In my research into king genealogies I came across the following information I thought you all might be interested in.


The kings of Denmark, like the Saxon, Norwegian, and Swedish rulers, all claim descent from Odin. Odin's real name, according to the old stories, was Sigge Fridulfson, but he called himself Odin so that people would worship him.

Odin is said to have come from Asgard, the legendary home of the gods. (Interestingly, the twelth-century Danish historian Saxo identifies Asgard with Byzantium.) Traveling north from Asgard in the second century AD, Odin allegedly founded the Kingdom of the Svear in Uppsala sometime before the Christian era.

King Odin, we are told, had five sons. They reigned over various parts of Scandinavia, and at least two of them ruled in Denmark. (One must remember that Denmark at that time included Skane. Although this region has belonged to Sweden in modern times, it was Danish from legendary through medieval times.)

According to the "Ynglinga Saga", Odin had a son named Skjold (meaning "shield"). Skjold led his followers to the Danish island of Sjaelland and became the father of the earliest Danish royal dynasty. Later Skane, the Jutland penninsula, and the island of Fyn also submitted to Skjold. Thus the roughly-shaped borders of medieval Denmark were defined early on.

Even "Beowulf" mentions Skjold, telling us that he mysteriously arrived in Denmark as a helpless but treasure-laden child. There he won many victories and established Denmark's royal line. What these stories have in common is that a ruler name Skjold came to Sjaelland, added Fyn and Skane to his domains, and became the progenitor of a Danish monarchy.

I hope you found this interesting. If anyone has anymore infomation on this subject I would love to hear it.

Regnar