Helena Torildsdotter

Helena av Sverige

• Född Omkring 1065
• Död Omkring 1140 Vreta kloster.

Hon var syster till Blot-Sven och maka till kung Inge den äldre. Var drottning i två omgångar omkring 1080–1084 samt omkring 1088–1105

Källor:

• Ahnlund, Nils i Historisk tidskrift 1945 s. 338
• Sven Rosborn: När hände vad i Nordens historia (1997)

Helena Torildsdatter of Sweden (Torildsdatter Blot Sven) Also Known As: "Helena Torildsdotter Blot-Sven of Skövde" Birthdate: circa 1070 Birthplace: Uppsala, Sweden, Death: Died 1140 in Skövde, Sweden, Immediate Family: Daughter of Torild Totilsson, King of Sweden and Cecilia, Wife of Inge "the elder" Stenkilsson of Sweden, King of Sweden, Mother of Ragnvald Ingesson "Button-head" Christina of Sweden, Princess of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Kiev Margareta Ingesdotter Fredkulla Katarina Ingesdotter, Princess of Sweden and Ingrid Ingesdotter Sister of Queen Sigrid Torildsdotter of Hunaland Blot-Sven and Bold? Occupation: Queen of Sweden, Sister of Blot-Sven Managed by: Private User About Helena Torildsdatter of Sweden, Helena is mentioned in the year 1100. She was Swedish queen, married to King Inge 1 d.e. Stenkilson of Sweden. She is mentioned as King Inge's wife in the genealogy that was filed in 1194 in a letter to the pope from the Danish side for A ?? contest marriage marriages between the French King Philip II August and a daughter of her daughter's daughter, King Valdemar the Great of Denmark. The letter is written by the abbot Vilhelm of A ?? belholt (W. Norvin: Abbed Wilhelms B reve 1933, page 159).

Helena and Inge had thee children:

• 1. Princess Christina Ingesdotter. DA ?? d 18.01.1122.
• 2. Queen Margareta Fredkulla Ingesdotter of Sweden. DA ?? d fA 1136.
• 3. Catherine Ingesdotter.

Helena also occurs ?? in a larger genealogy of A bel belholt over the Danish kings. As Inge's wife, she is referred to at a length of over 1100 donors to the Vreta monastery, known through transcripts from the 16th century. The same length also indicates ?? that a Queen Helena had entered the monastery and donated land in RA town in Slak a to the monastery. However, the placement of this note has led to speculation that she would be identical to an unknown later queen. Therefore, the question of Helena's identity is related to the "Elena Regina" certain death date was December 31 according to "Necrologium Lundense". According to the Icelandic Hervarars saga from the 13th century, Blot-Sven was the brother of Inge the elder's wife, she is called "MA ?? r" in this saga. The word means mA ?? but is otherwise not known as woman name. It has therefore been assumed that she was identical to Helena, that is, Helena was sister to Blot-Sven and thus related to the previous royal family. 16th century historian Johannes Magnus, who confused Inge the Younger and Inge the Elder, made Helena the Inge the Younger Queen. This has caused her name to appear on the tomb monument to Inge the Younger that Johan II I had erected in the church of Vreta monastery. Helena dA ?? they in the early 12th century.1)

Source 1). Swedish Biographical Lexicon 1969-71, Band 18, pages 555-556. The Swedish National Encyclopedia

Wikipedia

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_av_Sverige

Helena er nevnt i år 1100. Hun var svensk dronning, gift med Kong Inge 1 d.e. Stenkilson av Sverige. Hun nevnes som kong Inges hustru i den slektsutredning som ble inngitt i 1194 i et brev til paven fra dansk side for å bestride ekteskapshinder mellom den franske kongen Filip II August og en datter til hennes datterdattersønn, kong Valdemar den Store av Danmark. Brevet er forfattet av abbeden Vilhelm av Æbelholt (W. Norvin: Abbed Wilhelms Breve 1933, side 159). Helena og Inge hadde barna:

1. Fyrstinne Christina Ingesdotter. DÃ?d 18.01.1122.

2. Dronning Margareta Fredkulla Ingesdotter av Sverige. DÃ?d fÃ?r 1136.

3. Katarina Ingesdotter.

Helena forekommer ogsÃ? i en stÃ?rre genealogi av Ã?belholt over de danske kongene.

