The legendary kings of Denmark are the predecessors of
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147 , a king who reigned ca. 930s to 950s and is the earliest reliably attested Danish ruler. Historicity of the earlier legendary kings are thus half legend and
half history. The accounts of the Danish kings are confusing and contradictory, and so this presentation tries to separate the various sources from each other. Different sources sometimes mention the same kings.
Multiple sources
Many kings are mentioned by multiple sources, but are for various reasons still considered more legendary than historical kings of Denmark
*
Harthacnut
Harthacnut ( da, Hardeknud; "Tough-knot"; – 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of the English from 1040 to 1042.
Harthacnut was the son of King ...
(''Hardeknud'') (c. 916 – c. 936), the father of
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147 according to multiple sources. The main question is whether he was king of Denmark or only king of some part of Denmark. His parentage is also disputed, as either from an unknown king Sweyn, or from either
Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye ( non, Sigurðr ormr í auga) or Sigurd Áslaugsson was a semi-legendary Viking warrior and Danish king active from the mid to late 9th century. According to multiple saga sources and Scandinavian histories from the 12th ...
or king Erik, both said to be children of
Ragnar Lodbrok.
*
Sigtrygg Gnupasson
Sigtrygg Gnupasson was semi-legendary a king of Denmark of the House of Olaf who ruled in the 10th century, according to Adam of Bremen.
Sigtrygg was son of Gnupa and the Danish noblewoman Asfrid. According to Adam, he became a Danish king dur ...
, deposed c. 916 either by Harthacnut or a contemporary, depending on sources. Likely had base in
Schleswig
The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...
, but the extent of his realm is unknown. Son of Gnupa.
*
Gnupa (early 900s). Father of Sigtrygg. According to one source he shared power with his brother Gyrd. According to the
Saga of Olaf Tryggvason, he was defeated as one of the minor border kings by Gorm when he united Denmark, though that conflicts with Gnupa's son being deposed by Gorm's father according to other sources.
*
Olof the Brash
Olof was a king who, according to a late source, ruled in Denmark in about 900 after usurping power. Evidence for his historicity is only circumstantial, since he belongs to a period of Danish history when very little is known from textual source ...
conquered Denmark (or part of Denmark) c. 900.
*
Helgi, supposedly deposed by Olaf the Brash.
*
Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye ( non, Sigurðr ormr í auga) or Sigurd Áslaugsson was a semi-legendary Viking warrior and Danish king active from the mid to late 9th century. According to multiple saga sources and Scandinavian histories from the 12th ...
(''Sigurd Orm-i-øje'' or ''Snogeøje'') became king of
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
and
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skån ...
according to the sagas, perhaps correctly named
Sigfred
Sigfred was an eighth century Danish king who is known to have reigned from before 777 to after 798. Fragments of his reign can be traced via Frankish sources.
Assistance to Widukind
King Sigfred is first mentioned in 777 when the Saxon chie ...
and co-ruling as king of
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
with his brother Halfdan Ragnarsson (d. 877). Mentioned by
Chronicon Roskildense
''Chronicon Roskildense'' (Danish: ''Roskildekrøniken'' English: ''Roskilde Chronicle'') is a small Danish historical work, written in Latin. It is one of the oldest known attempts to write a coherent account of Danish history by a Danish aut ...
and
Ragnarssona þáttr. Son of
Ragnar Lodbrok.
*
Halfdan Ragnarsson
Halfdan Ragnarsson ( non, Hálfdan; oe, Halfdene or ''Healfdene''; sga, Albann; died 877) was a Viking leader and a commander of the Great Heathen Army which invaded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England, starting in 865.
One of six sons of R ...
(c. 871 – 877), son of
Ragnar Lodbrok and older brother of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. Leader of the so called
Great Heathen Army
The Great Heathen Army,; da, Store Hedenske Hær also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandin ...
of the Anglo-Saxon sources, in 870 and 871. King
Bagsecg joined him to become the co-leader of the
Great Summer Army
The Great Heathen Army,; da, Store Hedenske Hær also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandin ...
of 870 but Bagsecg was killed in battle with the English in January 871. Halfdan succeeded Bagsecg as king of Jutland.
*
Bagsecg, Danish king who came to England and was killed in 871.
