King Olaf «Geirstad-Alf» Gudrødsson, King of Vestfold

http://www.friesian.com/germania.htm#orkney

Olav Geirstadalv (Gudrødsson) (Ólaf Geirstaðaálf) ca ?-840, PAM

(In English: Olaf Geirstad-Alf)

King in part of Norway: Vestfold

Basics

• Father: Gudrød the Hunter (Veidekonge)
• Mother: Alvhild Alvarinsdotter
• Wife: Unknown
  • Son: Ragnvald Heidumhere

No other children are documented in Ynglingesoga,

Sources

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=nor&person=Olav%20Geirsta...

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_Geirstadalv_Gudr%C3%B8dsson

Geni disambiguation notes

Harald Hårfagre's saga mentions a son of Harald who was also named Olaf Geirstad-Alf.

There is another Olav son of Gudrød son of Halfdan, but sagas dealing with the Icelanders who came via Ireland claim that he's descended from a different Halfdan (the two Gudrøds are fairly well documented as uncle and nephew).

Ynglingesaga does not say anything about the name of his wife.

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Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Gudrød died when Olaf was twenty years old and he and Halfdan divided their kingdom between them. Olaf took the southern part and resided in Geirstad. They only inherited Vestfold because Alfgeir took Vingulmark for himself and made his son Gandalf Alfgeirsson its king.

The Ynglinga saga relates that Olaf was a skillful man and a great warrior. He was also handsome, big and strong. He was the father of Ragnvald the Mountain-High.

During the reigns of Olaf and Halfdan the Black, Värmland started to pay tribute to the Swedish king Erik Anundsson instead.

He died of illness. Tjodolf of Hvin sang about him:

   Long while this branch of Odin's stem

Was the stout prop of Norway's realm;
Long while King Olaf with just pride
Ruled over Westfold far and wide.
At length by cruel gout oppressed,
The good King Olaf sank to rest:
His body now lies under ground,
Buried at Geirstad, in the mound.
After his death, he was worshipped as an elf, and was called the Geirstad-alf (the "elf of Geirstad").

A hypothesis identifies Geirstad with Gjerstad near Gokstad, and his burial with the Gokstad Ship.

Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Gudrød died when Olaf was twenty years old and he and Halfdan divided their kingdom between them. Olaf took the southern part and resided in Geirstad. They only inherited Vestfold because Alfgeir took Vingulmark for himself and made his son Gandalf Alfgeirsson its king.

The Ynglinga saga relates that Olaf was a skillful man and a great warrior. He was also handsome, big and strong. He was the father of Ragnvald the Mountain-High.

During the reigns of Olaf and Halfdan the Black, Värmland started to pay tribute to the Swedish king Erik Anundsson instead.

He died of illness. Tjodolf of Hvin sang about him:

Long while this branch of Odin's stem

Was the stout prop of Norway's realm;

Long while King Olaf with just pride

Ruled over Westfold far and wide.

At length by cruel gout oppressed,

The good King Olaf sank to rest:

His body now lies under ground,

Buried at Geirstad, in the mound.

After his death, he was worshipped as an elf, and was called the Geirstad-alf (the "elf of Geirstad").

A hypothesis identifies Geirstad with Gjerstad near Gokstad, and his burial with the Gokstad Ship

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King of Jutland and Vestfold

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Olav «Geirstadalv» Gudrødsson var Halvdan Svartes 19 år eldre bror. De delte Vestfold mellom seg.

Ifølge Snorre hadde Olav gjort store bragder «i vest», noe som har skapt grunnlaget for hypotesen om at han er identisk med Kong Olav Kvite Gudrødsson, som i 861 grunnla Dublin sammen med Ivar Beinlaus Lodbroksson.

Ifølge Snorre var Olav meget populær hos sine folk, var høyvokst og da han døde «av fotaverk» ca. 50 år gammel kastet folkene hans opp haug over ham på Geirstad (idag Gjekstad ved Sandefjord). Da graven ble åpnet fant arkeologene i Gokstadskipet en høyreist mann sittende på en stol. Leger fastslo at hans ene ben var sterkt angrepet av arthritis.

