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Classical Mythology Greek and Roman myths, gods, heroes, and epic tales Norse Mythology Vikings, Asgard, Ragnarok, and the nine realms Celtic Mythology Irish, Welsh, and Gaelic legends and folklore Arthurian Legends King Arthur, Camelot, the Round Table, and the Holy Grail Egyptian Mythology Pharaohs, pyramids, and ancient Nile deities Japanese Mythology Shinto gods, spirits, and legendary creatures Chinese Mythology Dragons, immortals, and celestial beings Aztec Mythology Mesoamerican gods, rituals, and creation myths Ancient Literature Classical texts, translations, and literary analysis
Greek Gods The Olympians, Titans, and primordial deities Roman Gods Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and the Roman pantheon Norse Gods Odin, Thor, Loki, and the Aesir and Vanir Egyptian Gods Ra, Osiris, Isis, Anubis, and more Celtic Gods The Tuatha Dé Danann and Celtic deities Aztec Gods Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Aztec deities Japanese Gods Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Shinto kami Chinese Gods Jade Emperor, Dragon Kings, and celestial beings View All 150+ Deities Browse the complete collection of mythological deities View all gods & deities
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  1. Norse Mythology
    Asgard Valhalla Norse Sagas About Norse Mythology Facts and Figures Genealogy Bibliography
  2. Genealogy
    Family Tree of Norse Deities and Giants Houses of the Northern Kingdoms Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflings) House of Halfdan-Hrolf The Nibelungs Thidrekssaga Beowulf and the Scyldings Kudrun
  3. Houses of the Northern Kingdoms

Houses of the Northern Kingdoms

Here, is the family tree of the dynasties that the god Odin founded, in various kingdoms. Odin set his sons to rule in the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, East Saxony and Westphalia. I found all of these names within the prologue of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda.

Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241) is our most valuable source for Norse myths and legends. Snorri was an Icelandic poet and historian, as well as a politician. He wrote various works, including the Prose Edda and the Heimskringla ("History of the Norwegian Kings").

As you can see, the family tree is not completed. Most of the Norwegian kings can be found in Heimskringla, which contains both legendary and historical accounts of the various rulers of Norway. And I have only named Sæming, its first king.

Also, you will find accounts about the Swedish kings in the Ynglinga saga, beginning with Odin's son, Yngvi. The Ynglinga saga is actually the first part of Heimskringla. The difference being that Yngvi was the son of Freyr in the Ynglinga saga, not Odin's son as given in the Prose Edda.

As for Odin's son Siggi (Sigi), as well as Siggi's descendants, you will find the full family tree in the Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflungs). Of course, the story of this house can be found in the Volsunga Saga, poems from Poetic Edda, and in Snorri's Prose Edda.

Son of Odin

Family

Kingdom

Important Descendants

Veggdegg

Bledegg

Westphalia

Volsung, Sigmund, Helgi, Sigurd Fafsbani

Siggi

Volsungs

France (Hunland)

Skiold

Skioldungs

Denmark

Skiold, Frodi, Helgi, Hrolf Kraki

Saeming

Norway

Yngvi

Ynglings

Sweden

Snorri gave us another genealogy: groups of families that are all linked to the king known as Halfdan the Old. These families included the Niflungs (or the Giukings), the Budlings from which Atli and Bryndhild descended from, and the Ynglings.

However, note that in the eddaic poem (from Poetic Edda) titled Hyndluliod (Song of Hyndla), Halfdan the Old was called Ali instead of Halfdan. Halfdan or Ali married Alvig the Wise (Almveig in the Hyndluliod), who was the daughter of Emund of Novgorod (Eymund). With the assistance of his father-in-law, he waged and won many wars in the lands of the east, including killing a king called Sigtrygg with his "icy sword-edges".

According to both Eddas, Halfdan/Ali had eighteen sons. According to Snorri, the first nine sons of Halfdan the Old were born together and were great warriors, but each one died in battle, childless. These first nine sons were listed as Thengil, Raesir, Gram, Gylfi, Hilmir, Iodur, Tiggi, Skyli or Skuli and Harri or Herra.

The other nine sons started their own dynasties.

Below is a list of Halfdan's sons, their families (dynasties), and the names of their kingdoms.

