HALVDAN SVARTE (ca 810 - 860 A.D)

Halvdan Svarte (Halfdanr Svarti, Halfdan the Black) was king of Vestfold county and is first and foremost known as the father of Harald Haarfagre (Harald Fairhar). It needs to be said that the reliability of this kinship is somewhat uncertain. Nonetheless Harald Haarfagre is named "The son of Halvdan" in a sentence in "Haraldskvæði". Despite that, Halvdan was a common name back then, and there are no reliable sources stating that they were actually father and son, though there is a possibility that they actually were. (You can read more about Halvdan and his family on Wikipedia.)

However, regarding the demise of Halvdan, all sources are in agreement; That he on his way home from Hadeland drowned in the lake Randsfjorden when his horse and sleigh broke through the ice. According to legend, the districts of his kingdom all wanted to claim his grave, but as they never came to an agreement, they decided to divide his body into four pieces. This way each district could bury a part of their beloved king. Supposedly his head lies in Halvdanshaugen (the mound of Halvdan) at Stein in Ringerike. Some say that Svarte was worshipped as a god of growth among the farmers in these areas.

He got his nickname “Svarte” because of his black hair.

Haraldskvæði (Hrafnsmál) (4)

Hreyfðisk enn hǫsfjaðri
ok of hyrnu þerði,
arnar eiðbróðir,
ok at andsvǫrum hugði:
Haraldi vér fylgðum
syni Halfdanar,
ungum ynglingi,
síðan ór eggi kómum.

The eagle's sworn brother
stirred its grey feathers,
its pointed beak wiping,
pondered its answer:
'Haraldr we have followed,
Halfdan's son,
scion of the Ynglingar,
since we hatched from our eggs.