Egil Tunnadolg Aunson (abt. 470 - abt. 515)

Born about 0470 in Scandinavia (Sweden)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Egil Aunson was a member of aristocracy in ancient Europe. Join: Medieval Project Discuss: medieval

Egil Aunson was part of early Scandinavian history. Join: Early Scandinavia Project Discuss: EARLY_SCANDINAVIA

Relationships between historical figures could have been simplified or even fabricated in the text to give the impression that succession remained within the same family….Precise chronology is also difficult to assess from the Sagas….The conclusion must be that the tight family network described in the Sagas is unlikely to be correct and that the relationships shown below should be treated with considerable caution.

Biografi

I Heimskringla beskrivs Egil Tunnadolg som en sveakung av Ynglingaätten. I Historia Norvegiæ har han istället tillnamnet Vendelkråka, precis som sonen Ottar har. I egenskap av far till Ottar Vendelkråka har han i äldre historieforskning även identifierats med Ongentheow (Angantyr) i det engelska eposet Beowulf.

Enligt Snorre var Egil son till Ane så det mest korrekta borde Anesson som LNAB.

Egil ska ha blivit dödad av en folkilsken tjur under en jakt, och efterträtts av sin son Ottar Vendelkråka.

Biography

Name

• Swedish - Egil Tunnadolg or Angantyr according to Snorre, Egil Vendelkråka according to Historia Norvegia.^[1]
• English - Ongentheow
• Old English - Ongenþeow, Ongenþio, Ongendþeow^[2]

According to xxx saga by Snorri Sturluson

Egil inherited the reign of Svitjod after his father Aun the Old. He was no warrior and ruled his lands in a calm manner.

The thrall Tunne had been with the old king and taken care of the treasury. Now he took a lot of the movable assets and hid them in the ground. Egil put Tunne among the other thralls who really disliked the way he was treated by the new king. He escaped and took a lot of the king's thralls with him. Tunne gave the men some of what he had hidden away and they made him chieftain. Others joined them out in the woods and sometimes they would raid and pillage the nearby villages. The king heard of this and went out after the raiders together with his men. One night when they had made camp Tunne came with his men and attacked and killed many of the king's men. The king himself had to flee and Tunne and his men returned to the woods and kept on terrorizing the nearby settlements. King Egil gathered a new army and attacked Tunne but once more the former thrall won the battle. All and all, Egil and Tunne met in eight battles of which Tunne won them all. Egil finally fled to Denmark and asked Frode the strong for men and in return the Swedes would pay him in taxes. Egil returned to Svitjod where Tunne met him with his army. There was a big battle which Egil won and he could take back his kingdom.

Egil lived for three more winters. He was a good hunter and was often out hunting. One time he had been following a pray for a while when he came a bull in the woods. Said bull had been raised to be sacrificed to the gods but as he became older he became vicious and escaped to the woods where he went mad. Egil decided to kill the bull so he went at it and pierced it with his spear. At the same time the bull ran his horns into the side of the horse and the king fell to the ground. He came to his feet and was about to draw his sword when the bull ran his horns through the king's chest.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia on Egil Tunnadolg
2. ↑ Wikipedia on Ongentheow

• Book: Nordiska Kungasagor - Från Ynglingasagan till Olav Tryggvasons Saga av Snorre Sturlasson, Fabel, Stockholm 1991.
• The Viking Age, Gen. Hist. 19, v. 1, p. 67
• Attarskra Bjarni Thorsteinsson, Ice FH 1, p 432
• Hist. of the Anglo-Saxons, Eng. 36, v. 1, p. 241
• Keiser und Koenig Hist., Gen. Hist. 25, pt 1, p. 137

See also:

• Wikipedia on Egil Vendelcrow aka Ongentheow