Angantyr
Encyclopedia
Angantyr was the name of three characters from the same line in Norse mythology
, and who appear in Hervarar saga
, in Gesta Danorum
and Faroese ballad
s.
The last generation named Angantyr also appears to be mentioned as Incgentheow in Widsith
, line 115, together with his father Heiðrekr
(Heathoric), half-brother Hlöð
(Hlith) and Hlöð's mother Sifka (Sifeca).
Angantyr the Berserker
Angantyr's father Arngrim
had given him the magic sword
Tyrfing
, which cut through anything as if through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed. He was the tallest of the twelve sons of the berserker Arngrim
, and he and his eleven brothers spread fear and destruction through the North.
One Yule
, they were back home on Bolmsö
when the next eldest son Hjörvard
, swore that he would win Ingeborg
, the daughter of Yngve
, the king of Sweden
.
The twelve brothers departed for Uppsala
and Hjorvard proposed to Ingeborg. However then Hjalmar
, one of the Swedish king's champions, stepped forth and claimed he deserved the princess rather than a berserker.
The Swedish king, who feared opposing twelve uncontrollable and infamous berserkers in his hall
, suggested that Ingeborg herself should decide. Naturally, she chose Hjalmar, and Hjorvard was besides himself with rage. He challenged Hjalmar to a duel on Samsø
and declared that Hjalmar would lose his honour if he did not turn up.
When the twelve brothers arrived on Samsø, they started to go berserk. They bit their shields, screamed loud and coarsely and let themselves loose on Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd's crewmen who were cut to pieces.
When Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd arrived Angantyr's eleven brothers were quickly slain by Orvar-Odd with a club. Orvar-Odd then went to see how Hjalmar was faring and found Angantyr dead and Hjalmar lethally wounded by Tyrfing.
Orvar-Odd buried the twelve brothers in barrows on Samsø together with the cursed sword, so that it would no longer cause any harm. However Angantyr's daughter Hervor
would later return and claim Tyrfing as her own. This event is known as "the waking of Angantyr", as recorded in the poem The Waking of Angantyr
.
and they had the sons Heidrek
and Angantyr. Angantyr would be the next of Tyrfing's victims. Angantyr's brother Heidrek
had made himself impossible at home and was banished by his father. Angantyr wanted to follow his brother for a while on the road to say farewell, but then he asked to see the sword Tyrfing
which Heidrek had got from their mother Hervor. Heidrek kindly showed his brother the weapon, but since Tyrfing could not be unsheathed without slaying a man, Angantyr became its next victim.
and the sons Angantyr and Hlöd
. When Heidrek, the king of the Goths died, Angantyr inherited and refused to give Hlöd equal share. Hlöd attacked with the Hunnish army and in an epic battle, Hlöd was slain. Angantyr would be one of the ancestors of the Swedish kings of the House of Munsö
.
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, and who appear in Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
, in Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum
Gesta Danorum is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus . It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essential source for the nation's early history...
and Faroese ballad
Kvæði
Kvæði are the old ballads of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by the Faroese dance....
s.
The last generation named Angantyr also appears to be mentioned as Incgentheow in Widsith
Widsith
Widsith is an Old English poem of 144 lines that appears to date from the 9th century, drawing on earlier oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon tale singing. The only text of the fragment is copied in the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th century containing...
, line 115, together with his father Heiðrekr
Heidrek
Heidrek or Heiðrekr was one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the Hervarar saga, and probably also in Widsith, line 115, as Heathoric together with his sons Angantyr and Hlöð , and Hlöð's mother Sifka...
(Heathoric), half-brother Hlöð
Hlöd
Hlod or Hlöd was the illegitimate son of Heidrek, the king of the Goths.He appears in the Hervarar saga and probably also as Hlith in Widsith, line 115, together with his father Heiðrekr , half-brother Angantyr , and his mother Sifka .-Claiming his inheritance:Hlöd had grown up with his grandfather...
(Hlith) and Hlöð's mother Sifka (Sifeca).
Angantyr the BerserkerBerserkerBerserkers were Norse warriors who are reported in the Old Norse literature to have fought in a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English word berserk. Berserkers are attested in numerous Old Norse sources...
Arngrim
Arngrim was a berserker, who figures in Hervarar saga, Gesta Danorum, Lay of Hyndla, a number of Faroese ballads and Orvar-Odd's saga in Norse mythology.-Hervarar saga:...
had given him the magic sword
Magic sword
The term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or fictional sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other supernatural qualities. The archetype originated in myth and legend, and occurs regularly in fantasy fiction....
Tyrfing
Tyrfing
Tyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga...
, which cut through anything as if through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed. He was the tallest of the twelve sons of the berserker Arngrim
Arngrim
Arngrim was a berserker, who figures in Hervarar saga, Gesta Danorum, Lay of Hyndla, a number of Faroese ballads and Orvar-Odd's saga in Norse mythology.-Hervarar saga:...
, and he and his eleven brothers spread fear and destruction through the North.