*
Horik II
Horik II (died after 864), also known as Hårik or, in late sources, Erik Barn (Danish: "Erik the Child"), was King of the Danes from the fall of Horik I in 854 to an unknown date between 864 and 873. During his reign the Danish kingdom showed ...
, king from about 854 until about 870.
*
Horik I
Horik I or Hårik (died 854) was a king of the Danes. He was co-ruler from 813, and sole king from c. 828 until his violent death in 854. His long and eventful reign was marked by Danish raids on the Carolingian Empire of Louis the Pious, son ...
, co-ruler of Denmark from 813, the sole king of Denmark c. 828 to 854. Son of Gudfred.
*
Harald Klak
Harald 'Klak' Halfdansson (c. 785 – c. 852) was a king in Jutland (and possibly other parts of Denmark) around 812–814 and again from 819–827."Carolingian Chronicles: Royal Frankish Annals and Nithard's Histories" (1970), translation by Ber ...
, 812 to 813 and 819 to 827, a period of civil war with the sons of
Gudfred
Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810. Alternate spellings include ''Godfred'' (Danish), ''Göttrick'' (German), ''Gøtrik'' (Danish), ''Gudrød'' (Danish), and ''Godofredus'' (Latin). He stands at the thres ...
. Nephew of an earlier Harald.
*
Hemming, c. 810 to c. 812. Nephew of Gudfred. Brother of Ragnvald, Håkon and Angantyr.
*
Gudfred
Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810. Alternate spellings include ''Godfred'' (Danish), ''Göttrick'' (German), ''Gøtrik'' (Danish), ''Gudrød'' (Danish), and ''Godofredus'' (Latin). He stands at the thres ...
(''Godfred'' or ''Gøtrik''), a Danish king c. 804 to 810. Said to be father of
Ogier the Dane
Ogier the Dane (french: ; da, ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (ca. 1220), which belongs to the ''Geste de ...
(''Holger Danske''); possibly the son of Sigfred.
*
Ragnar Lodbrok was a legendary king, allegedly flourishing before 865. He is mentioned in multiple sources, but the sources are wildly inconsistent. There is no historical record of anyone named Ragnar ruling Denmark in the 9th century. However his sons Halfdan Ragnarsson and Sigurd Snake-In-the-Eye may have become kings of Denmark, while his son
Bjorn Ironside became king of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
and
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the ca ...
according to various late sagas.
*
Sigfred
Sigfred was an eighth century Danish king who is known to have reigned from before 777 to after 798. Fragments of his reign can be traced via Frankish sources.
Assistance to Widukind
King Sigfred is first mentioned in 777 when the Saxon chie ...
, Danish king c. 770 to c. 804. Possibly the historical basis for
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 ...
. Reported to have assisted the
Saxons
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
against
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...
.
*
Harald Wartooth
Harald Wartooth or ''Harold Hiltertooth'' (Old Norse: Haraldr hilditǫnn; Modern Swedish and Danish: Harald Hildetand; Modern Norwegian: ''Harald Hildetann''; flourished 8th century) was a legendary king of Denmark who is mentioned in several ...
(''Harald Hildetand''), legendary king of Denmark, Sweden and parts of Norway, sometimes assigned to c. 715 to c. 770. Mentioned in multiple sources. According to one source his conquests reached as far as the Mediterranean. Said to be grandfather of
Ragnar Lodbrok.
*
Ongendus
Ongendus (perhaps Angantyr in Danish) was a king of the Danes, reigning c. 710, the first Danish king known from contemporary literature.
Historical background
He was presumably king of a stronger and more unified Denmark that rose at the e ...
was a king of the Danes, reigning c. 710, the first Danish king known from contemporary literature.
*
Randver
Randvér or Randver was a legendary Danish king. In Nordic legends, according to '' Sögubrot'' and the '' Lay of Hyndla'', he was the son of Ráðbarðr the king of Garðaríki and Auðr the Deep-Minded, the daughter of the Danish-Swedish ru ...
, sometimes assigned to the early 700s. Son of Valdar (or Radbard) according to late sagas; fell in England.
*
Valdar
Valdar was the name of several legendary Danish kings.
