Styrbjörn is lifted into a wagon, after the Battle of the Fýrisvellir, by Mårten Eskil Winge (1888). The Battle of Fýrisvellir was a battle that took place on the Fýrisvellir, where modern Uppsala is situated in the 980s for the throne of Mårten Eskil Winge (1825-1896 was a Swedish artist especially known for his Norse mythology paintings

Styrbjörn the Strong (Styrbjörn Sterki) or Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion (Styrbjörn svía kappi) (died c. 984) was according to late Norse sagas,^[1] the son of the Swedish king Olof, and the nephew of Olof's co-ruler and successor Eric the Victorious. Events By Place Asia Emperor Kazan succeeds Emperor En'yū on the throne of Japan. The sagas (from Icelandic saga, plural sögur) are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history about early Viking voyages Olof Björnsson (ca 970 - 975 was a semi-legendary Swedish king who according to Hervarar saga and the Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ruled Eric the Victorious ( VI) Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish Erik Segersäll, (945?- c 995 was the first Swedish king The earliest attestation of Styrbjörn is from a contemporary (c. 985) skaldic poem, a lausavísa^[2] about the Battle of the Fýrisvellir between Styrbjörn and king Eric the Victorious. Events By Place Europe Barcelona is sacked by Al-Mansur. Greenland is colonized by Icelandic The skald was a member of a group of Poets whose courtly poetry (Icelandic dróttkvæði) is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic In Old Norse poetry and later Icelandic poetry, a lausavísa (pl The Battle of Fýrisvellir was a battle that took place on the Fýrisvellir, where modern Uppsala is situated in the 980s for the throne of

It is believed that there once was a larger saga on Styrbjörn, but most of what is extant is found in the short story Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa. Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ( The Tale of Styrbjörn the Swedish Champion) is a short story a þáttr on the Swedish claimant and Jomsviking Styrbjörn Parts of his story are also retold in Eyrbyggja saga, Gesta Danorum (book 10), Knýtlinga saga and in Hervarar saga. The Eyrbyggja saga is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The name means the saga of the inhabitants of Eyrr which is a farm on Snæfellsnes on Iceland Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate" Knýtlinga saga ( the saga of Canute's descendants) is one of the Kings' sagas. Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a Legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas He is moreover mentioned in the Heimskringla (several times), and in Yngvars saga víðförla where Ingvar the Far-Travelled is compared to his kinsman Styrbjörn. Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse Kings' sagas. Yngvars saga víðförla is a Legendary saga said to have been written in the 12th century by Oddr Snorrason. Ingvar the Far-Travelled ( Old Norse: Yngvarr víðförli) was the leader of an unsuccessful Viking attack against Persia, in 1036 – He is also mentioned by Oddr Snorrason in Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar (c. Oddr Snorrason was a 12th century Icelandic Benedictine monk at the Þingeyrar monastery 1190), where Oddr writes that Styrbjörn was defeated with magic. In modern days, he is also the hero of a novel called Styrbiorn the Strong by the English author Eric Rücker Eddison (1926), and he figures in The Long Ships, by Frans G Bengtsson. Eric Rücker Eddison ( November 24, 1882 – August 18, 1945) was an English civil servant and author writing under the name "E The Long Ships or Red Orm (original Swedish Röde Orm) is a best-selling Swedish novel written by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson Frans Gunnar Bengtsson ( October 4, 1894 - December 19, 1954) was a Swedish novelist essayist poet and biographer

Contemporary poetry

The extant poetry on Styrbjörn is found in Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, where the following stanza mentions Styrbjörn. Skaldic poems are generally held to be contemporary documentation:

Eigi vildu Jótar

reiða gjald til skeiða,

áðr Styrbjarnar stœði

Strandar dýr á landi ;

nú's Danmarkar dróttinn

í drengja lið genginn ;

landa vanr ok lýða

lifir ánauðr hann auðar. [1]

His battle against king Eric was also described by the contemporary Þórvaldr Hjaltason, in the following lausavísur:

Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa

Styrbjörn was unusually big, strong and unruly (for a Viking) and although he was only a little boy he managed to kill a courtier who accidentally had hit him on the nose with a drinking horn. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas A courtier is a person who attends the court of a Monarch or other powerful person. A drinking horn was a Drinking vessel formerly common in some parts of the world and notably in Northern Europe.

When he was 12 years old he asked his uncle for his birthright, but when he was denied the co-rulership of Sweden he sulked for a long time on his father's mound.

