The Gesta Danorum (Books I-IX) on Halfdan

The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Customary Law.

• attestation: Halfdan fought against numerous champions including Hardbone, Egtheow, Grim, Ebbe, and Hildeger.

  "Halfdan v. Hardbone and six champions, on challenge. Halfdan v. Egtheow, by challenge. Halfdan v. Grim, on challenge. Halfdan v. Ebbe, on challenge, by moonlight. Halfdan v. Twelve champions, on challenge. Halfdan v. Hildeger, on challenge"

The Danish History, > Book Two

• attestation: Halfdan, the eldest, murdered his brothers Ro and Skat to seize the kingdom, and hanged their supporters

  "Halfdan, the eldest son, disgraced his birth with the sin of slaying his brethren, winning his kingdom by the murder of his kin"

• attestation: Despite lifelong cruelty, Halfdan died of old age rather than by violence

  "though he devoted every instant of his life to the practice of cruel deeds, yet he died of old age, and not by the steel"

• relationship: Halfdan's sons were Ro and Helge; Ro founded Roskild

  "Halfdan's sons were Ro and Helge. Ro is said to have been the founder of Roskild"

The Danish History, > Book Six.

• attestation: Halfdan was harassed by twelve Norwegian brothers and fled to Fridleif in Russia for aid

  "alarmed by the many attacks of twelve brothers of Norwegian birth, and powerless to punish their violence, fled, hoping for reinforcements, to ask aid of Fridleif"

• attribution: Starkad invokes Halfdan's famous warning that a wise father may beget a witless son, applying it to Ingild

  "Famous is the speech men think that Halfdan spoke: he warned us it would soon come to pass that an understanding father should beget a witless son."

The Danish History, > Book Seven.

• attestation: After Frode's death, Halfdan reigned about three years before handing sovereignty to his brother Harald as deputy

  "After Frode was killed, HALFDAN reigned over his country about three years, and then, handing over his sovereignty to his brother Harald as deputy, went roving"

• attestation: Halfdan attacked and ravaged Oland and neighbouring isles severed from Sweden by a winding sound

  "attacked and ravaged Oland and the neighbouring isles, which are severed from contact with Sweden by a winding sound."

• attestation: Halfdan defeated the king of Sweden in battle after three years of campaigning

  "After this he attacked Sweden, and destroyed its king in the field."

• attestation: Halfdan fashioned an iron-knobbed mace to overcome Hakon's sword-blunting sorcery, using wood against magic

  "he fashioned, to use for clubbing, a huge mace studded with iron knobs, as if he would prevail by the strength of wood over the power of sorcery."

• attestation: Halfdan overthrew the champion with his mace but was ultimately defeated and fled to Helsingland for wound treatment from Witolf

  "he was conquered notwithstanding, and fled away into Helsingland, where he went to one Witolf"

• attestation: Halfdan summoned the champion Thore and proclaimed war against Erik after recovering his health

  "he summoned Thore, a champion of notable capacity, and proclaimed war against Erik."

• attestation: Halfdan set an ambush along bushes by the wayside to destroy Erik's forces at a narrow path, but Erik reconnoitred and avoided it

  "he hid a part of his army, and instructed it to lie in ambush among the bushes by the wayside"

• attestation: When his battle line wavered, Halfdan climbed a crag with Thore and rolled boulders down onto the enemy below, crushing their formation

  "Halfdan, when he saw the line of his men wavering, climbed with Thore up a crag covered with stones and, uprooting boulders, rolled them down upon the enemy below"

• attestation: Halfdan received the name Biargramm meaning 'rock strong' for his feat of winning victory with boulders

  "For this deed of prowess he received the name of Biargramm ("rock strong"), a word which seems to have been compounded from the name of his fierceness and of the mountains."

• attestation: The Swedes believed Halfdan was the son of Thor and gave him divine honours and public libations

  "he was thought to be the son of the great Thor, and the people bestowed divine honours upon him, and judged him worthy of public libation."

• attestation: Halfdan lured Erik into a trap by hiding his fleet and presenting only two vessels, then surrounding him when Erik pursued with ten ships

  "he hid his fleet craftily, and went to meet Erik with two vessels. Erik attacked him with ten; and Halfdan, sailing through sundry winding channels, stole back to his concealed forces."

• attestation: Halfdan became sovereign of both Denmark and Sweden and was also skilled in composing poetry in the fashion of his country

  "Halfdan had thus become sovereign of both kingdoms, and graced his fame with a triple degree of honour. For he was skillful and eloquent in composing poems in the fashion of his country"

• attestation: Halfdan defeated the rovers Toke and Anund in a sea-fight

  "two active rovers, Toke and Anund, were threatening the surrounding districts, he attacked and routed them in a sea-fight."

