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 differ from their genealogy, to the details of the narratives.

The Danish tradition is mostly found in Saxo Grammaticus, in his Gestuam Danorum. However, the legend was not confined to Denmark, since two different traditions of the legend existed, one in Iceland and the other in Anglo-Saxon England.

Scattered Icelandic references are found in the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda. Neither of them tell the complete story of Skiold or any of his descendants.

The full Icelandic legend from Halfdan to Hrolf can be found in the page titled Hrolf Kraki, which is based on the 14th century Hrolfs saga Kraka. Given that, there's no need to repeat the story here, except to give a brief sketch on Skiold's genealogy.

In the Old English legend, Skiold, from the Icelandic legend, was called Scyld, and his dynasty is called the Scyldings.

• Danish Tradition

• The Edda and Snorri (Icelandic Tradition)

• Alternative Icelandic Traditions (Holfs saga)

• The Scyldings: Old English Tradition (Beowulf)

Danish Tradition

The Danish tradition was quite different from both the Icelandic Edda (Poetic Edda and Prose Edda), and from Hrolfs saga, in both lineage and in some details about the Skioldungs. The main Danish source came from Gestuam Danorum, a history of Denmark, written by Saxo Grammaticus, who flourished between 1180 and 1220. His history was actually written in Latin.

According to Saxo, Skiold (Latin Skioldus) was not the son of Odin. His father was Lother, and his grandfather was Dan, who was eponym of the Danes.

Dan was the son of Humble, and brother of Anglus. He was the father of Humble and Lother. Dan was a warrior king, and supposedly a great hunter.

Skiold was a better king than his father, because Lother was a tyrant. Skiold was also known as a warrior and great hunter, like his grandfather, Dan.

The genealogy is quite different in many respects. Skiold's son was Gram, not Fridleif as in Snorri's Prose Edda, and his grandsons were Hadding and Guthorm, not Frodi in the Prose Edda. This Frodi (Latin Frode) was Hadding's son.

When Frodi inherited the throne, the kingdom was impoverished by his father's frequent wars. In the Eddaic literature, Frodi gained riches from the two female slaves that ground at a magical mill, known as Grotti, which would produce anything that Frodi wished. He wished for wealth and peace. But in Gestuam Danorum, Frodi there was no mill or giant slave girls; instead, Frodi had to kill a giant serpent that guarded the treasure.

In the Gestuam Danorum, Frodi was the father of Helgi (Latin Helge) and (great-) grandfather of Hrolf (Latin Rolf). Helgi was also the father of Skulde (Skuld) and Rute, who married Bjarke.

The Edda and Snorri (Icelandic Tradition)

This article relies on several Icelandic sources about the Skioldungs.

The Poetic Edda, particularly the poem, Grottasong, recorded a bit on the life of Frodi, a descendant of Skiold. Although the Grottasong is not found in Codex Regius, it is an eddaic poem, written possibly before 1200. Also in the Poetic Edda is a poem called Hyndluliod, or Song of Hyndla, which speaks of Ali, though the Prose Edda written by Snorri Sturluson called him Halfdan the Old. More about Ali or Halfdan the Old will be given at the end of this article.

The other Eddaic literature is called the Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, which is like a handbook on Norse literature and mythology. Snorri also wrote about the history of the Norwegian kings, titled Heimskringla. He alluded to the Skioldung dynasty briefly, in the section of Heimskringla called the Ynglinga Saga. Since the Ynglinga Saga was the work of Snorri, that saga is one of the sources of this article.

In the Prose Edda, Snorri wrote that Skiold was the son of Odin, or Woden. Odin originally came from Turkey, where Troy was located. Since he had the gift of prophecy, he knew that he would always be remembered in the northern kingdoms (Scandinavia and Germany). So he set off for northern lands, and settled in Saxony for a long while. Odin then divided the land between his three sons:

• Veggdegg received Saxony;

• Bledegg (Baldr) got Westphalia; and

• Siggi received France. Siggi was the ancestor of Volsung, and the heroes Sigmund, Sinfjotli, Helgi and Sigurd.

See the genealogy page on the Houses of the Northern Kingdoms.

Odin then moved north to Reidgotaland, often referred to as Gotland, but now called Jutland or Denmark. There, Odin became the father of Skiold.

Not many details are given about Skiold's life in the Snorri's Edda. What is known is that Skiold founded the royal dynasty in Zeeland, the main island of Denmark. Skiold was the father of Fridleif and the grandfather of Frodi.

