Ingeld

for|other people with the same name|Ingeldaz

Ingeld (AS) or Ingjald (ON) was a legendary warrior who appears in early Anglo-Saxon and Norse legends. Ingeld was so well-known that, in 797, Alcuin wrote a letter to Bishop Higbald of Lindisfarne questioning the monks' interest in heroic legends with: 'Quid enim Hinieldus cum Christo?' - What has Ingeld to do with Christ? [Mitchell, Bruce, et al. Beowulf: An Edition with Relevant Shorter Texts. Oxford, UK: Malden Ma., 1998. p. 225]

The legends that survive tell of Ingeld as an enemy of Hroðgar, Halga and Hroðulf. The conflict between the Scyldings Hroðgar and Hroðulf on one side, and the Heaðobards Froda and Ingeld on the other, appears in both "Beowulf" and in "Widsith". Scholars generally agree that these characters appear in both Anglo-Saxon ("Beowulf") and Scandinavian tradition (Norse sagas and Danish chronicles) [ [http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/5/Shippey2.html#anchor349974 Shippey, T. A.: Wicked Queens and Cousin Strategies in Beowulf and Elsewhere, Notes and Bibliography. In The Heroic Age Issue 5 Summer 2001.] ] . However, in the Norse tradition the Heaðobards had apparently been forgotten and the conflict is instead rendered as a family feud [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg] ] , or as a conflict with the Saxons, where the Danes take the place of the Heaðobards [http://runeberg.org/nfcf/0547.html The article "Starkad" in "Nordisk familjebok" (1909).] ] .

"Beowulf"

In "Beowulf", Ingeld is the son of King Froda of the Heaðobards, and they are involved in a war with the Danes. When Beowulf reports on his adventure in Denmark to his king Hygelac, he mentions that Hroðgar had a daughter, Freawaru [lines 2000-2069] . Since Froda had been killed by the Danes, Hroðgar sent Freawaru to marry Ingeld, in an unsuccessful attempt to end the feud [lines 2027-2028] . An old warrior urged the Heaðobards to revenge [Lines 2042-2067.] , and Beowulf predicts to Hygelac that Ingeld will turn against his father-in-law Hroðgar [lines 2067-2069] . In a version given in the Danish chronicle "Gesta Danorum" (see below), the old warrior appears as Starkad, and he succeeded in making Ingeld divorce his bride and in turning him against her family [http://runeberg.org/nfcf/0547.html The article "Starkad" in "Nordisk familjebok" (1909).] ] . Earlier in the "Beowulf" poem, the poet tells us that the hall Heorot was eventually destroyed by fire [lines 80-85] , see quote (Gummere's translation [" [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/981 Modern English translation] " by Francis Barton Gummere] ):

It is tempting to interpret the new war with Ingeld as leading to the burning of the hall of Heorot, but the poem separates the two events (by a "ne wæs hit lenge þā" meaning "nor far way was that day when", in Gummere's translation).

"Widsith"

Whereas "Beowulf" never dwells on the outcome of the battle with Ingeld, the possibly older poem "Widsith" refers to Hroðgar and Hroðulf defeating Ingeld at Heorot:

"Skjöldunga saga" and "Bjarkarímur"

The "Skjöldunga saga" [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg] ] [Nerman (1925:150)] and "Bjarkarímur" [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg] ] reverse the relationship between Froda and Ingeld by making Ingeld (Ingjaldus) the father of Froda (Frodo). Moreover, Ingeld is here described as the half-brother of Healfdene (Haldan).

Frodo defeated the Swedish king Jorund, made him a tributary and took his daughter. The daughter gave birth to Haldan, but another woman became Frodo's legitimate wife and gave him Ingjaldus. Together with one of his earls, Swerting, Jorund conspired against Frodo and killed him during the blót.

Haldan has a queen named Sigrith with whom he has three children: the sons Roas (Hroðgar) and Helgo (Halga) and the daughter Signy. Ingjaldus is jealous with his half-brother and so he attacks and kills Haldan, whereupon he marries Sigrith. Ingjaldus and Sigrith have two sons named Rærecus and Frodo. Ingjaldus, who is worried that his nephews would want revenge, tries to find them and kill them, but Roas and Helgo survive by hiding on an island near Skåne. When they are old enough, they avenge their father by killing Ingjaldus.

