King Of Jutland And Vestfold Olaf Gudrodsson

Olaf married Mrs. Olaf Gudrodsson about 815 in , Vestfold, Norway. Mrs. was born about 774 in , , Norway. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Helgi Olafsson was born about 802 in Dublin, Ireland.
2. Rognvald Olafsson was born about 816 in , Vestfold, Norway; died in 850.

Gudrod married Alfhild Alfarinsdatter about 815 in , Vestfold, Norway. Alfhild (daughter of Alfarin King of Alvheim and Mrs. Alfarin Of Alvheim) was born about 794 in , Vestfold, Norway. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Halfdan married Hlif Dagsdatter about 788 in , Vestfold, Norway. Hlif was born about 772 in Holtum, Vestfold, Norway. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Alfarin married Mrs. Alfarin Of Alvheim about 791 in , Vestfold, Norway. Mrs. was born about 773 in , Vestfold, Norway. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Eystein Halfdansson (Old Norse: Eysteinn Hálfdansson) was the son of Halfdan Hvitbeinn of the House of Yngling according to Norse tradition. He inherited the throne of Romerike. Ari Thorgilsson in his Íslendingabók calls him Eystein the Fart (Old norse: Eystein fret, (or Eystein Meinfretr, meaning foul-fart)),[1] without comment, in his king list, just naming his father and his son. Snorri does not call him by this nickname, but does give us a colorful story of his life.

His wife was Hild, the daughter of the king of Vestfold, Erik Agnarsson. Erik had no son, so Eystein obtained Vestfold as his wife's inheritance.

According to Ynglingasaga, Eystein died on a viking raid to Varna, on the eastern side of the Oslofjord. Eystein's men had finished looting and pillaging the area and were already almost across the fjord, when King Skjöld of Varna, a great warlock, arrived at the beach and saw the sails of Eystein's ships. He waved his cloak and blew into it which caused a boom of one ship to swing and hit Eystein so that he fell overboard and drowned. His body was salvaged and buried in a mound at Borre. Eystein was succeeded by his son Halfdan the Mild.

Eysteinn married Hildi Eiriksdatter on Yes, date unknown. Hildi was born about 740 in , Vestfold, Norway. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Halfdan Whiteshanks (Old Norse: Hálfdan hvítbeinn) was a petty king in Norway, described in the Ynglinga saga. The following description is based on the account in Ynglinga saga, written in the 1220s by Snorri Sturluson. The historicity of the kings described in that saga is generally not accepted by modern historians.

He was the son of Olof Trätälja of the House of Yngling. His father was sacrificed to Odin by the Swedish settlers in Värmland because of a famine. Some Swedes, however, realised that the famine was brought by overpopulation and not by the fact that the king had been neglecting his religious duties.

Consequently, they resolved to cross the Ed Forest and settle in Norway and happened to end up in Soleyar, where they killed king Sölve and took Halfdan prisoner. The Swedish expatriates elected Halfdan king as he was the son of their old king, Olof. Halfdan subjugated all of Soleyar and took his army into Romerike and subjugated that province as well.

Halfdan was to become a great king, who married Åsa, the daughter of king Eystein, the ruler of Oppland and Hedmark. They had two sons, Eystein Halfdansson and Gudröd.

Halfdan conquered a large part of Hedemark, Toten, Hadeland and a part of Vestfold. When his brother Ingjald Olofsson died, he inherited Värmland. Halfdan died of old age in Toten and was transported to Vestfold, where he was buried under a mound in Skiringssal.

Notes:

Olaf Tree Feller (Old Norse: Óláfr trételgja, Swedish: Olof Trätälja, Norwegian: Olav Tretelgja, all meaning Olaf Woodwhittler) was the son of the Swedish king Ingjald illråde, ruler of the House of Yngling in the 4th or 5th century according to Ynglingatal, a Skaldic poem detailing the kings of that house.

Heimskringla
His mother was Gauthild, a princess of West Götaland, whose maternal grandfather was Olof the Sharp-sighted, the king of Nerike.

His mother sent him to his foster-father Bove in West Götaland, where he grew up with his foster-brother Saxe who was surnamed Flette.

When Olof heard of his father's death, he assembled the men who were willing to follow him and went to his kinsmen in Nerike, because after his father's atrocities, the Swedes had grown hostile towards the Ynglings.

When the Swedes learnt that Olof and his kin had sought refuge in Nerike, they were attacked and had to head west through deep and mountainous forests (Kilsbergen) to Lake Vänern and the estuary of Klarälven (where Karlstad is now situated). Here, they settled and cleared land. Soon they had created a whole province called Värmland, where they could make a good living.

When the Swedes learnt that Olof was clearing land, they were amused and called him the Tree-feller. Olof married a woman named Solveig who was a daughter of Halfdan Guldtand of Soleyar. Olof and Solveigh had two sons, Ingjald Olofsson and Halfdan Hvitbeinn, who were brought up in Soleyar in the house of his mother's uncle Sölve.

Because of king Ivar Vidfamne and his harsh rule many Swedes emigrated to Värmland, and they became so numerous that the province could not sustain them. The land was afflicted by famine of which the Swedes accused the king. It was an old tradition in Sweden of holding the king responsible for the wealth of the land (see Domalde). The Swedes accused Olof of neglecting his sacrifices to the gods and believed that this was the cause of the famine.

The Swedish settlers thus rebelled against Olof, surrounded his house on the shores of lake Vänern and burnt him inside it. Thus he was sacrificed to Odin, like his ancestor Domalde.

Ynglingatal and Historia Norwegiae
However, Historia Norwegiae says that Olof succeeded his father and ruled as the king of Sweden in peace until his death.

Ejus filius Olavus cognomento tretelgia diu et pacifice functus regno plenus dierum obiit in Swethia.[1]

His son, Olav, known as Tretelgje, accomplished a long and peaceful reign, and died in Sweden, replete in years.[2]

The lines of Ynglingatal appear to say that he was a Swedish prince (svía jöfri), and that he was burnt inside his hall and disappeared from Gamla Uppsala.

Ok við vág,
viðar (telgju)
hræ Ólafs
hofgyldir svalg,
ok glóðfjálgr
gervar leysti
sonr Fornjóts
af Svía jöfri.
Sá áttkonr
frá Uppsölum
Lofða kyns
fyrir löngu hvarf.[3]

Along the lower parts of the river Byälven in Värmland, there are three large barrows, which legend attributes to Olof Trätälja. Moreover, there are many hillforts near this river and the northern shore of Lake Vänern testifying to a violent period. Archaeological excavations from one of the hillforts, Villkorsberget, show that it was burnt in a period corresponding to Olof (510–680).

Olof married Solveig. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]