Ragnvald the Mountain-High
Encyclopedia
Ragnvald "the Mountain-High" Olafsson was a petty king of Vestfold
in what is today Norway
. He was the son of Olaf Geirstad-Alf
, a cousin of Harald Fairhair and the father of Åsa Ragnvaldsdatter (Aseda Rognvaldsdatter), who married Eystein Ivarsson
.
His greatest contribution to posterity was that he asked the skald
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
to compose a poem about his ancestry. This poem is known as Ynglingatal
and is not only one of the oldest, but also one of the most famous and debated of the Old Norse poems
.
Þjóðólfr ended the poem with these lines:
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
in what is today Norway
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...
. He was the son of Olaf Geirstad-Alf
Olaf Geirstad-Alf
Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.Gudrød died when Olaf...
, a cousin of Harald Fairhair and the father of Åsa Ragnvaldsdatter (Aseda Rognvaldsdatter), who married Eystein Ivarsson
Eystein Ivarsson
Eystein Glumra , also called Eystein Ivarsson was Jarl of Oppland and Hedmark in Norway....
.
His greatest contribution to posterity was that he asked the skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir
Þjóðólfr of Hvinir was a Norwegian skald, active around the year 900. He is considered to have been the original author of Ynglingatal, a poem glorifying the Norwegian petty king Ragnvald the Mountain-High, by describing how he was descended from the Swedish kings and the Norse gods.He is also...
to compose a poem about his ancestry. This poem is known as Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal
Ynglingatal is a skaldic poem listing the kings of the House of Ynglings, dated by most scholars to the late 9th century.The original version is attributed to Þjóðólfr af Hvini who was the skald of a Norwegian petty king named Ragnvald the Mountain-High and who was a cousin of Harald Fairhair...
and is not only one of the oldest, but also one of the most famous and debated of the Old Norse poems
Old Norse poetry
Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century...
.
Þjóðólfr ended the poem with these lines:
- Under the heaven's blue dome, a name
- I never knew more true to fame
- Than Rognvald bore; whose skilful hand
- Could tame the scorners of the land, --
- Rognvald, who knew so well to guide
- The wild sea-horses through the tide:
- The "Mountain-high" was the proud name
- By which the king was known to fame.
See also
- FornjótFornjótFornjót was an ancient giant in Norse mythology and a king of Finland. His children are Ægir , Logi and Kári ....
- YnglingYnglingThe Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the clans of the Scylfings , the semi-legendary royal Swedish clan during the Age of Migrations, with kings such as Eadgils, Onela and Ohthere...