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Geira (ca. 965 – 985) was a Wendish princess attested by Old Norse sagas who allegedly ruled over territory near the border of Germania before marrying a young Óláfr Tryggvasonr.
Family
According to Oddr Snorrason's Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar and Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, she was the daughter of the Wendish king Burislav and the sister of Gunnhild, who married Sveinn Forkbeard, and Ástríðr, who married jarl Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson.[1][2] This account of her family presents several problems of chronology.[3][4]
Óláfr Tryggvasonr
Both sagas present Geira as sole ruler of her own territory, with a lieutenant named Dixin, at the time of Óláfr Tryggvasonr's arrival in Wendland, which would have been in the 980s.[5][6][7] Oddr specifies that she was already widowed by that time.[1]
Óláfr overwintered in Wendland, becoming close to Geira and marrying her that winter. Oddr Snorrason has an extended wooing scene with Dixin as go-between which, being more romantic than most saga material, may have been inspired by romantic or classical material. [8][1]
Óláfr stayed in Wendland for three years, making sure Geira's rebellious subjects continued paying tribute to her, until she died of an illness. Grieving greatly over her death, Óláfr left Wendland.[9]
References
- ^ a b c Snorrason, Oddr (31 May 2018). The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason. Cornell University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-5017-1790-1.
- ^ Heimskringla (PDF). Vol. I. Translated by Finlay, Alison; Faulkes, Anthony. p. 156.
- ^ Alexander Bugge, 'Sandhed og digt om Olav Tryggvason', ANOH 1910, p. 8. Bugge also points out that Geira is not usually a Slavic name, but might be German.
- ^ See also Gunhild of Wenden for the source discrepancies associated with this family.
- ^ Pranke, Piotr (14 August 2023). Between East and West: Studies on the History of Memory, Commemoration and Reception of Medieval Culture. V&R unipress. p. 152. ISBN 978-3-7370-1598-1.
- ^ Commire, Anne, ed. (2002). "Geyra (fl. 980s)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Waterford, Connecticut: Yorkin Publications. ISBN 0-7876-4074-3. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ DuBois, Thomas Andrew (3 August 1999). Nordic Religions in the Viking Age. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-8122-1714-8.
- ^ Lönnroth, Lars (1975). "Charlemagne, Hrolf Kraki, Olaf Tryggvason: Parallels in the Heroic Tradition". Les relations littéraires franco-scandinaves au moyen âge: 29–52.
- ^ Heimskringla, p. 163.
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