Som Inge's hustru omtales hun i en lengde over 1100-talls donatorer til Vreta kloster, kjent gjennom avskrifter fra 1500-tallet. Samme lengde oppgir ogsÃ? at en dronning Helena hadde inngÃ?tt i klosteret og donert jord i RÃ?by i Slak a til klosteret.

Plasseringen av denne notis har imidlertid fÃ?rt til spekulasjoner om at hun skulle vÃ?re identisk med en ukjent senere dronning. Derfor henger spÃ?rsmÃ?let om Helenas identitet sammen med den "Elena Regina" viss dÃ?dsdag var 31. desem ber i henhold til "Necrologium Lundense".

I henhold til den islandske Hervararsagaen fra 1200-tallet var Blot-Sven bror til Inge den eldres hustru, hun kalles "MÃ?r" i denne sagaen. Ordet betyr mÃ?, men er forÃ?vrig ikke kjent som kvinnenavn. Det har derfor blitt antatt at h un var identisk med Helena, dvs. at Helena var sÃ?ster til Blot-Sven og dermed i slekt med den foregÃ?ende kongeslekten.

1500-tallshistorikeren Johannes Magnus, som forvekslet Inge den yngre og Inge den eldre, gjorde Helena til Inge den yngres dronning. Dette har fÃ?rt til at hennes navn forekommer pÃ? det gravmonument over Inge den yngre som Johan II I lot oppfÃ?re i Vreta klosters kirke. Helena dÃ?de i begynnelsen av 1100-talet.1)

1). Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon 1969-71, Band 18, side 555-556. Den svenske Nationalencyklopedin

Barn

1. Margaret Fridkulla Ingesdottir, f. Om 1074, Sverige

2. Ragnvald Ingesson of Sweden, f. Om 1076

3. Katarina Ingesdottir, f. Om 1105, Uppsala, Sverige

4. Kristina Ingesdottir of Sweden, f. Om 1080, Uppsala, Sverige , d. 18 Jan 1122

Familj med Inge d ä >> Stenkilsson (1055 - 1110)

Barn: Katarina >> Ingesdotter (1100 - 1170)

 Margareta Fredkulla (Ingesdotter) (- 1135) 

Ragnvald Ingesson (Knaphövde) (- 1126)
Kristina Ingesdotter (- 1122)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noteringar

Sankta Helena av Skövde (Elin)

Källa: Gustaf Elgenstierna - Den introducerade adelns ättartavlor.

Elin av Skövde eller Helena av Skövde, en högättad kvinna, som levde på 1100-talet, och betraktas som Västergötlands helgon. Hon avbildas med änkedok, svärd och bok. Helgonet pryder Skövde kommunvapen.

Legenden om Elin, som även går under namnet Helena, skrevs ned i början av 1300-talet av Skarabiskopen Brynolf Algotsson. Den finns i fornsvensk och latinsk version. Enligt legenden blev Elin tidigt änka. I sitt äktenskap hade hon många barn. Efter makens död levde hon ett fromt liv på sin gård i Våmb och skänkte rikliga gåvor till kyrkan i Skövde. Hon hade en syster som blev utsatt för hustrumisshandel och kvinnovåld av sin make. Detta hade till följd att mannen, Elins måg, dräptes av sitt eget folk. Mannens fränder skyllde det inträffade på Elin och tog därför blodshämnd. Elin dräptes av mågens fränder när hon var på väg till en kyrkoinvigning i Götene. Strax före sin död, hade Elin gjort en pilgrimsvandring till den Heliga Graven i Jerusalem.

Elin begravdes i Skövde kyrka och efter en tid började det inträffa under vid hennes grav. Enligt legenden ska påven Alexander III pådriven av Sveriges förste ärkebiskop, Stefan av Alvastra, ha helgonförklarat henne omkring 1164 och Elin firas idag den 30:e eller den 31 juli. Enligt traditionen blev Elin ihjälslagen den 1 augusti, men den dagen kunde hon inte firas, eftersom dagen redan var upptagen av Petrus, vars fängslande ihågkoms detta datum. Därför har firandet av Sankta Elin av Skövde förlagts till 30 juli i vissa stift och 31 juli i andra stift. Utanför Norden var Sankta Elin inte känd. I Danmark ärades hon mycket, och hennes namn är där särskilt knutet till Helenekilde vid Tisvilde Strand på Själland. Från medeltiden finns 38 verk, föreställande Sankta Elin, bevarade och i de skriftliga källorna nämns hon två gånger på 1400-talet.

