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What would King Haakon and King Harald have been called in the Viking Age? One historian offers a suggestion
Giving kings epithets was a Norwegian custom for centuries.
Published
Eric Bloodaxe, Magnus the Blind, Eric the Priest-Hater, and Harald Greycloak.
Kings who ruled Norway around 1,000 years ago could acquire imaginative nicknames or epithets. Some of these names described how the king dressed or what he did.
Magnus III Olavsson was called Magnus Barefoot because he walked with bare legs and a short kilt. Magnus VI Håkonsson amended Norway's laws and earned the epithet Magnus the Law-mender (Lagabøte).
Eric I Haraldsson killed his brothers. He was given the epithet Bloodaxe.
Norse custom
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These names are primarily known from the kings' sagas written in the 13th century—long after the Viking kings had lived.
"However, we know that it was common in Norse culture for kings and chieftains to have epithets. It is not unlikely that kings such as Olav Haraldsson and his brother Harald Sigurdsson had their epithets while they were alive," says Professor Bjørn Bandlien of the University of South-Eastern Norway.
Today, we know the two better as Olav the Holy and Harald Hardrada.
Skaldic poems are believed to predate the sagas, possibly originating as far back as the Viking Age.
"If an epithet appears in skaldic poetry, it is more likely that it was in use while the king was alive," says Bandlien.
Take the case of Eric Bloodaxe. A verse by Eyvindr Skáldaspillir reads: "The avengers of the sharp Bloodaxe desire battle."
Praise and mockery
Some epithets were flattering.
Haakon II Sigurdsson was called Herdebrei, meaning "broad-shouldered." Haakon I was known as "the Good," and Olav III Haraldsson was called Kyrre—"the Quiet."
Other epithets were not quite as flattering. Chieftains and magnates were given epithets, too.
One man was called Guttorm Futsleikir, which means "cunt-licker."
Another was called Rassa-Bård (Ass-Bård).
"We don't actually know why they got these epithets. It could mean Bård was accused of being used sexually, but it might also be because he had a large backside or was an asshole," says Bandlien.
Which Olav?
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Some epithets stemmed from injuries or physical appearance. King Inge Crooked-Back was injured as a small child, resulting in a hunched back. Earl Erling Skakke received a blow to the neck during a crusade.
"These epithets likely originated while they were still alive," says Bandlien.
Furthermore, there were many Olavs and Håkons to keep track of around the year 1000.
"The epithets distinguished them from one another," says Bandlien.
Calm at home, elegant abroad
Kings could have multiple epithets—for instance, one in Norway and another abroad.
King Olav Kyrre was called mundus —meaning "the elegant"—in an English source, according to Bandlien.
Harald Sigurdsson was known as Hardrada ("Hard-ruler") in Norway. Abroad, he was called Fairhair.
The saga writer Snorri may have borrowed this epithet when he crafted the story of the first king who refused to cut his hair or beard while uniting Norway.
"We don't know these things for certain, of course, but it is a hypothesis," says Bandlien.
Big in stature or big-mouthed?
Epithets could also be twisted and reinterpreted.
Olav Haraldsson was only called "the Holy" after his death.
"During his lifetime, he was called Olav Digre (the Stout/Big). Snorri doesn't explain why, but it might have been because he was large and stout, or taller than others," Bandlien explains.
However, envoys from the Swedish king Olof Skötkonung interpreted the epithet differently. While visiting the Norwegian court, they felt Digre—meaning "big"—suited Olav well because he used big words.
"He might have been a skilled orator, or perhaps full of himself," says Bandlien.
His stomach rumbled
Einar Tambarskjelve is another example of an epithet that takes on a different meaning.
The epithet is said to have originally stemmed from the way his bowstring—made of pig intestines—would tremble when he drew it. Einar was the best archer.
According to the saga, Einar Tambarskjelve was attending a feast late in his life. The food disagreed with him, causing his stomach to rumble. People around him remarked that the epithet was fitting, given that his intestines were trembling.
"Such twists and reinterpretations of epithets are common in the sagas," says Bandlien.
Sigurd Hjort (deer) earned the epithet because he was known as a fast runner. However, the saga offers a different interpretation.
“It is said that the name fits because he runs so fast away from the enemy—in other words, flees the battlefield,” says Bandlien.
Political bullying
The last known epithet given to a king was that of Magnus Eriksson, King of Sweden and Norway in the 14th century. He was called Magnus Smek.
The epithet originated with Birgitta of Vadstena, known as Saint Birgitta. She was an advisor at the royal court and was outspoken when she disapproved of something.
“She disliked one of Magnus’s male advisors, with whom he was rumoured to be overly intimate. The king reportedly enjoyed being smeket—stroked on the cheek—but the term can also imply that he liked being flattered or easily influenced. It may also be an allusion to the king being gay,” says Bandlien.
Haakon VII “Danish-Tongue”?
But what epithets would today’s kings have received had they lived in the Norse era?
As with the kings of old, the epithet would have been determined by personality, deeds, or specific events.
Or by the way they spoke. This was particularly common among skalds (poets), who might be called Ormstunge (Serpent-Tongue) if they had a sharp wit or a biting tongue. King Haakon VII was a Danish prince when he was elected King of Norway in 1905.
"He never learned to speak Norwegian, so 'Haakon Danish-Tongue' could have been a fitting epithet," says Bandlien.
Widely travelled, cheerful, and unlucky
King Olav V has been called "the people's king," though more as a description than a formal epithet. In the Old Norse era, people might instead have focused on the fact that Olav was a ski jumper in his youth and an avid sailor throughout his life.
"That could have earned him epithets like 'Olav the Springy' or 'the Widely Travelled,'" says Bandlien.
Accounts and obituaries regarding Norway’s recently deceased king, Harald V, mention his good spirits and keen sense of humour.
"Harald the Cheerful"—or in Old Norse, gamansamr— suits him well," says Bandlien.
One reason kings were given epithets was to distinguish them from one another. We now have a King Haakon just 70 years after the previous one.
“The new King Haakon could have earned the epithet ‘the Unlucky.’ He comes across as a steady figure, yet a great deal happens around him,” says Bandlien.
References:
Heimskringla.no (in Norwegian)
Smidsrød, Knut: Dikt om Harald den hårfagre og andre størrelser. Glymdråpa, Håkonsdråpa, Gråfelldråpa, Hafrsfjordkvadet, Sendebit m.m., 1999. (in Norwegian)
Norwegian Monarchs (in Norwegian). Store norske leksikon
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Translated by Nancy Bazilchuk
Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning.no
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