Notes
Note N185
Index
Vanlandi or Vanlande was a Swedish king at Uppsala of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology . He was the son of Sveigðir whom he succeeded as king. He married a girl from Finnland (territories inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples), but forgot about her. In revenge, the girl arranged so that Vanlandi was hag ridden to death. He was succeeded by his son Visbur .
Snorri Sturluson wrote of Vanlandi in his Ynglinga saga (1225 ) (note that the translator has rendered Finnland as Finland ):
Vanlandi hét son Svegðis, er ríki tók eptir hann ok réð fyrir Uppsala auð; hann var hermaðr mikill, ok hann fór víða um lönd. Hann þá vetrvist á Finnlandi með Snjá hinum gamla, ok fékk þar dóttr hans Drífu. En at vári fór hann á brott, en Drífa var eptir, ok hét hann at koma aptr á þriggja vetra fresti; en hann kom eigi á 10 vetrum. Þá sendi Drífa eptir Huld seiðkonu, en sendi Vísbur, son þeirra Vanlanda, til Svíþjóðar. Drífa keypti at Huld seiðkonu, at hon skyldi síða Vanlanda til Finnlands, eða deyða hann at öðrum kosti. En er seiðr var framiðr, þá var Vanlandi at Uppsölum; þá gerði hann fúsan at fara til Finnlands, en vinir hans ok ráðamenn bönnuðu honum, ok sögðu at vera mundi fjölkyngi Finna í farfýsi hans. Þá gerðist honum svefnhöfugt, ok lagðist hann till svefns. En er hann hafði lítt sofnat, kallaði hann ok sagði, at mara trað hann. Menn hans fóru til ok vildu hjálpa honum; en er þeir tóku uppi til höfuðsins, þá trað hon fótleggina, svá at nær brotnuðu; þá tóku þeir til fótanna, þá kafði hon höfuðit, svá at þar dó hann. Svíar tóku lík hans, ok var hann brendr við á þá er Skúta heitir. Þar váru settir bautasteinar hans.[1] Vanlande, Swegde's son, succeeded his father, and ruled over the Upsal domain . He was a great warrior, and went far around in different lands. Once he took up his winter abode in Finland with Snae the Old , and got his daughter Driva in marriage; but in spring he set out leaving Driva behind, and although he had promised to return within three years he did not come back for ten. Then Driva sent a message to the witch Huld ; and sent Visbur , her son by Vanlande, to Sweden . Driva bribed the witch- wife Huld, either that she should bewitch Vanlande to return to Finland, or kill him. When this witch-work was going on Vanlande was at Upsal , and a great desire came over him to go to Finland; but his friends and counsellors advised him against it, and said the witchcraft of the Finn people showed itself in this desire of his to go there. He then became very drowsy, and laid himself down to sleep; but when he had slept but a little while he cried out, saying that the Mara was treading upon him. His men hastened to him to help him; but when they took hold of his head she trod on his legs, and when they laid hold of his legs she pressed upon his head; and it was his death. The Swedes took his body and burnt it at a river called Skytaa, where a standing stone was raised over him.[2][3]
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal composed in the 9th century :
En á vit Vilja bróður vitta véttr Vanlanda kom, þá er trollkund of troða skyldi liðs grímhildr ljóna bága; ok sá brann á beði Skútu menglötuðr, er mara kvalði.[4][5] And Vanlande, in a fatal hour, Was dragg'd by Grimhild's daughter's power, The witch-wife's, to the dwelling-place Where men meet Odin face to face. Trampled to death, to Skytaa's shore The corpse his faithful followers bore; And there they burnt, with heavy hearts, The good chief killed by witchcraft's arts.[6][7]
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:
Iste [Swegthir] genuit Wanlanda, qui in somno a dæmone suffocatus interiit, quod genus dæmoniorum norwegico sermone mara vocatur. Hic genuit Wisbur [...][8] He [Sveigde] sired Vanlande, who died in his sleep, suffocated by a goblin, one of the demonic species known in Norwegian as 'mare'. He was the father of Visbur, [...][9]
The even earlier source Íslendingabók cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Vanlandi as the successor of Svegðir and the predecessor of Visbur : v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi. vii Visburr. viii Dómaldr[10].
