first legendary king of Denmark, son of Odin

Skjöld

Skjöld is one of the first legendary kings of Denmark in Norse and Germanic tradition. His name means 'shield', and his figure gave rise to the Skjöldungs, the legendary Danish royal line.

The myth

According to Ynglinga saga and the now-lost Skjöldunga saga, Odin came from Scythia and conquered Northern Europe. He divided his realms between his sons, giving Sweden to Yngvi and Denmark to Skjöldr. From then on, Swedish kings were called Ynglings and Danish kings Skjöldungs.

In Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum, however, Skioldus is the son of Lotherus, a wicked king who died in an insurrection, and he is succeeded by his son Gram. The accounts differ widely.

In the Old English poem Beowulf he appears as Scyld Scefing, a child found in a boat who grows into a powerful king, and whose body is sent off in a ship laden with treasure.

Legacy

His name came to designate the Danish Skjöldung dynasty. In Tolkien's work, the Scyld episode in Beowulf served as an inspiration for elements of his legendarium, according to the scholar Shippey.

Ancient sources: Snorri Sturluson in Ynglinga saga, Saxo Grammaticus in the Gesta Danorum, Sven Aggesen, the Old English poem Beowulf and the Chronicon Lethrense.