Freawine

Freawine, Frowin or Frowinus figures as a governor of Schleswig in Gesta Danorum^[1] and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an ancestor of the kings of Wessex, but the latter source only tells that he was the son of Friðgar and the father of Wig.^[2]

In the Gesta Danorum, Frowin was the father-in-law of Offa of Angel (presented as a prince and later king of Denmark), whose father king Wermund liked both Frowin and his sons Ket and Wig.^[3]

Frowin was challenged to combat by the Myrging king Eadgils, and killed.^[4] He would later be avenged by his two sons Ket and Wig.^[5] However, the two sons fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat".^[6] This event is referred to in Widsith as a duel against Eadgils of the Myrgings.

While Freawine appears in the pedigree of the Wessex kings in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he is absent from the pedigree of these kings given in the Anglian collection on Anglo-Saxon royal pedigrees, as well as in a similar pedigree in one transcript of Asser's Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum. Freawine's appearance in the Chronicle's Wessex royal pedigree has been suggested to be an interpolation of this heroic figure along with his son Wig into a pre-existing pedigree that had been borrowed from the Bernician royal house, and that the name given to the father of Freawine in the pedigree, Friðgar, was added later simply to allow poetic alliteration within the lineage.^[7]

The family tree of legendary Kings of the Danes, according to the Gesta Danorum (Books I to VII)

Kings of the Danes are in bold and marked with an asterisk (*). Kings of the Swedes are marked with a dagger (†). Superscript numbers before a name indicate in which books of Gesta Danorum the individual is mentioned.

