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Ket and Wig

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Ket and Wig talk with their father's slayer, illustration by Louis Moe

Ket and Wig appear in the Gesta Danorum as the sons of Frowin, the governor of Schleswig. Wig also appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the son of Freawine (Frowin) and father of Gewis, eponymous ancestor of the kingdom of Wessex and their kings, but this is thought to be a late manipulation, inserting these heroes into a pedigree borrowed from a rival royal house, in which the Bernician eponym Bernic was replaced by the Wessex Gewis.

Their father Frowin/Freawine was challenged to combat by the Swedish king Athisl, and killed. King Wermund, who liked their father, subsequently raised Ket and Wig as his own. They later avenged their father, but they fought against Athisl two against one, a national disgrace that was redeemed by their brother-in-law, King Wermund's son Offa, when he killed two Saxons at the same time, in "single combat". This event is referred to in Widsith as a duel against Myrgings.


The family tree of legendary Kings of the Danes, according to the Gesta Danorum (Books I to VII)

Kings of the Danes are in bold and marked with an asterisk (*). Kings of the Swedes are marked with a dagger (†).

Humble
KEY
AngulDan*GrythaMarriage or coupling
Parent and child
The AnglesHumble*Lother*King of the SaxonsInheritance by other or unclear means
Sigtryg, King of the Swedes†Skiold*AlfhildSumble, King
of the Finns
GróaGram*†SigneHenry, King
of the Saxons		Hakon, King
of the Nitherians
Swipdag*†Guthorm*
Hadding*Ragnhild
Asmund†Gunhild
Guthorm
HenryUffe†Hunding†ThorhildUlfhildUbbe
Scot
Ragnar†SwanhwidHandwan
Thorwald
Frode*
Hothbrodd†Halfdan*RoSkat
Thora
Helge*Ro*
Athisl†Urse
King GewarRolf*† KrageRuteBjarkeSkuldeHiartuar†*
Hother†*NannaHerlekGerit
Rorik*Gerwendil
King of BritainGeruthaHorwendilFeng
AmlethHermutrude, Queen of ScotlandWiglek*
Wermund*Frowin, governor of Sleswik
Uffe*, aka Olaf the GentleKetWig
Dan*
Hugleik*
Frode* the Vigorous
Dan*
KrakaRagnarBrakFridleif* the Swift
Gotar, King of NorwayHun, King of the HunsWestmarKollGotwar
RollerErik†Gunwar the FairAlfhildFrode*HanundGrep11 other brothers (two named Grep)
Hythin, King of TellemarkAlfEyfuraArngrimGrubbHiarn*Amund, King of Norway
Halfdan†12 sons, including AngantyAneJurithaFridleif*FrogerthaFrok
Hanef, King of SaxonySwerting, King of SaxonyOlafFrode*
Siward†Unnamed sonsIngeld*HelgaHelgeAsa
FrodeFridleifIngeldOlaf*Karl, governor of Gothland
UlfhildFrode*Hather, a chiefHarald*Signe
ErikThorhildHalfdan*† BiargrammHarald
Asmund
Kings of Norway

Name spellings are derived from Oliver Elton's 1905 translation, The First Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus, via Wikisource.

References

  1. Book Four of Gesta Danorum at the Medieval and Classical Literature Library
  2. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, The Winchester Manuscript, under year 552 AD.
  3. Book Four of Gesta Danorum at the Medieval and Classical Literature Library
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