• attestation: Halfdan uprooted an oak tree while walking through woodland and used it as a club weapon against Siwald

  "he plucked up by the roots all oak that stuck in his path, and, by simply stripping it of its branches, made it look like a stout club."

• attestation: Halfdan composed a battle-verse boasting the oak club would crush the Goths and bring destruction to the Swedes

  "The club which shall quell the wild madness of the land shall be no less fatal to the Swedes."

• attestation: Halfdan destroyed Siwald and all seven of his sons in combat using the enormous oak club

  "he attacked Siwald and his seven sons, and destroyed them, their force and bravery being useless against the enormous mass of his club."

• attestation: Halfdan crushed Hardbeen with a hammer of wondrous size, killing both the berserker and his remaining champions

  "Halfdan, who crushed him with a hammer of wondrous size, so that he lost both victory and life"

• attestation: Halfdan traveled to Norway disguised with dirt on his face to fight Grim for Thorhild's hand

  "Halfdan, though he had reached old age a bachelor, was stirred by the promise of the chief as much as by the insolence of the champion, and went to Norway."

• attestation: In combat Halfdan's first sword was blunted by the enemy's glance, so he drew a second and cut through Grim's cuirass and shield

  "when he knew that it had been blunted by the glance of the enemy, he cast it on the ground, drew another from the sheath, with which he attacked Grim"

• attestation: Halfdan conquered Grim and won Thorhild in marriage, fathering a son Asmund from whom the kings of Norway trace their descent

  "As a prize for this victory he won Thorhild in marriage, and had by her a son Asmund, from whom the kings of Norway treasure the honour of being descended"

• attestation: Halfdan confronted the rover Ebbe at the wedding feast, condemning his presumption in seeking a royal bride from a contemptible peasant line

  "what madness, or what demons, had brought him to such wantonness, as to make bold to unite his contemptible and filthy race with a splendid and illustrious line"

• attestation: Halfdan forced Ebbe to fight by declaring the moon shone with daylight brightness, then killed him, turning the wedding into a funeral

  "Halfdan, to prevent him shirking the battle by pleading the hour, declared that the moon was shining with the brightness of daylight. Thus he forced Ebbe to fight, and felled him"

• attestation: Halfdan being childless bequeathed his kingdom to Yngwin by will and appointed him king

  "Halfdan went back to his own country, and being childless he bequeathed the royal wealth by will to Yngwin, and appointed him king."

• attestation: Halfdan grew up swiftly and surpassed his peers in size and strength

  "This woman and Borgar had a son Halfdan, who through all his early youth was believed to be stupid, but whose later years proved illustrious for the most glorious deeds, and famous for the highest qualities that can grace life."

• attestation: Young Halfdan killed Gunnar in battle at the cave using the hidden swords of his grandfather Ragnald

  "This woman and Borgar had a son Halfdan, who through all his early youth was believed to be stupid, but whose later years proved illustrious for the most glorious deeds, and famous for the highest qualities that can grace life."

• attestation: Halfdan fought Rothe and defeated him, liberating Denmark from Ruthenian oppression

  "battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received."

• attestation: Halfdan won fame for delivering Denmark and twelve champions came to serve him

  "battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received."

• attestation: Halfdan courted Gurid, the sole surviving heir of the Danish royal line, after proving his worth

  "battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received."

• attestation: Halfdan had to prove himself by defeating twelve champions to win Gurid's hand

  "battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received."

• attestation: Halfdan defeated all twelve champions and married Gurid, restoring the Danish royal line

  "battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received."

• attestation: Halfdan asked Gurid to remain faithful until she heard of his return or death before departing

  "Halfdan entreated her to suffer no man to be privy to her bed until she heard certain tidings either of his return or his death"

• attestation: Champions angered that Halfdan spoke to Gurid tried to ambush him, but he fought all twelve alone

  "The champions, whom he had bereaved of their brother long ago, were angry that he had spoken to Gurid, and tried to ride after him as he went away"

• attestation: Halfdan fashioned a club from an oak tree and killed all twelve champions single-handed

  "he cut down an oak-tree and fashioned it into a club, fought the twelve single-handed, and killed them"

• attestation: Halfdan obtained from his mother the swords of his grandfather: Lyusing and Hwyting

  "he got from his mother the swords of his grandfather, one of which was called Lyusing.... and the other Hwyting, after the sheen of its well-whetted point"

• attestation: Halfdan went to Russia to help the natives in their war against Alver, King of Sweden

  "when he heard that war was raging between Alver, the King of Sweden, and the Ruthenians (Russians), he instantly went to Russia, offered help to the natives"

• attribution: Halfdan identified himself as son of Borgar and Drota, meaning Hildiger and Halfdan share the same mother

  "Once, Drota thy mother had her breast swell for thee; she bore me, and by her I am thy foster-brother."

