Eric Anundsson or Eymundsson was a semi-legendary
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
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
who supposedly ruled during the 9th century. The Norse sagas describe him as successful in extending his realm over the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
, but unsuccessful in his attempts of westward expansion. There is no near-contemporary evidence for his existence, the sources for his reign dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. These sources, Icelandic sagas, are generally not considered reliable sources for the periods and events they describe.
Controversially, older Swedish historians have identified Eric with another legendary Swedish king, ''
Erik Weatherhat'', who is mentioned in some medieval king-lists as the predecessor of
Eric the Victorious
Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr inn sigrsæli'', Modern Swedish: ''Erik Segersäll''; c. 945 – c. 995) was a Swedish monarch as of around 970. Although there were earlier Swedish kings, he is the first Swedish king in a consecutive reg ...
. However,
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1150 – c. 1220), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark ...
identifies Erik Weatherhat with another figure, a son of the legendary Viking
.
Eric's reign
He is given as the son of
Anund Uppsale
Anund Uppsale or Anoundus, 'Anund of Uppsala', (Old Norse: ''Önundr Uppsali''), a son of Erik Björnsson of the House of Munsö, ruled Sweden together with his brother Björn at Haugi, according to Hervarar saga. He is called ''Uppsale'' beca ...
in the ''
Hervarar saga'' (13th century):
:''Eiríkr hét sonr Önundar konungs, er ríki tók eptir föður sinn at Uppsölum; hann var ríkr konungr. Á hans dögum hófst til ríkis í Noregi Haraldr hárfagri, er fyrstr kom einvaldi í Noreg sinna ættmanna.
:''Eric was the son of king Anund, and he succeeded his father at
Gamla Uppsala, Uppsala; he was a rich king. During his reign,
Harald Fairhair
Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...
came to power in Norway, Harald was the first of his kin to reign as a monarch in Norway.''
However, the Eric who was contemporary with Harald Fairhair is called ''Eymundsson'' by
Snorri Sturluson. Since the preceding king Anund is often identified with an Anund who flourished in the 840s and is mentioned by other sources (
Rimbert Saint Rimbert (or Rembert) (''c.'' 830 - 11 June 888 in Bremen) was archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, in the northern part of the Kingdom of East Frankia from 865 until his death in 888. He most famously wrote the hagiography about the life Ansgar, t ...
and
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...
), ''Anundsson'' is probably the correct form of the
patronym. The names ''Eymund'' and ''Anund'' were equivalent enough for the later king
Anund Jacob
Anund Jacob or James, Swedish: ''Anund Jakob'' was King of Sweden from 1022 until around 1050. He is believed to have been born on July 25, in either 1008 or 1010 as ''Jakob'', the son of King Olof Skötkonung and Queen Estrid. Being the second C ...
to be called ''Emund'' (Eymund), in the ''
Westrogothic law''. Consequently, Eric's patronym would not be the only instance where the two names were confused.
According to ''Hervarar saga'', he was preceded by his father Anund Uppsale and uncle
Björn at Hauge
Bjorn (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or less oft ...
, and later on succeeded by
Björn
Bjorn (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or less oft ...
(the father of
Eric the Victorious
Eric the Victorious (Old Norse: ''Eiríkr inn sigrsæli'', Modern Swedish: ''Erik Segersäll''; c. 945 – c. 995) was a Swedish monarch as of around 970. Although there were earlier Swedish kings, he is the first Swedish king in a consecutive reg ...
and
Olof Björnsson
Olof Björnsson, in legend, was a Swedish king who was referenced in several Old Norse Sagas including '' Hervarar saga'', ''Saga of Harald Fairhair'' and the ''Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa''. Reconstructions that place him as a historical kin ...
). ''
Landnámabók
(, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.
is divided into five parts and ove ...
'' informs that Eric and his son Björn ruled during the time of the
Pope Adrian II
Pope Adrian II ( la, Adrianus II; also Hadrian II; 79214 December 872) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 867 to his death. He continued the policy of his predecessor, Nicholas I. Despite seeking good relations with Louis ...
and
Pope John VIII
Pope John VIII ( la, Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century.
John devoted much of his papacy ...
, i.e. in the period 867–883, the time of the first settlement of Iceland. ''Harald Fairhair's saga'' relates that Erik died when Harald Fairhair had been king of all Norway for ten years. Traditionally this would indicate 882, but Harald's ascent to power is nowadays believed to have occurred later, in the 880s or c. 900.
Erik is mentioned in several places in the
Heimskringla
''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derive ...
. In the ''saga of Olaf Haraldsson'',
Thorgny Lawspeaker
Torgny the Lawspeaker ( Old Icelandic: ''Þorgnýr lögmaðr'' , Swedish: ''Torgny Lagman'') is the name of one of at least three generations of lawspeakers by the name ''Þorgnýr'', who appear in the ''Heimskringla'' by the Icelandic scholar and ...
relates:
:''My grandfather Thorgny could well remember the Uppsala king Eirik Eymundson, and used to say of him that when he was in his best years he went out every summer on expeditions to different countries, and conquered for himself
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Kirjalaland,
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, and the eastern countries all around; and at the present day the earth-bulwarks, ramparts, and other great works which he made are to be seen. And, moreover, he was not so proud that he would not listen to people who had anything to say to him.''
