Skagul Toste

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The rune stone U 344 in Orkesta, Uppland, Sweden, was raised by the Viking Ulfr who commemorated that he had taken a danegeld in England with Skagul Toste. He took two others with Thorkell the Tall and Canute the Great.
The rune stone U 344 in Orkesta, Uppland, Sweden, was raised by the Viking Ulfr who commemorated that he had taken a danegeld in England with Skagul Toste. He took two others with Thorkell the Tall and Canute the Great.

Skoglar Toste or Skoglar Tosti (there are several variations) was a chieftain from the Swedish province of West Götaland. According to Snorri Sturluson, he was the father of Sigrid the Haughty. For some time he gave refuge to Harald Grenske, who later came back to woo Sigrid, only to be killed by her for his persistence. Toste is mentioned in several sagas, such as Heimskringla, and is said to have been the first to demand danegeld, in 970. Toste's great-grandson Stenkil became the King of Sweden in 1060.

His name skoglar, skauglar or skagul is due to his experience in battle (skagul is one of the many names for battle in Old Norse).

At Vallentuna, near Stockholm, the runestone of Orkesta (U 344) says:

in ulfr hafir onklati * Þru kialtakat Þit uas fursta Þis tursti * Þa ---Þurktil * Þa kalt knutr

Translation: "But Ulf has taken three danegelds in England. The first one was with Toste, the second one with Thorkel and the third one with Canute the Great".

Children according to the sagas

  1. Ulf Tostesson jarl.
  2. Sigrid the Haughty, queen of Sweden.

[edit] Source

  • Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 241-5, 243A-20