Angantýr (son of Arngrímr)

Angantýr Arngrímsson is one of the male characters from the same line in Norse mythology, and who appears in Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, Gesta Danorum and Faroese ballards.

Plot[]

Angantýr's father, Arngrímr, had given him the magic dwarven sword Tyrfingr, which cut through anything as if through cloth, and which killed a man every time it was unsheathed. He was the tallest of the twelve sons of the berserkr Arngrímr, and he and his eleven brothers spread fear and destruction through the North.

One Jól, they were back home on Bólmr when the next eldest son Hjǫrvarðr, swore that he would win Ingibjǫrg, the daughter of Yngvi, the king of Sweden.

The twelve brothers departed for Uppsalir and Hjǫrvarðr proposed to Ingibjǫrg. However then Hjálmarr, one of the Swedish king's champions, stepped forth and claimed he deserved the princess rather than a berserker.

The Swedish king, who feared opposing twelve uncontrollable and infamous berserkers in his hall, suggested that Ingibjǫrg herself should decide. Naturally, she chose Hjálmarr, and Hjǫrvarðr was besides himself with rage. He challenged Hjálmarr to a duel on Sámsey and declared that Hjálmarr would lose his honor if he did not turn up.

When the twelve brothers arrived on Sámsey, they started to go berserk. They bit their shields, screamed loud and coarsely and let themselves loose on Hjálmarr and Ǫrvar-Oddr's crewmen and began to cut them to pieces.

Hjálmarr and Ǫrvar-Oddr arrived to the scene to find their crew slain and Ǫrvar-Oddr, with only his club, slew Angantýr's eleven brothers. After the melee, he found Angantýr dead and Hjálmarr mortally wounded by the cursed sword, Tyrfingr.

Ǫrvar-Oddr buried the twelve brothers in barrows on Sámsey together with the cursed sword, so that it would no longer cause any harm. However Angantýr's daughter Hervör would later return and claim Tyrfingr as her own.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

The Saga of Hervor and Heidrek

The Waking of Angantýr

The Waking of Angantýr (fireside reading)

References[]

Henrikson, Alf. (1998). Stora mytologiska uppslagsboken.

External links[]

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