When he was 16 the Ting decided that he was too unruly to be king of Sweden. See also Medieval Scandinavian laws A thing or ting ( Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; other modern As a compensation his uncle Eric gave him 60 well-equipped longships whereupon the frustrated Styrbjörn took his sister Gyrid and left. Longships, or longboats were ships primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxon people to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European Gyrid was a Swedish princess She was the daughter of Olof (II Björnsson and the sister of Styrbjörn Starke whom she accompanied to Denmark where she

He ravaged the shores of the Baltic Sea and when he was twenty, he conquered the stronghold of Jomsborg from its founder Palnetoke, and became the ruler of the Jomsvikings. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Jomsborg was a legendary Viking settlement in territory at the Baltic Sea later referred to as Pomerania. Palnatoke was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. The Jomsvikings were a possibly-legendary company of Viking Mercenaries or Brigands of the 900s and 1000s, dedicated to the worship

After some time he allied with the Danish king Harold Bluetooth and married his sister Gyrid to him. Harald Bluetooth Gormson (Harald Blåtand Haraldr blátönn, Harald Blåtann was born around 935 the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra (also Gyrid was a Swedish princess She was the daughter of Olof (II Björnsson and the sister of Styrbjörn Starke whom she accompanied to Denmark where she Styrbjörn married Harold's daughter Tyra, whom he was given by Harold for conquering Jomsborg. (Styrbjörn had the son Torkel Styrbjörnsson with Tyra. Torkel Styrbjörnsson, Torgils, Sprakalägg or Sprakling is considered to have been the son of the disinherited Swedish Prince Torkel had a daughter named Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, who married Godwin, Earl of Wessex and became the mother of Harold II of England). Gytha Torkelsdotter (also called Githa was the daughter of Torkel Styrbjörnsson (also called Thorkill Godwin of Wessex, also known as Godwine Goodwin Godwyn or Goodwyn (c Harold Godwinson, (c 1022 &ndash 14 October 1066 also known as Harold II, is widely regarded as the last Anglo-Saxon King of England before the

Harold gave him even more warriors and now Styrbjörn was about to reclaim the throne of Sweden. According to the Random House Dictionary, the term warrior has two meanings This article is about royal thrones for the order of Angels by the same name see Thrones. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. He sailed with a huge force which included 200 Danish longships in addition to his own Jomsvikings. Longships, or longboats were ships primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxon people to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European When they arrived at Föret (Old Norse: Fyris) in Uppland he burnt the ships in order to force his men to fight to the end. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Uppland ( is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital The Danish force changed its mind and returned to Denmark.

Styrbjörn marched alone with his Jomsvikings to Gamla Uppsala. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. His uncle was, however, prepared and had sent for reinforcements in all directions.

During the first two days, the battle was even. In the evening, Eric went to the statue of Odin at the Temple at Uppsala where he sacrificed. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. The Temple at Uppsala was a religious site in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods He promised Odin that if he won the battle, he would belong to Odin and arrive at Valhalla in ten years from then. See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Valhalla (from Old Norse Valhöll "hall of the slain" is a majestic enormous

The third day, Eric threw his spear over the enemy and said "I sacrifice you all to Odin". Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Styrbjörn and his sworn men stayed, and died.

Eyrbyggja saga

The Eyrbyggja saga has a short summary of Styrbjörn's career in connection with one of its protagonits:

Hervarar saga

The Hervarar saga gives an even shorter summary of Styrbjörn and his battle with his uncle Eric:

Knýtlinga saga

The Knýtlinga saga tells that Styrbjörn was the son of the Swedish king Olaf. Knýtlinga saga ( the saga of Canute's descendants) is one of the Kings' sagas. Olof Björnsson (ca 970 - 975 was a semi-legendary Swedish king who according to Hervarar saga and the Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ruled When Harald Bluetooth ruled in Denmark, Styrbjörn was making war in the east (í hernaði í Austrveg) and came to Denmark where he took Harald captive. Harald Bluetooth Gormson (Harald Blåtand Haraldr blátönn, Harald Blåtann was born around 935 the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra (also Harald gave his daughter Tyra to Styrbjörn and joined him on his expedition to Sweden. When Styrbjörn had arrived, he set his own ships on fire, but when Harald saw that Styrbjörn no longer had any ships he sailed back out on Mälaren (Löginn) and back to Denmark. Lake Mälaren ( (historically occasionally referred to as Lake Malar in English is the third-largest Lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Styrbjörn fought his uncle Eric on the Fyrisvellir and he fell together with most of his men. Eric the Victorious ( VI) Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish Erik Segersäll, (945?- c 995 was the first Swedish king Fyrisvellir, Fyris Wolds or Fyrisvallarna was the marshy plain ( vellir) south of Gamla Uppsala where travellers had to leave the ships and walk Some of his men fled and this the Swedes called the Fyriselta, the chase of the Fyris.

