Citizendia

Fornsigtuna (forn means ancient), Old Sigtun, Sithun, Sign(h)ildsberg or Signesberg (59°37′N, 17°39′E) is located in the parish of Håtuna ca 4 km west of the modern town of Sigtuna, by lake Mälaren, in Sweden. Sigtuna is a city in the Uppland part of Stockholm County, central Sweden. Lake Mälaren ( (historically occasionally referred to as Lake Malar in English is the third-largest Lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Even though the location is all but forgotten, it has a central role in Norse mythology. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland

Contents

Heimskringla

In his Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson relates that Odin and the Æsir first arrived at Old Sigtuna when they came to Sweden:

Odin took up his residence at the Maelare lake, at the place now called Old Sigtun. Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse Kings' sagas. Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Lake Mälaren ( (historically occasionally referred to as Lake Malar in English is the third-largest Lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and There he erected a large temple, where there were sacrifices according to the customs of the Asaland people. He appropriated to himself the whole of that district, and called it Sigtun. To the temple priests he gave also domains. Njord dwelt in Noatun, Freyr in Upsala, Heimdal in the Himinbergs, Thor in Thrudvang, Balder in Breidablik; to all of them he gave good estates. Njörðr is a Vanir god in Norse mythology. In surviving sources Njörðr is the father of the major deities Freyr and Freyja by his unnamed "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. History of Tillerbyen The area where Tillerbyen has been built was initially Swamp, but it was drained in the 1930s as an Airport was planned here Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Þrúðvangar (anglicized Thrúdvangar or Thrudvangar or Þrúðvangr (anglicized Thrúdvang or Thrudvang, which means "Plain(s / Field(s In Norse mythology, Breiðablik ( Broad-gleaming) is the home of Baldr. [1]

Later the pirate Sölve, arrived at Old Sigtuna to claim the Swedish throne:

Solve came unexpectedly in the night on Eystein (Östen), surrounded the house in which the king was, and burned him and all his court. Sölve was a Sea-king who conquered Sweden by burning the Swedish king Östen to death inside his Hall. Eysteinn (d ca 600 was the son of Eadgils and Yrsa of Saxony. Then Solve went to Sigtun, and desired that the Swedes should receive him, and give him the title of king; but they collected an army, and tried to defend the country against him, on which there was a great battle, that lasted, according to report, eleven days. There King Solve was victorious, and was afterwards king of the Swedish dominions for a long time, until at last the Swedes betrayed him, and he was killed. [2]

In the part called the Saga of Olaf Haraldsson, the Norwegian king Olaf Haraldsson makes shore at Old Sigtuna:

King Olaf steered thereafter eastwards to Svithjod, and into the Lag (the Maelar lake), and ravaged the land on both sides. He sailed all the way up to Sigtuna, and laid his ships close to the old Sigtuna. The Swedes say the stone-heaps are still to be seen which Olaf had laid under the ends of the gangways from the shore to the ships. [3]

Skaldic poetry

Hjalmar dying, by Mårten Eskil Winge (1866).
Hjalmar dying, by Mårten Eskil Winge (1866). Mårten Eskil Winge (1825-1896 was a Swedish artist especially known for his Norse mythology paintings

In Orvar-Odd's saga, Hjalmar laments his dying:

Sék hvar sitja
Sigtúnum á
fljóð þaus löttu
farar mik þaðan ;
gleðrat Hjálmar
í höll konungs
öl né rekkar
of aldr síðan. Orvar-Odd (ie arrow-odd) was a legendary hero of whom an anonymous Icelander wrote in the latter part of the 13th century. Hjalmar and Ingeborg was a legendary Swedish couple The male protagonist Hjalmar and his duel for Ingeborg figures in the Hervarar saga and in [4]
I see where they sit
at home in Sigtun,
the girls who begged
me not to go;
no joy for Hjalmar
in the hall after this,
with ale and men,
ever again. [5]

The location is also mentioned in other poems by the 11th century skalds Þjóðólfr Arnórsson[6], Valgarðr á Velli[7] and Arnórr Þórðarson[8]. Arnórr Þórðarson jarlaskáld ( Poet of Earls) (ca 1012 - 1070s was an Icelandic Skald, son of Þórðr Kolbeinsson.

Gesta Danorum

Saxo Grammaticus tells in Gesta Danorum that Sigmund, one of the warriors of the House of Yngling, came from what is chronologically Old Sigtuna to fight at the Battle of Bråvalla:

They likewise held the god Frey to be the founder of their race. "Saxo" redirects here For the car see Citroën Saxo and for the bank see Saxo Bank Saxo Grammaticus (c Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes" is a work of Danish history by the 12th century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate" Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty It can refer to the following clans: The Scylfings ( Old Norse: Skilfingar) the The Battle of Brávellir or the Battle of Bråvalla was a legendary battle that is described in the Norse sagas as taking place on the Brávellir between Amongst these from the town of Sigtun also came Sigmund, a champion advocate, versed in making contracts of sale and purchase; besides him Frosti surnamed Bowl: allied with him was Alf the Lofty (Proud?) from the district of Upsala; this man was a swift spear-thrower, and used to go in the front of the battle. [9]

Archaeology

There are two large ruins that formerly were two large three-aisled halls, a series of terrasses just above the shore-line of the Germanic Iron Age, traces of a harbour, a large mound and a number of smaller grave fields. Several things are commonly known as Halls or halls. For the development of meaning of the word 'hall' see Hall (concept. The Germanic Iron Age is the name given to the period AD 400 –A A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped Pile of Earth, Gravel, Sand, rocks A grave field is a prehistoric Cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. Excavations have dated the remains to the Vendel Age, part of the Germanic Iron Age, and the Viking age, i. Swedish prehistory the Vendel era ( 550 - 793) is the name given to a part of the Germanic Iron Age (or more generally the Age of Migrations The Germanic Iron Age is the name given to the period AD 400 –A Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. e. from the 6th century until the 11th century. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era.

Source: Nationalencyklopedin

History

It was an Iron Age and Medieval royal estate (see Uppsala öd) and it was located strategically at the waterway to Old Uppsala and the Temple at Uppsala. Nationalencyklopedin ( NE) is the most comprehensive contemporary Swedish language Encyclopedia, initiated by a government grant This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Uppsala öd, Old Norse: Uppsala auðr or Uppsala øðr ( Uppsala domains or wealth of Uppsala) was the name given to the collection Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. The Temple at Uppsala was a religious site in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods In the 10th century, the name was transferred to modern Sigtuna, which apparently assumed many of its functions. Sigtuna is a city in the Uppland part of Stockholm County, central Sweden.

Since the 17th century, the location is a manor named Signhildsberg or Signesberg. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar

Sources

Nationalencyklopedin and A historical review of the name, from which the information about the name and dates is taken. Nationalencyklopedin ( NE) is the most comprehensive contemporary Swedish language Encyclopedia, initiated by a government grant

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org