Vid Källegården på P 4: s område i Skövde, strax söder om stadskärnan, finns Sankta Elins källa. Över källan, vilken på befallning av ärkebiskop Abraham Angermannus 1596 igenfylldes, men sedan åter bröt fram i dagen, fanns förr ett kapell, vars sista lämningar nedrevs 1759 och användes till återuppbyggande av Skövde kyrka samma år. Enligt traditionen så sprang källan upp då Elins lik fördes via den vägen till kyrkan i Skövde. Källebäcken är idag iordningsställd med en rest sten såsom åminnelse åt stadens helgon. En annan Elinskälla finns nära Götene kyrka och flera andra platser i Skaraborg är tillägnade hennes namn, bland annat i Varv och Österplana på Kinnekulle.

fr Wikipedia

Children

1. Christina Princess of Sweden

 Born: ABT 1075 - of, Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

Marr: 1095 - Mstislav I Grand Prince of Kiev
Died: 18 Jan 1122 -
2. Margarete (Frithkulla) Princess of Sweden

 Born: ABT 1078 - , , , Sweden

Marr: 1101 - Magnus III Olafson King of Norway (other spouses)
Died: BEF 4 Nov 1130 -
3. Katarina Princess of Sweden

 Born: ABT 1081 - , Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

Marr: - Bjorn "Jernside" Haraldsson
Died: -
4. Ragnvald Prince of Sweden

 Born: ABT 1087 - 

Died: -

Helena (wife of Inge the Elder)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Queen Helena or Elin, also known as Maer, Mär or Mö (Old Norse for Maiden) (born in the 11th-century – Floruit 1105), was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Inge the Elder and the sister of King Blot-Sweyn of Sweden.

Biography

The background of Queen Helena is unconfirmed. She is believed to have been from Östergötland. Helena is said to have been of the old Swedish royal family, a sideline of the House of Yngling[1], and the sister of Blot-Sweyn. King Inge, who was King of Sweden and parts of Sweden several times, is famous for being the King who defeated the pagans in the religious wars who took place in Sweden between 1022 and 1088 and abolished freedom of religion, requiring everyone to profess the Christian faith. His greatest opponent in this fight was the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.

King Inge was said to have married Blot-Sweyn's sister Maer, or Mö; in Icelandic sources, she is referred to as Mär[2] and officially, she is referred to as Helena. It is also sometimes suggested that she was of Greek or Russian origin, but this is unconfirmed and unlikely. The marriage is well pointed out in history as the wedding between Inge and the sister of Blot-Sweyn, and Sweyn is always referred to as the brother-in-law of Inge* [3]. Because of this it is therefore sometimes believed that Inge was married two times. However, "Maer" is not an actual name, it is simply an old Nordic word for "Maiden"; the other spellig of the name, "Mö", is still well known as an old-fashioned word for "Maiden" or "Virgin". "Helena" is the usual Latin spelling of the Swedish name Elin. This can be assumed to be the same person; the maiden Elin, to Christian foreigners spelled as Helena in Latin, sister to the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.

The genealogy of the old Viking families is very hard to follow, in spite of the many songs which describe them, but as sister of Blot-Sweyn, she may have been a daughter of Prince Ingvar Vittfarne of Sweden, son of King Emund the Old of Sweden, and the cousin of her spouse. The marriage was likely arranged for political reasons to unite the Pagan and Christian fractions. A runestone raised by a man by the name Sigtorn to the honour of his daughter Mö and his son Sven is suggested to have been raised by the father of Queen Helena and her brother Blot-Sweyn. Helena's full name would in that case have been Helena Sigtornsdotter.