However, Snorri gave more details in the Ynglinga Saga, which is found in the prologue to the Heimskringla. Snorri said that Skiold married the goddess Gefjon, and they were the founders of the Skioldung dynasty. Gefjon had divided the land of the north by physically cutting the land with her plough, that was pulled by four giants in the form of oxen.

The Poetic Edda provided no references to Skiold himself.

The Prose Edda did, however, allude to a couple of his descendants. Frodi, his grandson, ruled after Fridleif, and his reign was marked a period of peace and prosperity in the north, and was said to be a contemporary of Augustus Caesar. There is an Eddaic poem titled Grottasong ("Song of the Hand-Mill of Grotti"), which told the same story, but in more detail. This poem was most likely where Snorri got his legend from.

Frodi was wealthy because he had purchased a magical mill called "grotti". Frodi had purchased the mill from Fiölnir, the king of Sweden. The "grotti" could grind anything that the owner wished for, and Frodi wished for gold and peace. Frodi had two slaves to work the mill, and they were two giantesses named Fenia and Menia. Frodi would not let them rest, and had them grinding gold and peace nonstop.

Frodi was later murdered by Mysing, a Viking. Mysing plundered the "grotti," brought it to his ship, and took the giantess slaves, Fenia and Menia, into his service. Mysing ordered them to grind nothing but salt, which Fenia and Menia did. Mysing gave no rest to Fenia and Menia any more than their former master had.

Fenia and Menia ground out so much salt that the ship sank because of the weight. Everyone aboard the ship drowned, including Fenia and Menia. The fresh water oceans and seas then became salty.

The poem also mentioned that Yrsa's son, ie. Hrolf Kraki (though Hrolf's name is not actually mentioned), who was a kinsman of Halfdan, would avenge Frodi, but didn't state "how" Hrolf would do so.

Snorri did allude to Frodi and his slaves, without revealing Fenia and Menia by name, in the Heimskringla (King Harald Grafeld). Snorri mentioned Frodi's meal, which is Frodi's gold, but in the Heimskringla, it didn't mention the mill or the mill's name, Grotti.

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The Prose Edda also gave more details about Hrolf, another descendant of Skiold.

Both Eddas made no mention of Helgi, and how Helgi had unwittingly married his own daughter, Yrsa, which is found in full in the Icelandic saga - Hrolfs saga Kraka. Helgi fathered Hrolf from his own daughter. Although Helgi wasn't mentioned, Yrsa's name did appear in both the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda (in Grottasong), as the mother of Hrolf Kraki.

The Prose Edda related a couple of events in Hrolf's life.

One of these events was how Hrolf gained the name "Kraki" appended to his name. This version is different from the one found in Hrolfs saga Kraka.

Hrolf was a young king when a young boy named Vogg, who lived in poverty, came to Hrolf's court in Lejre (or Leidre; Hrolf's capital), and was surprised by Hrolf's appearance. Vogg had heard that Hrolf was the greatest man in the North, but all he saw was a youth who was skinny, like a "little pole" (kraki) sitting on the throne.

The king replied that he should always be known as Hrolf Kraki. Hrolf said that it was customary for a person to exchange gifts with the king, but seeing that Vogg was poor and had no gift to offer, Hrolf gave the boy a gold ring, taken from his own finger.

For this ring, Vogg promised to avenge the king, should he ever be killed (hence, this was Vogg's gift to Hrolf). Hrolf laughed that it didn't take much to please Vogg.

In Hrolfs saga, Hrolf and Vogg were not young, and their meeting took place in Uppsala, Adils' capital, not in Lejre.

The other event about Hrolf that Snorri related, had to do with Adils, king of Sweden.

Adils married Yrsa, Hrolf's mother, so he was Hrolf's stepfather. Adils belonged to the famous mythical dynasty known as the Ynglings. Adils lived in Uppsala, his capital, about 70 km north of Stockholm. Adils was known as to be a very stingy ruler, cruel, manipulative, and in Hrolfs saga, a coward.

Adils was currently at war against Ali, the king of Norway. Being his stepfather, he called Hrolf to assist him in the battle, promising Hrolf to pay his army, as well as any three treasures from Sweden. Hrolf didn't go to the frozen lake of Vaeni, where the battle would take place, because he was fighting a war against the Saxons. Instead, Hrolf sent to Adils part of his army, commanded by his twelve berserkers; Hrolf's champions.

Only seven out of the twelve berserkers were named by Snorri; they were Bodvar Bjarki, Hialti (or Hjalti), Hvitserk the Bold, Vott, Veseti, and the two brothers - Svipdag and Beigud.

