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Home > Hversu Noregr byggdist


Hversu Noregr byggdist ( Old Norse Hversu Noregr byggðist) meaning 'How Norway was inhabited', which survives only in the Flatey Book, is a account of the origin of various legendary Norwegian lineages. It traces the descedendants of the primeval Finnish ruler Fornjót down to Nór, who is here the eponym and first great king of Norway, and then gives details of the descendants of Nór (and of his brother Gór) in a following section known as the Ættartolur 'Genealogies'.

The Hversu account is closely paralleled by the opening of the Orkneyinga saga which gives a slightly different version of the story and provides details on the descendants of Gór only, including information not found in the Hversu or Ættartolur. This other account is sometimes called Fundinn Noregr 'Foundation of Norway'.

Much of the material in these two accounts is found nowhere else, especially the tracing of many noble families to the stock of giants rather than to the god Odin which is the tendency elsewhere.

The genealogies also claim that many heroic families famed in Scandinavian tradition but not located in Norway were in fact of Norwegian stock, mostly sprung from Nór's great-grandson Halfdan the Old. Almost all the lineages sprung from Halfdan are then shown to reconverge in the person of Harald Fairhair the first king of all Norway. Where the information here is comparable with accounts in other sources, it is sometimes confirmed and sometimes contradicted, as would be expected. There are also minor discrepencies and contradictions within the Ættartolur. Included also is material on the Danish Skjöldung lineagage and the Yngling lineage as ancestors of Harald Fairhair, including the purported line of descent from Adam to Harald.

The Ættartolur ends with a genealogy of Harald's royal descendants down to Olaf IV of Norway with the statement the acount was written in 1387, a list of the kings of Norway from this Olaf back to Harald Fair-hair, and a mention of the accession of MargaretMargaret I Queen of Denmark and Norway, Regent of Sweden ( 1353 October 28, 1412) was born in Vordingborg Castle, the daughter of Valdemar IV of Denmark. She married, at the age of ten, King Haakon VI of Norway, who was son to Magnus VII of Norway, Magnus, Olaf's mother, as direct ruler of Norway.

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Norse mythologyArdre image stones from Gotland, ca. 750 AD Norse mythology Viking mythology or Scandinavian mythology refer to the pre- Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people. It is the best-known version of the ancient Germanic mythology, wh

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