Not many things are confirmed about queen Helena, but she was most likely a Pagan like her brother at the time of her marriage and convinced, willingly or by force, to submit to the Christian faith and convert. She may have received the name Helena by her christening, as her daughters were also given names from Christian Europe: Christina, Margaret and Catherine. It is not known which side she favoured between the Pagans and Christians. In 1087-88, she witnessed the war between her Christian spouse and her Pagan brother and saw the former triumph. Perhaps she mourned the death of ther brother and Paganism in 1087–1088, but to the end of her life she was, or gave the impression to be a Christian; after the defeat of the pagans, she founded Sweden's first known nunnery, the Benedictine Vreta Abbey in Östergötland, jointly with her spouse some time between 1090[4] and 1100. She donated twenty estates in Östergötland to the convent upon its foundation[5], estates believed to have been the queen's, possibly as a dowry, or as an inheritance after her brother Sweyn. After the death of her spouse in c. 1105, Queen Dowager Helena enterred the Vreta Abbey as a nun.

[edit]Confusion with Helena of Skövde

Queen Helena or Elin has long been confused in history with Saint Helena of Skövde (d.1135), who lived in Sweden during the same period. This is a misconception which has no support from historians now.

[edit]Children

Christina, married Grand Duke Mstislav I of Kiev,[6] and ancestress of several Kievan and Novgorod princes.[citation needed]

Ragnvald, who died before his father and who was father of Ingrid, who first was married to the Danish prince Eric Skatelar, and later to the Norwegian king Harald Gille.[6] She was the mother of pretender (and alleged murderer) Magnus Henriksson.[citation needed]

Margaret Fredkulla, married (1) Magnus Barefoot, king of Norway, and later king Niels of Denmark;[6] through her second marriage, she was the mother of King Magnus the Strong of Västergötland and claimant of Denmark.[citation needed]

Catherine, married a Danish "Son of King", Björn Ironside Haraldsson,[6] with whom she had a daughter Christina Bjornsdatter who married the future Eric IX of Sweden.[citation needed]

[edit]References and litterature

^ * Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) (in Swedish). "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and its rulers during 1000 years").. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-075007-7.

^ * Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) (in Swedish). "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and its rulers during 1000 years").. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-075007-7.

^ Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) (in Swedish). "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and its rulers during 1000 years").. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-075007-7.

^ * Sven Rosborn (In Swedish): När hände vad i Nordens historia (When did what happen in the historiy of the Nordic countries) (1997)

^ * Sven Rosborn (In Swedish): När hände vad i Nordens historia (When did what happen in the historiy of the Nordic countries) (1997)

^ a b c d The article Inge in Nordisk familjebok (1910).

[edit]Sources

Svensk Uppslagsbok, 1947 års Utgåva.(Swedish dictionary, 1947 edition) (Swedish)

Lars O. Lagerqvist (1982) (in (Swedish)). "Sverige och dess regenter under 1.000 år",("Sweden and its rulers during 1000 years").. Albert Bonniers Förlag AB. ISBN 91-0-075007-7.

Sven Rosborn (Swedish): När hände vad i Nordens historia (When did what happen in the history of the Nordic countries) (1997)

Helena (Jag Vissa källor Maer och MO) var drottning av Sverige omkring 1080-1084 samt omkring 1088-1105. Hon var syster till den så kallade Blot-Sven och maka till kung Inge den äldre.

Det finns en gammal förteckning som talar om Att kung Inge och drottning Helena Agde stora jordegendomar i de trakterna och de ska ha givit bort cirka 20 bondgårdar Till ett kloster i Vreta som grundades invid kyrkan den nybyggda. Det här var Mellan år 1090 och 1100. En del vill ha den här händelsen Att betyda Att Inge kom från Östergötland men troligare var Att det var Helena som kom från landskapet och de 20 Gårdarna ska i så fall ha Kommit till familjen vid giftermålet, eller kanske Ännu troligare, att det var gårdar de Fått Jag Us med Dråpet av Blot-Sven som antagligen hade synden Att i området.

Barn

Med Inge den äldre:

Kristina, (död 1122), G. m. storfurst Mstislav I av Kiev (1076-1132)

Ragnvald, död Troligen före fadern, identifierats män har jag Vissa källor med kung Ragnvald Knaphövde

Margareta kallad Fredkulla, g. m. Magnus Barfot av Norge

Katarina, g. m. Björn Järnsida av Danmark (död 1134); Deras dotter Kristina blev svensk drottning.