With the twelve berserkers' aid, Adils was victorious, and King Ali fell in battle. Adils took Ali's helmet, Hildisvin, and his horse, Hrafn. The twelve berserkers asked for three pounds of gold for each warrior, and the treasures - the helmet Hildigolt, the mail coat Finnsleif, and the gold ring Sviagris. The Sviagris was Adils' most treasured possession. Adils refused both the salary and the three treasures. The Ynglinga Saga does mention this battle against Ali, but not Hrolf's champions' involvement.

The berserkers returned home in Lejre, angry at their treatment from the Swedish king. So Hrolf took ships to Uppsala to confront Adils because of the broken promise.

Yrsa welcomed her son, and offered Hrolf and the berserkers hospitality, without her husband's consent. While Hrolf and his berserks drank ale and dined in the hall, Adils' men started a large fire within the hall. Hrolf and the berserkers had the reputation of not fleeing from fire and iron, so Adils was hoping that his stepson and his warriors would die in the fire. Instead of putting out the fire, Hrolf and the berserkers made the fire larger by throwing their own shields into the fire. Then Hrolf and his warriors threw Adils' men into fire, where they were burned to death.

Yrsa, knowing her husband's treachery and ungenerous nature, gave her son a large horn that was filled with gold coins, as well Adils' ring, Sviagris. She also gave them horses, on which they rode away.

So Hrolf left Uppsala with Adils' army in pursuit. On the Fyri plain, Hrolf scattered the gold coins on the road. This caused Adils' soldiers to stop and pick up the gold coins, forgetting to pursue their enemies. Snorri called the gold that Hrolf scattered onto the Fyri plains as "Hrolf's seed".

Adils rode ahead of his army on his horse, Slungnir. Hrolf, seeing Adils riding back towards them, took the ring Sviagris and tossed it on the road in front of Adils. Adils immediately stopped, using his spear to pick up the ring.

In Hrolfs saga, it was slightly different. Hrolf went to Uppsala to get his inheritance, which Adils had stolen from Helgi. And when Adils went to pick up the Sviagris, Hrolf used his sword Skofnung to slice off Adils' buttocks.

Helgi was absent in Snorri's Edda, but Snorri wrote briefly about Helgi in his other work, the Ynglinga Saga.

According to the Ynglinga Saga, Adils was a son of Ottar, and succeeded his father to the throne. Adils was on one of his Viking raids in Saxland. The king, Geirthjof, and his wife, Alof, ruled Saxland together, but the king was absent at the time of the raid. Adils plundered Saxland, and took one of the girls back to Uppsala. The girl's name was Yrsa, and she was as intelligent and wise as she was, beautiful. He admired her so much that he married her.

However, his marriage to Yrsa was short, because Helgi, son of Halfdan and king of Denmark, invaded Sweden. Instead of confronting Helgi in battle with his army, Adils fled, leaving Yrsa behind. So when Helgi captured Uppsala, Helgi took Yrsa as his prisoner and returned to Lejre, where he married Yrsa.

Helgi and Yrsa had a son called Hrolf Kraki (this translation called him Rolf Krake), and they were happy, until Yrsa's mother arrived. Alof revealed that Helgi was actually Yrsa's father, so they had committed incest.

So Yrsa left Helgi and her son, and returned to Adils, back in Sweden. Helgi ruled Denmark until he was killed in battle, but the Ynglinga Saga didn't say who he confronted. But in Hrolfs saga, Helgi fell in an ambush set up by Adils. So Hrolf succeeded his father in Denmark, when he was only 8 years old.

In the Ynglinga Saga, Adils was killed when he was riding his horse, Raven, an offspring of Ali's horse Hrafn.

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Finally, in the Song of Hyndla (Hyndluliod, Poetic Edda), the poem mentioned a powerful Skioldung named Ali. The Prose Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson, called this person, Halfdan the Old. Halfdan the Old (or Ali) was apparently different from a more famous Halfdan, who was the father of Helgi and Hroar. In the Song of Hyndla, the poem said:

'Ali was previously the most powerful of men,
highest among the Skioldungs, before Halfdan;
famous were the battles which they brought about,
his deeds were well known under the heaven

The Song of Hyndla 15 from the Poetic Edda
translated by Carolyne Larrington

Interestingly, neither did the Prose Edda mention Halfdan the Old being a Skioldung, nor did the Hrolfs saga Kraka mention either Halfdan the Old or Ali at all; only The Song of Hyndla called Ali (Halfdan the Old) a Skioldung.

