Ynglings
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For other uses, see Yngling (disambiguation).
Ingjald.JPG
The first kings in the line are probably mythical, whereas others have probably existed in real life. Especially, Egil, Ottar, Ale and Adils are mentioned in several sources and are very likely to have been real kings. The connection between the Norwegian kings and the Scylfings was probably a way of glorifying the Norwegian kings by connecting them to an illustrious dynasty.
Alrik_and_Erik.JPG
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Names
Alf_&_Yngvi.JPG
In the Scandinavian sources they are the descendants of Yngvi-Frey of Vanaheim. Yngling means descendant of Frey and in Gesta Danorum they are called the sons of Frey.
In Beowulf appear several of these kings Eadgils (Adils), Onela (Ale) and Ohthere (Ottar Vendelkrĺka), but here they are called Scylfings (see section below). Interestingly, Snorri Sturluson hints at a less divine origin in Skáldskaparmál for this dynasty: One war-king was named Skelfir; and his house is called the House of Skilfings: his kindred is in the Eastern Region (Sweden is the eastern part of Scandinavia and the Swedish kings could be called east kings).
Another origin for the name skilfing is highly possible. Snorri described Erik and Alrik, the sons of Skjalf to be the de facto ancestors of this Norse clan.
- The kings who resided at Upsal had been the supreme chiefs over the whole Swedish dominions until the death of Agne, when, as before related, the kingdom came to be divided between brothers (Alrek and Erik). After that time the dominions and kingly powers were spread among the branches of the family as these increased; but some kings cleared great tracts of forest-land, and settled them, and thereby increased their domains.[1] (http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/001_07.php)
From Sweden to Norway
According to Snorri Sturluson, the dynasty lead the settlement of the Swedish provinces and established themselves as the kings of its provinces, accepting the overlordship of the Swedish king at Uppsala, until the dynasty all but exterminated itself with Ingjald ill-ruler and his downfall. A survivor Olof Trätälja was the ancestor of the Norwegian branch.
Remaining in Sweden?
However, both Snorri (as in the earlier quote) and Saxo described the clan as remaining in Sweden after this date.
Saxo about the Battle of Brĺvalla (ca 750):
- Now the bravest of the Swedes were these: Arwakki, Keklu-Karl (Kelke-Karl), Krok the Peasant, (from Akr), Gudfast and Gummi from Gislamark. These were kindred of the god Frey, and most faithful witnesses to the gods. Ingi (Yngwe) also, and Oly, Alver, Folki, all sons of Elrik (Alrek), embraced the service of Ring (Sigurd Ring); they were men ready of hand, quick in counsel, and very close friends of Ring. They likewise held the god Frey to be the founder of their race. Amongst these from the town of Sigtun (Old Sigtuna) also came Sigmund, a champion advocate, versed in making contracts of sale and purchase; besides him Frosti surnamed Bowl: allied with him was Alf the Lofty (Proud?) from the district of Upsala (Old Uppsala); this man was a swift spear-thrower, and used to go in the front of the battle.[2] (http://www.northvegr.org/lore/saxo/008_01.php)
Family Tree
This is a family tree which is not only based on Historia Norwegiae and Ynglinga saga. It also includes some members who are mentioned in other Old Norse sources (and in Beowulf). The names of Swedish kings are shown in bold.
Njord (Nerthus(1)) Fornjot | | | ---------- ---------------------- | | | | ---------- Gymir Logi Kari | | | | Freya Frey Gerd Frosti | | | ---------- ----------- | | | Fjölnir Snćr Skjalf | | | Sveigder Vana | | | | | | -------------- | | | | | Vanlade Drífa | | | | Aud the Rich -------------- | | | | Unknown Visbur Unknown | | | | | | ------------------ ---------- | | | | ---------------- | | | | | | Gisl Öndur | | Domalde | Ríg | | | | | Danp | | | | | ---------------- | | | | | | Dan Drott Domar | | | | ------------ | | | Dyggve | | | Dag the Wise | | | Agne | | | ------------------ | ------------------ | | Alrek Erik | ------------------ | | Bera Alf Yngvi | | | ------------------ ------------------- | | | | Hugleik Jorund Erik Ingeborg | Aun | --------------------- | | nine sons Egil | --------------------- | | Helgi Áli(2) Ottar | | -------------------- --------------------- | | | | | Yrsa Adils Eanmund(3) | | | | ------------------ ----------------- | | Hrólf Kraki Östen Gauti | | Ingvar Olof of Närke Gautrek | | | ---------------------- Unknown Algaut | | | | | Olof Sigvard Anund -------------- | | Ingjald Gauthild | | ---------------- | Halfdan Guldtand ----------------- | | | Solveig Olof Trätälja Ĺsa | | ----------------- | Eystein ----------------- | | | Ĺsa Halfdan Hvitbeinn Ingjald Olofsson | | ----------------- | ----------------- Erik Agnarsson | | | Gudröd Eystein Halfdansson Hild | | ----------------- Dag | | Harald Halfdan the Mild Liv | | | ----------------- ----------------- Alfarin | | | | Gyrd Ĺsa Gudrřd the Hunter Alfhild | | | | ---------------- ----------------- | | Halfdan the Black Olaf Geirstad-Alf | | Harald Fairhair Ragnvald the Mountain-High
(1) Germanic goddess often suggested to be the same as Njord's unknown sister with whom he had Frey and Freya.
