Vanlandi- Norse FigureMortal"King of Sweden"
Also known as: Vanlanda
Titles & Epithets
Description
He swore to return to his Finnish wife Drífa within three winters and broke his oath for ten. She hired the seiðr-witch Huld to kill him, and a mara trampled Vanlandi to death in his own hall at Uppsala.
Mythology & Lore
The Broken Oath
Vanlandi, the third Yngling king, traveled to Finland and married Drífa, daughter of King Snær. He stayed one winter. When he left, he swore to return within three. Ten winters passed. Drífa waited, and her patience turned to fury.
Huld's Seiðr
Drífa sent for a seiðr-woman named Huld and offered her payment: bring Vanlandi back to Finland, or kill him. Huld worked her magic. At Uppsala, Vanlandi was seized by a sudden, overpowering desire to go to Finland. His counselors recognized witchcraft. They restrained him and talked him down, and eventually he agreed to sleep instead.
The Mara
When Vanlandi lay down, he cried out that a mara was treading on him. His men rushed in. When they held his head, the mara trampled his legs. When they held his legs, it crushed his head. There was no way to save him.
Þjóðólfr's verse in the Ynglingatal records how the witch-sent creature destroyed the descendant of the Vanir in his own hall. Vanlandi was the first Yngling king killed by seiðr, but he would not be the last.