King of the Geats Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Geatish kings existed since the provinces of Götaland/Gautland/Geatland are considered to have been more or less independent with their own petty kings. This is a list of the kings who appear in the sources, which does not claim to be comprehensive. It also follows the generally accepted identification between the names Götar (modern Swedish), Gautar (Old Norse) and Geatas (Old English), which is based both on tradition, literary sources and on etymology. However, unlike some translations[1] it does not identify this tribe with the Goths, since the Goths were far away from Scandinavia, when these kings are said to have lived. Moreover, the land of the Goths is not called Gautland, in these sources, but Reidgotaland.
Kings from legend
Some names appear in Norse mythology and in Germanic legend and in at least one case, they were probably historical (Hygelac). Their order of succession is uncertain (if they ever lived).
- Gauti (in Herraud's saga), probably the same as Gaut the father of Gautrek according to the Ynglinga saga. See Sons of Odin.
- Ring son of Gauti (king of Ostrogothia in Bósa saga ok Herrauds)
- Herraud, son of Ring (king of Ostrogothia in Bósa saga ok Herrauds)
- Gautrek, son of Gauti (in Gautreks saga)
- Siggeir 5th century (in the Volsunga saga)
- Ungvin 5th century (in Gesta Danorum, see Halfdan)
- Swerting (in Beowulf)
- Hreðel (the son of Swerting, in Beowulf)
- HæÞcyn d. 514 or 515 (the son of Hrethel, in Beowulf)
- Hygelac d. 516 (the son of Hrethel, in Beowulf)
- Heardred d. ca 530 (the son of Hygelac, in Beowulf)
- Beowulf d. ca 580? (the nephew of Hygelac, in Beowulf)
- Thorir (the brother of Bödvar Bjarki (Beowulf?) in the 'Hrólf Kraki's saga)
- Algaut 4th century or the 7th century (in the Norse sagas)
- Högne 7th century, the king of Ostrogothia (in the Heimskringla)
- Hjörvard 7th century, king of Ostrogothia (in Sögubrot)
- Hjörmund 7th century, king of Ostrogothia (in Sögubrot)
- Helgi Hundingsbane 7th century, king of Ostrogothia in the Norse sagas.
"Historical" kings
When the sources become more reliable, Götaland is well integrated into the Swedish kingdom and from Stenkil and onwards most of the medieval Swedish kings did actually belong to Geatish clanss (House of Stenkil, Houses of Sverker and Erik and the house of Folkung). During the civil wars, however, certain kings appeared as the kings of Geatish provinces, failing to hold the Swedish core provinces in Svealand.
- Ingold I, temporarily king of Westrogothia (1081)
- Kol, king of Ostrogothia (see Ingold II) (early 12th c.)
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