Harald Grenskes dronning Åsa hadde vanskelig for å bli forløst. Hun fikk beskjed i en drøm av Kong Olav Geirstadalv om å sende en huskar til Geirstad, grave seg ned og ta sverdet «Bæsing» og hugge hodet av krigeren. Beltet hans skulle så legges over magen hennes og hun ville bli forløst. Dette ble gjort og gutten ble født. Han ble kalt Olav etter slektens «alv» i haugen og fikk senere sverdet Bæsing i «tanngave», Dette sverdet brukte han hele sitt voksne liv og kastet det først fra seg i dødsøyeblikket på Stiklestad 29. juli 1030. Halvbroren Harald Sigurdsson reddet med seg sverdet og ga det senere til sin sjef i Konstantinopel, general Georgios Monomachus. Tilnavnet Geirstadalv fikk kongen først etter sin død. Det skal ha medført lykke å avlegge gravhaugen besøk før viktige reiser skulle foretaes.

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King of Vestfold and Jutland, Norway

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The Gokstad ship is a late 9th century Viking ship found in a ship burial beneath a burial mound at Gokstad farm in Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway. It was excavated in 1880 by Nicolay Nicolaysen.

The Gokstad ship at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway

Contents [hide]

1 The ship

2 The skeletal remains

3 The grave goods

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

[edit]The ship

The Gokstad ship is clinker-built, constructed largely of oak. The ship is 24 m long and 5 m wide. It is the largest in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The ship was built to carry 32 oarsmen, and the oar holes could be hatched down when the ship was under sail. It's utilized a square sail of c. 110 square meters, which, it is estimated, could propel the ship to over 12 knots. While the ship was traveling in shallow water, the rudder could be raised.

Dendrochronological dating suggests that the ship was built of timber that was felled around 890 AD.

The ship's design has been demonstrated to be very seaworthy. A replica of the ship crossed the Atlantic from Bergen, Norway to be exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1893. Another replica, the Gaia, currently has Sandefjord as its home port.

Gokstad Viking ship excavation. Photographed in ~1880

[edit]The skeletal remains

During the excavations, the skeleton of a male aged between 50-70 years was recovered. The skeleton was found in a bed inside a timber-built burial chamber. Although the identity of the person buried is unknown, it has been suggested that it is that of Olaf Geirstad-Alf, a petty king of Vestfold. He was of the House of Yngling, and died about this time, according to the Heimskringla.

[edit]The grave goods

The grave was furnished with grave goods. Apart from the ship itself, they consisted of three small boats, a tent, a sledge and riding equipment. It is believed that the mound was plundered in ancient times. The excavation in 1880 showed that valuables of gold and silver had been removed. In the Viking period, weapons were considered an important part of a man's grave goods. In the case of the Gokstad ship, any such weapons were probably taken by grave robbers.

Gokstad Viking ship replica at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893

Currently, the ship, the reconstructed burial chamber, two of the small boats and two tent boards from the burial chamber are displayed in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Some other artifacts that survived the plundering are also on display in the museum.

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Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Gudrød died when Olaf was twenty years old and he and Halfdan divided their kingdom between them. Olaf took the southern part and resided in Geirstad. They only inherited Vestfold because Alfgeir took Vingulmark for himself and made his son Gandalf Alfgeirsson its king.

The Ynglinga saga relates that Olaf was a skillful man and a great warrior. He was also handsome, big and strong. He was the father of Ragnvald the Mountain-High.

During the reigns of Olaf and Halfdan the Black, Värmland started to pay tribute to the Swedish king Erik Anundsson instead.

He died of illness. Tjodolf of Hvin sang about him:

Long while this branch of Odin's stem

Was the stout prop of Norway's realm;

Long while King Olaf with just pride

Ruled over Westfold far and wide.

