| Battle of Bråvalla | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict | Scandinavian conflicts | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | ca. 750 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Near Bråviken, Ostrogothia | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | Danish defeat | ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The Battle of Bråvalla was a legendary battle that took place between Sigurd Ring, king of Sweden and the Geats of Westrogothia, and Harald Hildetand, king of Denmark and the Geats of Ostrogothia.
| Table of contents |
This battle is said to have taken place in the mid 8th century and it is retold in several sources, such as the Icelandic Sagas Hervarar saga and Sögubrot af Nokkrum and in Gesta Danorum. According to the Swedish journalist and best selling historian Herman Lindquist, the Rök Stone relates of this battle.
Harald had inherited Sweden from his maternal grandfather Ivar Vidfamne, but ruled Denmark and Ostrogothia, whereas his subordinate king Sigurd Ring was the ruler of Sweden and Westrogothia. According to legend Harald Hildetand realised that he was growing old (150) and may die of old age and so never go to Valhalla. He consequently asked Sigurd if he would let him leave this life gloriously in a great battle.
According to Saxo Grammaticus, both hosts prepared for seven years, and mustered armies of 200 000 men! Harald was joined by the legendary heroes Ubbe of Friesland, Uvle Brede, Are the One-eyed, Dag the Fat, Hroi Whitebeard and Hothbrodd the indomitable as well was 300 shieldmaidens led by Hed, Visna and Hedborg. Sigurd recruited the legendary heroes Starkad, Egil the Bald, Grette the Evil (a Norwegian), Blig Bignose, Einar the Fatbellied and Erling Snake. They were joined by scores of Norwegians, Saxons, Angles, Frisians, Irish, Rus', Finns, etc. Whole forests were chopped down in order to build 3000 longships to transport the Swedes. Harald's Danes had built so many ships that they could walk across The Sound!
According to a local tradition it took place at lake Åsnen in Smalandia, but according to Hervarar saga it is described as Brávelli í eystra Gautlandi (i.e. Bråvalla in Ostrogothia) and in Sögubrot af Nokkrum the battle is said to have taken place south of Kolmården which separated Sweden from Ostrogothia and where Bråviken is located: ..Kolmerkr, er skilr Sví<thorn>jó<eth> ok Eystra-Gautland ... sem heitir Brávík..
According to Saxo Grammaticus: The 200 000 warriors met at Bråvalla, and when the kings had sacrificed to Odin the battle commenced. Ubbe slayed three princes among whom were the legendary warriors Agnar and Ragvald the Wise Counselor. Ubbe broke through all the Swedish lines, but fell at last riddled with 144 arrows during a duel with Starkad. Then Starkad fought savagely against the shieldsmaidens whereupon his jaw was cut off. However, biting his own beard he managed to keep it in place. He then cut the arm off Visna who held the Danish flag. Vedbjorg fell fighting Thorkel the Stubborn, who won after "a lot of wounds and talking". The 157-year-old Harald, led his Danish and Geatish allies on the line of battle in a chariot, cutting wildly with swords in both hands. Finally, Odin himself came down to take Harald home to Valhalla.
Sigurd won the battle and became the sovereign ruler of all of Sweden and Denmark. 40 000 men had died.