[edit ] Geography
Geographical note: According to the article Skuttunge in Nationalencyklopedin , the creek skutá passed its name onto the village of Skuttunge and the parish of Skuttunge . The area does not only contain raised stones, but also 45 grave fields (most from the Iron Age ), including a dolmen . The creek is today named after the village.
Notes
Note N186
Index
Sveigðir, Sveigder or Swegde was a Swedish king of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology . He was the son of Fjölner , whom he succeeded as king, and he married Vana of Vanaheim , probably one of the Vanir .
Lured by a dwarf , Sveigðir disappeared into a stone and never came back. He was succeeded by his son Vanlandi .
Snorri Sturluson wrote of Sveigðir in his Ynglinga saga (1225 ):
Svegðir tók ríki eptir föður sinn; hann strengði þess heit at leita Goðheims ok Óðins hins gamla. Hann fór með 12 menn víða um heiminn, hann kom út í Tyrkland ok í Svíþjóð hina miklu ok hitti þar marga frændr sína ok vini, ok var í þeirri för 5 vetr. Þá kom hann aptr til Svíþjóðar, dvaldist hann þá enn heima um hríð. Hann hafði fengit konu þá er Vana hét út í Vanaheimi; var þeirra son Vanlandi. Svegðir fór enn at leita Goðheims. Ok í austanverðri Svíþjóð heitir bœr mikill at Steini, þar er steinn svá mikill sem stór hús. Um kveldit eptir sólarfall, þá er Svegðir gékk frá drykkju til svefnbúrs, sá hann til steinsins, at dvergr sat undir steininum. Svegðir ok hans menn váru mjök druknir ok runnu til steinsins. Dvergrinn stóð í durum ok kallaði á Sveigði, bað hann þar inn ganga, ef hann vildi Óðin hitta. Svegðir hljóp í steininn; en steinninn laukst þegar aptr, ok kom Svegðir eigi aptr.[1][2] Swegde took the kingdom after his father, and he made a solemn vow to seek Godheim and Odin . He went with twelve men through the world, and came to Turkland , and the Great Svithiod , where he found many of his connections. He was five years on this journey; and when he returned home to Sweden he remained there for some time. He had got a wife in Vanheim , who was called Vana, and their son was Vanlande . Swegde went out afterwards to seek again for Godheim, and came to a mansion on the east side of Swithiod called Stein , where there was a stone as big as a large house. In the evening after sunset, as Swegde was going from the drinking-table to his sleeping-room, he cast his eye upon the stone, and saw that a dwarf was sitting under it. Swegde and his man were very drunk, and they ran towards the stone. The dwarf stood in the door, and called to Swegde, and told him to come in, and he should see Odin. Swegde ran into the stone, which instantly closed behind him, and Swegde never came back.[3][4]
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal composed in the 9th century :
En dagskjarr Dúrnis niðja salvörðuðr Sveigði vétti, þá er í stein enn stórgeði Dusla konr ept dvergi hljóp, ok salr bjartr þeira Sökmímis jötunbyggðr við jöfri gein.[5][6] By Diurnir 's elfin race, Who haunt the cliffs and shun day's face, The valiant Swegde was deceived, The elf's false words the king believed. The dauntless hero rushing on, Passed through the yawning mouth of stone: It yawned - it shut - the hero fell, In Saekmime 's hall, where giants dwell.[7][8]
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal written in the late 12th century and consequently older than Snorri's quotation:
Froyr vero genuit Fiolni, qui in dolio medonis dimersus est, cujus filius Swegthir nanum in petram persequitur nec redisse dicitur, quod pro certo fabulosum creditur. Iste genuit Wanlanda [...][9] Frøy engendered Fjolne, who was drowned in a tun of mead. His son, Sveigde, is supposed to have pursuded a dwarf into a stone and never to have returned, but this is plainly to be taken as a fairy-tale. He sired Vanlande, [...][10]
The even earlier source Íslendingabók from the early 12th century , cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Svegðir as the successor of Fjölnir and the predecessor of Vanlandi : iiii Fjölnir. sá er dó at Friðfróða. v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi[11].