Visbur

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In Scandinavian mythology, Visbur was a king of the House of Ynglings and the son of Vanlade.

Snorri Sturluson relates in Ynglinga saga that Visbur was the son of Vanlade and Drífa, a daughter of Snær the Old. He married a daughter of Aud the Rich, and they had two sons, Gisl and Öndur.

However, Visbur found a new wife whereupon his old wife took the two boys and returned to her father.

Visbur had a third son, Domalde, by the new wife. When Gisl and Öndur were twelve and thirteen years old they went to their father to retrieve their mothers dowry. Visbur, however, refused to consent, and then the two sons said that the golden necklace would be the bane of the best man of his house. They then returned and planned to murder their father.

The völva Huld was hired to help them, but she prophesied that killing kin would lead to having kinslaying as a permanent trait in the House of Yngling (Scylfing). They did not care about this warning, went to their father and burnt him to death inside his hall.

Snorri included a piece from Ynglingatal in his account in the Heimskringla:

Ok Visburs
vilja byrgi
sævar niðr
svelga knátti,
þá er meinþjóf
markar öttu
setrs verjendr
á sinn föður;
ok allvald
í arinkjóli
glóða garmr
glymjandi beit.[1]
Have the fire-dogs' fierce tongues yelling
Lapt Visbur's blood on his own hearth?
Have the flames consumed the dwelling
Of the here's soul on earth?
Madly ye acted, who set free
The forest foe, red fire, night thief,
Fell brother of the raging sea,
Against your father and your chief.(Laing's translation [2])


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Sources

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Norse mythology

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