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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1996-07 > 0836332707


From: Jared Olar <>
Subject: Re: Sven Estridssons ancestors
Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 13:38:27 -0500
In-Reply-To: <199606301832.UAA22898@mail.pi.se>


On Sun, 30 Jun 1996, Anders Berg wrote:

> 1. We have every reason (Florence of Worcester, name analysis) to believe
> that Ulf's ancestors were Scandinavian.
> 2. We have no reason to assume that his grandfather was Styrbjorn the Strong.
>
> The Styrbjorn = "Ursus" identification appears in Ko/nigsfeldt (1856) [KG],
> but with a qustionmark, and also in Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der
> europaeischen Staaten (1871) [EU], making Ulf a grandson of Harald
> Bluetooth of Denmark through his daughter Tyre. This is not included in
> Europaeische Stammtafeln.

So my knowledge, there is no Icelandic tradition making Sprakalegg the
son of Styrbjorn. Anyway, the generation length might be a little too
short. The story of Styrbjorn's attempt to dethrone his uncle Erik the
Victorious at the Battle of Fyrisvallarna just doesn't fit very well with
the chronology of Sprakalegg's family . . . .

Here is a summary of the STYRBJARNAR THATTR found in KNYTLINGA SAGA:

"During the reign of Harald Gormsson, Styrbjorn the Strong, son of
Olaf Bjarnarson, King of the Swedes, set out on a military expedition eastward
through the Baltic, and invaded Denmark, taking King Harald Gormsson prisoner.
Then King Harald gave him his daughter Thyra in marriage and travelled himself
to Sweden with Styrbjorn. Before he went ashore Styrbjorn burnt all his
ships, and once King Harald realised that Styrbjorn no longer had a fleet, he
sailed his own ships into the Maeleren and so made his way back to Denmark.
"Styrbjorn fought on the Fyris Plains against his uncle, King
Erik the Victorious of Sweden, and was killed there along with most of
his men, though some of them fled to safety. The Swedes call it the
Chase of Fyris."

Styrbjorn and Thyra don't seem to have been married long enough to have
had any children. Therefore IF Styrbjorn was really father of Thorgils
Sprakalegg, the Thorgils was either a child from some other woman, or
else born posthumously. But I'm not aware of any indications of these
things from the sagas (though there could easily be something I've not
yet found).

So I'm pretty skeptical of the identification of "Ursus" as Styrbjorn. A
Bjorn, probably, but why *that* Bjorn?

Jared Olar

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