Yngling

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For other uses, see Yngling (disambiguation).
The Yngling Ingjald slaying his kinsmen
The Yngling Ingjald slaying his kinsmen

The Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the following clans:

Some early kings were probably mythical, whereas others 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.

Alrek and Eirík fighting
Alrek and Eirík fighting

Contents

[edit] Names

Yngvi and Alf slaying each other
Yngvi and Alf slaying each other

In the Scandinavian sources they are the descendants of Yngvi-Frey of Vanaheim. Yngling means descendant of Frey, and in the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus they are called the sons of Frey.

Several of these kings appear in Beowulf: Eadgils (Adils), Onela (Ale) and Ohthere (Ottar Vendelkråka), but here they are called Scylfings (see the Beowulf section below). 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 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]

[edit] From Sweden to Norway

According to Snorri Sturluson, the dynasty led 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.

[edit] Remaining in Sweden?

the Battle of Bråvalla
the Battle of Bråvalla

However, both Snorri (as in the earlier quote) and Saxo described the clan as remaining in Sweden after this date.

Saxo on the Battle of Bråvalla (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]

Moreover, both in Icelandic sources and in the Gesta Danorum, king Sigurd Ring would become the ancestor of the houses of Ragnar Lodbrok and would thus be the semi-legendary ancestor of later Swedish and Danish royal houses. (See the House of Munsö.)

[edit] The line

Beowulf

8th c.-10th c.

 Ynglingatal

late 9th c.

 Íslendingabók

early 12th c.

 Historia Norvegiæ

late 12th c.

 Ynglinga saga

c. 1225

 Hversu Noregr byggðist

1387
Burri
Burr
Óðinn Ásakonungr
Yngvi Tyrkjakonungr Ingui Freyr
Njörðr Svíakonungr Neorth Njörðr Njörðr
Freyr Froyr Yngvifreyr Freyr
Fjölnir Fjölnir Fiolnir Fjölnir Fjölnir
Sveigðir Svegðir Swegthir Svegðir Sveigðir
Vanlandi Vanlandi Wanlanda Vanlandi Vanlandi
Vísburr Visburr Wisbur Vísburr Vísburr
Dómaldi Dómaldr Domald Dómaldi Dómaldr
Dómarr Dómarr Domar Dómarr Dómarr
Dyggvi Dyggvi Dyggui Dyggvi Dyggvi/Tryggvi
Dagr Spaka Dagr Dagr Dagr Spaka Dagr
Agni Alrekr Alricr Agni Agni Skjálfarbóndi
Alrekr and Eiríkr Agni Hogni Alrekr and Eiríkr Alrekr
Yngvi and Álfr Yngvi Ingialdr Yngvi and Álfr Yngvi
Jörundr Jörundr Jorundr Jörundr and Eiríkr Jörmunfróði/Jörundr
Aun Aun inn gamli Auchun Aun hinn gamli Aunn inn gamli
Ongenþeow Egill Egill Vendilkráka Eigil Vendilcraca Egill Tunnudólgr Egill Tunnadólgr
Ohthere and Onela Óttarr Óttarr Ottarus Óttarr Vendilkráka Óttarr Vendilskráka
Eadgils and Eanmund Aðils Aðísl at Uppsölum Adils/Athisl Aðils Aðils at Uppsölum
Eysteinn Eysteinn Eustein Eysteinn Eysteinn
Yngvarr Yngvarr Ynguar Yngvarr Yngvarr inn hári
Önundr Braut-Önundr Broutonundr Brautönundr Braut-Önundr
Ingjaldr Ingjaldr inn illráði Ingialdr Ingjaldr hinn illráði Ingjaldr inn illráði
Óláfr Óláfr trételgja Olavus tretelgia Óláfr trételgja Ólafr trételgja
Hálfdan Hálfdan hvítbeinn

Upplendingakonungr

 Halfdan hwitbein Hálfdan hvítbeinn Hálfdan hvítbeinn
Eysteinn Eustein Eysteinn Eysteinn
Hálfdan Halfdan Hálfdan hinn mildi Hálfdan inn mildi
Guðröðr Goðröðr Guthrodr Guðröðr veiðikonungr Guðröðr veiðikonungr
Ólafr Óláfr Halfdan niger Ólafr Hálfdan svarti
Rögnvaldr Helgi Haraldus Rögnvaldr heiðum hæra Haraldr inn hárfagri

[edit] The name Scylfing

In Old English several kings who are generally identified as Ynglings are called Scylfings.

The genealogy is given as:[1]

Ongentheow

   |
   |_________________ 
   |                 |
Ohthere            Onela
   |               m with Healfdene's daughter
   |
   |____________________
   |                    |
Eadgils               Eanmund

Ohthere (Ottar) also occurs as the father of Aedgils (Adils) in Ynglingatal. There Skilfing (Skilfingr) appears as a synonym of Yngling, in a line on Egil, the father of Ottar, so that Ongentheow is considered identical to Egil.

Ok lofsæll
ór landi fló
Týs óttungr
Tunna ríki,
en flæming
farra trjónu
jötuns eykr
á Agli rauð.
Sás of austr
áðan hafði
brúna hörg
of borinn lengi,
en skíðlauss
Skilfinga nið
hœfis hjörr
til hjarta stóð.[3]
The fair-haired son of Odin's race,
Who fled before fierce Tunne's face,
Has perished by the demon-beast
Who roams the forests of the East.
The hero's breast met the full brunt
Of the wild bull's shaggy front;
The hero's heart's asunder torn
By the fell Jotun's spear-like horn."(Laing's translation [4])

Likewise in the Skáldskaparmál the Scylfings are described as an eastern family and East King was a conventional kenning for a Swedish king.

However, in the Ættartolur, (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..

[edit] 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 Wægmundings to which Beowulf and his father Ecgtheow also belonged. Another extended form is helm Scylfinga. This literally means 'Scylfings'-helmet'; it is a pun meaning both "ruler of the Scylfings" and "protector of the Scylfings". The Beowulf poet uses it to refer to Ongentheow's son Onela.

[edit] In Norse tradition

[edit] From the Hyndluljód

The eddic poem Hyndluljód, in stanza 16 speaks of descendants of an ancient king named Halfdan the Old:

Hence come the Skjöldungs, hence the Skilfings,
Hence the Ödlings [Ǫðlingar], hence the Ylfings, ...[5]

[edit] 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 sons. Snorri continues with examples of famous descendants of three of those lineages, followed 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 identified:

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.

[edit] From the Ættartolur

The Ættartolur 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 ancestor 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 genealogy 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 Ættartolur 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 Ættartolur, 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 Ættartolur.

[edit] 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, Scyld ; Starkad: Starkath ; Víkar: Vikar ; Vörs: Vor.

[edit] Misc

In the game The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind an NPC is called Yngling Half-Troll

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Alexander, Michael (2003), Beowulf: Verse translation, Penguin Classics, pp. p. lix, ISBN 0140449310