Gesta Danorum

A more pro-Danish version is told in Gesta Danorum (book 10). Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate" In this source the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus tells that Styrbjörn was the son of the Swedish king Björn. "Saxo" redirects here For the car see Citroën Saxo and for the bank see Saxo Bank Saxo Grammaticus (c Björn (ruled 882 - 932) was the father of Olof (II Björnsson and Eric the Victorious, and he was the grandfather of Styrbjörn the Strong Styrbjörn had an uncle named Olaf whose son Eric had taken the Swedish kingdom from Styrbjörn. Olof Björnsson (ca 970 - 975 was a semi-legendary Swedish king who according to Hervarar saga and the Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa ruled Eric the Victorious ( VI) Old Norse: Eiríkr inn sigrsæli, Modern Swedish Erik Segersäll, (945?- c 995 was the first Swedish king Styrbjörn went to Harald Bluetooth bringing his sister Gyrithe with him, and humbly asked Harald for help. Harald Bluetooth Gormson (Harald Blåtand Haraldr blátönn, Harald Blåtann was born around 935 the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra (also Gyrid was a Swedish princess She was the daughter of Olof (II Björnsson and the sister of Styrbjörn Starke whom she accompanied to Denmark where she Harald decided to be friends with Styrbjörn and married his sister Gyrithe. Harald then conquered the land of the Slavs and took the stronghold Julin (Jomsborg), which he gave to Styrbjörn to command with a strong force. Jomsborg was a legendary Viking settlement in territory at the Baltic Sea later referred to as Pomerania. Styrbjörn and his force (the Jomsvikings) dominated the seas winning many victories, and they were more beneficial to Danmark than any force on land would have been. The Jomsvikings were a possibly-legendary company of Viking Mercenaries or Brigands of the 900s and 1000s, dedicated to the worship Among the warriors were Bue, Ulf, Karlsevne and Sigvald. Jarl Sigvaldi was the son of the Scanian Jarl Strut-Harald and the brother of Thorkel the High

Styrbjörn wanted revenge and asked Harald for help to take the throne of Sweden. Harald wanted to help Styrbjörn and to this end he sailed to Halland, but was informed that the German emperor Otto had attacked Jutland and Harald was more eager to defend his own country than to attack another one. is one of the traditional Provinces of Sweden ( landskap in Swedish on the western coast of Sweden. Otto III (980 &ndash January 23, 1002) was the fourth ruler of the Saxon or Ottonian dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. This article is about the region of Denmark. For the World War I naval battle see Battle of Jutland. When Harald had driven away the Germans, Styrbjörn had already rashly departed to Sweden with his own force where he fell.

Archaeological evidence

Side B of the Högby Runestone. The Runestones of Högby are Runestones located in the village of Högby in Östergötland, Sweden, but the name Högby runestone (Swedish

Runestones are counted as historic documents about the events of the Viking Age in Scandinavia. A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock The following four runestones may mention Jomsvikings who died with Styrbjörn the Strong. Note that the first runestone mentions a warleader named Toki Gormsson and he may be a son of the Danish king Gorm the Old, an interpretation which fits the fact that Styrbjörn was allied with another son of Gorm, Harald Bluetooth. Gorm the Old (Gorm den Gamle Gormr gamli) also called Gorm the Sleepy (Gorm Løge dvaske was King of Denmark from c

• One of the Hällestad Runestones labelled DR 295 in Skåne says: Áskell placed this stone in memory of Tóki Gormr's son, to him a faithful lord. The Hällestad Runestones are three Runestones located in the walls of the church of Hällestad in Torna-Hällestad about 20 kilometers east of Lund in Skåne The Joint Nordic database for runic inscriptions ( Swedish: Samnordisk runtextdatabas) is a project started on January 1, 1993 at Scania ( in Swedish and Danish) is a geographical region on the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, a traditional province ( He did not flee at Uppsala. Valiant men placed in memory of their brother the stone on the hill, steadied by runes. They went closest to Gormr's Tóki.
• The Sjörup Runestone, Skåne, relates: Saxi placed this stone in memory of Ásbjörn Tófi's/Tóki's son, his partner. The Sjörup Runestone is a Runestone in Scania, Sweden, from c Scania ( in Swedish and Danish) is a geographical region on the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, a traditional province ( He did not flee at Uppsala, but slaughtered as long as he had a weapon.
• On the Högby Runestone, it says The good freeman Gulli had five sons. The Runestones of Högby are Runestones located in the village of Högby in Östergötland, Sweden, but the name Högby runestone (Swedish The brave champion Asmund fell on the Fyris.
• The Karlevi Runestone was raised by Danish warriors in memory of the war chief on the island of Öland near the waterway which was passed by the Jomsvikings when they went to Uppsala and back. Karlevi Runestone or Öl 1 is commonly dated to the late 10th century, located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland, Sweden is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional Provinces of Sweden. The stone is contemporary with the battle mentioned on the previous runestones and it is consequently possible that the stone was raised by Jomsvikings in memory of their lord. ^[3]

Notes

References

• Henrikson, Alf: Stora mytologiska uppslagsboken.
• Jómsvíkíngasaga ok Knytlínga 1828 edition
• Nationalencyklopedin
• Nordisk familjebok
• A chapter in Swedish from Verner von Heidenstam's "Svenskarna och deras hövdingar" where he recounts the tale of Styrbjörn
• Philology and Fantasy before Tolkien, by Andrew Wawn (this scholar only knows of two sources for Styrbjörn)
• Cultural Paternity in the Flateyjarbók Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Elizabeth Ashman Rowe (this scholar has got Eric's agreement with Odin slightly wrong. Eric did not promise 10 years to Odin, he promised to belong to Odin after 10 years)