Sea-King
Encyclopedia
A Sea King was the Viking
name for a powerful pirate chieftain.
They could be actual kings of Sweden
(such as Yngvi
and Jorund
), Denmark
or a Norwegian
kingdom, and sons of kings, such as Refil
, but they could also be men "without roof" like Hjörvard
the Ylfing.
In the Norse sagas, such men without roof could be so powerful that they could subdue a country and make themselves kings. Two examples are Sölve
who killed the Swedish king Östen
, and Haki
who killed the Swedish king Hugleik
. However, in both cases they ultimately lost due to lack of popular support.
List of sea-kings as given in the Nafnaþulur
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
name for a powerful pirate chieftain.
They could be actual kings 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....
(such as Yngvi
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....
and Jorund
Jorund
Jorund or Jörundr was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling. He was the son of Yngvi, and he had reclaimed the throne of Sweden for his dynasty from Haki .Snorri Sturluson relates...
), Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
or a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
kingdom, and sons of kings, such as Refil
Refil
* According to Hervarar saga, Refil was a son of the Swedish king Björn Ironside and the brother of its next king Erik Björnsson. He appears in Hervarar saga and in Nafnaþulur. According to these sources, Refil was a great warlord and a sea-king who would have lived in the early 9th century...
, but they could also be men "without roof" like 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....
the Ylfing.
In the Norse sagas, such men without roof could be so powerful that they could subdue a country and make themselves kings. Two examples are Sölve
Sölve
Sölve was a sea-king who conquered Sweden by burning the Swedish king Östen to death inside his hall.The Heimskringla relates that he was the son Högne of Nærøy, and that he had his home in Jutland...
who killed the Swedish king Östen
Östen
Eysteinn was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians...
, and Haki
Haki
Hake, Haki or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century Gesta Danorum, and in 13th-century sources including Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga...
who killed the Swedish king Hugleik
Hugleik
Hugleik or Ochilaik was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling, according to the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Alf and Bera.Some commentators assimilate Hugleik with his namesake, the Geatish king Hygelac...
. However, in both cases they ultimately lost due to lack of popular support.
List of sea-kings as given in the NafnaþulurNafnaþulurNafnaþulur is a subsection of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the last part of the Skáldskaparmál. It is a listing in verse of names that may be used in poetry for various items, such as gods, giants, people, animals, and weapons...
1-5
|
Gjúki Gjúki was the King of the Burgundians in the late 4th century until his death in or around 407. He was the father of Gundomar I, Giselher, and Gunther.... Gylfi In Norse mythology, Gylfi, Gylfe, Gylvi, or Gylve was the earliest king in Scandinavia recorded. The traditions on Gylfi deal with how he was tricked by the gods and his relations with the goddess Gefjon.-The creation of Zealand:... Hagbard Hagbard , the brother of Haki and son of Hamund, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in Skáldskaparmál, Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga and Gesta Danorum... Haki Hake, Haki or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century Gesta Danorum, and in 13th-century sources including Ynglinga saga, Nafnaþulur, Völsunga saga... |
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 :... Hraudung In Norse mythology, Hraudung was a human king and the father of Geirröd and Agnar according to the prose header of the poem Grímnismál from the Poetic Edda.... Hunding Hunding is a municipality in the district of Deggendorf in Bavaria in Germany.... |
Refil * According to Hervarar saga, Refil was a son of the Swedish king Björn Ironside and the brother of its next king Erik Björnsson. He appears in Hervarar saga and in Nafnaþulur. According to these sources, Refil was a great warlord and a sea-king who would have lived in the early 9th century... Randver Randvér or Randver was, according to Sögubrot and the Lay of Hyndla, the son of Ráðbarðr the king of Garðaríki and Auðr the Deep-Minded, the daughter of Ivar Vidfamne... |
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.... |