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.

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.

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.