Sveigðir, ''Sveigder'' or ''Swegde'' (
Old Norse "Waving One"
[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 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 ...
. He was the son of
Fjölner, whom he succeeded as king, and he married Vana of
Vanaheimr, probably one of the
Vanir. Lured by a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
, Sveigðir disappeared into a stone and never came back. He was succeeded by his son
Vanlandi.
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 Sveigðir in his ''
Ynglinga saga'' (1225):
Snorri also quoted some lines 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'' written in the late 12th century and consequently older than Snorri's quotation:
The even earlier source ''
Íslendingabók'' from the early 12th century, cites the line of descent in ''Ynglingatal'' and also gives Svegðir as the successor of Fjölnir and the predecessor of
Vanlandi: ''iiii Fjölnir. sá er dó at Friðfróða. v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi''.
Guðni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók
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''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sveigdir
Mythological kings of Sweden