Conflict with Harald Fairhair
In ''Harald Fairhair's saga'',
Snorri Sturluson relates that Eric also wanted to extend Sweden westwards and to make a kingdom for himself as large as that of the Swedish king
Sigurd Hring
Sigurd Ring (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Hringr'', in some sources merely called ''Hringr'') according to legend was a king of the Swedes, being mentioned in many old Scandinavian sagas. According to these sources he was granted rulership over Sweden a ...
and his son
(i.e.
Raumarike
Romerike is a traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Viken municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern end (Nedre Romerike), ...
,
Vingulmark
Vingulmark (Old Norse ''Vingulmörk'') is the old name for the area in Norway which today makes up the counties of Østfold, western parts of Akershus (excluding Romerike), and eastern parts of Buskerud (Hurum and Røyken municipalities), and inclu ...
and
Westfold
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...
all the way to the island of Grenmar). Thus he conquered
Värmland
Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...
and all the land south of
Svinesund (modern
Bohuslän
Bohuslän (; da, Bohuslen; no, Båhuslen) is a Swedish province in Götaland, on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea ...
) and claimed the shores of
Viken
Viken may refer to:
*Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region
*Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020
*Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden
*Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...
as his own, naming it all
West Götaland
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...
. He placed Hrane Gautske (Hrane the as
Jarl
Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...
of the land between Svinesund and
Göta älv
The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...
. In these territories the people accepted Erik as their king.
When King Harald Fairhair arrived at
Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...
(in Viken, and at the time a trading town) from
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
, he learnt of this and became very angry. He assembled the
ting
Ting may refer to:
Politics and government
* Thing (assembly) or ting, a historical Scandinavian governing assembly
* Ting (administrative unit) (亭), an administrative unit in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties
* Ting (廳,厅), an administr ...
at
Fold and accused the people of treason, after which some had to accept his rule, while others were punished. He then spent the summer forcing Viken and
Raumarike
Romerike is a traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Viken municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern end (Nedre Romerike), ...
to accept his rule.
When the winter arrived, Harald learnt that the Swedish king was in Värmland, after which he crossed the
Ed forest and ordered the people to arrange feasts for him and his entourage. The most powerful man in the province was a man named Åke, who had formerly been one of
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; fl. c. 9th century) was a king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway.
In sagas
According to ''Heimskringla'' ...
's men, and he invited both the Norwegian king and the Swedish king to his
halls. Åke had built a new hall instead of his old one, which was ornamented in the same splendid manner, but the old hall only had old ornaments and hangings. When the kings arrived, the Swedish king was placed in the old hall, whereas the Norwegian king was placed in the new one. The Norwegian king found himself in a hall with new gilded vessels carved with figures and shining like glass, full of the best liquor.
The next day, the kings prepared to leave. Bidding his farewell Åke gave to Harald's service his own twelve-year-old son Ubbe. Harald thanked Åke and promised him his friendship. Then Åke talked to the Swedish king, who was in a bad mood. Åke gave him valuable gifts and followed the king on the road until they came to the woods. Eric asked Åke why he, who was his man, had made such a difference between him and the Norwegian king. Åke answered that there was nothing to blame Erik for but that he had got the old things and the old hall because he was old whereas the Norwegian king was in the bloom of his youth. Åke also answered that he was no less the Swedish king's man than the Swedish king was his man. Hearing the words of treason, Eric drew his sword and slew the impudent Åke.
When Harald learnt of this, he and his retainers mounted their horses and chased after the Swedish king until they spotted him. When Eric and his men became aware that they were pursued, they rode as hard as they could until they had reached the wood that divided Värmland and
Götaland
Götaland (; also '' Geatland'', '' Gothia'', ''Gothland'', ''Gothenland'' or ''Gautland'') is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, wit ...
. At this point Harald considered it best to return. He then spent the rest of the autumn killing all the Swedish king's men in Värmland.
In the winter, Harald plundered and burnt in
Rånrike
Ranrike (Old Norse ''Ránríki'') was the old name for a part of Viken, corresponding to southeast Norway (Oslofjord area) and the northern half of the modern Swedish (Norwegian until 1658) province of Bohuslän (roughly identical with ''Álfheimr ...
. In the meantime the
Geats gathered an army, preparing to resist the Norwegians. When the ice broke up they drove stakes into the
Göta älv
The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...
to stop ships from entering. Nevertheless, the
Norwegians invaded Götaland and laid their ships alongside the stakes. The Geats came down to the shore with a sizeable army and gave battle. A lot of people fell, but King Harald gained the victory. He then travelled far and wide in
Götaland
Götaland (; also '' Geatland'', '' Gothia'', ''Gothland'', ''Gothenland'' or ''Gautland'') is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces. Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand, wit ...
