Thelegendary kings of Sweden (Swedish:sagokonungar, sagokungar,lit. 'saga kings /fairy tale kings') according to legends were rulers ofSweden and theSwedes who precededEric the Victorious andOlof Skötkonung, the earliest reliably attestedSwedish kings. The stories of some of these kings may be embellished tales of local rulers or chiefs that actually existed. For example,Hygelac (500 A.D.) is believed to have historical basis due to his name being attested in Frankish, English, Danish and Icelandic sources. But the historicity of most legendary kings remains impossible to verify due to a lack of sources.[1] The modernSwedish monarchy considers Eric the Victorious to have been the first King of Sweden.[2]
In medieval Swedish lists of kings, the figure generally represented as the first king of Sweden is Olof Skötkonung,[3] the firstChristian king of Sweden and the first Swedish king to mint coins. The earlier kings are for the most part only attested inIcelandic sagas, sometimes contradictory mixtures of myths and poetry, written in the 11th–13th centuries, several centuries after the events described in them. What is genuine history and what is myth and legend in the sagas is impossible to determine today, and everything contained in them must as such be regarded as legendary, if not fictional.[4] The earliest legendary dynasty, theYnglings, may be an entirely invented sequence of kings, serving to justify and legitimize the later dynasties and rulers inScandinavia who claimed descent from them.[5] Many of the legendary kings would have ruled during theMigration Period (c. 375–550) and subsequentVendel Period (c. 550–790), but larger political structures in Scandinavia (i. e. the medieval kingdoms of Sweden, Norway and Denmark) are not believed to have formed and centralized until theViking Age.[6]
The legendary kings of Sweden, as presented in the sagas, covers three legendary dynasties of rulers; the Yngling dynasty, claimed to have been descended from the Norse godOdin, the dynasty founded byIvar Vidfamne, who conquered Sweden and deposed the Ynglings, and theHouse of Munsö, which succeeded Vidfamne's dynasty. The final few kings considered part of the Munsö dynasty by the Icelandic sagas; Eric the Victorious, Olof Skötkonung,Anund Jacob andEmund the Old, were real historical kings, though that does not mean that their legendary ancestors were real historical figures. Contemporary primary sources from 9th–11th century Germany, such as the accounts ofAdam of Bremen andRimbert, contradict the line of Munsö kings purported to have existed by the sagas.[7]
The sequence of legendary kings below derives from medieval Icelandic poet and historianSnorri Sturluson'sYnglinga saga, the first section of the saga collectionHeimskringla. TheYnglinga saga was composed by Sturlusonc. 1230 and details the reigns and lives of the kings of theYngling dynasty (Swedish:Ynglingar), a legendary line of kings said to descend from theNorse godOdin.[4] The Ynglings are described in theYnglinga saga as the first royal blood line of the Swedes.[8]
TheYnglinga saga contains no references to chronology (such as specific dates of the reigns of the various kings) with the exception of presenting the rulers in chronological order. In some places, names appear (notably kingsOttar andAdils) that might belong to people also attested in other sagas, such asBeowulf (written in the 10th–11th century in England, but concerning events in Scandinavia in the 6th/7th century), wherein the Ynglings are called Scylfings (Old Norse:Skilfingar;Swedish:Skilvingar).[4] According to theYnglinga saga, the earliest rulers used the titledrotin (modern Swedish:Drott). Even later Yngling rulers are typically not designated as "Kings of Sweden" or "Kings of the Swedes" in theYnglinga saga, most of them being described as "Kings inUppsala", an early political center in Sweden.[9] The Yngling dynasty is sometimes referred to as the "Royal House of Uppsala" in later scholarship.[10]
| (♂Yngvi)[i] | ♂Fornjótr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Njǫrðr | ♀(Nerthus)[ii] | ♀Aurboða | ♂Gymir[iii] | ♂Kári | ♂Logi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♀Freyja | ♂(Yngvi-)Freyr | ♀Gerðr | ♂Frosti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Loki | ♀Sigyn | ♂Fjǫlnir | ♂Snær | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Narfi[iv] | ♂Sveigðir | ♀Vana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♀Nótt | ♂Naglfari | ♂Vanlandi | ♀Drífa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Auðr hinn ríki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Rígr | ♀unidentified | ♂Vísburr | ♀unidentified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Danpr | ♂Gísl | ♂Ǫndurr | ♂Dómaldi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Danr | ♀Drótt | ♂Dómarr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Dyggvi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Dagr spaki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Agni | ♀Skjǫlf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Alrekr | ♂Eiríkr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♀Bera | ♂Alfr | ♂Yngvi | ♀Þornbjǫrg[v] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Hugleikr | ♂Jǫrundr | ♂Eiríkr | ♀Ingiborg[vi] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Aunn hinn gamli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂nine sons | ♂Egill Vendilkráka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Helgi | ♂Áli[vii] | ♂Óttarr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♀Yrsa | ♂Aðils | ♂Aunmundr[viii] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Hrólfr kraki | ♂Eysteinn | ♂Gauti | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Ingvarr | ♂Óláfr hinn skyggni | ♂Gautrekr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Óláfr | ♂Sigvarðr | ♂Ǫnundr | ♀unidentified | ♂Algautr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Halfdan gulltǫnn | ♂Ingjaldr | ♀Gauthildr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Eysteinn | ♀Sǫlveig | ♂Óláfr trételgja | ♀Ása | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♀Ása | ♂Halfdan hvítbeinn | ♂Ingjaldr Óláfssonr | ♂Eiríkr Agnarssonr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Guðrøðr | ♂Eysteinn Halfdanarsonr | ♀Hildr | ♂Dagr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Haraldr | ♂Halfdan hinn mildi | ♀Líf | ♂Alfarinn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Gyrðr | ♀Ása | ♂Guðrøðr hinn gǫfugláti | ♀Alfhildr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Halfdan svarti | ♂Óláfr Geirstaðaalfr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♂Haraldr hárfagri | ♂Ragnvaldr heiðumhár | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes
TheYnglinga saga presents the following line of Yngling kings of the Swedes:
Sturluson'sYnglinga saga was created far too late to serve as a reliable source in regards to the events and kings it describes, being separated from the earliest ones by several centuries.Ynglinga saga appears to have been based on an earlier scaldic poem,Ynglingatal, which is quoted at length by Snorri.Ynglingatal is not a reliable source either, though traditionally believed to have been composed at the end of the 9th or beginning of the 10th century, it might be from as late as the 12th century. Sturluson would have had access to older (now lost) manuscripts when writing theYnglinga saga, but this does not necessarily corroborate anything that appears in theYnglinga saga as true. What is genuine history and what is myth and legend is today impossible to determine, and everything contained in the saga must as such be regarded as legendary, if not fictional.[4] Modern scholarship does not see sagas such as theYnglinga saga as good sources for genuine historical information.[11] As a historical source, theYnglinga saga is much better used as a source on historiography and society during Sturluson's own time than as a source on Sweden's early history.[4]
It is possible that the Yngling line of kings is entirely fictional, invented by later Norwegian rulers to assert their right to rule Norway. In the Viking Age and later, Danish rulers repeatedly attempted to conquer Norway and through inventing a lineage that stretched back centuries, the Norwegian rulers may have attempted to demonstrate their inherent right to their lands and to put themselves on the same level as the Danes, who had historical accounts of their ancestors. The Swedish Ynglings might have been invented to glorify the Norwegian kings further, giving them a glorious and mythical past associated with Uppsala.[12] Most of the sagas known today, theYnglinga saga included, were composed during a relatively brief period, from the 12th to 13th century, a time when royal power was being consolidated in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Their creation might thus stem from political and social needs (i. e. justifying the rule of a dynasty), rather than a desire to tell genuine history.[5]
In addition to having been written centuries after the events they describe, the sagas have numerous other problems which make them unsuitable to use as sources. Many of the elements of theYnglinga saga appear to be based on later, documented, events and people in Scandinavia. For instance, the figure of Aun, described as being driven from Uppsala and taking up court inVästergötland instead, is similar to the historical Swedish kingInge the Elder (r. c. 1079–1084, 1087–1105), who was driven from Uppsala into Västergötland in the 11th century.[13] TheYnglinga saga might also be an example of anti-royal social commentary rather than an attempt to tell history. Many of the kings in the saga are overshadowed by their contemporary vassals and wives,[14] and they are rarely shown in a positive light. The inglorious deaths of many of the Swedish Ynglings; with examples such as murder, burning to death, drowning in mead and being "hag-ridden" to death,[15] might be an attempt by Sturluson to say that the kings who ruled Norway in his time and claimed Yngling descent were not to be taken seriously.[16] Though descent from figures such as Odin and Njord, gods in Norse mythology, might seem a prestigious origin, it would be problematic in early medieval Norway since the kings were Christian and their ancestors were worshipped as Pagan gods. Their addition to the saga might thus have been another attempt by Sturluson to undermine royal ideology.[17]
If some of the Ynglings were real historical figures, they would have ruled during theMigration Period (c. 375–550) and the subsequentVendel Period (c. 550–790), predating theViking Age.[8] Historical evidence of early geopolitics in Scandinavia suggests that larger political structures, kingdoms such as medieval Sweden, Norway and Denmark, did not form until the late Viking Age. The centralization of power under one monarch is believed to have resulted from, or at the very least have been connected to,Viking expansion, with petty kings increasing their power through aggressive military ventures directed both to foreign lands (i. e. Viking raids) and against their neighbors.[6]
