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- Sigrud Tostesdatter, known as "Sigrid Storraada", was the daughter of aswedish nobleman and viking chief named Toste, known as "Skogul-Toste".Storråda can be translated to as: haughty, powerful, or bawdy. She wasfirst married to Erik VII Segersäll, the king of Sweden, who died circa994/995.
Little is known of her outside of what was written of her in the oldnordic sagas; and the stories surrounding her were probably highlyembroidered. It is said that circa 995 she had two of her admirers,Harald Grænske and Vsevold of Kiev, burned to death. Evidently Harald,who had grown up in her father's household, had dared to behave toofreely towards the recently widowed queen. Harald's son later became theking of Norway, Olav den Hellige. The real Sigrid is a rather mysteriousperson, and it can not be said with absolute certainty that following thedeath of Erik, she was ever really married to Svend Tveskæg, the king ofDenmark.
According to legend King Olav Trygvesen of Norway was a christianconvert, and it seems that he took exception to the fact that Sigridstill honoured the old nordic gods. It is told that during a disputeover this Olav slapped Sigrid across the face. For this insult againsther person Sigrid sought revenge, and inflamed her husband, SvendTveskæg, and his son Knud to war against the Norwegian monarch. Olavfell at the battle of the Svold in September of 1000. The Svold,according to Icelandic tradition, is the narrow strait between the islandof Rügen and Pommerania in northern Germany; however, according to Adamvon Bremen the battle took place further north in the Sound betweenSealand and Sweden.
Sources: "Vikingatågen och runstenarna" by Åke Ohlmark, 1981, page 36;and "Dansk Biografisk Håndleksikon" by Dahl & Engelstoft, 1920-26.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,Ontario, copyright 2006. [3]
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