The '' Hervarar saga'' tells the tale of a Valdar who was viceroy of Denmark under Ivar Vidfamne and he was the father of Randver and of Harald Wartooth (half siblings and fathers found were ...
, sometimes assigned to the early 700s. Son-in-law of Ivar Vidfamne and sub-king in Denmark according to the late sagas.
*
Ivar Vidfamne
Ivar Vidfamne (or ''Ívarr inn víðfaðmi''; English exonym ''Ivar Widefathom''; Danish ''Ivar Vidfadme'' – in Norwegian and Danish the form ''Ivar Vidfavne'' is sometimes used as an alternative form) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, who ...
, sometimes assumed to have died in c. 700. The Viking sagas say that Ivar Vidfamne ruled over most of Denmark, Sweden,
Saxland and even parts of England.
Rig and Scylding line
Early kings of the
Rig and
Scylding
Old English Scylding (plural Scyldingas) and Old Norse Skjǫldung (plural Skjǫldungar), meaning in both languages "children of Scyld/Skjǫldr" are the members of a legendary royal family of Danes, especially kings. The name is explained in many ...
lines, mentioned by multiple sources
*
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 ...
mikilláti, son of Danp, brother-in-law of
Domar
In Norse mythology, the Swedish king Domar (Old Norse ''Dómarr'', "Judge"McKinnell (2005:70).) of the House of Ynglings was the son of Domalde. He was married to Drott, the sister of Dan the Arrogant who gave his names to the Danes. Drott an ...
.
*
Fróði Fróði ( non, Frōði; ang, Frōda; Middle High German: ''Vruote'') is the name of a number of legendary Danish kings in various texts including ''Beowulf'', Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'' and his ''Ynglinga saga'', Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta ...
mikilláti, son of Dan Mikillati
*
Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
, son of Fróði
*
Hroðgar
Hrothgar ( ang, Hrōðgār ; on, Hróarr) was a semi-legendary Danish king living around the early sixth century AD.
Hrothgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', in Norse sagas and poems, and in medieval Danish chroni ...
(Roar), 6th century?, son of Halfdan
*
Halga
Halga, '' Helgi'', ''Helghe'' or ''Helgo'' was a legendary Danish king living in the early 6th century. His name would in his own language (Proto-Norse) have been *''Hailaga'' (dedicated to the gods).
Scholars generally agree that he appears in b ...
(Helge), 6th century?, son of Halfdan
*
Hrólfr Kraki
Hrólfr Kraki (Old Norse: ), ''Hroðulf'', ''Rolfo'', ''Roluo'', ''Rolf Krage'' (early 6th century) was a semi-legendary Danish king who appears in both Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian tradition.
Both traditions describe him as a Danish Scylding, ...
, son of Helga
After Hrólf Kraki no two sources give the same succession.
Adam of Bremen
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 ''Gest ...
mentions several kings from the 10th century preceding
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147 . He claims
Svend Estridson as his source. Many of these are also confirmed by other sources.
*
Helgi
*
Olof the Brash
Olof was a king who, according to a late source, ruled in Denmark in about 900 after usurping power. Evidence for his historicity is only circumstantial, since he belongs to a period of Danish history when very little is known from textual source ...
(Olav/Ole den Frøkne): mention o. 925
*
Gyrd and Gnupa: mention 934
*
Sigtrygg Gnupasson
Sigtrygg Gnupasson was semi-legendary a king of Denmark of the House of Olaf who ruled in the 10th century, according to Adam of Bremen.
Sigtrygg was son of Gnupa and the Danish noblewoman Asfrid. According to Adam, he became a Danish king dur ...
(Sigerich): c. 935, but conflicts with Harthacnut's deposition of him about 917
*
Harthacnut
Harthacnut ( da, Hardeknud; "Tough-knot"; – 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of the English from 1040 to 1042.
Harthacnut was the son of King ...
Very likely preceded
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old ( da, Gorm den Gamle; non, Gormr gamli; la, Gormus Senex), also called Gorm the Languid ( da, Gorm Løge, Gorm den Dvaske), was ruler of Denmark, reigning from to his death or a few years later.Lund, N. (2020), p. 147
Gesta Danorum
![Humbling family tree](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Humbling_family_tree.svg)
The kings from
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 ...
