Kaðlín Hrolfsdottir (abt. 880)

Descendants

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Biography

Disputed father

Kaðlín (Kadlin or Kadline or Cadlinar or Kathleen) is named as the daughter of Ganger-Hrolf (Rolf the Walker) in two medieval Icelandic texts, written in the 12th to 13th centuries, but probably based on traditional oral sources.

In Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), "Annarr son Óttars vas Helge; hann herjaðe á Skottland, ok feck þar at herfange Niðbiorgo, dóttor Beolans konungs ok Caðlínar, dóttor Gongo-Hrólfs" which is translated as "Another son of Oht-here was Helge. He harried in Scotland, and won there as booty Nidh-beorg, daughter of king Beolan and Cadh-lina [Cath-leen], daughter of Walking-Rolf."^[1]

In Laxdaela Saga, Móðir Ósvífurs hét Niðbjörg, hennar móðir Kaðlín, dóttir Göngu-Hrólfs Öxna-Þórissonar. Hann var hersir ágætur austur í Vík ^[2] translated as "Osvif's mother was called Nidbjorg, the daughter of Kadlin, the daughter of Ganger-Hrolf, the son of Oxen-Thorir, who was an excellent chieftain east in Oslo Fjord,^[3]

The Ganger-Hrolf in Scandinavian sources is said to be the same person as Rollo, the Viking leader who founded the Norman dynasty in the later ninth/early tenth century, although in other sources his father is usually Rognvald, Earl of More in Norway and not Oxen-Thorir.^[3]

Although there are very few Frankish sources that mention Rollo, what there is disagrees with the Scandinavian sources and one theory is that Hrolf if he existed is not the same person as Rollo.^[4]

Consequently if Kadlin is the daughter of Ganger-Hrolf, there is no guarantee that she is the daughter of Rollo of Normandy.

No mother's name is mentioned in any of the sources.

Dates

There are no dates mentioned in any of the Icelandic sources, but the birth date for her great granddaughter, Gudrun Osvifsdotter is estimated at circa 973,^[5] which given a 20-25 year generation length would place Kadlin's birth in about 900-910.

Some online sources have 1001 as the year she died, but this would be clearly impossible if the estimated birth date is correct. Nor given her marriage in Scotland would it be likely that she died at Rouen.

• Íslendingabók has her estimated birthdate as 880. (Thorisdottir-4 12:57, 11 February 2024 (UTC))

Sources

1. ↑ Vigfusson, Gudbrand & Powell, F. York, Origines Islandicae: A collection of the more important sagas and other native writings relating to the settlement and early history of Iceland, Vol. 1 (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1905), bk. II, 9.3, p. 66; digital image, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/originesislandic01guiala : accessed 28 February 2016).
2. ↑ 'Laxdæla saga', Icelandic version, Chapter 32, from Icelandic saga database (http://www.sagadb.org/laxdaela_saga#32 : accessed 28 February 2016)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Laxdæla Saga, trans. by Magnus Magnusson & Hermann Pálsson, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Penguin. 1969, chap. 32, p. 117, note 1.
4. ↑ Baldwin, Stewart, 'Rollo "of Normandy", version 8 February 2004, in The Henry Project, ed by Stewart Baldwin & Todd Farmerie, (http://home.earthlink.net/~henryproject/hproject/prov/rollo000.htm : accessed 28 February 2016)
5. ↑ Laxdæla Saga, trans. by Magnus Magnusson & Hermann Pálsson, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Penguin. 1969, Chronological table, p. 267

See Also:

• Guðni Jónsson bjó til prentunar: Laxdæla saga; Útg. Íslendingasagnaútgáfan, Reykjavík 1946-1949