| Aslaug | |
|---|---|
 King Heimer and Aslaug. Painting by August Malmström (1856). | |
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Other Names |
Aslaug, Aslög, Kráka, Kraba |
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First Appearance |
Norse Myth |
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Created by |
Norse Myth |
Origin[]
Áke and Grima discover Aslaug. Painting by Mårten Eskil Winge (1862).
Aslaug, also called Aslög, Kráka or Kraba, is a figure in Norse mythology who appears in Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok as one of his wives.
According to the 13th-century Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, Aslaug was the daughter of Sigurd and the shieldmaiden Brynhildr, but was raised by Brynhildr's foster father Heimer. At the deaths of Sigurd and Brynhildr, Heimer was concerned about Aslaug's security, so he made a harp large enough to hide the girl. He then traveled as a poor harp player carrying the harp containing the girl. They arrived at Spangereid at Lindesnes in Norway, where they stayed for the night in the house of the peasants Áke and Grima. Áke believed the harp contained valuable items and told his wife Grima. Grima then persuaded him to murder Heimer as he was sleeping. However, when they broke the harp open, they discovered a little girl, whom they raised as their own, calling her Kráka ("Crow"). In order to hide her beauty – the accepted sign of her noble origins – they rubbed her in tar and dressed her in a long hood.
However, once as she was bathing, she was discovered by some of the men of the legendary king Ragnar Lodbrok. Entranced by Kráka's beauty, they allowed the bread they were baking to burn; when Ragnar inquired about this mishap, they told him about the girl. Ragnar then sent for her, but in order to test her wits, he commanded her to arrive neither dressed nor undressed, neither fasting nor eating, and neither alone nor in company. Kráka arrived dressed in a net, biting an onion, and with only a dog as a companion. Impressed by her ingenuity and finding her a wise companion, Ragnar proposed marriage to her, which she refused until he had accomplished his mission in Norway.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Aslaug before January 1, 1929 are public domain.
Some Notable Appearances are listed below:
- Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok
- Snorri's Edda
- Völsunga saga
- The Fostering of Aslaug
- Benjamin Thorpe's Northern Mythology (1851)
- Aslauga's Knight with two other romances as Der Held des Nordens (The Hero of the North).
Notes[]
- Aslaug is a principal character in the television series Vikings.