|
In Norse mythology Domalde, Dómaldi or Dómaldr was a Swedish king of the House of Ynglings, cursed by his stepmother, according to Snorri Sturluson, with ósgćssa, "ill-luck". He was the son of Visbur.
The luck of the king is the luck of the land,[1] and Domalde's rule was marked by bad crops and starvation. The first autumn, the Swedes sacrificed oxen at the temple at Uppsala, but the next harvest was not better. The second autumn, they sacrificed men, but the following crops were even worse.
The third year many Swedes arrived at Gamla Uppsala at the Thing of all Swedes and the chiefs decided they had to sacrifice the king. They sprinkled the statues of the gods with his blood (see Blót) and the good harvests returned.
He was succeeded by his son Domar whose reign was prosperous.
Snorri Sturluson wrote of Domalde in his Ynglinga saga (1225):
|
Dómaldi tók arf eptir föđur sinn Vísbur, ok réđ löndum. Á hans dögum gerđist í Svíţjóđ sultr mikill ok seyra. Ţá efldu Svíar blót stór at Uppsölum; hit fyrsta haust blótuđu ţeir yxnum, ok batnađi ekki árferđ at heldr. En annat haust hófu ţeir mannblót, en árferđ var söm eđa verri. En hit ţriđja haust kómu Svíar fjölment til Uppsala, ţá er blót skyldu vera. Ţá áttu höfđingjar ráđagerđ sína; ok kom ţat ásamt međ ţeim, at hallćrit mundi standa af Dómalda konungi ţeirra, ok ţat međ, at ţeir skyldu honum blóta til árs sér, ok veita honum atgöngu ok drepa hann, ok rjóđa stalla međ blóđi hans. Ok svá gerđu ţeir.[2]
|
|
Domald took the heritage after his father Visbur, and ruled over the land. As in his time there was great famine and distress, the Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal. The first autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his blood. And they did so.[3][4]
|
|
The sacrifice of Domalde by Halfdan Egedius.
Snorri included a piece from Ynglingatal (9th century) in his account in the Heimskringla:
- Hitt var fyrr
- at fold ruđu
- sverđberendr
- sínum drótni,
- ok landherr
- af lífs vönum
- dreyrug vápn
- Dómalda bar,
- ţá er árgjörn
- Jóta dolgi
- Svía kind
- of sóa skyldi.[5][6]
|
- It has happened oft ere now,
- That foeman's weapon has laid low
- The crowned head, where battle plain,
- Was miry red with the blood-rain.
- But Domald dies by bloody arms,
- Raised not by foes in war's alarms
- Raised by his Swedish liegemen's hand,
- To bring good seasons to the land.[7][8]
|
|
The Historia Norwegić presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:
|
Cujus [Wisbur] filium Domald Sweones suspendentes pro fertilitate frugum deć Cereri hostiam obtulerunt. Iste genuit Domar [...][9]
|
His [Visbur] son Domalde was hanged by the Swedes as a sacrificial offering to Ceres to ensure the fruitfulness of the crops. Domalde begot Domar, [...][10]
|
|
The even earlier source Íslendingabók cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Dómaldr as the successor of Visburr and the predecessor of Dómarr: vii Visburr. viii Dómaldr. ix Dómarr[11].
Notes
- ^ "The Danish sources, for example, tell of many kings who bore the title Frothi (wise/fruitful)" remarked John Grigsby in the context of just such 'Royal Obligations', ch. 11, Beowulf and Grendel 2005: 124, noting (note 3) Frothi's appearance in Saxo Grammaticus.
- ^ Ynglinga saga at Norrřne Tekster og Kvad
- ^ Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
- ^ Laing's translation at Northvegr
- ^ Ynglinga saga at Norrřne Tekster og Kvad
- ^ A second online presentation of Ynglingatal
- ^ Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
- ^ Laing's translation at Northvegr
- ^ Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegić: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brřgger), p. 98
- ^ Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003). Historia Norwegie. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 8772898135, p. 75.
- ^ Guđni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók
Sources
|