(2) Here Áli's inclusion is based on Beowulf, the oldest source.
(3) Adils' brother who is only mentioned in Beowulf.
The line
Kings of Sweden
- Yngvi-Freyr
- Fjolner/Fjölner (1st century BC - 1st century AD)
- Sveigder
- Vanlade
- Visburr
- Domalde
- Domarr
- Dyggve
- Dag the Wise/Dagr Spaka
- Agne
- Erik and Alrik
- Yngvi and Alf
- Jorundr and Hugleif
- Aun (late 5th c.)
- Egil/Ongentheow (late 5th c. - early 6th c.)
- Ottar/Ohthere (early 6th c.)
- Adils/Eadgils (ca 530-ca 575)
- Östen (late 6th c.)
- Ingvar (late 6th c.)
- Anund (early 7th c.)
- Ingjald (mid 7th c.)
Intermediary
- Olof Trätälja (Olaf Tree Feller)
- Halfdan Hvitbeinn (White-Leg) and Ingjald Olofsson
- Öystein Halfdansson
- Halfdan the Mild
- Gudröd the Hunter
- Halfdan the Black Gudrřdsson
Kings of Norway
- Harald Fairhair (approximately 865-933)
The name Scylfing
In Old English several kings who are generally identified as Ynglings are called Scylfings. In Old Norse Skilfing (Skilfingr) is also the name of a legendary genealogical lineage or clan, but in Norse sources the Skilfings (Skilfingar) are vaguely identified in the Skáldskaparmál as an eastern family (East King was a kenning for Swedish king). In the Ćttartolur, (the genealogies attached to Hversu Noregr byggdist), the Skilfings are of Norwegian origin and include a family identified as Skjöldungs. In the eddic poem Grímnismál (stanza 55), Skilfing appears as one of Odin's names, the information there also appearing in the Gylfaginning..
Beowulf
In the Old English poem Beowulf, the word Scylfing occurs twice in the singular and twice in the plural. For alliterative purposes the name could be extended, such as the form Heathoscylfing 'Battle-Scylfing', which occurs once in the singular and twice in the plural. A Scylfing whose name is partly missing but ends in -ela married the sister of Hrothgar and Halga. Specifically identified as Scylfings are Ongentheow, king of Sweden, and by extension his subject Wiglaf son of Weohstan. Wiglaf and Weohstan belonged to the family of the Wćgmundings to which Beowulf and his father Ecgtheow also belonged. Another extended form is helm Scylfinga 'Scylfings’-helmet' and it is used to refer to Ongentheow's son Onela.
However, in the Old Norse Ynglinga saga the corresponding Old Norse form Skylfing never appears, though many of these same kings are treated there. All these Swedish kings in that work belong to the Yngling lineage.
In Norse tradition
From the Hyndluljód
The eddic poem Hyndluljód, in stanza 16 speaks of descendants of an ancient king named Halfdan the Old:Skilfings are differentiated from Ynglings, or at least partially differentiated.Hence come the Skjöldungs, hence the Skilfings,
Hence the Ödlings [Ǫđlingar], hence the Ynglings, ...
