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Freawine

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(Redirected from Frowin) "Frowin" redirects here. For the twelfth-century abbot, see Frowin of Engelberg. For Swiss-American priest, see Frowin Conrad.

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 of Wig.

In the Gesta Danorum, Frowin was the father-in-law of Offa of Angel (presented as a prince and later king of Denmark), whose father king Wermund liked both Frowin and his sons Ket and Wig.

Frowin was challenged to combat by the Myrging king Eadgils, and killed. He would later be avenged by his two sons Ket and Wig. However, the two sons fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to in Widsith as a duel against Eadgils of the Myrgings.

While Freawine appears in the pedigree of the Wessex kings in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he is absent from the pedigree of these kings given in the Anglian collection on Anglo-Saxon royal pedigrees, as well as in a similar pedigree in one transcript of Asser's Vita Ælfredi regis Angul Saxonum. Freawine's appearance in the Chronicle's Wessex royal pedigree has been suggested to be an interpolation of this heroic figure along with his son Wig into a pre-existing pedigree that had been borrowed from the Bernician royal house, and that the name given to the father of Freawine in the pedigree, Friðgar, was added later simply to allow poetic alliteration within the lineage.


The family tree of legendary Kings of the Danes, according to the Gesta Danorum (Books I to VII)

Kings of the Danes are in bold and marked with an asterisk (*). Kings of the Swedes are marked with a dagger (†). Superscript numbers before a name indicate in which books of Gesta Danorum the individual is mentioned.

Humble
KEY
Angul Dan* GrythaMarriage or coupling
Parent and child
The Angles Humble* Lother* King of the SaxonsSuccession by other or unclear means
Roar
Sigtryg, King of the Swedes† Skiold* Alfhild
daughter of Roar Bess
sister of Gram Gróa Gram*† Sumble, King of the Finns
Wagnhofde
Signe Henry, King of the Saxons Hakon, King of the Nitherians
Hardgrep
Swipdag*†, King of Norway sister of Guthorm Guthorm* Hadding* Ragnhild
Asmund† Gunnhild Guthorm
Ulfhild Ubbe*
Henry Uffe† Hunding† Thorhild Scot
daughter of Uffe Ragnar† Swanhwid sisters of Swanhwid Handwan
Thorwald
Frode* daughter of Handwan
Hothbrodd† Halfdan* Ro Skat
Thora
Helge* Ro*
Athisl† Urse
King Gewar Rolf*† Krage Rute Bjarke Skulde Hiartuar†*
Hother†* Nanna Herlek Gerit
former King of Britain mother of the King of Britain a slave a bondmaid Rorik* Gerwendil
King of Britain Queen of Britain Gerutha Horwendil Feng
foster sister of Amleth daughter of the King of Britain Amleth Hermutrude, Queen of Scotland Wiglek*
son of Amleth Wermund* Frowin, governor of Sleswik
Uffe*, aka Olaf the Gentle daughter of Frowin Ket Wig
Dan*
Hugleik*
Frode* the Vigorous
Dan*
Kraka Ragnar Brak Fridleif* the Swift Hun, King of the Huns Hun
Gotar, King of Norway Westmar Koll Gotwar
Roller Erik† Shrewd-spoken Gunwar the Fair Alfhild Frode* Hanund Grep (eldest of three) 11 other sons (two named Grep)
Hythin, King of Tellemark Alf Eyfura ArngrimGrubbHiarn*Amund, King of Norway
Halfdan† 12 sons, including AngantyAneJurithaFridleif*FrogerthaFrok
Hanef, King of SaxonySwerting, King of SaxonyOlafFrode*
Siward†Unnamed sonsIngeld*HelgaHelgeAsa
FrodeFridleifIngeldOlaf*Karl, governor of Gothland
UlfhildFrode*Hather, a chiefHarald*Signe
ErikThorhildHalfdan*† BiargrammHarald
Asmund
Kings of Norway

Name spellings are derived from Oliver Elton's 1905 translation, The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, via Wikisource.

Notes

  1. IV 3.1.7-8, 3.3.1, 4, 3.4.1, 4, 3.12.1, 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.
  2. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle s.a. 854.
  3. IV 3.1.7-8.
  4. IV 3.3.1, 4.
  5. IV 3.14.1-4, 3.15.3, 3.18.5.
  6. Saxo Grammaticus, Gesta Danorum IV 4.4.5-4.11.5. Cfr. Chronicon lethrense.
  7. Sisam, Kenneth "Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies", Proceedings of the British Academy, 39 (1953), pp. 287–348

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