Ivar Vidfamne

Ívarr inn víðfaðmi or Ivar Vidfamne was a semi-legendary king of Sweden c. 655- c.695, and according to the Heimskringla and the Hervarar saga also the king of Norway, Denmark, Saxony and parts of England. He began as king of Scania and conquered Sweden by defeating Ingjald Illråde. He is then said to have conquered all of Scandinavia and parts of England. Because of his harsh rule, many Swedes fled west and populated Värmland under its king Olof Trätälja. His last campaign was in Russia where he died, defeated by Odin in disguise. (Another source claims he took his life by drowning himself in the Gulf of Finland.)

The kingdom of Ivar Vidfamne (outlined in red) and the territories paying him tribute (outlined in purple), according to the sagas.

His homeland was Scania, but according to the Heimskringla and the Sögubrot, he had to flee Scania when his uncle Gudröd had slain his father Halfdan the Mild. Snorri Sturluson, Historia Norwegiae, Hervarar saga and Upplendinga Konungum tell that Ivar conquered Sweden after Ingjald's suicide, and later returned to take Denmark.

According to Hversu Noregr byggdist, he was the son of Halfdan the Kind (also given as his father in the Heimskringla and the Hervarar saga), son of Harald the Old, son of Valdar, son of Roar (Hroðgar) of the house of Skjöldung (Scylding). According to Hversu, the Lay of Hyndla and Sögubrot, Ivar had a daughter named Aud.

Sögubrot relates that when Ivar was the king of Sweden, he gave his daughter Aud to king Rörek of Zealand, in spite of the fact that she wanted to marry Rörek's brother Helgi. Rörek and Aud had the son Harald Wartooth. Ivar made Rörek kill his brother Helgi, and after this, he attacked and killed Rörek. However, Aud arrived with the Zealand army and chased her father Ivar back to Sweden. The following year, Aud went to Gardariki with her son Harald and many powerful men and married its king Radbart. This was the opportunity for Ivar to conquer Zealand. However, when he learnt that his daughter had married without his permission, he marshalled a great leidang from Denmark and Sweden and went to Gardariki. He was very old at the time. However, when they had arrived at the borders of Radbart's kingdom, Karelia (Karjálabotnar), he threw himself overboard. Harald then returned to Scania to become its ruler. In the Lay of Hyndla, Ivar, Aud, Rörek and Harald appear. Radbart also appears, but there is no information about his relationship with them.

However, according to the Hervarar saga, his daughter was named Alfhild and she was married to Valdar whom Ivar made king of Denmark.

Primary sources

*Hervarar saga
*Lay of Hyndla
*Sögubrot
*Upplendinga Konungum
*Ynglinga saga

Secondary sources

Nerman, B. Det svenska rikets uppkomst. Stockholm, 1925.