One Yule
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
, they were back home on Bolmsö
Bolmsö
Bolmsö is an island located in lake Bolmen near Växjö in Småland. It had 382 inhabitants in 1998.It presents 530 ancient remains, including dolmens and cobble-clad graves in various forms, especially large triangular ones. The dominating graves are large barrows from the Iron Age with the addition...
when the next eldest son Hjörvard
Hjörvard
Hjörvard was the name of several characters in Norse mythology.#Hjörvard Ylfing, see Granmar.#Hjörvard, who rebelled against Hrólf Kraki and killed him, see Heoroweard#Hjörvard, the son of Arngrim.#Hervor's name as a shieldmaiden....
, swore that he would win Ingeborg
Ingeborg
Ingeborg is a Scandinavian, predominantly Danish name carried by many prominent women in Scandinavian history and mythology. People named Ingeborg include:...
, the daughter of Yngve
Yngvi and Alf
Yngvi and Alf were two legendary Swedish kings of the House of Yngling.According to Ynglingatal, Historia Norwegiae and Ynglinga saga, Yngvi and Alf were the sons of Alrik....
, the king of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
The twelve brothers departed for Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
and Hjorvard proposed to Ingeborg. However then Hjalmar
Hjálmar
- Current :*Þorsteinn Einarsson - Guitar and vocals*Sigurður Halldór Guðmundsson - Keyboards and vocals*Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson - Guitar* Valdimar Kolbeinn Sigurjónsson - Bass* Helgi Svavar Helgason - Percussion- Former :...
, one of the Swedish king's champions, stepped forth and claimed he deserved the princess rather than a berserker.
The Swedish king, who feared opposing twelve uncontrollable and infamous berserkers in his hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
, suggested that Ingeborg herself should decide. Naturally, she chose Hjalmar, and Hjorvard was besides himself with rage. He challenged Hjalmar to a duel on Samsø
Samsø
Samsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 4,300 inhabitants called Samsingers and is 114 km² in area. Due to its central location, the island was used during the Viking Age as a meeting place...
and declared that Hjalmar would lose his honour if he did not turn up.
When the twelve brothers arrived on Samsø, they started to go berserk. They bit their shields, screamed loud and coarsely and let themselves loose on Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd's crewmen who were cut to pieces.
When Hjalmar and Orvar-Odd arrived Angantyr's eleven brothers were quickly slain by Orvar-Odd with a club. Orvar-Odd then went to see how Hjalmar was faring and found Angantyr dead and Hjalmar lethally wounded by Tyrfing.
Orvar-Odd buried the twelve brothers in barrows on Samsø together with the cursed sword, so that it would no longer cause any harm. However Angantyr's daughter Hervor
Hervor
Hervor is the name of two female characters in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga with parts found in the Poetic Edda. The first Hervor was the daughter of Angantyr...
would later return and claim Tyrfing as her own. This event is known as "the waking of Angantyr", as recorded in the poem The Waking of Angantyr
The Waking of Angantyr
Hervararkviða is an Old Norse poem from the Hervarar saga, and which is sometimes included in editions of the Poetic Edda....
.
Angantyr Höfundsson
Angantyr's daughter Hervor married Höfund of GlæsisvellirGlæsisvellir
Glæsisvellir was a location in Jotunheim in Norse mythology. It is mentioned in sources, such as Bósa saga ok Herrauds and Hervarar saga. -Legend:...
and they had the sons Heidrek
Heidrek
Heidrek or Heiðrekr was one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the Hervarar saga, and probably also in Widsith, line 115, as Heathoric together with his sons Angantyr and Hlöð , and Hlöð's mother Sifka...
and Angantyr. Angantyr would be the next of Tyrfing's victims. Angantyr's brother Heidrek
Heidrek
Heidrek or Heiðrekr was one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the Hervarar saga, and probably also in Widsith, line 115, as Heathoric together with his sons Angantyr and Hlöð , and Hlöð's mother Sifka...
had made himself impossible at home and was banished by his father. Angantyr wanted to follow his brother for a while on the road to say farewell, but then he asked to see the sword Tyrfing
Tyrfing
Tyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga...
which Heidrek had got from their mother Hervor. Heidrek kindly showed his brother the weapon, but since Tyrfing could not be unsheathed without slaying a man, Angantyr became its next victim.
Angantyr Heidreksson
Heidrek would have the daughter HervorHervor
Hervor is the name of two female characters in the cycle of the magic sword Tyrfing, presented in Hervarar saga with parts found in the Poetic Edda. The first Hervor was the daughter of Angantyr...
and the sons Angantyr and Hlöd
Hlöd
Hlod or Hlöd was the illegitimate son of Heidrek, the king of the Goths.He appears in the Hervarar saga and probably also as Hlith in Widsith, line 115, together with his father Heiðrekr , half-brother Angantyr , and his mother Sifka .-Claiming his inheritance:Hlöd had grown up with his grandfather...
. When Heidrek, the king of the Goths died, Angantyr inherited and refused to give Hlöd equal share. Hlöd attacked with the Hunnish army and in an epic battle, Hlöd was slain. Angantyr would be one of the ancestors of the Swedish kings of the House of Munsö
House of Munsö
The House of Munsö is one of the names of a protohistoric Swedish dynasty. Its early members of the 8th or 9th century are legendary or semi-legendary, while its later scions of the 10th to 11th centuries are historical....
.