Árheimar (

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

"river home") was a capital of the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

, according to the Hervarar saga. The saga states that it was located at ''Danparstaðir'' ("

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

stead"), which is identified with the ruins of , near Kamianka-Dniprovska in southern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Hervarar saga

The name first appears in the ''Hervarar saga'' when

Angantyr Angantyr was the name of three male characters from the same line in Norse mythology, and who appear in '' Hervarar saga'', ''Gesta Danorum'', and Faroese ballads. The last generation named Angantyr also appears to be mentioned as ''Incgentheo ...

has avenged his father

Heidrek Heidrek or Heiðrekr (Old Norse: ) is one of the main characters in the cycle about the magic sword Tyrfing. He appears in the '' Hervarar saga'', and probably also in ''Widsith'',line 115, as ''Heathoric'' together with his sons Angantyr (''Incge ...

and retaken the Dwarf-cursed sword

Tyrfing Tyrfing, also rendered as Tirfing or Tyrving, was a magic sword in Norse mythology, which features in the Tyrfing Cycle, which includes a poem from the ''Poetic Edda'' called '' Hervararkviða'', and the Hervarar saga. The name is also used ...

: It was during this feast that Angantyr's Hunnish half-brother

Hlöd Hlöd or Hlod was the illegitimate son of Heidrek, the king of the Geats, in Norse mythology. He appears in the ''Hervarar saga'' and probably also as ''Hlith'' in ''Widsith'', line 115, together with his father Heidrek, Heiðrekr (''Heathoric'') ...

appeared with a large army to demand half the inheritance: The next place is when Angantyr's brave sister

Hervor Hervör (Old Norse: ''Hervǫr'') is the name shared by two female characters in the Tyrfing Cycle, presented in ''Hervarar saga, The Saga of Hervör and Heidrek'' with parts found in the ''Poetic Edda''. The first, the Viking Hervör, challenged ...

fights the Huns, although her small army is greatly outnumbered by the horde and she knows she cannot win: Arheimar is mentioned for the last time when the Geatish king Gizur arrives with his army from

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

to fight for the Goths, and tells the Huns where the Geats and the Goths will meet the Huns in battle. Hlöd demeans Gizur by calling him an

Ostrogoth The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

( Gryting) and 'Angantyr's man from Arheimar', and not a king of the Geats:

Notes

Sources

* *
e-text
**Also Kershaw's translation alongside the Old Nors

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arheimar Gothic cities and towns Saga locations Tyrfing cycle Populated places on the Dnieper