From the Skáldskaparmál
In the Skáldskaparmál, Snorri Sturluson speaks of the second group of nine sons of Halfdan the Old from whom many families of legend descend, one of these sons being Yngvi, purported ancestor of the Yngling lineage. But neither Skylfings or Skjöldungs are specifically derived from these son. Snorri continues with examles of famous descendants of three of those lineages follwed by: "Of the house of the Ylfings was Eirík the Eloquent (Eiríkr inn málspaki)." But Ylfings have not been previously mentioned. Then follows the names of four ancestors of four lineages not descended from Halfdan which include Yngvi and the Ynglings a second time. There is obvious confusion or corruption in this passage or its source. The fourth lineage is indentified:
One war-king was named Skelfir; and his house is called the House of Skilfings: his kindred is in the Eastern Region.
A connection with the east might mean a connection to Sweden, but the vagueness of expression suggests Snorri knows no more about these Skilfings than he has written.
Snorri also gives Skilfing as a kenning for "king" and it appears as a kenning for "sword" in the thulur found in some versions of the Skáldkskaparmál.
From the Ćttartolur
The Ćttartolur connected to Hversu Noregr byggdist are a longer variant of the genealogical passages in the Skáldskaparmál, also speaking of Halfdan the Old and lineages descended from him and of other notable lineages, but in much greater detail. In this list of the sons of Halfdan, Yngvi the ancester of the Ynglings is missing and Skelfir the ancestor of the Skilfings appears in his place. This might be a remembrance of an earlier identity or connection of the Swedish Ynglings and the Swedish Scylfings in Beowulf. But nothing in the following geneology is necessarily Swedish though possible Swedish parallels do appear, particular the names Alrek and Eirík as discussed below.
There are many oddities in this account.
It claims Skelfir was king of Vörs (Vǫrs), modern Voss in northern Hordaland in southwestern Norway, but Halfdan's inheritance was in southeastern Norway.
Skelfir was the father of Skjöld (Skjǫldr). The account ends by saying that lineage of Skelfir was called the Skilfing lineage or the Skjöldung lineage, seemingly identifying the two. But Skjöldungs are normally the legendary royal family of the rulers of Denmark and no connection with Denmark is made here. Indeed the Ćttartolur later twice gives a quite different list of descendants of the Danish Skjöld who is there made a son of Odin as commonly in Norse texts. Skjöld as son of Skelfir might be related to English traditions of Scyld being a son or descendant of Sceaf (as discussed under Sceaf), though here too (at least in Beowulf) the connection is to Danish matters, not to Norway.
This Norwegian Skjöld, ancestor of the Norwegian Skjöldungs, is father of Eirík, father of Alrek (Alrekr), father of Eirík the Eloquent, whom the Skáldskaparmál presented as an Ylfing. These two mentions are the only occurrences of Eirík the Eloquent in Norse texts. But what seems to be the same figure appears prominently in book 5 of Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum as Ericus disertus. This Ericus disertus is indeed a Norwegian, but his father is not named Alrek but rather Regnerus pugilex, that is Ragnar the Champion. The Gesta Danorum then somewhat forcibly identifies Ericus disertus with Eirík, a legendary king of Sweden, a king who in the Ynglinga saga and elsewhere has an elder brother (rather than a father) named Alrek. See Alrek and Eirík for details.
In the Ynglinga saga the mother of the Swedish kings Alrek and Eirík is named Skjálf, which might also be an eponym for Skilfing.
Returning to the Ćttartolur, there Eirík the Eloquent is father of Alrek, father of Víkar (Víkarr), father of Vatnar. This Víkar is the famous Víkar, king of Hördaland, who was sacrificed to Odin by Starkad. The chain of descent from Alrek to Víkar to Vatnar is also found in Hálfs saga ok Hálfsrekka ('The saga of Hálf and his heroes'). However Gautreks saga gives an entirely different ancestry and different descendants to Víkar. See Víkar for details.
This genealogy may have been based on attempts to ascribe a Norwegian origin to both Swedish Scylfings and Danish Skjöldungs and also be related to Saxo's account of the Norwegian Ericus desertus. If so, as it stands, it has been edited to remove material that would obviously conflict with the standard genealogies of the Skjöldungs and Ynglings which also appear in the Ćttartolur.
Variant spellings
Other anglicized spellings: Eirík: Eirik ; Eirík the Eloquent: Eirik the Eloquent, Eiríkr the Wise in Speech ; Halfdan the Old: Hálfdan the Old ; Skjöld: Skjold, Skiold ; Starkad: Starkath ; Víkar: Vikar ; Vörs: Vor.