In the "Hrólfr Kraki's saga", which tells very much the same story, it is Froda (Fróði) who is the half brother of Halfdan.

"Gesta Danorum"

The tradition of the feud with the Heaðobards Ingeld and Froda appears twice in the "Gesta Danorum" [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg] ] . There is also a third time, based on the account of the old warrior who restarts the conflict [http://runeberg.org/nfcf/0547.html The article "Starkad" in "Nordisk familjebok" (1909).] ] .

The first time, it tells of the feud is book 2, where Ingeld (called "Ingild") appears with the son Agnar. In this version, Ingeld's son is about to marry Hroðulf's sister Rute, but a fight starts and Agnar dies in a duel with Böðvarr Bjarki (called "Biarco").

The second version in "Gesta Danorum" (book 6), concerns the adventures of Starkad, and which is based on the old warrior who restarted the conflict [http://runeberg.org/nfcf/0547.html The article "Starkad" in "Nordisk familjebok" (1909).] ] . The Danish king Frotho (Froda) was killed through treachery by a Saxon named Swerting (Swertingus). Frotho's son Ingeld ("Ingellus") lived a wanton life and married one of Swerting's daughters. This angered Starkad so much that he enlisted at the Swedish king Halfdan's (Haldanus) court instead. As Ingeld continued his sinful life and did not do his duty to avenge his father, Starkad appeared during a banquet that Ingeld had with the sons of Swerting, his father's slayer. Starkad strongly admonished Ingeld and humiliated his queen who tried to calm Starkad with kindness and her costly ribbon. Starkad succeeded in exciting Ingeld to kill Swerting's sons and to divorce his Saxon bride.

The third time, it tells of Froda and Ingeld is in book 7, but here Hroðgar is replaced by a "Harald" and Halga by a "Haldanus" [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg] ] . It is the same Ingeld as in the previous paragraph, but here Froda reappears as Ingeld's son. It is a version of the feud that is similar to the one told in the "Skjöldunga saga", "Bjarkarímur" and "Hrólfr Kraki's saga", where the Heaðobards had been forgotten and the feud with Froda and Ingeld has become a family feud. The main plot is that Ingeld has the sons Frodo (Froda) and Harald (corresponds to Healfdene). The relationship between Ingeld and Froda was thus reversed, a reversal also found in the "Skjöldunga saga" and in the "Bjarkarímur". Froda kills his brother and tries to get rid of his nephews Harald (corresponds to Hroðgar) and Haldanus (corresponds to Halga). After some adventures, the two brothers burn their uncle to death inside his house and avenge their father.

Notes

ources

*Nerman, Birger (1925). "Det svenska rikets uppkomst".
*"Beowulf":
* [http://www.engl.virginia.edu/OE/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html Beowulf read aloud in Old English]
** " [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/981 Modern English translation] " by Francis Barton Gummere
** " [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16328 Modern English translation] " by John Lesslie Hall
** [http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Literature.RinglBeowulf Ringler, Dick. "Beowulf: A New Translation For Oral Delivery"] , May 2005. Searchable text with full audio available, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries.
** [http://alliteration.net/beoIndex.htm Several different Modern English translations]
*"Widsith":
** [http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/oe/widsith-trans.html "Widsith", A Verse Translation by Douglas B. Killings]
** [http://www.soton.ac.uk/~enm/widsith.htm "Widsith", a translation by Bella Millett]
*"Chronicon Lethrense" and "Annales Lundense":
** [http://www.oe.eclipse.co.uk/nom/lejre.html "Chronicon Lethrense" and "Annales Lundenses" in translation by Peter Tunstall]
** [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/oldheathen/048.php The same translation at Northvegr]
*"Gesta Danorum":
** [http://omacl.org/DanishHistory/book2.html Book 2 of "Gesta Danorum" at the Online Medieval & Classical library]
** [http://omacl.org/DanishHistory/book6.html Book 6 of "Gesta Danorum" at the Online Medieval & Classical library]
** [http://omacl.org/DanishHistory/book7.html Book 7 of "Gesta Danorum" at the Online Medieval & Classical library]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/14878 "The Relation of the Hrolfs Saga Kraka and the Bjarkarimur to Beowulf" by Olson, 1916, at Project Gutenberg]
* [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/oldheathen/034.php Hrólf Kraki's saga in English translation at Northvegr]