Is there a source that makes Thyra Danebod daughter of an English King?

Question

The only source (Snorri) I've so far found for this lady's parents says she and her sister, Tyrne, were daughters of Harald Klak a King in Jutland. On the profile it reasons that because the lady was a Christian she probably came from England. It therefore follows that she was a daughter of King Edward? Even her given name suggests this is wrong. From previous discussion it seems that she once had a father called Harald here. Medlands gives no parents for Thyra. Time for discussion?

Comments

According to this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyra

it comes from Saxo, except he actually said something else.

---

RJ. Do you know what?

---

According to the Wikipedia page, he said she was Ethelred's daughter.  But he contradicted himself, so they've had to guess what he really meant.

---

Hm. Doesn't ring true at all. Haven't read Saxo however. I say this a lot "need an English source to confirm it"

---

There isn't one.  It's just junk.

---

Gesta Danorum ix.11.2 - I guess it's possible. Saxo recounts her story in quite elaborate detail, though it's hard to tell how much reality there is to it. There's a translation on Gutenberg for what it's worth. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1150/1150-h/1150-h.htm#link2H_4_0027

---

It does seem to me that it doesn't sound much like the name of an English princess of the time.

---

Best way to handle is a sentence or two in the biography identifying what the sources say;  if a specific king is involved, a cross-reference in the bio to that king.  Possibly a parallel cross-reference in the king's bio under a heading of children sometimes attributed to the king, with citation.  But no links in the data field.  Absolutely no links in the data field!

---

Oh Jack, How I agree!

---

I concur with this response.  It is best to leave the profile alone and mention conflicting and questionable areas in the biography,

---

Well, this would not be leaving the profile alone.  It would be de-linking the profile from any parent, spouse or child that one does not have some reason to retain a link to, and then presenting the material in the biography.  

One of the things that many WikiTreers want, including, especially including those who are less skilled, is a connected family tree.  By leaving connections that are quite dubious, one has become complicit in providing these WikiTree users something which is most likely to be false.  That is not fair to them.

Answer 1

This topic is also discussed on the soc.genealogy.midieval forum including some articles on the subject. The one thing most everyone serious about the issue can agree on is that her true parents cannot be determined and there is nothing with which to decide whether any of the conflicting sources might be correct.

Given the conflicting sources and the inability to confirm any, plus Wikitree's structure of one set of parents, there really is no choice but to disconnect the parent profiles and put the links to the two alleged sets of parents in the biography explaining from which they come.

The biography needs some work too, just for readability and clarity of which sources say what about her family.

So I would not leave it alone.  Improve her profile by showing what is known (that she was the wife of Gorm of Old who erected a stone in her honor), but that the other tales conflict and some, like the building of Danevirke, have been disproven.