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Eysteinn (Swedish: Östen; died ca 600) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, the son of Eadgils. He was the father of Ingvar. The Eysteinn tumulus (Östens hög) in Västerås near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians.

Eysteinn ruled Sweden at the time when Hrólf Kraki died in Lejre.^[1] It was a troubled time when many sea kings ravaged Swedish shores. One of those kings was named Sölve and he was from Jutland (but according to Historia Norwegiae he was Geatish, see below). At this time Sölve was pillaging in the Baltic Sea. He arrived in Lofond (probably the island of Lovön or the Lagunda Hundred), where Eysteinn was at a feast. Sölve and his men surrounded the house and set it on fire burning everyone inside to death. Then Sölve arrived at Sigtuna (Old Sigtuna) and ordered the Swedes to accept him as king. The Swedes refused and gathered an army that fought against Sölve and his men, but they lost after eleven days. The Swedes had to accept him as king until they rebelled and killed him.^{[citation needed]}

Ynglingatal

Stanza from Þjóðólfr of Hvinir's Ynglingatal:

Veit ek Eysteins

enda fólginn

lokins lífs

á Lofundi;

ok sikling

með Svíum kváðu

Jótska menn

inni brenna.

Ok bitsótt

í brandnói

hlíðar þangs

á hilmi rann,

þá er timbrfastr

toptar nökkvi,

flotna fullr

um fylki brann.[1] Archived 31 December 2005 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina

For a long time none could tell

How Eystein died – but now I know

That at Lofond the hero fell;

The branch of Odin was laid low,

Was burnt by Solve's Jutland men.

The raging tree-devourer fire

Rushed on the monarch in its ire;

First fell the castle timbers, then

The roof-beams – Eystein's funeral pyre.[2]

The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation (continuing after Eadgils, called Adils or Athisl):

Hic [Adils vel Athisl] genuit Eustein, quem Gautones in domo quadam obtrusum cum suis vivum incenderunt. Hujus filius Ynguar [...].^[2]

He [Adils] became sire to Øystein, whom the Götar thrust into a house and incinerated alive there with his men. His son Yngvar, [...]^[3]

Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar makes Eysteinn the father of Anund and grandfather of Ingjald and consequently skips Ingvar's generation. It adds a second son to Eysteinn named Olaf, who was the king of Fjordane in Norway.

Notes

^ Snorri Sturluson
^ Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), p. 101.
^ Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003). Historia Norwegie. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-7289-813-5, p. 79.

Sources

Nerman, B. (1925). Det Svenska Rikets Uppkomst. Generalstab.

Eysteinn House of Yngling
Preceded by Adils	Legendary king of Sweden	Succeeded by Sölve

[1] Snorri Sturluson

[2] Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen, Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), p. 101.

[3] Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher (translator) (2003). Historia Norwegie. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 87-7289-813-5, p. 79.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[File:Eystein of the Swea Region grave 2009 (3).jpg|thumb|250px| ''Östens hög'' (Eysteinn tumulus) at Östanbro, in [[Västerås kommun]]]]
-'''Eysteinn''' (Swedish: '''Östen'''; died ca 600) was the son of [[Eadgils]] and [[Yrsa]] of [[Saxony]]. He was the father of [[Ingvar]]. The Eysteinn tumulus ''(Östens hög)'' in [[Västerås]] near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians. The term Hög is derived from the [[Old Norse]] word ''haugr'' meaning mound or barrow.
+'''Eysteinn''' (Swedish: '''Östen'''; died ca 600) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, the son of [[Eadgils]]. He was the father of [[Ingvar]]. The Eysteinn tumulus ''(Östens hög)'' in [[Västerås]] near Östanbro has been linked to King Eysteinn by some popular historians.
-Eysteinn ruled Sweden at the time when [[Hrólf Kraki]] died in [[Lejre]].<ref>[[Snorri Sturluson]]</ref> It was a troubled time when many [[Sea-King|sea kings]] ravaged Swedish shores. One of those kings was named [[Sölve]] and he was from [[Jutland]] (but according to ''[[Historia Norvegiæ|Historia Norwegiae]]'' he was [[Geatish]], see below). At this time Sölve was pillaging in the [[Baltic Sea]]. He arrived in Lofond (probably the island of [[Lovön]] or the [[Lagunda Hundred]]), where Eysteinn was at a feast. Sölve and his men surrounded the house and set it on fire burning everyone inside to death. Then Sölve arrived at Sigtuna ([[Old Sigtuna]]) and ordered the Swedes to accept him as king. The Swedes refused and gathered an army that fought against Sölve and his men, but they lost after eleven days. The Swedes had to accept him as king until they rebelled and killed him.
+Eysteinn ruled Sweden at the time when [[Hrólf Kraki]] died in [[Lejre]].<ref>[[Snorri Sturluson]]</ref> It was a troubled time when many [[Sea-King|sea kings]] ravaged Swedish shores. One of those kings was named [[Sölve]] and he was from [[Jutland]] (but according to ''[[Historia Norvegiæ|Historia Norwegiae]]'' he was [[Geatish]], see below). At this time Sölve was pillaging in the [[Baltic Sea]]. He arrived in Lofond (probably the island of [[Lovön]] or the [[Lagunda Hundred]]), where Eysteinn was at a feast. Sölve and his men surrounded the house and set it on fire burning everyone inside to death. Then Sölve arrived at Sigtuna ([[Old Sigtuna]]) and ordered the Swedes to accept him as king. The Swedes refused and gathered an army that fought against Sölve and his men, but they lost after eleven days. The Swedes had to accept him as king until they rebelled and killed him.{{fact|date=April 2021}}
 == Ynglingatal ==
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 :toptar nökkvi,
 :flotna fullr
-:um fylki brann.[http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php]
+:um fylki brann.[http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php] {{Webarchive|url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |date=31 December 2005 }}
 |
 :For a long time none could tell
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 == See also ==
+*[[Historia Norvegiae|Historia Norwegiae]]
-* [[Ynglingatal]]
-* [[Ynglinga saga]] (part of the [[Heimskringla]])
+*[[Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar]]
+*[[Ynglinga saga]] (part of the [[Heimskringla]])
-* [[Historia Norvegiae|Historia Norwegiae]]
+*[[Ynglingatal]]
-* [[Thorsteins saga Víkingssonar]]
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 {{s-hou|[[Yngling|House of Yngling]] || || }}
 {{succession box
-| title = [[Semi-legendary king of Sweden]]
+| title = [[Legendary king of Sweden]]
 | years =
 | before = [[Eadgils|Adils]]
@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 [[Category:600 deaths]]
+[[Category:6th-century monarchs in Europe]]
+[[Category:People whose existence is disputed]]
 [[Category:Semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]
-[[Category:6th-century rulers in Europe]]
 [[Category:Year of birth unknown]]