So this Ali (or Halfdan the Old) lived before the time of Halfdan, father of Helgi and Hroar.

Both the Prose Edda and The Song of Hyndla said that Ali or Halfdan the Old married Alvig the Wise (Almveig), daughter of King Emund of Novgorod, and they had 18 sons. The first nine sons were born together, and they were named Thengil, Ræsir, Gram, Gylfi, Hilmir, Iofur, Tiggi, Skyli or Skuli and Harri or Herra. They were all great warriors, but were all killed in battle, each one dying childless.

Ali-Halfdan's other nine sons were each an ancestor of a famous dynasty. Below is the list of the sons of Halfdan the Old, the dynasty they were from, and the kingdoms they founded.

Founder	Dynasty	Kingdom	Notable Descendants
Hildir	Hildings		Harald the Red-whiskered, Halfdan the Black.
Nefir	Niflungs (also known as the Giukings)	Burgundy	Giuki, Gunnar, Hogni, Gudrun.
Audi	Odlings		Kiar.
Yngvi	Ynglings
Dag	Doglings
Bragi	Bragnings		Halfdan the Generous.
Budli	Budlung		Alti, Brynhild.
Lofdi	Lofdungs		Eylimi, Sigurd Sigmundsson.
Sigar	Siklings		Siggeir.

If it's true that Ali-Halfdan the Old was a Skioldung, then practically all of these descendants, including the Volsung hero Sigurd, were related and were descendants of the Skiold, one way or another, despite belonging to different dynasties of different kingdoms.

Alternative Icelandic Traditions (Holfs saga)

The main alternative source from Iceland comes from the 14th century Icelandic saga - Hrolfs saga Kraka. The Hrolfs saga is quite different from most Icelandic traditions, including Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda and the Heimskringla, particularly the Ynglinga Saga, and in the Eddaic poem (Poetic Edda), Grottasong ("Song of the Hand-Mill of Grotti").

Since I have already written a page about Hrolfs saga, then there would be no sense writing about the saga here. However, I will explain the genealogy of Skiold here, and how it differs from the Edda.

Skiold is not mentioned at all in Hrolfs saga, but his dynasty is mentioned at least once in the saga.

The story began actually with two brothers, whose father was not named. They were Halfdan and Frodi. In the Edda, how Halfdan and Frodi were related is not given.

According to the saga, Frodi murdered his brother to gain the kingdom of Denmark. Frodi failed in finding and assassinating his brother's sons, Helgi and Hroar, who would later avenge their father's death by burning Frodi in his own palace. However, in the Grottasong, Frodi's death was the direct result of Mysing, not Helgi and Hroar. Judging by the saga, Frodi seemed to have died childless, hence without an heir.

So Helgi became king of Denmark, while his brother Hroar became king of Northumbria in northern England, through his marriage to Ogn, and he became father of Hrok.

In the Old English epic, Beowulf, this Hroar was not king of Northumbria, but he was equated with Hrothgar (or Hroðgar), king of Denmark. Also, Hrothgar was the husband of Wealhtheow, not Ogn, and he had three children, not one; they were Hrethric, Hrothmund and Freawaru (a daughter). It is this Hrothgar, who was plagued by the monster Grendel, which was killed by the hero, Beowulf. Beowulf was equated with Old Norse hero, Bodvar.

Helgi could not marry Olof, who appeared elsewhere as Thora, so he raped Olof. She became the mother of Yrsa. Helgi did not know Yrsa was his daughter, and when he saw her one day, he fell in love with her and married her, making Yrsa the Queen of Denmark. They had a son named Hrolf. The marriage was broken when Olof revealed that they were father and daughter. Hrolf stayed with Helgi, while Yrsa was reluctantly married off to Adils, King of Sweden. Helgi had another child from another woman, and his daughter was named Skuld. Helgi was murdered by Adils' berserkers in an ambush.

Hrolf became the new king of Denmark, and he was something like King Arthur or King Charlemagne, who had the Knights of the Round Table or the Twelve Peers, respectively; they were champions who served their king. Hrolf's greatest champion was Bodvar Bjarki (who I've already mentioned earlier), who was like Beowulf. Bodvar became Hrolf's son-in-law when the hero married Drifa; there's no mention of Bodvar having children in the saga. In Beowulf, the hero Beowulf did not marry into Hrothgar's family; after killing Grendel and his mother, Beowulf returned home. Hrolf had another daughter, named Skur.