According to theYnglinga saga, the Yngling dynasty's rule in Sweden was succeeded by Ivar Vidfamne, previously a petty king in Scania, who founded a new royal line.[9]
The sequence of kings presented below is given by theHervarar saga, a saga written in the 12th or 13th century.[18]
The existence of Ivar Vidfamne and his dynasty, at least in the way described in the sagas, is considered highly unlikely in modern scholarship. As with the Yngling kings, precise dates are not presented in the sagas for Ivar Vidfamne or his descendants, but his reign is estimated to have taken place in the 7th century. The only sources that mention Ivar are Icelandic sagas from centuries after his death. As Ivar is described as building a vast empire, including parts of Britain and northern Germany, it is unlikely that contemporary and later writers in Europe would not have written of him, had he existed. It is possible that the saga preserves a grain of the truth, perhaps being an embellishment of vague memories of an ancient warrior king, but most of what is said of Ivar Vidfamne has to be considered legendary and fictional.[19]
The Munsö dynasty of kings is the earliest royal lineage that is mentioned not only in Icelandic sagas, but also in medieval Swedish sources. Though only a few examples survive, medieval Swedish lists of kings overwhelmingly begin withOlof Skötkonung, the first Christian king of Sweden, suggesting that he, and not any of the previous legendary figures, was seen as Sweden's first king. In Icelandic sources, such as the 12th/13th-centuryLangfeðgatal, Olof Skötkonung is regarded as a late ruler of a significantly older dynasty, stretching back to legendary Viking heroRagnar Lodbrok. In addition to the short genealogical account ofLangfeðgatal, Ragnar Lodbrok's royal dynasty is also presented in a more narrative form in the aforementionedHervarar saga, also written in the 12th or 13th century.[20]
Langfeðgatal presents the following line of kings:
TheLangfeðgatal reconstruction of the Munsö dynasty and the later lineage of Swedish kings it presents does not conform with medieval Swedish primary sources. Though a majority of the kings from Olof Skötkonung onwards appear in the Icelandic sources with the same name and overall chronology, the Icelandic sources also contain the figureBlot-Sweyn, who is only present in some of the Swedish sources (and notably absent inVästgötalagen, an important early Swedish legal document) and a king by the name Kol orErik Årsäll, completely absent in the Swedish sources. The same is true for theHervarar saga, whose sequence of kings is identical to the sequence presented inLangfeðgatal.[20] In some respects, the royal sequence is more correct in theLangfeðgatal; Swedish medieval sources tend to omit the kings Anund Jacob and Emund the Old, who can be verified through foreign documents and through the coins they minted, and where the Swedish sources present kings as successive, some (such as Inge the Elder) are known to have co-ruled with others, which is accurately presented in the Icelandic versions.[22]
The missionaryAnsgar travelled to Sweden several times during the 9th century in an attempt to Christianize the Swedes. In the writings of his companionRimbert, theVita Ansgari, several Swedish kings (who all precede Eric the Victorious) and who they met or heard of atBirka, an important Viking Age trading center, are mentioned. Attempts have been made to harmonize Ansgar's kings with the kings mentioned in the sagas but such attempts have to be considered unreliable and unverifiable. The Vita gives no genealogical information in regards to the kings.[7] It mentions the following four kings:
In terms of sources on Viking Age kings,Adam of Bremen, who worked in the 11th century and wrote of Swedish kings, is significantly closer in time and place to the kings he describe than the centuries of separation in the sagas, only being separated from the mentioned rulers by at most about 150–100 years.[7] The Icelandic sources are substantially different from his work, not only in the kings preceding Olof Skötkonung. As the successors of KingStenkil (r. c. 1060–1066), the Icelandic sources giveHåkan the Red, followed by a co-regency of Inge the Elder,Halsten and Blot-Sweyn. Adam of Bremen instead gives a more linear succession ofEric and Eric, followed by Halsten,Anund Gårdske and then Håkan the Red. As the direct predecessors of Eric the Victorious, Icelandic sources give Björn Eriksson, preceded by Erik Anundsson. Apart from the kings found in theVita Asgari, Adam writes that Eric the Victorious was preceded by Anund/Emund Eriksson, who in turn was preceded by Eric Ringsson and Emund/Anund Ringsson, sons and successors of a king by the name of Ring.[23] Adam of Bremen's line of kings is thus:
TheSparlösa Runestone, createdc. 800, mentions several names, including the name Alríkr (Alaric) in an unclear context, the nameEiríkr (Eric) in reference to a king at Uppsala and the name Eyvísl as the son of this Eiríkr. No written source mentions a king by the name Eyvísl, though the context of the stone does not make it clear whether he ruled as king or whether he was simply a prince.[7]