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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1995-07 > 0804803629


From: Tom Camfield< >
Subject: Re: CONTINUING TO KICK AROUND POOR OLD ROLLO
Date: Mon, 03 Jul 1995 23:33:49 +0300


In article <>,
(Tom Camfield) wrote:

> I guess as long as we're on the subject:

TAKE TWO:

Still digging, guys...
Here's some more grist for the mill, beginning with:

A bit about Rollo's ancestry from: Montgomery, Thomas Harrison, "A
Genealogical History of the Family of Montgomery, including the Montgomery
Pedigree" (privately circulated), Philadelphia 1863.

Montgomery cites a Mr. Wiffen in "Memoirs of the House of Russell" for the
following:

...Drogo and Rollo (his half-brother) were the sons of Rogvald, Jarl of
Moere, "who was the grandson of Ivar, Jarl of Upland (A.D. 850) who had
married the daughter of the King of Trondheim, whose grandfather, Eistein,
King of Trondheim (A.D. 780) was himself grandson of Sigurd Hring, King of
Sweden, living A.D. 735. The latter's father, King Randver, was grandfather
of Ivar Vidfamer, King of the Danes, who himself ws the grandson of Olaf
the Sharp-eyed, King of Rerik"

It is interesting to note that Hrollague/Drogo, Rollo's half-brother, had a
son Hrolf. Lots of room there for confusion of forenames. I presume that
this half-brother to Rollo is the one I have listed otherwise as Torv-Einar
(Jarl of Orkney), son of Rangvald the wise by his concubine Groa.

Some other cited sources, which I promised in a previous posting to seek
out:

I find another account dealing with Eystein fret (son of Halvdan) which
cites Are Frode's "Historia Norvegica." This would be "Are the Wise," b.
1067, whose history dealt with the settlement of Iceland, the biographies
of the kings of Norway, Denmark and England...his information largely from
the skalds.

"Landnamabok" (Book of Settlements), which deals with all sorts of old
ancestral lines, such as the one involving Thorstein the Red, Eystein
foul-fart...

Hjalmar Boyesen's "The Story of Norway," covering the really, really old
material such as the descent from the god Frey...

I believe that too often here in the newsgroups, an adversarial atmosphere
develops regarding these old sagas and such. I choose not to challenge,
merely to appreciate and embrace the work of early authors. If they yearned
to be poetic, more power to them; I have the same primal urges from time to
time.
There may be a few holes in the genealogical fabric, but this material
("Heimskringla" and such) remains great literature. I just re-read an old
edition of the "Story of the Volsungs" and found it both applicable and
enjoyable. :-))

Now please don't get testy. My intention is not to throw my meager
knowledge to the lions in some sort of intellectually-competitive arena.
Consume what you like, forego the rest--and leave a tip if so inclined.

Tom Camfield

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