' chronicle ''
Gesta Danorum
''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark an ...
'' ("Deeds of the Danes").
Other Danish kings include:
*
Hadingus
Hadingus was one of the earliest legendary Danish kings according to Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum'', where he has a detailed biography. Georges Dumézil and others have argued that Hadingus was partially modelled on the god Njörðr.
'' ...
*
Frotho I Frotho I is one of the legendary Danish kings in Saxo Grammaticus' '' Gesta Danorum'', where he has a substantial biography. He succeeds his father Hadingus to the throne and replenishes the war-drained treasury by slaying a dragon and winning its ...
*
Haldanus I
*
Ro
*
Helgo
*
Rolvo Krake
*
Høtherus (and
Balderus)
*
Rørikus (the grandfather of
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
)
*
Wiglecus
*
Wermund
Wermund, Vermund or Garmund is an ancestor of the Mercian royal family, a son of Wihtlaeg and father of Offa. The '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' makes him a grandson of Woden, but the '' Gesta Danorum'' written by Saxo Grammaticus goes no further th ...
us
*
Uffo
*
Dan II
*
Huglecus
*
Frotho II Frotho II is one of the legendary Danish kings described in Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum''.
Text
See also
* Fróði Fróði ( non, Frōði; ang, Frōda; Middle High German: ''Vruote'') is the name of a number of legendary Danish kings in ...
*
Dan III
Dan III is one of the legendary Danish kings described in Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum''.
Text
See also
* Dan (king)
Dan (or Halfdan) is the name of one or more legendary earliest kings of the Danes and Denmark, mentioned in medieval Sca ...
*
Hiarnus
*
Fridlevus I Fridlevus I is one of the legendary Danish kings described in Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum
''Gesta Danorum'' ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", l ...
*
Frotho III Frotho III was a legendary king of Denmark. He was mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus in ''Gesta Danorum'' and in the Skjöldunga saga. Saxo's account of his reign is considered a historicized version of the Vana-god Frey and was particularly demonstrate ...
*
Fridlevus II
*
Frotho IV
*
Ingellus
*
Olavus I
*
Haraldus I
*
Frotho V
*
Haldanus II
*
Yngwin Yngwin (''"Yngve"'') was, according to Gesta Danorum, a king in Götaland, who was a close friend to one of the Danish kings named Halfdan.
This Danish king had no sons, so he left his treasures and his kingdom to Yngwin. Yngwin then moved to Denma ...
*
Sywaldus I
*
Sygarus
*
Haraldus Hyldetan (Harald Wartooth)
*
Ringo
*
Olo
*
Omundus
*
Sywardus I
*
Iarmericus
Ermanaric; la, Ermanaricus or ''Hermanaricus''; ang, Eormanrīc ; on, Jǫrmunrekkr , gmh, Ermenrîch (died 376) was a Greuthungian Gothic king who before the Hunnic invasion evidently ruled a sizable portion of Oium, the part of Scythi ...
*
Broderus
*
Sywaldus II
*
Snio
*
Biorn
*
Haraldus III
*
Gormo I
*
Gudfred
Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810. Alternate spellings include ''Godfred'' (Danish), ''Göttrick'' (German), ''Gøtrik'' (Danish), ''Gudrød'' (Danish), and ''Godofredus'' (Latin). He stands at the thres ...
*
Olavus II
*
Hemmingus
*
Siwardus Ring
*
Regner Lothbrog
*
Siwardus III
*
Ericus I
*
Ericus II
*
Kanutus I
*
Frotho VI
*
Gormo II
*
Haraldus III
*
Gormo III
''Chronicon Lethrense'' and ''Annales Lundenses''
The kings from the ''
Chronicle of Lejre''.
*
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 ...
, son of Ypper (a primeval king of Sweden)
* (
Hadding
The Haddingjar (Old Norse: ) refers on the one hand to Germanic heroic legends about two brothers by this name, and on the other hand to possibly related legends based on the Hasdingi, the royal dynasty of the Vandals. The accounts vary greatly. ...
