Freawine
Encyclopedia
Freawine, Frowin or Frowinus figures as a governor of Schleswig
in Gesta Danorum
and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
as an ancestor of the kings of Wessex, but the latter source only tells that he was the son of Frithugar
and the father of Wig
.
In the Gesta Danorum
, Frowin was the father-in-law of Offa of Angel
(presented as a prince and later king of Denmark), whose father king Wermund
liked both Frowin and his sons Ket and Wig.
Frowin was challenged to combat by the Swedish king Athisl
, and killed. He would later be avenged by his two sons Ket and Wig. However, the two sons fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to in Widsith
as a duel against Myrgings.
Schleswig
Schleswig or South Jutland is a region covering the area about 60 km north and 70 km south of the border between Germany and Denmark; the territory has been divided between the two countries since 1920, with Northern Schleswig in Denmark and Southern Schleswig in Germany...
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 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
as an ancestor of the kings of Wessex, but the latter source only tells that he was the son of Frithugar
Legendary ancestors of Cerdic of Wessex
The ancestry of the Kings of Wessex has long attracted historians' interest because the monarchs of England trace their lineage from them. Yet scholarly analysis suggests the early part of it is largely an invention of the 8th and 9th centuries....
and the father of Wig
Ket and Wig
Ket and Wig appear in the Gesta Danorum as the sons of Frowin, the governor of Schleswig. Wig also appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the son of Freawine and father of Gewis, eponymous ancestor of the kingdom of Wessex and their kings, but this is thought to be a late manipulation, inserting...
.
In the 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...
, Frowin was the father-in-law of Offa of Angel
Offa of Angel
Offa was the 4th-great-grandfather of Creoda of Mercia, and was reputed to be a great-grandson of Woden, English god of war and poetry and creator of Middle-Earth, the realm of man. Offa was the son of Wermund, and the father of Angeltheow...
(presented as a prince and later king of Denmark), whose father king Wermund
Wermund
Wermund or Garmund is an ancestor of the Mercian royal family, a son of Wihtlaeg and father of Offa. Mythology claims him to be a grandson of Woden, but the Danish histories written by Saxo Grammaticus disagree with this concept....
liked both Frowin and his sons Ket and Wig.
Frowin was challenged to combat by the Swedish king Athisl
Eadgils of the Myrgings
Eadgils of the Myrgings is a king of the Myrgings a clan of Saxon origin who is mentioned on lines 93-96 in the Anglo-Saxon poem Widsith. He would have lived in the 5th century and is mentioned as the lord of the scop himself in the poem....
, and killed. He would later be avenged by his two sons Ket and Wig. However, the two sons fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to 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...
as a duel against Myrgings.