Notes
Note N165
Index
Ane, On, One, Auchun or Aun the Old (Audhun, the same name as the A-S name Edwin) was the son of Jorund and one of the Swedish kings of the House of Yngling , the ancestors of Norway 's first king, Harald Fairhair .
Aun was a wise king who sacrificed greatly to the gods, but he was not a warlike king and preferred to live in peace. Consequently, he was attacked by the Danish prince Halfdan (the son of Fróði , the son of Dan the Arrogant , the founder of Denmark). Aun lost the battles and fled to the Geats in Västergötland , where he stayed for 25 years until Halfdan died in his bed in Uppsala and was buried in a mound .
King Aun could return to Uppsala, but he was 60 years old. In order to live longer he sacrificed his own son to Odin who promised him that he could live for another 60 years. However, after 25 years, Aun was attacked by Halfdan 's cousin Ale the Strong . Aun lost several battles and had to flee a second time to Västergötland . Ale the Strong ruled in Uppsala for 25 years until he was killed by Starkad the old.
After Ale the Strong's death, Aun could return to Uppsala. Once again, Aun sacrificed a son to Odin, but this time Odin said that he would live as long as he sacrificed a son every ten years and that he had to name one of the Swedish provinces after the number of sons he sacrificed.
When Aun had sacrificed a son for the seventh time, he was so old that he could not walk but had to be carried on a chair. When he had sacrificed a son for the eighth time, he could no longer get out of his bed. When he had sacrificed his ninth son, he was so old that he had to feed by suckling a horn like a little child.
After ten years he wanted to sacrifice his tenth and last son and name the province of Uppsala the ten lands. However, the Swedes refused to allow him this sacrifice and so he died. He was buried in a mound at Uppsala and succeeded by his last son Egil . From that day, dying in bed of old age was called Aun's sickness among the Scandinavians .
Knátti endr at Upsölum ána-sótt Aun of standa, ok þrálífr þiggja skyldi jóðs alað öðru sinni. Ok sveiðurs at sér hverfði mækis hlut enn mjávara, es okhreins óttunga hrjóðr lögðis odd liggjandi drakk; máttit hárr hjarðar mæki austrkonungr upp of halda.[1][2] In Upsal's town the cruel king Slaughtered his sons at Odin's shrine -- Slaughtered his sons with cruel knife, To get from Odin length of life. He lived until he had to turn His toothless mouth to the deer's horn; And he who shed his children's blood Sucked through the ox's horn his food. At length fell Death has tracked him down, Slowly, but sure, in Upsal's town.[3][4]
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation (continuing after Jorund ):
Iste genuit Auchun, qui longo vetustatis senio IX annis ante obitum suum densæ usum alimoniæ postponens lac tantum de cornu ut infans suxisse fertur. Auchun vero genuit Eigil cognomento Vendilcraco [...][5] He became the father of Aukun, who, in the feebleness of a protracted old age, during the nine years before his death is said to have abandoned the consumption of solid food and only sucked milk from a horn, like a babe-in-arms. Aukun's son was Egil Vendelkråke, [...][6]
The even earlier source Íslendingabók also cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and it also gives Aun as the successor of Jörundr and the predecessor of Egil Vendelcrow : xv Jörundr. xvi Aun inn gamli. xvii Egill Vendilkráka[7].
[edit ] Notes
^ Ynglinga saga at Norrøne Tekster og Kvad
^ A second online presentation of Ynglingatal
^ Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
^ Laing's translation at Northvegr
^ Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), p. 100.
^ Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003). Historia Norwegie. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 8772898135 , p. 77.
^ Guðni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók
[edit ] Primary sources
Ynglingatal
Ynglinga saga (part of the Heimskringla )
Historia Norwegiae
[edit ] Secondary sources
Nerman, B. Det svenska rikets uppkomst. Stockholm, 1925.
Notes
Note N166 Index
Jorund or Jörundr (5th century ) 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 (the brother of Hagbard , the hero of the legend of Hagbard and Signy , and it should be noted that Snorri cites two kennings from this legend Sigar's steed and Hagard's fell noose, when telling of Jorund).
