Offa (nickname for Wulf) is a semi-legendary king of the Angles in the genealogy of the kings of Mercia presented in the ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of A ...

''. He is the son of Wermund and the father of

Angeltheow The Angles were a dominant Germanic tribe in the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, and gave their name to the English, England and to the region of East Anglia. Originally from Angeln, present-day Schleswig-Holstein, a legendary list of their k ...

. His name is also mentioned in the Old English poem ''

Widsith "Widsith" ( ang, Wīdsīþ, "far-traveller", lit. "wide-journey"), also known as "The Traveller's Song", is an Old English poem of 143 lines. It survives only in the '' Exeter Book'', a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late-10th ...

''. He has been identified with Uffo (also ''Uffe, Uffi of Jutland''), a

legendary Danish king The legendary kings of Denmark are the predecessors of Gorm the Old, a king who reigned ca. 930s to 950s and is the earliest reliably attested Danish ruler. Historicity of the earlier legendary kings are thus half legend and half history. The acc ...

in the '' Gesta Danorum'' by Saxo Grammaticus.

History

The Old English poem ''

'' (8th century) refers briefly to his victorious single combat, a story which is related at length by the 12th-century Danish historians Saxo and Sven Aggesen. Offa is also mentioned in the ''Annales Ryenses'', ''Vita Offae Primi'' and '' Vitae duorum Offarum''. According to ''Widsith'' and the Danish sources, Offa successfully conquered the Myrgings, possibly a clan of Saxon origin, and incorporated their land into Angel or Danish lands, by slaying two Myrging princes in single combat and installing himself as their king. It is possible that the Offa mentioned in '' Beowulf'' (lines 1949 and 1957) and married to

Modþryð Modthryth, Thryth ('strength', cf. Old Norse Þrúðr, the daughter of Thor), and Fremu are reconstructed names for a character who figures as the queen of King Offa in ''Beowulf''. Naming problem: Modthryth, Thryth, or Fremu? The reason for th ...

, a lady of murderous disposition, is the same person.

Legend

In the narrative of Saxo, Uffi is said to have been dumb or silent during his early years. His aged and blind father, King Wermund believed him to be a simpleton and in order to preserve his son's position as king had him marry the daughter of

Freawine Freawine, ''Frowin'' or ''Frowinus'' figures as a governor of Schleswig in ''Gesta Danorum'' and in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' as an ancestor of the kings of Wessex, but the latter source only tells that he was the son of Friðgar and the father ...

(a neighbouring warlord/king) so that Freawine would assist Uffi when he became king. However, the plans did not come to pass, as Freawine was killed by a Myrging warlord called Eadgils. Wermund subsequently raised Freawine's sons Ket and Wig as his own. The two would eventually cause great dishonour to the Angles when they ambushed Eadgils in a forest as he walked alone and slew him. The surrounding peoples began to mock the Angles, accusing them of cowardice and dishonour. Eventually the neighbouring Saxons decided that Wermund was too weak to resist their requests for him to surrender his kingdom, and they sent their emissaries to Wermund's court. There they proceeded to mock the blind man, prompting Wermund to challenge their king to a duel — but the king stated that he would not fight a blind man. It was then that Uffi regained his speech, and revealed that his silence had been caused by the great dishonour involved in Eadgil's death. He promptly challenged the prince of the Saxons and one of his champions to a duel in order to regain the honour of the Angles. Uffi's combat took place at

Rendsburg Rendsburg ( da, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'', nds, Rendsborg, also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eck ...

on an island in the Eider River at Fifeldore/Monster-Gate, and Uffi succeeded in killing both his opponents. A somewhat corrupt version of the same story is preserved in the 13th-century '' Vitae duorum Offarum'', where, however, the scene is transferred to England.

References

Literature

* See H. M. Chadwick, ''Origin of the English Nation'' (Cambridge, 1907), for references to the original authorities. *Rickert, Edith. "The Old English Offa Saga." '' Modern Philology'' 2 (1904-5): 29-77 (part 1), 321-76 (part 2)
PDF available from Internet Archive
*Shippey, Tom. "Wicked Queens and Cousin Strategies in ''Beowulf'' and Elsewhere." '' The Heroic Age'' 5 (2001)
Available online
* {{Authority control Mythological kings of Denmark Anglish people English heroic legends Anglo-Saxon warriors Characters in Beowulf