Hrolfs saga also included two long episodes of two heroes who became Hrolf's champions - Bodvar Bjarki and Svipdag.

For the full story about Hrolf's saga, read Hrolf Kraki. Or see the genealogy of Halfdan and Hrolf.

The Scyldings: Old English Tradition (Beowulf)

Most of the Old English Tradition on the Skioldungs is found in the Old English epic titled Beowulf, named after the hero (Beowulf). The king ruling Denmark at the time of Beowulf's adventure was Hrothgar.

Since, I already have a page on Beowulf, I will not write anything about Beowulf's adventures. Instead, I will concentrate on Hrothgar's ancestry and his children.

In Beowulf, the Danish royal house was called the Scyldings, instead of the Old Norse Skioldungs. The founder was called Scyld, instead of the Old Norse Skiold (or Skjold).

Nothing is known about Scyld's parents. Scyld was often called Scyld Scefing, so perhaps his father was named Scef, but this is just speculation.

As a boy, Scyld was not very strong, and was considered to be a "waif", but things gradually changed when he reached manhood. He grew into a powerful warrior, and eventually became a ruler of Denmark and a founder of his own dynasty. According to Beowulf, Scyld's predecessor, Heremod, had brought the kingdom (Denmark) to near ruin, and the Danes considered Scyld to be their saviour. His neighboring kingdoms both respected and feared him, so they accepted him as their liege lord, and paid tribute to Scyld.

In Beowulf, the poem also indicated that the Scyldings were descendants of Ing, a mythical king of the Danes.

In earlier Icelandic tradition, Skiold's son was Fridleif, while the Danish sources (like in Gestuam Danorum), called his son Gram. So different names were given to the son of the founder of the Danish dynasty. But in the Old English tradition (like Beowulf), Scyld was the father of Beow.

In Beowulf, Beow was supposed to be a warrior too, like his father. When his father passed away, he succeeded Scyld as king. Beow arranged a grand funeral, and Scyld was given a boat burial. A large ship was used for his burial, richly equipped with many swords, armor and treasure, apparently for Scyld's afterlife.

Beow's reign was said to be long, but no details were given. Beowulf does state that he was the father of Healfdene, who can be equated with the Old Norse Halfdan.

Healfdene succeeded his father in Denmark, and had four children, one of whom was a daughter; part of the text is defective, but it is assumed that his daughter was Yrse, who married a Swedish king named Onela (in Icelandic tradition, the Swedish king was Adils). His three sons were named Heorogar, Hrothgar (Icelandic Hroar) and Halga (Icelandic Helgi).

Heorogar was the eldest, but his early death brought about Hrothgar's succession. Hrothgar (Hroar) had graciously indicated to the hero Beowulf that his brother was a better man than him. Hrothgar was known for his wisdom and generosity, as well as winning wars. Hrothgar had many great warriors to serve him. He built a hall, called Herot, to celebrate his victories in battle and to house his warriors. But one night, the monster Grendel entered Herot and attacked and killed Hrothgar's warriors.

Hrothgar had married Wealhtheow, and he was the father of Hrethric, Hrothmund and Freawaru. Halga, Hrothgar's brother, was the father of Hrothulf (Hrolf).

When Beowulf killed Grendel, Wealhtheow was concerned that her husband might name Beowulf as his heir. She was also concerned with Hrothgar's nephew, Hrothulf, who was also a possible heir.

When Beowulf returned home to the land of Geats, he predicted that a feud between the Danes and the Heathobards would reignite. Hrothgar, thought that marrying his daughter Freawaru to the Heathobard prince, Ingeld, son of Froda, would reconcile the two sides; for previously the two sides were at war. The marriage was short-lived, as was the peace between the two kingdoms.

As they were feasting at Herot, one old Heathobard warrior, noticed that one Danish warrior, a retainer of Freawaru, was carrying a Heathobard sword, apparently taken from a Heathobard warrior. This angered the old Heathobard, and incited others to take action. That night, Freawaru's thane was murdered by the old Heathobard, who escaped and returned to his own kingdom. Peace ended between the Danes and Heathobards, and war erupted.

In Herot, the future (as well as past history) of the Scyldings has been alluded to, several times.

For the full story of the legend, read the following pages:

• Hrolf Kraki (Hrolfs saga Kraka) and

• Beowulf

Related Pages

• Volsunga Saga

• Norse Heroes

• Valkyries

• German Heroes

Genealogy

Houses of the Volsungs and the Giukings (Niflungs)