) (only referred to)
* Ro (=
Haldan)
* Haldanus (=
Ro) in Lejre and sea-king
Helghe, the sons of Ro (= Haldan)
* A
dog king
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
Raki, Rachus or Saurr ruled Denmark on the order of the Swedish king
Adils
Eadgils, ''Adils'', ''Aðils'', ''Adillus'', ''Aðísl at Uppsölum'', ''Athisl'', ''Athislus'' or ''Adhel'' was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, who is estimated to have lived during the 6th century.
''Beowulf'' and Old Norse sources present ...
(or Hakon)
*
Snyo, son of
Frosti
*
Rolf Kraki
* Hiartwart
*
Haki
Haki, Hake ( Old Norse: ) or Haco, the brother of Hagbard, was a famous Scandinavian sea-king, in Norse mythology. He is mentioned in the 12th century '' Gesta Danorum'', and in 13th-century sources including '' Ynglinga saga'', ''Nafnaþulur' ...
or Aki, brother of
Haghbardus and son of
Hamundus
*
Fritleff
*
Frotha Largus (the Generous)
*
Ingyald
* Olavus
* Asa, queen
*
Haraldus Hyldetan
* Hetha or Wysna, queen in
Hedeby
Hedeby (, Old Norse ''Heiðabýr'', German language, German ''Haithabu'') was an important Danes, Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg dist ...
Other manuscript have a supplementary list, following the name of Hartwar:
The Chronicle of the Kings of Lejre, ed. Peter Tunstall.
/ref>
* Wig
* Aki
* Hother of Saxland, son of Hodbrod and Hadding's daughter, as nearest heir.
* Rorik Slengeborre or Rake
* Wighlec
* Wermund
Wermund, Vermund or Garmund is an ancestor of the Mercian royal family, a son of Wihtlaeg and father of Offa. The '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' makes him a grandson of Woden, but the '' Gesta Danorum'' written by Saxo Grammaticus goes no further th ...
* Offe the Strong
Beowulf
The kings in epic poem Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
* Heremod
Heremod (Proto-Norse: *''Harimōdaz' Latin form: Heremodius) is a legendary Danish king and a legendary king of the Angles who would have lived in the 2nd century and known through a short account of his exile in the Old English poem ''Beowulf'' a ...
, a Danish king
* Scyld, a foundling who became king
* Scealdwea (Scealdea), son of Heremod
* Beowa
Beowa, Beaw, Bēow , Beo or Bedwig is a figure in Anglo-Saxon paganism associated with barley and agriculture. The figure is attested in the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies as they were extended in the age of Alfred, where Beowa is inserted as the s ...
, son of Scyld
* Healfdene
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
, son of Beowa
* Heorogar
Heorogar was a Danish king who appears in the Old English poem ''Beowulf'' as the eldest son of Healfdene (Halfdan), and the brother of Hroðgar (Hroar), and Halga (Helgi). The people in parentheses are personages found also in Norse sources.
He ...
, son of Healfdene
* Hroðgar
Hrothgar ( ang, Hrōðgār ; on, Hróarr) was a semi-legendary Danish king living around the early sixth century AD.
Hrothgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics ''Beowulf'' and ''Widsith'', in Norse sagas and poems, and in medieval Danish chroni ...
, son of Healfdene
* Hroðulf, probably the son of Hroðgar's brother Halga
Halga, '' Helgi'', ''Helghe'' or ''Helgo'' was a legendary Danish king living in the early 6th century. His name would in his own language (Proto-Norse) have been *''Hailaga'' (dedicated to the gods).
Scholars generally agree that he appears in b ...
Gróttasöngr
The kings in the poem Gróttasöngr
* Skjöldr
* Friðleifr
* Fróði
Skjöldunga saga (partial list)
The kings of the saga of the Scylding family.
* Scioldus
* Fridleifus I
* Frodo I
* Herleifus
* Havardus
* Leifus
* Herleifus
* Hunleifus
* Aleifus
* Oddleifus
* Geirleifus
* Gunnleifus
* Frodo II
* Vermundus
* Dan I
* Dan II
* Frodo III
* Fridleifus II
* Frodo IV
* Ingjaldusbr>
* Helgo and Hroðgar, Roas
* Rolfo Krake
* Hiorvardus
* Rærecus
''Sögubrot''
Sögubrot or '' Sǫgubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum Dana ok svíaveldi '' is an Old Icelandic saga fragment which is believed to be a part of the original Skjöldunga saga
The ''Skjöldunga saga'' (or, in another standardised Old Norse spelling, ''Skjǫldunga saga'') was an Old Norse legendary saga. Dating from c. 1180 – 1200, the saga was lost in its original form. The saga focused on the Danish dynasty of Scyl ...