At length by cruel gout oppressed,

The good King Olaf sank to rest:

His body now lies under ground,

Buried at Geirstad, in the mound.

After his death, he was worshipped as an elf, and was called the Geirstad-alf (the "elf of Geirstad").

A hypothesis identifies Geirstad with Gjerstad near Gokstad, and his burial with the Gokstad Ship.

---

Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Gudrød died when Olaf was twenty years old and he and Halfdan divided their kingdom between them. Olaf took the southern part and resided in Geirstad. They only inherited Vestfold because Alfgeir took Vingulmark for himself and made his son Gandalf Alfgeirsson its king.

The Ynglinga saga relates that Olaf was a skillful man and a great warrior. He was also handsome, big and strong. He was the father of Ragnvald the Mountain-High.

During the reigns of Olaf and Halfdan the Black, Värmland started to pay tribute to the Swedish king Erik Anundsson instead.

He died of illness. Tjodolf of Hvin sang about him:

   Long while this branch of Odin's stem

   Was the stout prop of Norway's realm;

   Long while King Olaf with just pride

   Ruled over Westfold far and wide.

   At length by cruel gout oppressed,

   The good King Olaf sank to rest:

   His body now lies under ground,

   Buried at Geirstad, in the mound.

After his death, he was worshipped as an elf, and was called the Geirstad-alf (the "elf of Geirstad").

A hypothesis identifies Geirstad with Gjerstad near Gokstad, and his burial with the Gokstad Ship.

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Olaf Gudrødsson, or as he was named after his death Olaf Geirstad-Alf, was a legendary Norwegian king of the House of Yngling from the Ynglinga saga. He was the son of Gudrød the Hunter and the brother of Halfdan the Black. Gudrød and Olaf conquered a large part of Raumarike.

Gudrød died when Olaf was twenty years old and he and Halfdan divided their kingdom between them. Olaf took the southern part and resided in Geirstad. They only inherited Vestfold because Alfgeir took Vingulmark for himself and made his son Gandalf Alfgeirsson its king.

The Ynglinga saga relates that Olaf was a skillful man and a great warrior. He was also handsome, big and strong. He was the father of Ragnvald the Mountain-High.

During the reigns of Olaf and Halfdan the Black, Värmland started to pay tribute to the Swedish king Erik Anundsson instead.

He died of illness. Tjodolf of Hvin sang about him:

Long while this branch of Odin's stem Was the stout prop of Norway's realm; Long while King Olaf with just pride Ruled over Westfold far and wide. At length by cruel gout oppressed, The good King Olaf sank to rest: His body now lies under ground, Buried at Geirstad, in the mound. After his death, he was worshipped as an elf, and was called the Geirstad-alf (the "elf of Geirstad").

A hypothesis identifies Geirstad with Gjerstad near Gokstad, and his burial with the Gokstad Ship.

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It is Olaf's ship that is said to have been found at Gokstad and is now in the Oslo Museum.

This man's wife, Tora, was a daughter of Sigurd Orm-i-Øye "d.y." Ragnarsson of Denmark.

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With his death, Vestfold passed to his 1/2 brother Halfdan theBlack.

Allied with his 1/2 brother Ragnar Lodbrock.

With Ragnar, contemplated invasion of the Franks.

His death altered the balance of power as Halfdan did not support imperialaim. 1.Title: Fighting Kings of Wessex Author: G.P. Baker Publication: Combined Books, Conshohocken, PA 1996 Page: p 107 Text: d bef Ragnar Lothbrock's raids in Ireland, 831.

