The Eye of the Storm: Gunnhildr konungamóðir in Norwegian Dynastic History

Description

The kingships of Eiríkr blóðøx (blood-axe) are defined by turmoil. Ascending the Norwegian throne upon the death of his father c.931, by 934 Eiríkr had been overthrown by his half-brother, Hákon góði (the Good). Fleeing to England and King Æthelstan, Eiríkr was given authority over Anglo-Scandinavian Northumbria; but, here too, his rule was deeply unpopular. It was in England that he likely met his fate in the 950s. His legacy of political turmoil, though, passed to his sons, who fled Northumbria to Orkney, taking control of the islands as a base for raiding. Subsequently, the brothers headed to Norway, determined to overthrow their uncle Hákon. This they did, but not without the loss of several of their number. Haraldr gráfeldr (grey-cloak) was the brother who emerged victorious, but his reign too ended in violence nine years later c.970. In short order, the line of Eiríkr blóðøx was extinguished as the remaining brothers failed in their royal aspirations.

Interestingly, despite the many men that feature in this story, they are not the catalyst for it. Rather, that role is given to Eiríkr’s wife, Gunnhildr konungamóðir (the mother of kings). She is, in the language of this conference, the eye of the storm. Described as ‘villainous’, ‘evil’, and ‘wicked’, Gunnhildr is the font of the council that foments discontent with Eiríkr’s kingships. This paper will examine Gunnhildr’s centrality to the political fortunes of Eiríkr’s dynasty, negotiating the fundamentally literary nature of our sources to posit remnant historicity where it can be observed.

Period	3 Oct 2025
Event title	Conference of the Australian Early Medieval Association
Event type	Conference
Conference number	20
Location	Melbourne, Australia, VictoriaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International