Ohthere
Semi-legendary Swedish king of the Scylfing dynasty.
Ohthere, also known as Ohtere, was a semi-legendary king of Sweden from the Scylfing dynasty, active during the Germanic Heroic Age. His name, possibly from Proto-Norse Ōhta-harjaz, combines elements meaning 'fearsome' and 'warrior'. He is notable for his raids against the Geats and his death in battle against the Danes.
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Ohtere
- Óttarr vendilkráka
- Vendelcrow
- Ottar Vendelkråka
- Dynasty
- House of Scylfings
- Reign
- c. 515 – c. 530
- Father
- Ongentheow
- Brother
- Onela
- Sons
- Eadgils, Eanmund
- Burial
- Ottarshögen in Vendel parish
- Uppland
- Sweden
Facts from the source article.
Beowulf
In the Old English poem Beowulf, Ohthere is mentioned only through references to his father Ongenþeow, his mother, and his sons Eadgils and Eanmund. His actions are described indirectly as part of the Swedish-Geatish wars, where he and his brother Onela pillaged the Geats after King Hreðel's death. The poem implies Ohthere died before his brother Onela became king, as Ohthere's sons later fled to the Geats.
Scandinavian sources
Scandinavian sources such as Ynglingatal, Ynglinga saga, Íslendingabók, and Historia Norvegiae present Óttarr as the son of Egill and father of Aðísl. According to Ynglinga saga, Óttarr refused to pay tribute to the Danish king Fróði, leading to conflict. After Fróði raided Sweden, Óttarr sailed to Denmark and plundered in the Limfjord. The Danish jarls Vott and Faste attacked him there; the battle was even until local reinforcements turned the tide. The Danes placed Óttarr's corpse on a mound for wild beasts and sent a wooden crow to Sweden, earning him the epithet Vendelcrow. Only Snorri uses this epithet for Óttarr; older sources apply it to his father. Ynglingatal states he was killed by Vott and Faste in a place called Vendel. Historia Norvegiae reports his death at the hands of the Danish brothers Ottar and Faste in the Danish province of Vendel.
Ohthere's Barrow
In Vendel parish, Uppland, Sweden, stands Ottarshögen, a barrow five meters high and forty meters wide. Excavated between 1914 and 1916, it held the remains of a man and a woman, with kingly artifacts. At its center, archaeologist Sune Lindqvist found a wooden vessel containing ashes. Other finds included decorative panels like those in nearby Vendel graves, a comb with its case, and a perforated gold Roman solidus dated to no later than 477, worn as decoration. Lindqvist concluded the excavation provided as much archaeological confirmation as possible that this was Ohthere's barrow.
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