Fjolnir- Norse FigureMortal"King of Sweden"
Also known as: Fjölnir
Titles & Epithets
Description
First mortal king of the Yngling dynasty, Fjölnir ruled at Uppsala in an age of peace and plenty. Rising drunk during a Danish feast, he stumbled into a great open vat of mead and drowned.
Mythology & Lore
Son of Freyr
Fjölnir was the son of Freyr and the jötunn Gerðr. The Skírnismál tells how Freyr glimpsed Gerðr from Odin's high seat and sent his servant Skírnir to woo her with gifts, then threats, until she agreed to meet him at the grove Barri. Fjölnir was their only recorded child. When Freyr died, Fjölnir took the kingship at Uppsala. Snorri says in the Ynglinga saga that good seasons and peace continued through his reign, as they had under his father.
Death by Mead
Fjölnir traveled to Denmark to feast with King Friðfróði. A great drinking-hall was prepared. During the night Fjölnir rose from his bed and walked out along a gallery. Disoriented by drink, he stumbled through the wrong door and fell into a great open vat of mead standing in an adjoining room. He drowned there, unable to climb out. Þjóðólfr of Hvinir commemorated it in the opening stanza of the Ynglingatal: the Yngling lord found his end where Fróði's mead stood.