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Härskade på Vestfold

Олаф Гудрёдссон (др.-сканд. Olaf Gudrødsson) или как он стал известен после смерти Олаф Гейрстад-Альф (др.-сканд. Olaf Geirstad-Alf) — полулегендарный норвежский конунг династии Инглингов, упомянутый в «Саге об Инглингах». Сын Гудрёда Охотника, единокровный брат Хальвдана Чёрного, отец Рёгнвальда Достославного. Вместе со своим отцом, Олаф завоевал значительную часть Раумарики. Гудрёд умер, когда Олафу было около двадцати лет. Он унаследовал Вестфольд, а когда его брат Хальвдан Чёрный возмужал, то разделил с ним королевство. Олаф взял южную часть и стал править в Гейрстаде. Братья унаследовали только Вестфольд, так как Вингулмарк забрал себе Альвгейр, посадив там правителем своего сына Гандальва Альвгейрссона. Согласно «Саге об Инглингах», Олаф был могущественным и воинственным человеком, с виду красивым и высоким. Олаф умер в возрасте примерно 50 лет от болезни. После смерти его стали почитать альвом, называя его Гейрстад-Альвом, то есть «альвом из Гейрстада». Согласно одной из теорий, Гейрстад (Гьерстад) находится недалеко от Гокстада. Могилу Олафа связывают с Гокстадским захоронением, где археологи нашли высокого человека сидящего на стуле, а врачи установили, что ноги этого человека были поражены артритом. Олаф упомянут в поэме Перечень Инглингов, написанной по заказу его сына Рёгнвальда скальдом Тьодольвом из Хвинира. См. также: Инглинги Перечень Инглингов Круг Земной Предшественник: Гудрёд Охотник Конунги Вестфольда вместе с Хальвданом Чёрным нач. 820-х — сер. IX века Преемник: Рёгнвальд Достославный.

Olav «Geirstadalv» Gudrødsson skal ha vært Halvdan Svartes nitten år eldre bror, og ha levd på 800-tallet. Kildene til Olavs liv er hovedsakelig kvadet Ynglingatal, som skal være diktet til Olavs sønn Ragnvald Heidumhære, og sagaen Ynglingesaga, som Snorre skrev basert på kvadet. Olav er også nevnt i Den legendariske saga om Olav den hellige, og i Tåtten om Olav Geirstadalv. De to sistnevnte er mytiske sagn som er laget for å bygge oppunder kulten rundt helgenkongen Olav den hellige. Strofen om Olav Geirstadalv fra Ynglingatal gjengis i Tåtten om Olav Geirstadalv.

Olav skal ha vært sønn av Gudrød Veidekonge som var konge over Vestfold og Vingulmark Olav skal ifølge Heimskringla ha arvet kongemakten i Vestfold etter sin far. Landskapsnavnet Vestmar og Grenland nevnes også.Det er usikkert hvor Olavs område kan ha vært, og om han i det hele tatt var en historisk person. Vestfold og hele Viken var dessuten trolig under herredømmet til danske konger på slutten av 800-tallet.

Ifølge Snorre Sturlason hadde Olav gjort store bragder «i vest», noe som har skapt grunnlaget for hypotesen om at han er identisk med kong Olav Kvite Gudrødsson, som i 861 grunnla Dublin sammen med Ivar Beinlaus Lodbroksson

Men Olav Geirstadalv hadde også tilnavnet "digerbein". Dette tilnavnet passer med det Snorre sier om Olavs død i Ynglingesaga: Han døde ikke av pest, men som følge av "fotverk". Snorre sier samtidig uttrykkelig at Olav ble hauglagt, og også han bruker tilnavnet Geirstadalv - skjønt uten å fortelle om noen kultus.

https://nbl.snl.no/Olav_Geirstadalv

https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_Geirstadalv_Gudr%C3%B8dsson

Kong Olav Geirstadalv Sønn til Gudrød Veidekonge og arvet vestre del av hans rike, men da opplandskongen Hogne la under seg hele Hedmark, Toten og Hadeland, resulterte det at Gudrødsønnene, Olav Geirstadalv og Halvdan, mistet makten i Värmland. Folket i Värmland begynte i steden å gi sveaskongen skattegaver. Døde av verk i foten og ble hauglagt på Geirstad. Olav Geirstadalv er far til Kong Ragnvald Heidumhære. Olav ble dyrket etter sin død som en skytsånd for distriktet, en slags landvette?

http://www.arild-hauge.com/konger.htm