Högne was a king of

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

who appears in sources of

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 as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

''Heimskringla''

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 th ...

wrote that he was the king of

and that he had a son named Hildur and daughter Hilda who was married to Granmar, the king of

Södermanland Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Österg� ...

. When

Ingjald Ingjald illråde or Ingjaldr hinn illráði (''Ingold Illruler'' or ''Illready'') was a semi-legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, son and successor of King Anund, and the father and predecessor of King Olof Trätälja. As with many ...

Ill-ruler murdered most of the sub-kings of Sweden, Högne and Granmar successfully defended their kingdoms. Snorri states that Högne and his son Hildur often made raids into the Swedish provinces killing many of Ingjald's men, and that he ruled his kingdom until he died.

''Volsunga saga''

In the '' Volsunga saga'', the kings Högne and Granmar also appear. In this saga, Högne has a daughter Sigrun who he had promised to Granmar's son Hothbrodd. However, Sigrun has a suitor,

Helgi Hundingsbane Helgi Hundingsbane is a hero in Norse sagas. Helgi appears in '' Volsunga saga'' and in two lays in the ''Poetic Edda'' named '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana I'' and '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana II''. The ''Poetic Edda'' relates that Helgi and his mist ...

who attacks Granmar. Högne's forces joined Hothbrodd, but Helgi was victorious and Hothbrodd slain. Afterwards, Helgi married Sigrun.

The ''Poetic Edda''

Högne appears in two poems of the ''

Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...

'', "

Helgakviða Hundingsbana I "Völsungakviða" or "Helgakviða Hundingsbana I" ("The First Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane") is an Old Norse poem found in the ''Poetic Edda''. It is only preserved in the Icelandic manuscript Codex Regius (ca. 1270). It constitutes one of the Helgi ...

" and "

Helgakviða Hundingsbana II "Völsungakviða in forna" or "Helgakviða Hundingsbana II" ("The Second Lay of Helgi Hundingsbane") is an Old Norse poem found in the ''Poetic Edda''. It constitutes one of the Helgi lays together with '' Helgakviða Hundingsbana I'' and ''Helgak ...

", which tell a similar story to his appearance in ''Volsunga saga''. However, the poems are more detailed. "Helgakviða Hundingsbana II" says that Högne has two sons, named Bragi and Dagr, and a brother named Sigarr. Bragi and Högne himself are killed by Helgi in the battle with Hǫðbroddr, but Dagr is spared when he surrenders and swears oaths to Helgi. Sigrún, Högne's daughter who had initiated the slaughter (here also depicted as a

valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

), weeps over her family's deaths, but then marries Helgi. Later, Dagr prays to

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

to avenge Högne his father, and kills Helgi with a spear that Odin grants him.

References

Legendary kings of the Geats Völsung cycle {{Norse-myth-stub