. The fragment begins in the middle of a discussion between the Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skån ...
n king Ivar Vidfamne
Ivar Vidfamne (or ''Ívarr inn víðfaðmi''; English exonym ''Ivar Widefathom''; Danish ''Ivar Vidfadme'' – in Norwegian and Danish the form ''Ivar Vidfavne'' is sometimes used as an alternative form) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, who ...
and his daughter Auðr.
;Kings of the whole of Denmark or individual Danish regions, which appear in Sögubrot:
* Helgi
Helge or Helgi is a Scandinavian languages, Scandinavian, German language, German, and Dutch language, Dutch mostly male name.
The name is derived from Proto-Norse ''Hailaga'' with its original meaning being ''dedicated to the gods''. For its Sla ...
, (joint ?) king of Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
* Hrœrekr Ringslinger Hrœrekr Ringslinger or Ringscatterer, Old Norse: ''Hrærekr slöngvanbaugi'', Old Danish: ''Rørik Slængeborræ'' or ''Rørik Slyngebond'' was a legendary 7th-century king of Zealand or Denmark, who appears in ''Chronicon Lethrense'', '' Annals of ...
(brother of Helgi), king / (co-kingship) of Zealand
* Ivar Vidfamne
Ivar Vidfamne (or ''Ívarr inn víðfaðmi''; English exonym ''Ivar Widefathom''; Danish ''Ivar Vidfadme'' – in Norwegian and Danish the form ''Ivar Vidfavne'' is sometimes used as an alternative form) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, who ...
(the father-in-law of Hrœrekr), King of Scania – later King of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and parts of several adjoining countries.
* Harald Wartooth
Harald Wartooth or ''Harold Hiltertooth'' (Old Norse: Haraldr hilditǫnn; Modern Swedish and Danish: Harald Hildetand; Modern Norwegian: ''Harald Hildetann''; flourished 8th century) was a legendary king of Denmark who is mentioned in several ...
(grandson of Ivar), he became king after Ivar (possibly identical with the "former" or "senior" King Harald mentioned in connection with the royal Danish brothers Anulo and Harald
Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to:
Medieval Kings of Denmark
* Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986)
Kings of Norway
* Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933)
* Harald Greycloak (died 970)
* Harald Hardra ...
in the ''Royal Frankish Annals
The ''Royal Frankish Annals'' (Latin: ''Annales regni Francorum''), also called the ''Annales Laurissenses maiores'' ('Greater Lorsch Annals'), are a series of annals composed in Latin in the Carolingian Francia, recording year-by-year the state ...
'')
* Hring or 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 ...
(nephew of Harald Wartooth), at first king of Sveariket (Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...
: ''Swēorice''; oldest Swedish form: ''Swerike''), later also king of Denmark (could possibly be identical with king Sigfred
Sigfred was an eighth century Danish king who is known to have reigned from before 777 to after 798. Fragments of his reign can be traced via Frankish sources.
Assistance to Widukind
King Sigfred is first mentioned in 777 when the Saxon chie ...
).
* At the end of Sögubrot is mentioned Ragnar (Ragnarr) as a son of Sigurd Hring. From other known sources it must be concluded that this Ragnarr is the famous Viking king Ragnar Lodbrok.
Ynglinga saga
The kings of the saga of the Ynglinga family.
* Skjöldr
* ...
* Frið-Fróði
* ...
* Danr hinn mikilláti
* Fróði hinn mikilláti eða friðsami
* Hálfdan
* Friðleifr
* Áli hinn frækni
* ...
* Fróði hinn frækni
* ...
* Helgi Hálfdanarson
* Hrólfr kraki
Other sources
* Chlochilaicus: 6th century killed by Theuderic I __NOTOC__
Theuderic I (c. 485 – 533/34) was the Merovingian king of Metz, Rheims, or Austrasia—as it is variously called—from 511 to 533 or 534.
