Template:Kings of Gesta Danorum family tree

The family tree of legendary Kings of the Danes, according to the Gesta Danorum (Books I to VII)

Kings of the Danes are in bold and marked with an asterisk (*). Kings of the Swedes are marked with a dagger (†). Humble KEY Angul Dan* Grytha Marriage or coupling Parent and child The Angles Humble* Lother* King of the Saxons Inheritance by other or unclear means Sigtryg, King of the Swedes† Skiold* Alfhild Sumble, King of the Finns Gróa Gram*† Signe Henry, King of the Saxons Hakon, King of the Nitherians Swipdag*† [unnamed] Guthorm* Hadding* Ragnhild Asmund† Gunhild Guthorm Henry Uffe† Hunding† Thorhild Ulfhild Ubbe Scot Ragnar† Swanhwid Handwan Thorwald Frode* [unnamed] Hothbrodd† Halfdan* Ro Skat Thora Helge* Ro* Athisl† Urse King Gewar Rolf*† Krage Rute Bjarke Skulde Hiartuar†* Hother†* Nanna Herlek Gerit Rorik* Gerwendil King of Britain Gerutha Horwendil Feng [unnamed] Amleth Hermutrude, Queen of Scotland Wiglek* Wermund* Frowin, governor of Sleswik Uffe*, aka Olaf the Gentle [unnamed] Ket Wig Dan* Hugleik* Frode* the Vigorous Dan* Kraka Ragnar Brak Fridleif* the Swift Gotar, King of Norway Hun, King of the Huns Westmar Koll Gotwar Roller Erik† Gunwar the Fair Alfhild Frode* Hanund Grep 11 other brothers (two named Grep) Hythin, King of Tellemark Alf Eyfura Arngrim Grubb Hiarn* Amund, King of Norway [unnamed] Halfdan† 12 sons, including Anganty Ane Juritha Fridleif* Frogertha Frok Hanef, King of Saxony Swerting, King of Saxony Olaf Frode* Siward† Unnamed sons [unnamed] Ingeld* Helga Helge Asa Frode Fridleif Ingeld Olaf* Karl, governor of Gothland Ulfhild Frode* Hather, a chief Harald* Signe Erik Thorhild Halfdan*† Biargramm Harald Asmund Kings of Norway Name spellings are derived from Oliver Elton's 1905 translation, The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, via Wikisource.

Notes on the family tree

• This chart depicts the family tree described in Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, and no other source. It begins with Humble, the father of Dan, from Book I, and continues to the family of Halfdan Biargramm in Book VII, although Gesta Danorum contains sixteen books in total. The family tree ends at Halfdan Biargramm because, although Saxo gives him a son named Asmund by Thorhild, he is also described as childless and after his death the monarchies of Denmark and Sweden pass to the unrelated Yngwin, King of the Goths. Thereafter, further kings are related to Yngwin and not to the original family of kings.

• The following characters from Gesta Danorum are related to the family of the kings of Denmark, but are not currently fit into the chart:
  • Gram's unnamed sister (debauched by Swipdag)
  • Gram's unnamed first wife, the daughter of Roar.
  • Roar himself
  • Bess, who subsequently married Gram's unnamed first wife (the daughter of Roar)
  • Hakon, described in Book VI as a tyrant of Denmark and a king but not fitting in with the line of kings as described in the surrounding text. In this book, he may be an underling of king Frode (IV).

• Some assumptions have been made about the mothers of some individuals. It has generally been assumed that a king's children (especially those that inherit) are also the children of his wife if one has been named and no other parentage is given, although in many cases this is not explicit in the text. For example, Hadding's children may not have been borne by Ragnhild; Rolf is the only child of Helge explitly born to Urse; Hother's son Rorik may not be born to Nanna; and Wiglek's son Wermund might not be the son of Hermutrude. Also, although Swipdag's unnamed wife is described as the brother of Guthorm (and elsewhere it is said that Swipdag debauched Gram's daughter), it isn't clear that the unnamed wife is the daughter of Gram and Groa.

• Hythin of Tellemark may have had both an unnamed son and an unnamed daughter, or just one child. On introduction, his son has been kidnapped by a giant and is rescued by Fridleif; later, Fridleif arranges for Hythin's daughter "whom he had once rescued from a monster" to marry Halfdan. Three possibilities: (1) there is a textual error in either the written source or the translation, (2) the rescue of the daughter is separate from the rescue of the son but not related in the text, (3) the son and daughter are the same individual.

• The 12 sons of Eyfura are all named, as follows: Brand, Biarbe, Brodd, Hiarrande; Tand, Tyrfing, two Haddings; Hiortuar, Hiartuar, Hrane, Anganty. These are different from the 9 sons of a certain prince, including Anganty, who was a suitor of Helga, sister of Ingeld.

• At the slaying of Swerting's sons, Starkad says that 7 people have been slain. This may indicate that there were 7 sons of Swerting, but this isn't explicit.

• Saxo says that Olaf, the King who succeeded Ingeld, is either the son of Ingeld and his wife (the sister of Swerting's sons) or the son of Ingeld's sister (which one is not stated), although Saxo says the latter is doubtful. For simplicity, he is assumed to be Ingeld's son in this tree.