In the saga corpus Alrek and Eirík are presented as sons and heirs of the previous Swedish king Agni by his wife Skjalf and thus inherit rulership in the legendary past. The Heimskringla / Ynglinga saga frames them as part of the Ynglinga royal line, exercising joint kingship in Sweden; variant saga strands recorded in compilations such as the Flatey Book and other saga materials preserve differing genealogical claims about their parentage and descendants. Their origin is therefore genealogical and dynastic within the saga world rather than mythic-creation: they arise as successive figures in the saga-recorded sequence of Swedish rulers and appear where kingship and lineage are the organizing themes of the narrative (Heimskringla / Ynglinga saga; Gautreks saga; Flatey Book).
The provided saga excerpts give no physical or iconographic description of Alrek and Eirík. They are described in role-terms common to saga genealogies—kings, heirs, and rulers noted for deeds and reputation—rather than bodily detail. Available sources attest to their status, activities, and reputation (for example being 'mighty in both war and sports') but do not record appearances, garments, or distinguishing marks.
The sagas ascribe to Alrek and Eirík chiefly human, kingly attributes: shared rulership (joint kingship), notable prowess in warfare and athletic contests, and the political capacity to receive and shelter important saga-personages. The Ynglinga saga states they 'were mighty in both war and sports' (Heimskringla / Ynglinga saga). Narrative episodes record that after Vikar's sacrificial death Starkad (Starkaðr) took refuge with the kings Alrek and Eirik, showing their role as patrons or hosts within saga episodes (Gautreks saga; Víkar material). No supernatural powers or otherworldly abilities are attested in the provided sources.
Adils
Adils (Old Norse Aðils; also Eadgils, Adillus, Athisl, Adhel) is a semi‑legendary sixth‑century Swedish king attested in Old Norse saga material and later medieval traditions. He appears in saga episodes as a storied royal figure involved in warfare, court acts, and marriage suits rather than as a supernatural being.
Agilaz (Egil)
Agilaz (reconstructed Proto-Germanic) — commonly recorded in medieval sources as Egil or Ægil — is a legendary archer attested in Germanic heroic tradition. He appears as the brother of Völund (Wayland/Weland) in the Old Norse poem Völundarkviða and in the Thidreks saga, and his name is also inscribed on early medieval objects (Franks Casket, Pforzen buckle). The attested material presents him as a named heroic human archer within saga and inscriptional contexts rather than as a recurrent supernatural species.
Agnarr Geirröðsson
Agnarr Geirröðsson is a mortal prince attested only in the Poetic Edda poem Grímnismál; he aids Odin (disguised as Grímnir) during Geirröðr's torture and, after Odin reveals himself and King Geirröðr dies, Agnarr succeeds as king.
Agne
Agne (also attested Agni, Hogne, Agni Skjálfarbondi) is a semi-legendary king of Sweden in Old Norse saga tradition, preserved in the Ynglingatal corpus and prose expansions such as Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga saga. He is portrayed as a mighty and famous warrior-king whose campaign in Finland, marriage to Skjalf, and death by hanging form a remembered episode connected to local place-names and a burial mound.
Alf and Alfhild
Alf and Alfhild are legendary human figures from Old Norse/early Scandinavian narrative tradition preserved principally in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. The tale presents Alf as a Danish prince and Alfhild as a Geatish princess who becomes a shieldmaiden and leader of a fleet of female raiders; their story includes combat, recognition, marriage, and later dynastic conflict.
Algaut
Algaut (also rendered Algöt or Algaut Gautreksson) is a semi-legendary Geatish king of West Götaland recorded in Scandinavian saga and genealogical tradition. Saga summaries (via Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla as reported in later compilations) record that he was the father of Gauthild and was burnt to death by his son-in-law, the Swedish king Ingjald Ill-ruler.
Almáttki áss
Almáttki áss is an epithet-attested divine figure invoked in an Icelandic legal oath recorded in Landnámabók (Hauksbók 268). In the sole attestation the phrase functions as an invoked áss (god) described with the adjective almáttki ('almighty') and serves as the divine guarantor or witness for an oath sworn on a temple ring. Scholarly sources debate whether the epithet refers to a named Norse god (Thor, Ullr, Odin, or Týr) or is a Christianizing formulation by a later author.
Alvaldi
Alvaldi (Old Norse: Alvaldi / Ölvaldi) is a jötunn in Norse mythic genealogies, attested chiefly as the father of the notable jötunn Þjazi and described in one source as exceedingly rich in gold. He survives in the record mainly as a familial antecedent and an etiological figure rather than as an active participant in preserved narratives.
Alvíss
Alvíss (Old Norse: 'All‑Wise') is a dwarf in Norse mythology who appears in the Poetic Edda poem Alvíssmál as a prospective husband for Thor's daughter Þrúðr. In the surviving narrative Thor tests Alvíss's wisdom through a lengthy question-and-answer session that lasts until sunrise, whereupon the dwarf is petrified by exposure to sunlight.
Amleth
Amleth (Old Norse: Amlóði; Latinized Amlethus) is a legendary medieval Scandinavian prince and saga-hero best known from Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum. He is a human protagonist whose story centers on feigned madness, cunning survival, exile to Britain, marriage, wealth-gathering, and eventual vengeance against his father's murderer; the tale later inspired the character of Shakespeare's Hamlet and numerous adaptations.
Ancient Kings of Finland
In early literary sources, the Ancient Kings of Finland are described as hypothetical or mythical monarchic systems associated with ancient Finland. (Note: 1. Power tier: Lower to Primordial (given the lack of specific abilities and behaviors) 2. Abilities and behaviors are described as 'generally vague', so this section should be reworded or removed 3. )
Andhrímnir
Andhrímnir is the named cook of the Æsir and the einherjar in Old Norse myth, responsible for slaughtering and preparing the beast Sæhrímnir daily in Valhalla and for producing the gods' mead from Heiðrún's milk. He is attested in the Poetic Edda and summarized in modern reference works.
Community Record
- [1]Alaric and Eric — Wikipedia. "Alaric and Eric, according to legend, were two kings of Sweden.", Wikipediawiki
- [2]Víkar (article referencing Gautreks saga). Gautreks saga, in the material about Starkad, relates that after Vikar's sacrificial death, which was Starkad's first crime, Starkad took refuge in Sweden with the kings Alrek and Eirik.wiki
- [3]Ag notes — Heimskringla / Ynglinga saga excerpt. According to the Ynglinga saga, Alrek and Eirik were sons and heirs of the previous king Agni by his wife Skjalf. They shared the kingship. They were mighty in both war and sports...literary
- [4]Flatey Book and saga variants (genealogical note). The Flatey Book both claim Alrek Hordakonge to be Vikars father (variant genealogical traditions).literary
- [5]Johnson-Wallace & Fish-Kirk family pedigree (legendary genealogy). Pedigree summaries and modern genealogical presentations referencing Alrik Agnesson King in Sweden [Legendary].other