, winning most of the battles. In one of the battles, Hrane Gautske fell. Harald then proclaimed himself the ruler of all land north of Göta älv and north and west of lake
Vänern
Vänern ( , also , ) is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the European Union and the third-largest lake of all Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmland i ...
and placed
Guttorm Haraldsson to defend the region with a large force. There were disturbances between Harald and the Geats until King Eric died, ten years after Harald's ascension to power. He was succeeded by his son
Björn (III) Eriksson who ruled the Swedes for 50 years.
Contemporary references to the period
The only possibly contemporary source for the war is three scaldic verses said to be composed by King Harald's skald
Þorbjörn Hornklofi
Þórbjǫrn Hornklofi (Modern Norwegian: ''Torbjørn Hornklove'') was a 9th-century Norwegian skald and one of the court poet of King Harald Fairhair. His poetry has sometimes been regarded as a contemporary source of information regarding King Har ...
. One of them states that Harald was the enemy of the Geats and apparently won a victory over them. Another says that Harald subdued land and people south of the sea, and tied his ship to the stakes by the shore, without further specification. The verses mention neither Eric nor any Swedes. The historian
Curt Weibull
Curt Weibull (19 August 1886 – 10 November 1991) was a Swedish historian, educator and author.
Biography
Curt Hugo Johannes Weibull was born in Lund, Sweden. He was a member of the noted Swedish Weibull family. He was the son of professo ...
has characterised Eric as historically problematic, and doubted that the Swedes had anything to do with Värmland or West Götaland in the late 9th century. A late 9th-century geographical account preserved in an Anglo-Saxon manuscript, by
Ohthere of Hålogaland
Ohthere of Hålogaland ( no, Ottar fra Hålogaland) was a Viking Age Norwegian seafarer known only from an account of his travels that he gave to King Alfred (r. 871–99) of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in about 890 AD. His account ...
, vaguely says that Norway borders "to Sweoland at the other side of the mountains, until the southern part of the country, and far up to the north". Another account in the same manuscript, by
Wulfstan of Hedeby
Wulfstan of Hedeby was a late ninth century traveller and trader. His travel accounts, as well as those of another trader, Ohthere of Hålogaland, were included in the ''Old English Orosius''. It is unclear if Wulfstan was English or indeed if h ...
, says that
Blekinge
Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's secon ...
,
Möre
Möre is one of the original small lands of Småland, a historical province (''landskap'') in southern Sweden. It corresponds to the south-eastern part of modern Kalmar County. Möre was divided into two hundreds: Möre Northern Hundred and M ...
,
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
and
Gotland belonged to the Swedes (hyrað to Sweon).
Other accounts
The
Flateyjarbók
''Flateyjarbók'' (; "Book of Flatey") is an important medieval Icelandic manuscript. It is also known as GkS 1005 fol. and by the Latin name ''Codex Flateyensis''. It was commissioned by Jón Hákonarson and produced by the priests and scribes ...
(late 14th century) has a different account about Eric Anundsson. It says that
Björn at Haugi
Björn at Haugi ("Björn at the Barrow" from the Old Norse word ''haugr'' meaning mound), Björn på Håga, Björn II or Bern was, according to '' Hervarar saga'', a Swedish king and the son of Erik Björnsson, and Björn ruled together in diarch ...
was king when Harald Fairhair became king in Norway. His successor
Anund
Anund sv, Bröt-Anund meaning ''trail-blazer Anund'' or ''Anund the Land Clearer''; alternate names ''Brøt-Anundr'' (Old East Norse) or ''Braut-Önundr'' (Old West Norse) was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Yngling who reigne ...
then ruled for at least 40 years, being succeeded by his son Eric who ruled for 47 years. Eric married Ingigerd, a daughter of Harald Fairhair. After some time she was to be sacrificed to the gods for unspecified reasons. The Swedes, therefore, brought the queen to an island where the
blót
( Old Norse) and or ( Old English) are terms for "blood sacrifice" in Norse paganism and Anglo-Saxon paganism respectively. A comparanda can also be reconstructed for wider Germanic paganism.
A ' could be dedicated to any of the Germanic ...
would take place. She was however rescued by her brother
Halfdan the Black (Junior) and brought to safety. This incident provoked long-time hostilities between Harald and Eric. Later on, Harald's trustee Hauk Håbrok went to
Holmgard
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the o ...
in
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
to make purchases but had an adventurous confrontation with two champions of Eric who stayed there. A saga about Harald Fairhair's skalds also mentions a Swedish King Eric who was Harald's enemy; he is however given the patronym "Björnsson".
[Munch, P.A. (1852) ''Det norske Folks historie'', Vol. I:1. Christiania: Tönsberg, p. 581]
/ref>
See also
*Early Swedish History
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* E ...
* Kings of Raumariki
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eric Anundsson
Anundsson, Erik
Semi-legendary kings of Sweden
9th-century rulers in Europe
Year of birth unknown
9th-century Swedish people