Angantyr was the name of three characters from the same line in
Norse mythologyNorse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
, and who appear in
Hervarar sagaHervarar 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 DanorumGesta Danorum is a 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 balladKvæði are the old ballads of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by the Faroese dance.-History:The ballads have their origin in old Norse and Viking cultures...
s.
The last generation named Angantyr also appears to be mentioned as
Incgentheow in
WidsithWidsith 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
HeiðrekrHeidrek 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
HlöðHlod 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's father
ArngrimArngrim 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 swordThe 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 modern fantasy fiction.Renowned swords appear in the folklore...
TyrfingTyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga. The name is also used in the saga to denote the Goths and the form Tervingi was actually recorded by Roman sources in the 4th century.Svafrlami was the king of Gardariki,...
, which cut through anything like through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed.
Angantyr was the name of three characters from the same line in
Norse mythologyNorse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
, and who appear in
Hervarar sagaHervarar 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 DanorumGesta Danorum is a 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 balladKvæði are the old ballads of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by the Faroese dance.-History:The ballads have their origin in old Norse and Viking cultures...
s.
The last generation named Angantyr also appears to be mentioned as
Incgentheow in
WidsithWidsith 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
HeiðrekrHeidrek 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
HlöðHlod 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 BerserkerBerserkers 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...
Angantyr's father
ArngrimArngrim 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 swordThe 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 modern fantasy fiction.Renowned swords appear in the folklore...
TyrfingTyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga. The name is also used in the saga to denote the Goths and the form Tervingi was actually recorded by Roman sources in the 4th century.Svafrlami was the king of Gardariki,...
, which cut through anything like through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed. He was the tallest of the twelve sons of the berserker
ArngrimArngrim 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
YuleYule or Yule-tide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples 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
BolmsöBolmsö 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...
and the next oldest son,
HjörvardHjörvard 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
IngeborgIngeborg is a Scandinavian name carried by many prominent women in Scandinavian history and mythology. People named Ingeborg include:* Ingeborg of Denmark...
, the daughter of
YngveYngvi 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
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
.
The twelve brothers departed for
UppsalaGamla 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, one of the Swedish king's champions, stepped forth and claimed to deserve the princess better than a berserker.
The Swedish king, who feared opposing twelve uncontrollable and infamous berserkers in his
hallIn architecture, several things are commonly known as Halls or halls. 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 on a duel on
SamsøSamsø is a Danish island in the Kattegat 15 kilometers 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 loose themselves 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
HervorHervor 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 AngantyrHervararkviða 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 was a location in Jotunheim in Norse mythology. It is mentioned in sources, such as Bósa saga ok Herrauds and Hervarar saga....
and they had the sons
HeidrekHeidrek 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
HeidrekHeidrek 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
TyrfingTyrfing or Tirfing was a magic sword which figures in a poem from the Poetic Edda called Hervararkviða, and in Hervarar saga. The name is also used in the saga to denote the Goths and the form Tervingi was actually recorded by Roman sources in the 4th century.Svafrlami was the king of Gardariki,...
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 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
HlödHlod 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 ancestor of the Swedish kings of the
House of MunsöThe 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....
.
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