''Ingamoder'' is a Swedish name invented in modern times for the daughter of King

Emund the Old Emund the Old (Old Norse: ''Eymundr gamli''; Old Swedish: ''Æmunðær gamlæ'', ''Æmunðær gammal'', ''Æmunðær slemæ''; Swedish: ''Emund den gamle''; died c. 1060) was King of Sweden from c. 1050 to c. 1060. His short reign was characteri ...

who was married to King Stenkil of Sweden and whose given name is not known. It translates to English as "Mother of Inge" (that is of King

Inge the Elder Inge the Elder ( Swedish: ''Inge Stenkilsson''; Old Norse: ''Ingi Steinkelsson''; died c. 1105–1110) was a king of Sweden. In English literature he has also been called ''Ingold''. While scant sources do not allow a full picture of his term of ...

Biography

The woman was born about 1025 to King Emund. She married

Stenkil Stenkil (Old Norse: ''Steinkell''; died 1066) was a King of Sweden who ruled c. 1060 until 1066. He succeeded Emund the Old and became the first king from the House of Stenkil. He is praised as a devout Christian, but with an accommodating stanc ...

, who would later inherit her father's title. According to a few more or less reliable sources King Stenkil had four sons, of which the first two can be considered known to history: *

, King of Sweden *

Halsten Stenkilsson Halsten Stenkilsson ( English exonym: ''Alstan''; Old Icelandic: ''Hallstein''Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...

Purported identity as ''Ingemo''

''Ingemo'' was a local Swedish saint in

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Vä ...

, however, she was not officially sanctioned and recognized by the Church. She is known only from customs at the Ingemo Well in Sweden. Ingemo Well (), located between

Skövde Skövde () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland, Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central southern Sweden. Skövde is situated around 150 k ...

and

Tidaholm Tidaholm () is a locality and the seat of Tidaholm Municipality in Västergötland Province within Västra Götaland County, Sweden, consisting of 520 square kilometers, or a little more than 200 square miles. It is located on the Tidan River, t ...

, is a natural well where Ingemo was venerated according to legend, and which may originally have been a Pagan era holy site well. The well is walled with stone, its dimensions are 1,2 × 0,6 meter. It is covered with a limestone slab. The well was the goal of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

s, where people offered

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

s for health into the 19th century. The earliest accounts of the customs at the well date from the late 17th century. Modern genealogical speculation made her the mother of Inge but ''Ingemo'' cannot be reliably sourced as the same person as ''Ingamoder''.

References

Other sources

*Ohlmarks, Åke ''Alla Sveriges drottningar'' (AWE/Geber: 1976) Swedish *Ohlmarks, Åke ''Alla Sveriges prinsessor'' (AWE/Geber: 1979) Swedish {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingemo 11th-century Swedish women 11th-century Swedish people Medieval Swedish saints People from Västra Götaland County Swedish queens Princesses of Sweden House of Munsö Female saints of medieval Sweden Daughters of kings Mothers of Swedish monarchs