Guthorm or ''Guthormus'' was one of the earliest
legendary Danish kings according to
Saxo Grammaticus
Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
. He was a son of the
Danish king,
Gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined in 1795 as "the absolute Mass versus weight, weight of a volume ...
, and a
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
princess,
Groa.
History
His father was slain by the
Norwegian king,
Svipdagr
Svipdagr (Old Norse: "sudden day"Orchard (1997:157).) is the hero of the two Old Norse Poetic Edda, Eddaic poems Grógaldr and Fjölsvinnsmál, which are contained within the body of one work; Svipdagsmál.
Plot
Svipdagr is set a task by his ...
. After the incident, Svipdagr installed him as the
puppet king
A puppet ruler is someone who holds a title of political authority, but is loyal to or controlled by outside persons or groups. When a foreign government wields such outside control, the puppet ruler's territory is referred to as a puppet state. ...
of the
Danes
Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
History
Early history
Denmark ...
. However, his half-brother,
Hading refused the offer and entered
exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
, later he returned and retook his father's kingdom, but lack of mentions of Guthorm implies that his half-brother died before his return. (It is also stated that when Hading defeated Svipdag, he had vengeance not only for his father but also his brother, supporting the idea that Guthorm had already died.)
Text
References
{{Reflist
Legendary kings of Denmark