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Birth:          ABT  551 Uppsala, Sweden

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohthere
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[1]).

His name can be reconstructed as Proto-Norse *Ohta-harjaz or *Ohtu-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".[2]

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.
Beowulf[edit]

In the Old English poem Beowulf the name of Ohthere only appears in constructions 
referring to his father Ongenþeow (fæder Ohtheres),[3] mother (Onelan modor and 
Ohtheres),[4] and his sons Eadgils (suna Ohteres,[5] sunu Ohteres[6]) and Eanmund 
(suna Ohteres).[7]

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:

Þa wæs synn and sacu Sweona and Geata,ofer wid wæter wroht gemæne,here-nið 
hearda, syððan Hreðel swealt,oððe him Ongenþeowes eaferan wæranfrome fyrd-
hwate, freode ne woldonofer heafo healdan, ac ymb Hreosna-beorheatolne inwit-scear 
oft gefremedon.[8] There was strife and struggle 'twixt Swede and Geato'er the width 
of waters; war arose,hard battle-horror, when Hrethel died,and Ongentheow's offspring 
grewstrife-keen, bold, nor brooked o'er the seaspact of peace, but pushed their 
hoststo harass in hatred by Hreosnabeorh.[9]  

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.

Scandinavian sources[edit]

Ynglingatal, Ynglinga saga, Íslendingabók and Historia Norvegiae all present Óttarr as 
the son of Egill (called Ongenþeow in Beowulf) and as the father of 
Aðísl/Aðils/athils/Adils (Eadgils).

According to the latest source, Ynglinga saga, Óttarr refused to pay tribute to the 
Danish king Fróði for the help that his father had received. Then Fróði sent two men 
to collect the tribute, but Óttarr answered that the Swedes had never paid tribute to 
the Danes and would not begin with him. Fróði then gathered a vast host and looted in 
Sweden, but the next summer he pillaged in the east. When Óttarr learnt that Fróði 
was gone, he sailed to Denmark to plunder in return and went into the Limfjord where 
he pillaged in Vendsyssel. Fróði's jarls Vott and Faste attacked Óttarr in the fjord. The 
battle was even and many men fell, but the Danes were reinforced by the people in 
the neighbourhood and so the Swedes lost (a version apparently borrowed from the 
death of Óttarr's predecessor Jorund). The Danes put Óttarr's corpse on a mound to 
be devoured by wild beasts, and made a wooden crow that they sent to Sweden with 
the message that the wooden crow was all that Óttarr was worth. After this, Óttarr was 
called Vendelcrow.

It is only Snorri who uses the epithet Vendelcrow, whereas the older sources Historia 
Norvegiae and Íslendingabók use it for his father Egill. Moreover, it is only in Snorri's 
work that story of Óttarr's death in Vendsyssel appears, and it is probably his own 
invention.[1] Ynglingatal only mentions that Óttarr was killed by the Danish jarls Vott 
and Faste in a place named Vendel (Laing has been influenced by Snorri's version in 
his translation):

Féll Óttarrund ara greipardugandligrfyrir Dana vápnum,þann hergammrhrægum fœtiviti 
borinná Vendli sparn.Þau frá ek verkVötts ok Fastasœnskri þjóðat sögum verða;at 
eylandsjarlar Fróðavígframaðum veginn höfðu.[10] By Danish arms the hero bold,Ottar 
the Brave, lies stiff and cold.To Vendel's plain the corpse was borne;By eagles' claws 
the corpse is torn,Spattered by ravens' bloody feet,The wild bird's prey, the wild wolf's 
meat.The Swedes have vowed revenge to takeOn Frode's earls, for Ottar's sake;Like 
dogs to kill them in their land,In their own homes, by Swedish hand.[11]  

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


Cui successit in regnum filius suus Ottarus, qui a suo æquivoco Ottaro Danorum 
comite et fratre ejus Fasta in una provinciarum Daniæ, scilicet Wendli, interemptus 
est. Cujus filius Adils [...][12]
 
The successor to the throne was his son Ottar, who was assassinated in Vendel, a law 
province of Denmark, by his namesake, a Danish jarl, and this man's brother, Fasta. 
His son Adils [...][13]
  

Historia Norvegiæ only informs that Ohthere was killed by the Danish brothers Ottar 
[sic.] and Faste in a Danish province called Vendel.

Ohthere's Barrow[edit]

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. [14]

The barrow was excavated in the period 1914–16.[14] It showed the remains of both a 
man and a woman, and the finds were worthy of a king.[15] The Swedish 
archaeologist Sune Lindqvist[16] 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.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I00712

Parents
AUNSSON Egil (Ongentheow) ("Vendikraka") (ABT  530 - )
----- ----- ()

Siblings
EGILSSON Ottar "Vendrilkraka" (ABT  551 - )

Marriage To ----- ----- ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- ----- 
OTTARSSON Adil ("Athils") (ABT  572 - )

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