Appendix A: Mary Anne Gresley and her ancestors

The subject (with his decendants) of the Hversu Noregr byggdist (How Norway was inhabited) saga. The first part of the Orkneyinga saga, known as Fundinn Noregr ('Norway Found'), also covers this period.

In another account (the Ynglinga saga) he is a root of the House of Ynglings - the ancient Kings of Sweden. According to this latter tale, his great-grandson was King Fjolnir, reported in Grottasongr to be a contemporary of Caesar Augustus (63BC-19AD). This would suggest Fornjot living around 100BC

Fornjot is possibly also 'Kalev' of Finnish, Estonian and Russian stories. Russian folklore tells of a Finnish prince who hired the giant Calewa (Kaleva) to help him conquer Russia from Estonia to Kiev. As a reward the prince gave him Kvenland as his own kingdom.

Snaer was also said to have lived 300 years, which may help explain how this line of kings stretches over the centuries.

Gor was brother of Nor, the first King of (eponymous) Norway. The two brothers agreed that Nor would rule all the mainland but Gor would rule any island that was separated from the mainland by a channel through which a ship with a fixed rudder was able to pass.

The Orkneyinga saga skips Svidri in the lineage, and confusingly lists another Halfdan the Old as a descendant of Nor. Gor's descendant Halfdan is however named in the Orkneyinga as the father of Jarl Ivar of the Uplands (see you after the break).

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Above about this point the line is open to dispute as there are three suspect Halfdan 'the Old's lined up for the paternity of Ivar 'Oplaendinge' Halfdansson, namely:

1) Halfdan II Midi Eysteinsson (750/62?-800?) 

aka Halvdan II Oysteinsson, King of Vestfold,
known as 'the Old', 'The Meek', 'the Stingy', 'le Debonnaire'.
Son of Eystein Halfdanarsson, King of Vestfold and Raumarike (Romerike),
known as 'the Fart'. He was a Yngling, one of the line of Swedish kings - and thus according to the Ynglinga saga was related by King Fjolnir not only to Fornjot the Ancient Giant, First King of Kvenland but also to the gods Njord and his consort Nerthus, parents to fertility gods Freya and Freyr.

2) Halfdan Sigurdsson (b.750<)

possibly aka Halfdan II 'the Old'.
Son of Sigurd Ring Ranversson, King of Denmark and Uppsala.
"Sigurd and ancestors may not be historic" it says here - how curious to be descended from a line of fictional characters.

3) Halfdan 'the Old' (Sveidasson?) (700<-800?)

as supported by the Orkneyinga saga.

Each of these Halfdans has a rich family history (see here for some trees), I've picked possibly the most romantic (3) to display above, though on reflection (1) might be as good a guess, moreover Halfdan 'the Stingy' has a family of Scandinavian gods at the beginning of his line - a nugget not found at the root of every family tree!

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