Son of Halfdan

Family

Kingdom

Important Descendants

Hildir

Hildings

Harald the Red-whiskered, Halfdan the Black

Nefir

Niflungs (Giukings)

Burgundy

Giuki, Gunnar, Hogni, Gudrun

Audi

Odlings

Kiar

Yngvi

Ynglings

Sweden

Eirik the Eloquent

Dag

Doglings

Bragi

Bragnings

Budli

Budlungs

Atli, Bryndhild

Lofdi

Lofdungs

Eylimi, Sigurd Fafnisbani

Sigar

Siklings

Siggeir

In the Sikling line, Siggeir was linked to the Volsungs by marriage to Signy, the daughter of Volsung.

Even more important links to the Volsungs are the Niflungs and the Budlungs. Gunnar, Hogni and Gudrun were children of Giuki. Giuki was descended from Nefi, founder of the Niflung family. Gudrun married the hero Sigurd, her first husband. Atli and Brynhild were children of Budli, hence they are known as the Budlungs. Atli was Gudrun's second husband, whom she despised, because Atli was responsible for the death of her brothers, Gunnar and Hogni.

Jimmy Joe Timeless Myths

By Jimmy Joe

Genealogy:

  • • Family Tree of Norse Deities and Giants
  • • Houses of the Northern Kingdoms
  • • Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflings)
  • • House of Halfdan-Hrolf
  • • The Nibelungs
  • • Thidrekssaga
  • • Beowulf and the Scyldings
  • • Kudrun
Genealogy

Genealogy

Norse Tradition German TraditionNorse TraditionGerman Tradition

March 29th, 2003 • Jimmy Joe
Family Tree of Norse Deities and Giants

Family Tree of Norse Deities and Giants

Below is the genealogy of the Aesir and the Vanir. I have also included Loki's ancestry on the top right. Please note that a single male Aesir god was called an As; Aesir was a group of As gods. A goddess was called Asynia, and Aesir goddesses wer...

February 24th, 2001 • Jimmy Joe
House of Halfdan-Hrolf

House of Halfdan-Hrolf

Dynasty of Halfdan The dynasty of Halfdan-Helgi-Hrolf belonged to the line of the Skjoldungs. The Skjoldungs were known in the Beowulf epic as the Scyldings. The Skjoldungs were descendants of Skiold (Scyld Scefing), the founder of the dynasty of ...

February 1st, 2007 • Jimmy Joe
Norse Heroes 2

Norse Heroes 2

Norse Heroes 2 has articles of heroes who are not connected to the Volung-Nibelung cycle. Most of the characters in this page are the Skioldungs (Skjoldungs). The Skioldungs were known as the Scyldings in the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf. The Skioldu...

April 2nd, 2009 • Jimmy Joe
House of Skiold

House of Skiold

The House of Skiold (Skjold) is a legendary dynasty in Denmark. Skiold was the founder of the dynasty and the eponym for the Skioldungs (Skjoldungs), his descendants. There are a number of traditions about the members of the Skioldungs, which diff...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Minor Norse Characters

Minor Norse Characters

The majority of the characters here come from the Völsunga Saga (Volsunga Saga) and from the Eddas. So for the full story, read the Völsunga Saga.VolsungsGiukings (Niflungs) For Niflung, see Hogni. For Hamdir, Sorli and Erp, see Gudrun.Other Chara...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Norse Heroes 1

Norse Heroes 1

The majority of these characters come from the Völsunga Saga, so for the full story, read Völsunga Saga. It should be noted that Wayland was the English name of the divine master smith, but he was famous for myths throughout the other Germanic kin...

August 27th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Beowulf and the Scyldings

Beowulf and the Scyldings

House of Hrethel The ScyldingsHouse of Hrethel On his mother's side, Beowulf belonged to the royal house in Geatland, which was a kingdom in southern Sweden. His maternal grandfather was King Hrethel. Note that the name of Beowulf's mother was not...

January 2nd, 2003 • Jimmy Joe
Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflings)

Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflings)

Below is the family of the three main families found in the Volsunga Saga - the Volungs, the Niflungs (or Nibelungs) and the House of Budli. Please note that in the First Lay of Gudrun (Poetic Edda), Gudrun had a sister named Gullrond. But in the ...

August 27th, 2000 • Jimmy Joe
Skiold (Scyld)

Skiold (Scyld)

The legendary founder of the royal dynasty in Denmark, known as the Skioldungs. There are several variant spellings. Skiold could be spelt Skjold, Skjöld or Skjöldr in the Old Norse. In Latin, it's Skioldus, which is found in Saxo Grammaticus' Ges...

April 2nd, 2009 • Jimmy Joe
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