythology said to have been the son of Freyr (Frey) and his consort Gerðr (Gertha). The name appears in a variety of forms, including Fiolnir, Fjölner, Fjolner, and Fjolne. He was claimed as the progenitor of the Swedish Yngling dynasty, reigning from Gamla Uppsala. According to the Grottasöngr, Fjölnir lived from the 1st century BC to the early 1st century AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olof Trätälja</span>

Olof Trätälja was the son of the Swedish king Ingjald illråde, ruler of the House of Yngling in the 7th century according to Ynglingatal, a Skaldic poem detailing the kings of that house.

Historia Norwegiæ is a short history of Norway written in Latin by an anonymous monk. The only extant manuscript is in the private possession of the Earl of Dalhousie, and is now kept in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. The manuscript contains several other texts; the Historia itself is in folios 1r-12r. Recent dating efforts place it somewhere c. 1500-1510A.

References

Yngvi and Alf
Preceded by Mythological king of Sweden Succeeded by