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Styrbjörn was unusually big, strong and unruly (for a Viking) and although he was only a little boy he managed to kill a courtier who accidentally had hit him on the nose with a drinking horn.
When he was 12 years old he asked his uncle for his birthright, but when he was denied the co-rulership of Sweden he sulked for a long time on his father's mound.
When he was 16 the Ting decided that he was too unruly to be king of Sweden. Eric decided to make his own unborn child co-regent on the condition that it was a son. As a compensation his uncle Eric gave him 60 well-equipped longships whereupon the frustrated Styrbjörn took his sister Gyrid and left.
He ravaged the shores of the Baltic Sea and when he was twenty, he conquered the stronghold of Jomsborg from its founder Palnetoke, and became its ruler.
After some time he allied with the Danish king Harold Bluetooth and married his sister Gyrid to him. Styrbjörn married Harold's daughter Tyra, whom he was given by Harold for conquering Jomsborg. (Styrbjörn had the son Torkel Styrbjörnsson with Tyra. Torkel had a daughter named Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, who married Godwin, Earl of Wessex and became the mother of Harold II of England).
Harold gave him even more warriors and now Styrbjörn was about to reclaim the throne of SwedenThe Kingdom of Sweden Konungariket Sverige in Swedish) is a Nordic country in Scandinavia, in Northern Europe. It is bordered by Norway on the west, Finland on the northeast, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat on the southwest, and the Baltic Sea and the Gulf. He sailed with a huge force which included 200 Danish longships in addition to his own Jomsvikings. When they arrived at Föret ( Old Norse: Fyris) in UplandiaUplandia or Uppland is a historical Province or Landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders to Sudermannia, Westmannia and Gestricia. It is also bounded by lake Malaren and the Baltic sea. Counties For current affairs see: Uppsala County, Stockhol he burnt the ships in order to force his men to fight to the end. The Danish force changed its mind and returned to Denmark.
Styrbjörn marched alone with his Jomsvikings to Gamla Uppsalagrave field whose larger mounds (left part) are close to the royal mounds. The building beyond the mounds is the church and to its right is the low Ting-mound and then the museum. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala") is a parish and a town outside of Uppsala in. His uncle was, however, prepared and had sent for reinforcements in all directions.
During the first two days, the battle was even. In the evening, Eric went to the statue of OdinWotan Wodan Woden Oden Odin or dinn is usually considered the supreme god of Germanic and Norse mythology. His role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of both wisdom and war, roles not necessarily conceived of as being mutually sympat at the Temple at UppsalaThe Temple at Uppsala was a Temple in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), near modern Uppsala, Sweden, created to worship the Norse gods of ancient times. The temple is only sparsely documented, but it is referred to in the Norse sagas and Gesta Danorum, and it where he sacrificed. He promised Odin that if he won the battle, he would belong to Odin and arrive at ValhallaFor other uses see Valhalla (disambiguation). In Nordic mythology, Valhalla ("Hall of the slain") is Odin's hall, the home for those slain gloriously in battle, who are welcomed by Bragi and escorted to Valhalla by the Valkyries. It has five hundred and f in ten years from then.
The third day, Eric threw his spear over the enemy and said "I sacrifice you all to OdinWotan Wodan Woden Oden Odin or dinn is usually considered the supreme god of Germanic and Norse mythology. His role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of both wisdom and war, roles not necessarily conceived of as being mutually sympat". The Swedes were winning, and the Danish warriors fled. Only Styrbjörn and his sworn men stayed, and died.