⁽¹⁾ Humble

KEY

⁽¹⁾ Angul

⁽¹⁾ Dan*

⁽¹⁾ Grytha

Marriage or coupling

Parent and child

The Angles

⁽¹⁾ Humble*

⁽¹⁾ Lother*

⁽¹⁾ King of the Saxons

Succession by other or unclear means

⁽¹⁾ Roar

⁽¹⁾ Sigtryg, King of the Swedes†

⁽¹⁾ Skiold*

⁽¹⁾ Alfhild

⁽¹⁾ daughter of Roar

⁽¹⁾ Bess

⁽¹⁾ sister of Gram

⁽¹⁾ Gróa

⁽¹⁾ Gram*†

⁽¹⁾ Sumble, King of the Finns

⁽¹⁾ Wagnhofde

⁽¹⁾ Signe

⁽¹⁾ Henry, King of the Saxons

⁽¹⁾ Hakon, King of the Nitherians

⁽¹⁾ Hardgrep

⁽¹⁾ Swipdag*†, King of Norway

⁽¹⁾ sister of Guthorm

⁽¹⁾ Guthorm*

^(1,2,5) Hadding*

⁽¹⁾ Ragnhild

⁽¹⁾ Asmund†

⁽¹⁾ Gunnhild

⁽¹⁾ Guthorm

^(1,2) Ulfhild

⁽²⁾ Ubbe*

⁽¹⁾ Henry

⁽¹⁾ Uffe†

^(1,2) Hunding†

⁽²⁾ Thorhild

⁽²⁾ Scot

⁽¹⁾ daughter of Uffe

⁽²⁾ Ragnar†

⁽²⁾ Swanhwid

⁽²⁾ sisters of Swanhwid

⁽²⁾ Handwan

⁽²⁾ Thorwald

^(2,5) Frode*

⁽²⁾ daughter of Handwan

^(2,3) Hothbrodd†

⁽²⁾ Halfdan*

⁽²⁾ Ro

⁽²⁾ Skat

⁽²⁾ Thora

^(2,3) Helge*

⁽²⁾ Ro*

^(2,3) Athisl†

⁽²⁾ Urse

^(2,3) King Gewar

^(2,3) Rolf*† Krage

⁽²⁾ Rute

⁽²⁾ Bjarke

⁽²⁾ Skulde

^(2,3) Hiartuar†*

^(2,3) Hother†*

⁽³⁾ Nanna

⁽³⁾ Herlek

⁽³⁾ Gerit

⁽³⁾ former King of Britain

⁽³⁾ mother of the King of Britain

⁽³⁾ a slave

⁽³⁾ a bondmaid

⁽³⁾ Rorik*

⁽³⁾ Gerwendil

^(3,4) King of Britain

^(3,4) Queen of Britain

^(3,4) Gerutha

^(3,4) Horwendil

^(3,4) Feng

^(3,4) foster sister of Amleth

^(3,4) daughter of the King of Britain

^(3,4) Amleth

⁽⁴⁾ Hermutrude, Queen of Scotland

⁽⁴⁾ Wiglek*

⁽⁴⁾ son of Amleth

⁽⁴⁾ Wermund*

⁽⁴⁾ Frowin, governor of Sleswik

⁽⁴⁾ Uffe*, aka Olaf the Gentle

⁽⁴⁾ daughter of Frowin

⁽⁴⁾ Ket

⁽⁴⁾ Wig

⁽⁴⁾ Dan*

⁽⁴⁾ Hugleik*

⁽⁴⁾ Frode* the Vigorous

⁽⁴⁾ Dan*

⁽⁵⁾ Kraka

⁽⁵⁾ Ragnar

⁽⁵⁾ Brak

^(4,5) Fridleif* the Swift

⁽⁵⁾ Hun, King of the Huns

⁽⁵⁾ Hun

⁽⁵⁾ Gotar, King of Norway

⁽⁵⁾ Westmar

⁽⁵⁾ Koll

⁽⁵⁾ Gotwar

⁽⁵⁾ Roller

^(5,6) Erik† Shrewd-spoken

⁽⁵⁾ Gunwar the Fair

⁽⁵⁾ Alfhild

^(5,6) Frode*

⁽⁵⁾ Hanund

⁽⁵⁾ Grep (eldest of three)

⁽⁵⁾ 11 other sons (two named Grep)

⁽⁶⁾ Hythin, King of Tellemark

⁽⁵⁾ Alf

⁽⁵⁾ Eyfura

⁽⁵⁾ Arngrim

⁽⁶⁾ Grubb

⁽⁶⁾ Hiarn*

⁽⁶⁾ Amund, King of Norway

⁽⁶⁾ child of Hythin

⁽⁶⁾ Halfdan†

⁽⁵⁾ 12 sons, including Anganty

⁽⁶⁾ Ane

⁽⁶⁾ Juritha

⁽⁶⁾ Fridleif*

⁽⁶⁾ Frogertha

⁽⁶⁾ Hanef, King of Saxony

⁽⁶⁾ Swerting, King of Saxony

⁽⁶⁾ Olaf

⁽⁶⁾ Frode*

^(6,7) Siward†

⁽⁶⁾ sons of Swerting

⁽⁶⁾ sister of the sons of Swerting

^(6,7) Ingild*

⁽⁶⁾ Helga

⁽⁶⁾ Helge

⁽⁶⁾ Asa

^(6,7) Frode

^(6,7) Fridleif

^(6,7) Ingild

^(6,7) Olaf*

⁽⁷⁾ Karl, governor of Gothland

⁽⁷⁾ Ulfhild

⁽⁷⁾ Frode*

⁽⁷⁾ Hather, a chief

⁽⁷⁾ Harald*

⁽⁷⁾ Signe

⁽⁷⁾ Erik†

⁽⁷⁾ Thorhild

⁽⁷⁾ Halfdan*† Biargramm

⁽⁷⁾ Harald

⁽⁷⁾ Asmund

Kings of Norway

Name spellings are derived from Oliver Elton's 1905 translation, The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, via Wikisource.

Notes

^ IV 3.1.7-8, 3.3.1, 4, 3.4.1, 4, 3.12.1, 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.
^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle s.a. 854.
^ IV 3.1.7-8.
^ IV 3.3.1, 4.
^ IV 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.
^ Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum IV 4.4.5-4.11.5. Cfr. Chronicon lethrense.
^ Sisam, Kenneth "Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies", Proceedings of the British Academy, 39 (1953), pp. 287–348

External links

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle at Project Gutenberg - Public domain copy.
Book Four of Gesta Danorum at the Medieval and Classical Literature Library

[1] IV 3.1.7-8, 3.3.1, 4, 3.4.1, 4, 3.12.1, 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.

[2] Anglo-Saxon Chronicle s.a. 854.

[3] IV 3.1.7-8.

[4] IV 3.3.1, 4.

[5] IV 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.

[6] Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum IV 4.4.5-4.11.5. Cfr. Chronicon lethrense.

[7] Sisam, Kenneth "Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies", Proceedings of the British Academy, 39 (1953), pp. 287–348

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