Individual

Go to List of Family Names Go to List of People    < Previous Next >

Birth:          ABT  660 Sweden

Notes
the last Fray-born pagan sacrol "peace king" associated with humand sacrifice in his 
own family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingjald
Ingjald illråde or Ingjaldr hinn illráði (Ingold Ill-ruler or Ill-ready) was a legendary 
Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, son and successor of king Anund,[1] and the 
father and predecessor of king Olof Trätälja.

Ingjald is mentioned in medieval historiographical sources including Ynglinga saga, 
Historia Norvegiæ, Hervarar saga, Upplendinga Konungum, Þorsteins saga 
Víkingssonar and Íslendingabók. The setting of Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar is 
roughly the 7th century. Johannes Magnus in his 16th-century list of kings places 
Ingjald (Ingevallus, Ingellus) in AD 883.
Ynglinga saga[edit]

Snorri Sturluson gave an extensive account on the life of Ingjald in the Ynglinga saga 
which is part of the Heimskringla.

Youth[edit]

The Ynglinga saga, a part of the Heimskringla relates that the viceroy of 
Fjädrundaland was named Ingvar and he had two sons, Alf and Agnar, who were of 
the same age as Ingjald. Svipdag the Blind was the viceroy of Tiundaland, the 
province of Uppsala where the Tings and the Yule (Midwinter) sacrifices were held 
(see the Temple at Uppsala).

One Midwinter, when Ingjald and Alf were six years old, many people had assembled 
at Uppsala for the sacrifices. Alf and Ingjald played, but Ingjald found that he was the 
weaker boy and became so angry that he almost started to cry (which was strange 
because people named Ingjald were known to be stronger than average). His foster-
brother Gautvid led him to his foster-father Svipdag the Blind and told Svipdag about 
Ingjald's lack of manliness and strength. Svipdag said that it was a shame and the 
next day he gave Ingjald a roasted wolf's heart to eat. From that day, Ingjald became 
a very ferocious person and had a bad disposition and breath.

Anund arranged a marriage for his son Ingjald with Gauthild, the daughter of the 
Geatish king Algaut, who was the son of Gautrek the Mild and the grandson of Gaut. 
Gautrek consented as he believed that Ingjald had inherited his father's disposition. 
Gauthild's maternal grandfather was Olof the Sharp-sighted, the king of Närke.

The deceit[edit]

Snorri Sturluson relates that when his father Anund had died, Ingjald became the king 
of Sweden. The kings at Uppsala were the foremost among the kings of the various 
provinces since Odin ruled the country, and they were the supreme chiefs of the other 
kingdoms since the death of Agne and Sweden was divided between Erik and Alrik. 
The descendants of these two kings had spread, cleared land and settled new 
territories, until there were several petty kings.

In honour of his own ascendance to the throne, Ingjald invited the kings, the jarls and 
other important men to a grand feast in a newly built hall, just as large and sumptuous 
as the one in Uppsala. It was called the hall of the seven kings and had seven high 
seats. Algaut the Geatish king of West Götaland, King Ingvar of Fjädrundaland with 
his two sons Agnar and Alf, King Sporsnjall of Nerike and King Sigvat of Attundaland 
came but not King Granmar of Södermanland. The kings filled all seven seats but one. 
All the prominent people of Sweden had seats, except for Ingjald's own court whom he 
had sent to his old hall in Uppsala.

According to the custom of the time for those who inherited kings and jarls, Ingjald 
rested at the footstool until the Bragebeaker was brought in. Then he was supposed 
to stand up, take the beaker and make solemn vows, after which he would ascend his 
father's high seat. However, when the beaker was brought in, he took a bull's horn 
and made the solemn vow that he would enlarge his own kingdom by half towards all 
the four quarters, towards which he pointed his horn, or die.

When all the prominent guests were drunk, he ordered Svipdag's sons, Gautvid and 
Hylvid, to arm themselves and their men and to leave the building. Outside, they set 
fire to the building which burnt down and those who tried to escape were killed.

Thus Ingjald made himself the sole ruler of the domains of the murdered kings.

Wars[edit]

Granmar won allies in his son-in-law the sea-king Hjörvard of the Ylfings and his 
father-in-law Högne the Geatish king of East Götaland. They successfully withstood 
Ingjald's invasion where Ingjald realised that the men from the provinces he had 
conquered were not loyal to him. After a long standstill there was peace for as long as 
the three kings lived. However, one night Ingjald and his men surrounded a farm 
where Granmar and Hjörvard were at a feast and burnt the house down. He later 
disposed of five more kings, and he thus earned the name Illråde (ill-ruler) as he 
fulfilled his promise.

Snorri Sturluson tells that it was a common saying that Ingjald killed twelve kings by 
deceiving them that he only wished for peace, and that he thus earned his cognomen 
Illråde (ill-ruler or ill-adviser).

Downfall[edit]


 


 Ingjald and his daughter Åsa
Ingjald had two children, a son Olof Trätälja and a daughter Åsa. His daughter had 
inherited her father's psychopathic disposition. She married king Guðröðr of Skåne. 
Before she murdered her husband she managed to make him kill his own brother 
Halfdan the Valiant, the father of the great Ivar Vidfamne.

In order to avenge his father, Ivar Vidfamne gathered a vast host and departed for 
Sweden, where he found Ingjald at Ræning. When Ingjald and his daughter realized 
that it was futile to resist, they set the hall on fire and succumbed in the flames.

Ynglingatal and Historia Norwegiae[edit]

It is interesting to note that the citation from Ynglingatal does not appear to describe 
Ingjald as an evil king. It calls his life a brave life frœknu fjörvi:

Ok Ingjaldí fjörvan traðreyks rösuðrá Ræningi,þá er húsþjófrhyrjar leistumgoðkonungí 
gegnum steig.Ok sá urðrallri þjóðusjaldgætastrmeð Svíum þótti,er hann sjálfrsínu 
fjörvifrœknu fyrstrum fara vildi.[1] With fiery feet devouring flameHas hunted down a 
royal gameAt Raening, where King Ingjald gaveTo all his men one glowing grave.On 
his own hearth the fire he raised,A deed his foemen even praised;By his own hand he 
perished so,And life for freedom did forego."[2]  

The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's 
quotation (continuing after Anund):


Post istum filius suus Ingialdr in regem sublimatur, qui ultra modum timens Ivarum 
cognomine withfadm regem tunc temporis multis formidabilem se ipsum cum omni 
comitatu suo cenaculo inclusos igne cremavit. Ejus filius Olavus cognomento tretelgia 
[...][2]
 
After him his son Ingjald ascended the throne. Being abnormally terrified of King Ivar 
Vidfadme, at that time an object of dread to many, he shut himself up in a dining-hall 
with his whole retinue and burnt all its inmates to death. His son, Olav, known as 
Tretelgje,[...][3]
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I00707


Parents
INGVARSSON Anund ("Braut") ("The Cultivator") (ABT  638 - )
----- ----- ()

Siblings
ONUNDSSON Ingjald ("Braut"( ("The WIcked") (ABT  660 - )

Marriage To ALGAUTSDOTTIR Gauthild (ABT  664 - )
    m.  

Notes

Parents
GAUTREKSSON Algaut (ABT  639 - )
GAUTEKSDOTTIR ----- (ABT  644 - )

Children by ALGAUTSDOTTIR Gauthild ABT  664 - 
INGJALDSSON Olaf "Trekalia" ("the Wood Cutter" or "tree hewer") (ABT  682 - ABT  710)

Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017