In
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
, Dyggvi or Dyggve (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
"Useful, Effective"
[McKinnell (2005:70).]) was a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
king of the
House of Yngling
The Ynglings were a dynasty of kings, first in Sweden and later in Norway, primarily attested through the poem ''Ynglingatal''. The dynasty also appears as Scylfings (Old Norse ''Skilfingar'') in ''Beowulf''. When ''Beowulf'' and ''Ynglingatal'' ...
s. Dyggvi died and became the concubine of
Hel,
Loki
Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
's daughter. Dyggvi was succeeded by his son
Dag the Wise Dag the Wise or Dagr spaki was a Swedish king of the House of Ynglings (dated to the 4th century by 16th-century historiographer Johannes Magnus). He was the son of Dyggvi, the former king. According to legend, he could understand the speech of b ...
. According to
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
, Dyggvi was the nephew of
Dan
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...
, the eponymous ancestor of Denmark, through his sister Drott, and was the first to be called King by his family.
Attestations
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
wrote of Dygvvi's father
Domar in his ''
Ynglinga saga'' (1225):
About Dyggvi's mother Snorri had more to say:
In his ''
Ynglinga saga'',
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
included a piece from ''
Ynglingatal'' composed in the 9th century:
The ''
Historia Norwegiæ
''Historia Norwegiæ'' is a short history of Norway written in Latin by an anonymous monk. The only extant manuscript is in the private possession of the Earl of Dalhousie, and is now kept in the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh. The manu ...
'' presents a Latin summary of ''Ynglingatal'', older than Snorri's quotation:
The even earlier source ''
Íslendingabók'' also cites the line of descent in ''Ynglingatal'' and it also gives Dyggvi as the successor of Dómarr and the predecessor of
Dagr: ''ix Dómarr. x Dyggvi. xi Dagr''.
Guðni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók
/ref>
Notes
References
*McKinnell, John (2005). ''Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend''. DS Brewer.
Sources
*'' Ynglingatal''
*'' Ynglinga saga'' (part of the '' Heimskringla'')
*'' Historia Norwegiae''
{{Norse mythology
Mythological kings of Sweden