Parents Ongentheow Grandchildren Eysteinn, Skuld | Children Eadgils Great grandchild Ingvar | |
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Died 530 AD, North Jutlandic Island, Denmark People also search for Eadgils, Ongentheow, Hrólfr Kraki, Eysteinn, Skuld | ||
Old english snippet of ohthere s journeys
Ohthere (also Ohtere), Old Norse Óttarr vendilkráka (Vendelcrow; in Modern Swedish Ottar Vendelkråka) is a semi-legendary king of Sweden of the house of Scylfings who would have lived during the 6th century (fl. c. 515 – c. 530).
Contents
- Old english snippet of ohthere s journeys
- Voyage of ohthere old english anglo saxon
- Beowulf
- Ohtheres Barrow
- References
His name can be reconstructed as Proto-Norse *Ōhta-harjaz or *Ōhtu-harjaz. The harjaz element is common in Germanic names and has a meaning of "warrior, army" (whence English harry); by contrast, the oht element is less frequent, and has been tentatively interpreted as "fearsome, feared".
A prince of the Swedes, Ohthere and his brother Onela conducted successful raids against the Geats after King Hrethel had died. In 515, Ongentheow was killed in battle by the Geats and Ohthere succeeded his father as the king of Sweden. Ohthere led an army against the Geats, and besieged one of their armies. He nearly killed the Geatish king Hygelac but lost many of his forces in the conflict. Ohthere managed to get back to Sweden. In the 520s, Ohthere led a large raid to Denmark and plundered the Danish coast. A Danish army led by two Jarls, however, was waiting for him. Battle broke out. The Danish were reinforced, and Ohthere was killed in the battle. His corpse was taken back to Sweden and buried in a mound.
Voyage of ohthere old english anglo saxon
Beowulf
In the Old English poem Beowulf the name of Ohthere only appears in constructions referring to his father Ongenþeow (fæder Ohtheres), mother (Onelan modor and Ohtheres), and his sons Eadgils (suna Ohteres, sunu Ohteres) and Eanmund (suna Ohteres).
When Ohthere and his actions are concerned, he is referred to as Ongenþeow's offspring together with his brother Onela. The section deals with Ohthere and Onela pillaging the Geats at the death of their king Hreðel, restarting the Swedish-Geatish wars:
Later, it is implied in the poem that Ohthere has died, because his brother Onela is king. Ohthere's sons Eadgils and Eanmund fled to the Geats and the wars began anew.
Ohthere's Barrow
Ohthere's barrow (Swedish: Ottarshögen) (60°08′N 17°34′E) is located in Vendel parish, Uppland, Sweden. The barrow is 5 metres high and 40 metres wide. In the 17th century the barrow was known locally as Ottarshögen. The term Hög is derived from the Old Norse word haugr meaning mound or barrow.
The barrow was excavated in the period 1914–16. It showed the remains of both a man and a woman, and the finds were worthy of a king. The Swedish archaeologist Sune Lindqvist reported that in its centre there was a wooden vessel with ashes. There were few finds but they were well-preserved. There were some decorative panels similar to those found in the other Vendel era graves nearby. A comb with a case was found, as well as a golden Roman coin, a solidus, dated to be no later than 477. It had been perforated and was probably used as decoration, but it showed signs of wear and tear and had probably been worn for a longer time. Lindquist stated that the identification of the barrow as that of Ohthere could not receive more archaeological confirmation than those provided by the excavation.