Harald Wartooth
 |
Harald Wartooth at the Battle of Bråvalla. Illustration by the Danish Lorenz Frølich in a 19th century book. |
Harald Wartooth,
Old Norse Haraldr Hilditönn, modern Danish
Harald Hildetand, was a legendary king of
Sweden,
Denmark,
Norway and the historical northern German province of
Wendland, in the 7th and 8th century. According to the Danish
Chronicon Lethrense, his empire reached as far as the
Mediterranean.
All sources describe him as the son of
Ivar Vidfamne's daughter Aud (but
Hervarar saga calls her Alfhild). According to
Sögubrot and the
Lay of Hyndla, Harald was the son of
Rörek, the king of
Zealand.
Sögubrot relates that his mother later married
Radbart, the king of
Gardariki and they had the son
Randver. However, according to
Hervarar saga, both Harald and
Randver were the sons of Valdar and Alfhild.
Saxo Grammaticus'
Gesta Danorum does not mention any Ivar Vidfamne, and gives two different versions of Harald's ancestry. First Saxo writes that Harald was the son of the
Scanian chieftain Borkar and a woman named Gro. Later Saxo has forgotten about this and writes that Harald was the son of Halfdan, Borkar's son, and a woman named Gyrid, the last member of the
Skjöldungs.
According to
Sögubrot, he left
Gardariki at his father
Ivar Vidfamne's death, and went to Zealand, where he was accepted as king. Then he went to Scania, which his mother's family had ruled, and was well received and given much help in men and arms. Then he took his fleet to Sweden in order to claim his inheritance. However, many petty kings arrived to reclaim their kingdoms, which Ivar had taken from them. These petty kings thought it would be easy to fight Harald who was only 15 years old. Harald successfully reclaimed his father's domains, so that in the end he owned more than his father had, and there was no king in neither Denmark nor Sweden who did not pay him tribute nor was his liege. He subjugated all the parts of England that had belonged to
Halfdan the Kind and later Ivar. In England he appointed kings and jarls and had them pay him tribute. He also appointed
Hjörmund, the son of
Hjörvard Ylfing, the king of
Ostrogothia.
Hervarar saga also mentions that Harald retook his father's domains, but it says that the conquests started out from
Götaland (or
Gotland depending on the manuscript).
Gesta Danorum agrees with Sögubrot, by saying that the conquests began from Zealand.
When Harald realised that he was about to die of old age (he was 150 years old), he suggested to Sigurd Ring that a great battle should be fought between them. The place was chosen to be at the moor of Bråvalla, and so the legendary
Battle of Bråvalla came to be. Harald hoped to die in this battle and go to
Valhalla instead of dying in his bed and end up in
Niflheim.
He was succeeded by
Sigurd Ring, the father of
Ragnar Lodbrok.
*
Chronicon Lethrense*
Gesta Danorum*
Hervarar saga*
Lay of Hyndla*
Sögubrot*
Upplendinga Konungum*
Ynglinga saga