Änkedrottning Helena Torildsdotter

Hemland: Västergötland

Hemort:

Född: 1060

Religion: Kristen

Släktband:

• Änka efter kung Inge Stenkilsson av Sveariket

• Dotter till Torild Totilsson och Cecilia

• Syster till Drottning Sigrid Torildsdotter av Hunaland och Blot-Sven Torildsson

• Mor till Ragnvald Ingesson, Kristina Ingesdotter, Margareta Fredkulla och Katarina Ingesdotter

• Svärmor till Furst Mstislav av Novgorod

• Svägerska till kung Hallsten Stenkilsson av Sveariket

• Svärdotter till kung Stenkil av Sveariket

• Snabbare (via gifte) till Kung Filip Hallstensson

Yrke: Drottning av Sverige

Far: Torild Totilsson (1020 - )

Död: omkring 1100 1)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Familj med Inge d.ä Stenkilsson (1055 - 1112)

Barn: Margareta Fredskulla (1085 - 1135)

 Katarina Ingesdotter (1100 - 1170) 

Kristina Ingesdotter (- 1122)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Källor

1)  Svenskt Biografiskt lexikon 1969-71 Band 18 s.555-556 

Helena av Sverige

Från Wikipedia

Helena (i vissa källor Maer; Mö) var drottning av Sverige omkring 1080-1084 samt omkring 1088-1105. Hon var syster till Blot-Sven och maka till kung Inge den äldre.

Det finns en gammal förteckning som talar om att kung Inge och drottning Helena ägde stora jordegendomar i de trakterna och de ska ha givit bort cirka 20 bondgårdar till ett kloster i Vreta som grundades invid den nybyggda kyrkan. Det här var mellan år 1090 och 1100. En del vill ha den här händelsen att betyda att Inge kom från Östergötland men troligare var att det var Helena som kom från landskapet och de 20 gårdarna ska i så fall ha kommit till familjen vid giftermålet, eller kanske ännu troligare, att det var gårdar de fått i samband med dråpet av Blot-Sven som antagligen hade sin ätt i området.

Barn  Med Inge den äldre:

1.Kristina Ingesdotter (-1122), gm storfurst Mstislav I av Kiev (1076-1132)

2.Ragnvald, troligen död innan fadern men har i vissa källor identifierats med Ragnvald Knaphövde

3.Margareta Fredkulla gm. Magnus Barfot av Norge

4.Katarina Ingesdotter, gm Björn Järnsida av Danmark (-1134); deras dotter Kristina blev svensk drottning, gm Erik den helige

Källor  

Sven Rosborn: När hände vad i Nordens historia (1997)

Helen of Skovde (Elin) (d. c.1160). She was of aristocratic birth from Vastergôtland, was married young and widowed soon afterwards. She then devoted her wealth and work to the cause of religion and the service of the poor. On her return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she was killed by the relatives of her son-in-law for supposedly conniving at his death. Her body was buried at Skovde in the church which she had built. On the strength of the miracles claimed there Alexander III authorized her cult as a saint. Like some others who met a violent death in Scandinavia she was venerated as a martyr. Her cult was widespread in medieval Sweden and parts of Denmark such as Tusvilde (Zeeland), which claimed some relics: it is attested by surviving paintings and sculptures. She was regarded as the patron of Vastergôtland and even of all Sweden. Feast: 31 July.

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En gravsten från 1600-talet i Vreta klosterkyrka med delvis oriktig text där Helena framställs som hustru till Inge den yngre.

Helena (i vissa källor Maer och Mö) var drottning av Sverige omkring 1080-1084 samt omkring 1088-1105. Hon var syster till den så kallade Blot-Sven och maka till kung Inge den äldre.

Det finns en gammal förteckning som talar om att kung Inge och drottning Helena ägde stora jordegendomar i de trakterna och de ska ha givit bort cirka 20 bondgårdar till ett kloster i Vreta som grundades invid den nybyggda kyrkan. Det här var mellan år 1090 och 1100. En del vill ha den här händelsen att betyda att Inge kom från Östergötland men troligare var att det var Helena som kom från landskapet och de 20 gårdarna ska i så fall ha kommit till familjen vid giftermålet, eller kanske ännu troligare, att det var gårdar de fått i samband med dråpet av Blot-Sven som antagligen hade sin ätt i området.

