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 Hrörek av Lejre and Radbart - mother being Aud Djupaudga) who was a legendary king of
Denmark and
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 country located on ...
.
The ''
Skjöldunga saga'' and ''
Hversu Noregr byggdist'' tell the tale of a Valdar who succeeded
Hrólfr Kraki as King of
Scania. This Valdar was the father of
Harald the Old.
''Hervarar saga''
The ''
Hervarar saga'' tells that
Ivar Vidfamne made Valdar the viceroy of
Denmark and gave him his daughter Alfhild. When Valdar died, his son
Randver became the king of Denmark, while his son
Harald Wartooth became the king of
Götaland or
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
. In the ''Hervarar saga'', the name Valdar also appears in a poem together with other kings and nations:
''Guðrúnarkviða II''
Valdar is named as a king of the Danes in
Guðrúnarkviða II (stanza 19):
''Hversu Noregr byggdist''
According to ''
Hversu Noregr byggdist'', a Valdar was the son of Roar (
Hroðgar) of the house of Skjöldung (
Scylding). This source makes Valdar the father of
Harald the Old, the father of
Halfdan the Valiant, the father of
Ivar Vidfamne. If he is of the same origin as the Valdar of ''Hervarar saga'', this account adds four generations (Harald the Old, Halfdan the Valiant, Ivar Vidfamne and effectively Ivar's daughter Alfhild/Auðr who was Harald Wartooth's mother according to all accounts) between Valdar and
Harald Wartooth, who was Valdar's son according to the ''
Hervarar saga''.
''Skjöldunga saga''
The ''
Skjöldunga saga'' tells that a Valdar disputed that
Rörek, the cousin of Helgi (
Halga) succeeded
Hrólfr Kraki (Hroðulf) as the king of the
Daner. After the war, Rörek took
Zealand, while Valdar took
Skåne
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 Skåne C ...
. If based on the same tradition as ''Hversu Noregr byggdist'', Valdar had the right to claim the throne being the son of the former king Hróarr (
Hroðgar).
{{s-end
Heroes in Norse myths and legends
Scyldings