Building the Legend of the Battle of Svoldr

Abstract

The battle that was fought somewhere on the waters of the Øresund in the year 1000 was undoubtedly important for the political history of early medieval Scandinavia. The battle has been reported in numerous Scandinavian and other sources. The aim of this article is to investigate factors that were decisive for building the legendary aspects of the battle and its presentation in the Old Norse narratives. Despite a long historiographic tradition there are still issues to discuss: the precise location of the naval encounter, the treachery of Earl Sigvaldi of Jómsborg, the involvement of Slavs in the battle and the rumours about Óláfr's survival. The long discussion about the battle reveals how the need to create a legend of Óláfr Tryggvason imposed particular motifs that were incorporated in the stories in order to strengthen his image as a distinguished and saintly king and warrior.