He was the son of Clovis I and one of his earlier wives or concubines (possibly a Franc ...
during a Viking raid in ca 516, mentioned as a Dane though that might have been be a mistake on the author's part. He is called 'Rex Getarum' (King of The Geats) in most accounts and is thought to be Hygelac
Hygelac ( ang, Hygelāc; non, Hugleikr; gem-x-proto, Hugilaikaz; la, Ch(l)ochilaicus or ''Hugilaicus''; died 521) was a king of the Geats according to the poem ''Beowulf''. It is Hygelac's presence in the poem which has allowed scholars to ...
, mentioned in Beowulf as the King of Geatland.
* Fróði Fróði ( non, Frōði; ang, Frōda; Middle High German: ''Vruote'') is the name of a number of legendary Danish kings in various texts including ''Beowulf'', Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'' and his ''Ynglinga saga'', Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta ...
: 6th century or 7th century
* Ongendus
Ongendus (perhaps Angantyr in Danish) was a king of the Danes, reigning c. 710, the first Danish king known from contemporary literature.
Historical background
He was presumably king of a stronger and more unified Denmark that rose at the e ...
(Angantyr): mentioned early 8th century
* Siger: mentioned 8th century
* Sigfred
Sigfred was an eighth century Danish king who is known to have reigned from before 777 to after 798. Fragments of his reign can be traced via Frankish sources.
Assistance to Widukind
King Sigfred is first mentioned in 777 when the Saxon chie ...
(Sigfred/Sigurd): mentioned 777, d. before 804
** Harold
Harold may refer to:
People
* Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Harold (surname), surname in the English language
* András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold"
Arts a ...
: of Norway?
* Gudfred
Gudfred was a ninth century Danish king who reigned from at least 804 to 810. Alternate spellings include ''Godfred'' (Danish), ''Göttrick'' (German), ''Gøtrik'' (Danish), ''Gudrød'' (Danish), and ''Godofredus'' (Latin). He stands at the thres ...
(Godfred): latest 804 – d. 810
** Eystein fart (Eystein Fjært): of Västergötland?
** Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
(Halvdan): of Norway?
* Hemming: d. 811
* Anulo (Anulo/Ring): d. 812
* Sigfrid
Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace".
The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
(Sigfred/Sigurd): d. 812
* Harold
Harold may refer to:
People
* Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Harold (surname), surname in the English language
* András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold"
Arts a ...
: 812–813, 819-827, died in exile
* Eric
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
(Horik/Erik): 812-854
** Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
(Halvdan) o. 812, possibly died in exile
* Eric the Child (Horik/Erik Barn): 854- after 864, dead or deposed by 873
* Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye
Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye ( non, Sigurðr ormr í auga) or Sigurd Áslaugsson was a semi-legendary Viking warrior and Danish king active from the mid to late 9th century. According to multiple saga sources and Scandinavian histories from the 12th ...
(Sigurd Orm i Øje): mention 873, d. 903, do coin money by East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
** Halfdan
Halfdan (, ang, Healfdene, Medieval : "half Dane") was a late 5th and early 6th century legendary Danish king of the Scylding (Skjöldung) lineage, the son of king named Fróði in many accounts, noted mainly as the father to the two kings who ...
(Halvdan): mention 873, d. 876/877
** Guthfrith (Godred/Canute/Harde-Knud/Gudfred/Gudrød): c. 881, d. 895/896 in Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
, do coin money by East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
* Guichtlac: King of the Danes in antiquity. Cited In Book III of the Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffry of Monmouth.
For later Danish monarchs whose existence is verified, see List of Danish monarchs
This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queens regnant of Denmark. This includes:
* The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397)
** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397)
* The Kalmar Union (1397–1536)
** Union of Denmark ...
See also
* List of legendary kings of Sweden
The legendary kings of Sweden () according to legends were rulers of Sweden and the Swedes who preceded Eric the Victorious and Olof Skötkonung, the earliest reliably attested Swedish kings. Though the stories of some of the kings may be emb ...
* List of legendary kings of Norway
The petty kingdoms of Norway ( nb, smårike) were the entities from which the later Kingdom of Norway was founded. Before the unification of Norway in 872 and during the period of fragmentation after King Harald Fairhair's death, Norway was divi ...
References
{{Germanic monarchs
Kings
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...