Helena slutade sina dagar i Vreta kloster och var alltså då sannolikt samma drottning som den maer eller mö som i klostrets annaler inte avsåg ett personnamn utan där hade betydelsen ”nunna”.[1]

Äldre teorier om att Helena skulle ha varit samma person som helgonet Elin av Skövde har avfärdats av moderna historiker som osannolika.

Barn [redigera]

Med Inge den äldre:

  1. Kristina, (d. 1122), g. m. storfurst Mstislav I av Kiev (1076-1132)

2. Ragnvald, troligen död före fadern, men har i vissa källor identifierats med kung Ragnvald Knaphövde
3. Margareta kallad Fredkulla, g. m. Magnus Barfot av Norge
4. Katarina, g. m. Björn Järnsida av Danmark (d. 1134); deras dotter Kristina blev svensk drottning.
Källor [redigera]

  1. ^ Ahnlund, Nils i Historisk tidskrift 1945 s. 338

* Sven Rosborn: När hände vad i Nordens historia (1997)

Helena of Sweden

(-)

Family Links

Spouses/Children:

Inge I the Elder of Sweden Stenkilsson

Christina Ingesdotter+

Ragnvald Ingesson of Sweden+

Margareta Fredkulla Ingesdotter of Sweden+

Katarina Ingesdotter+

Helena of Sweden 1 2

Marriage: Inge I the Elder of Sweden Stenkilsson

  Another name for Helena was Helen. 

General Notes:
Helena var svensk drottning, gift med kong Inge den eldre.

Hun nevnes som kong Inges hustru i den slektsutredning som ble inngitt i 1194 i et brev til paven fra dansk side for å bestride ekteskapshinder mellom den franske kongen Filip II August og en datter til hennes datterdattersønn, kong Valdemar den Store av Danmark. Brevet er forfattet av abbeden Vilhelm av Æbelholt (W. Norvin: Abbed Wilhelms Breve 1933, side 159).

Helena forekommer også i en større genealogi av Æbelholt over de danske kongene.

Som Inge's hustru omtales hun i en lengde over 1100-talls donatorer til Vreta kloster, kjent gjennom avskrifter fra 1500-tallet. Samme lengde oppgir også at en dronning Helena hadde inngått i klosteret og donert jord i Røby i Slaka til klosteret.

Plasseringen av denne notis har imidlertid ført til spekulasjoner om at hun skulle være identisk med en ukjent senere dronning. Derfor henger spørsmålet om Helenas identitet sammen med den "Elena Regina" viss dødsdag var 31. desember i henhold til "Necrologium Lundense".

I henhold til den islandske Hervararsagaen fra 1200-tallet var Blot-Sven bror til Inge den eldres hustru, hun kalles "Mær" i denne sagaen. Ordet betyr mø, men er forøvrig ikke kjent som kvinnenavn. Det har derfor blitt antatt at hun var identisk med Helena, dvs. at Helena var søster til Blot-Sven og dermed i slekt med den foregående kongeslekten.

1500-tallshistorikeren Johannes Magnus, som forvekslet Inge den yngre og Inge den eldre, gjorde Helena til Inge den yngres dronning. Dette har ført til at hennes navn forekommer på det gravmonument over Inge den yngre som Johan III lot oppføre i Vreta klosters kirke.

Helena døde i begynnelsen av 1100-talet.

 Noted events in her life were:

• She was a Queen of Sweden.

Helena married Inge I the Elder of Sweden Stenkilsson, son of Stenkil Ragnvaldsson of Sweden and Maria Anundsdotter. (Inge I the Elder of Sweden Stenkilsson died in 1112.)

Sources

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Brian C. Tompsett, Directory of Royal Genealogical (Datahttp://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/public/genealogy/royal/catalog.html

Brian Tompsett

Department of Computer Science

University of Hull

Hull, UK, HU6 7RX

B.C.Tompsett@dcs.hull.ac.uk).

2 Tore Nygaard, Tore Nygaard's Genealogy (http://www.nygaard.home.se). Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon 1969-71, Band 18, side 555-556. Den svenske Nationalencyklopedin.