Snorri Sturluson relates that when Jorund was young he used to travel the seas and plunder with his brother Erik, and they were great warriors. One summer they plundered in Denmark where they met another pillager, King Gudlög of Hålogaland (a province in Norway) with whom they fought. They took him prisoner and carried him ashore at Stromones where they hanged him. Gudlaug's surviving companions raised a mound over him there.
Snorri then cites the poem Háleygjatal by a Norwegian skald named Eyvindr skáldaspillir :
En Guðlaugr grimman tamdi við ofrkapp austrkonunga Sigars jó, er synir Yngva menglötuð við meið reiddu. Og náreiðr á nesi drúpir vingameiðr, þar er víkur deilir, þar er fjölkunnt um fylkis hreyr steini merkt, Straumeyjarnes.[1][2] By the fierce East-kings' cruel pride, Gudlog must on the wild horse ride -- The wildest horse you e'er did see: 'Tis Sigur 's steed - the gallows tree. At Stromones the tree did grow, Where Gudlog's corpse waves on the bough. A high stone stands on Stromo's heath, To tell the gallant hero's death.[3][4]
This act rendered the Swedish princes, Eric and Jorund, even more famous and they were thought of as even greater men. When they learnt that King Haki no longer had his forces around him, they decided to take care of their enemy. They assembled a large force that was joined by Swedes as they approached. They entered Mälaren (a bay at the time) and steered towards Uppsala . They left their ships at the Fyris Wolds and were met by Haki who had less men. Haki was a brutal fighter and managed to turn the tide of the battle. He slew Erik who held the banner and Jorund retreated with his men. Luckily, Haki had been seriously wounded and died.
Jorund then ruled Sweden at Uppsala , but he usually spent the summers pillaging. One summer, he plundered in Jutland and entered Limfjorden , where he continued the pillaging. They anchored in Oddesund (before a storm in 1825, it was near the innermost part of the fjord and almost 200 km from its mouth) but were discovered by the Norwegian pirate Gylaug of Hålogaland , the son of Gudlaug. Gylaug and his men attacked them and were joined by local forces who wanted revenge. As Jorund was vastly outnumbered (and had to run an almost 200 km long gauntlet to get out of the fjord), he lost the battle, and Gylaug had him hanged.
Snorri illustrates this event with the stanza from Ynglingatal :
Varð Jörundr hinn er endr of dó, lífs of lattr í Limafirði, þá er hábrjóstr hörva Sleipnir bana Goðlaugs of bera skyldi; ok Hagbarðs hersa valdi höðnu leif at halsi gekk.[5][6] Jorund has travelled far and wide, But the same horse he must bestride On which he made brave Gudlog ride. He too must for a necklace wear Hagbert 's fell noose in middle air. The army leader thus must ride On Horva's horse, at Lymfjord's side.[7][8]
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation, continuing after Yngvi (called Ingialdr):
Post hunc filius ejus Jorundr, qui cum Danos debellasset, ab eisdem suspensus in loco Oddasund in sinu quodam Daciæ, quem Limafiorth indiginæ appellant, male vitam finivit. Iste genuit Auchun (i.e. Aun ) [...][9] After him his son Jorund ruled, who ended his days unhappily once he had fought a war against the Danes, who hanged him at Oddesund, on an arm of the sea in Denmark which the natives call Limfjorden. He became the father of Aukun, [...][10]
The even earlier source Íslendingabók also cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and it gives the same line of succession: xiiii Yngvi. xv Jörundr. xvi Aun inn gamli[11].
The Skjöldunga saga and the Bjarkarímur tell that Jorund was defeated by the Danish king Fróði (corresponds to the Heaðobard Froda in Beowulf ), who made him a tributary and took his daughter. The daughter gave birth to Halfdan , but another woman became Fróði's legitimate wife and gave him an heir named Ingjaldr (corresponds to the Heaðobard Ingeld in Beowulf). Together with one of his earls , Swerting , Jorund conspired against Fróði and killed him during the blót .