• attestation: Halfdan condemned Hildiger for revealing their brotherhood too late to prevent the duel

  "Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing so late their bond of brotherhood"

• attribution: Halfdan declared he had stayed silent so as not to appear a coward refusing to fight

  "he declared he had kept silence that he might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight"

• attestation: Halfdan slew his half-brother Hildiger in the duel despite their shared blood

  "When he had thus spoken, Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing so late their bond of brotherhood; he declared he had kept silence that he might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight, or a villain if he fought; and while intent on these words of excuse, he d"

• attestation: Halfdan then defeated Alver and subjected Sweden to his authority

  "When he had thus spoken, Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing so late their bond of brotherhood; he declared he had kept silence that he might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight, or a villain if he fought; and while intent on these words of excuse, he d"

• attestation: Halfdan conquered the Sembs and Kurlanders and then attacked Denmark

  "When he had thus spoken, Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing so late their bond of brotherhood; he declared he had kept silence that he might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight, or a villain if he fought; and while intent on these words of excuse, he d"

• attestation: Halfdan restored the Danish kingdom by uniting it under one rule, combining the regencies into a single sovereignty

  "When he had thus spoken, Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing so late their bond of brotherhood; he declared he had kept silence that he might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight, or a villain if he fought; and while intent on these words of excuse, he d"

• attestation: Halfdan ran his sword through a bridegroom before the maiden had finished answering, then massacred most of the wedding guests

  "Before the maiden had finished her answer, Halfdan had already run his sword through the bridegroom. Not content with having killed one man, he massacred most of the guests"

• attestation: Halfdan staggered drunkenly backwards out of the feast carrying the maiden off

  "Staggering tipsily backwards"

• attestation: Halfdan subdued Sclavonia, and then conquered Semland and all the Eastern regions

  "Before the maiden had finished her answer, Halfdan had already run his sword through the bridegroom."

• attestation: Halfdan grew old and died peacefully, having restored the Danish kingdom from fragmentation

  "Before the maiden had finished her answer, Halfdan had already run his sword through the bridegroom."

• attestation: Halfdan's son HARALD succeeded him as king of Denmark

  "HARALD, being of great beauty and unusual size, and surpassing those of his age in strength and stature, received such favour from Odin (whose oracle was thought to have been the cause of his birth), that steel could not injure his perfect soundness."

• attestation: Halfdan attended Wesete's wedding in Skaane disguised as a beggar

  "hearing that Wesete was to hold his wedding in Skaane, he went to the feast disguised as a beggar"

• attestation: When the guests were drunk and sleeping, Halfdan battered the bride-chamber with a beam

  "when all were sunken in wine and sleep, he battered the bride-chamber with a beam"

• attestation: The bride bore Halfdan a son named Asmund

  "Then he found that Asmund, the King of the Wikars, had been deprived of his throne by his elder sister; and, angered by such presumption on the part of a woman, went to Norway with a single ship, while the war was still undecided, to help him."

• attestation: Halfdan defeated Ing, killing him in battle and taking control of Swedish territories

  "But if a sea-battle happened to occur, he should withdraw a portion of his fleet, which when he began the intended engagement, was to cruise round that of the enemy, wheeling to and fro continually."

• attestation: Halfdan assigned the government of Sweden to Olaf and kept Ingild as a tributary vassal

  "Equipped with this system of warfare, he forestalled matters in Sweden, and killed Ing and Olaf as they were making ready to fight."

• attestation: Halfdan was angered by women fighting for sovereignty and went secretly to help Olaf

  "Much angered at this arrogance on the part of women, he went to Olaf unobserved"

• attestation: Halfdan killed Stikla in the battle and Rusila was also destroyed

  "bravery, to be captured, and not killed."

• attestation: After many victories Halfdan became lord over a vast territory encompassing Denmark, Sweden, and Norway

  "Meantime Ingild died in Sweden, leaving only a very little son, Ring, whom he had by the sister of Harald."