Updated 14 June 2008. Contact: Ken Nygaard My Home Page

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elin_av_Sk%C3%B6vde

Änkedrottning Helena Torildsdotter
Hemland: Västergötland

Hemort:

Född: 1060

Religion: Kristen

Spelare: Spelas inte på Landet vaknar

Släktband:

•Änka efter kung Inge Stenkilsson av Sveariket •Dotter till Torild Totilsson och Cecilia •Syster till drottning Sigrid Torildsdotter av Hunaland och Blot-Sven Torildsson •Mor till Ragnvald Ingesson, Kristina Ingesdotter, Margareta Fredkulla och Katarina Ingesdotter •Svärmor till furst Mstislav av Novgorod •Svägerska till kung Hallsten Stenkilsson av Sveariket •Svärdotter till kung Stenkil av Sveariket •Faster (via gifte) till kung Filip Hallstensson

 Biskop Hervard  

Queen Helena or Elin, also known as Maer, Mär or Mö (Old Norse for Maiden) (born in the 11th century – Floruit 1105), was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Inge the Elder and the sister of King Blot-Sweyn of Sweden

The background of Queen Helena is unconfirmed. She is believed to have been from Östergötland. Helena is said to have been of the old Swedish royal family, a sideline of the House of Yngling,[1] and the sister of Blot-Sweyn. King Inge, who was King of Sweden and parts of Sweden several times, is famous for being the King who defeated the pagans in the religious wars who took place in Sweden between 1022 and 1088 and abolished freedom of religion, requiring everyone to profess the Christian faith. His greatest opponent in this fight was the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.

King Inge was said to have married Blot-Sweyn's sister Maer, or Mö; in Icelandic sources, she is referred to as Mär[1] and officially, she is referred to as Helena. It is also sometimes suggested that she was of Greek or Russian origin, but this is unconfirmed and unlikely. The marriage is well pointed out in history as the wedding between Inge and the sister of Blot-Sweyn, and Sweyn is always referred to as the brother-in-law of Inge*.[2] Because of this it is therefore sometimes believed that Inge was married two times. However, "Maer" is not an actual name, it is simply an old Nordic word for "Maiden"; the other spelling of the name, "Mö", is still well known as an old-fashioned word for "Maiden" or "Virgin". "Helena" is the usual Latin spelling of the Swedish name Elin. This can be assumed to be the same person; the maiden Elin, to Christian foreigners spelled as Helena in Latin, sister to the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.

The genealogy of the old Viking families is very hard to follow, in spite of the many songs which describe them, but as sister of Blot-Sweyn, she may have been a daughter of Prince Ingvar Vittfarne of Sweden, son of King Emund the Old of Sweden, and the cousin of her spouse. The marriage was likely arranged for political reasons to unite the Pagan and Christian fractions. A runestone raised by a man by the name Sigtorn to the honour of his daughter Mö and his son Sven is suggested to have been raised by the father of Queen Helena and her brother Blot-Sweyn. Helena's full name would in that case have been Helena Sigtornsdotter.

Not many things are confirmed about queen Helena, but she was most likely a Pagan like her brother at the time of her marriage and convinced, willingly or by force, to submit to the Christian faith and convert. She may have received the name Helena by her christening, as her daughters were also given names from Christian Europe: Christina, Margaret and Catherine. It is not known which side she favoured between the Pagans and Christians. In 1087-88, she witnessed the war between her Christian spouse and her Pagan brother and saw the former triumph. Perhaps she mourned the death of her brother and Paganism in 1087–1088, but to the end of her life she was, or gave the impression to be a Christian; after the defeat of the pagans, she founded Sweden's first known nunnery, the Benedictine Vreta Abbey in Östergötland, jointly with her spouse some time between 1090[3] and 1100. She donated twenty estates in Östergötland to the convent upon its foundation,[3] estates believed to have been the queen's, possibly as a dowry, or as an inheritance after her brother Sweyn. After the death of her spouse in c. 1105, Queen Dowager Helena entered the Vreta Abbey as a nun.

Confusion with Helena of Skövde[edit]

Queen Helena or Elin has long been confused in history with Saint Helena of Skövde (d.1135), who lived in Sweden during the same period. This is a misconception which has no support from historians now.

Hon var syster till Blot-Sven