View source for Gylfi

{{Short description|Earliest recorded king in Scandinavia according to Norse mythology}}
{{About|the mythological king}}

[[Image:Gylfe stood boldly before Odin by George Wright.jpg|thumb|''Gylfe Stood Boldly Before Odin'' (1908) by [[George Hand Wright]].]]
In [[Norse mythology]], '''Gylfi''' ([[Old Norse]]: {{IPA|non|ˈɡylve|}}), ''Gylfe'', ''Gylvi'', or ''Gylve'' was the earliest recorded king of Sviþjoð, Sweden, in Scandinavia. He is known by the name Gangleri when appearing in disguise. The Danish tradition on Gylfi tells how he was tricked by [[Gefjon]] and her sons from Jötunheim, who were able to shapeshift into tremendous oxen.

==The creation of Zealand==
The ''[[Ynglinga saga]]'' section of [[Snorri Sturluson|Snorri]]'s ''[[Heimskringla]]'' and the Eddic poem ''[[Ragnarsdrápa]]'' tell a legend of how Gylfi was seduced by the goddess Gefjon to give her as much land as she could plow in one night. Gefjon transformed her four sons into oxen and took enough land to create the [[Denmark|Danish]] island of [[Zealand (Denmark)|Zealand]], leaving the Swedish lake [[Vänern]].

==Meeting the Æsir==
[[Image:Manuscript Gylfi.jpg|right|thumb|Gylfi is tricked in an illustration from [[Icelandic Manuscript, SÁM 66]] ]]

''[[Gylfaginning]]'' in the ''[[Prose Edda]]'' and the ''Ynglinga saga'' tell how the supposedly historic (non-deified version) [[Odin]] and his people the [[Æsir]] and [[Vanir]], who later became the Swedes, obtained new land where they built the settlement of [[Old Sigtuna]]. In Snorri's account Gylfi is supposedly deluded by the Æsir into accepting their religion; hence the name "Gylfaginning",<ref>''Gylfa'' being the oblique singular cases (in this instance genitive) of ''Gylfi''</ref> most often interpreted as the "deluding of Gylfi", although '-ginning' is regarded the same as what we recognise in "beginning", thus "the origin of Gylfi" is also possible. Gylfi and the remaining older bronze-age inhabitants of the land then supposedly adopted the religion of the Æsir and began to live under their rule. Snorri presents an outline of [[Norse mythology]] through a dialogue between Gylfi and three rulers of the Æsir.

It is possible that Snorri's account is based on an old tradition tracing particular beliefs or foundations of particular Norse cults to this legendary Gylfi. However, it is much more likely that the historic King Gylfi was simply already a follower of the ancient Norse religion and, as such, could easily have passed on these beliefs or stories.

==Other appearances==
In one version of ''[[Hervarar saga]]'', king Gylfi married his daughter Heiðr to [[Sigrlami]], the king of [[Garðaríki]] (Russia).<ref>[http://www.home.ix.netcom.com/~kyamazak/myth/norse/kershaw/NLS-hervor-is.htm Sigrlami átti Heiði, dóttur Gylfa konungs; þau attu sun saman, sá hèt Svafrlami.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519021250/http://www.home.ix.netcom.com/~kyamazak/myth/norse/kershaw/NLS-hervor-is.htm |date=2007-05-19 }} in N. M. Petersen's edition of ''[[Hervarar saga]]''.</ref> Heiðr and Sigrlami had the son Svafrlami, who forced the two dwarves [[Dvalinn|Dvalin]] and [[Durin (Norse mythology)|Durin]] to forge the magic sword [[Tyrfing]].

A Gylfi is attested in the lineage of sea-kings in [[Hversu Noregr byggðist]], a saga sketching out an origin myth of Norway, where he appears as the brother of Glamma, eponymous of the longest river in Norway, now spelled [[Glomma]], sons of Geitir, apparently one of four sons of Gor the brother of Nór, eponymous first king of Nórway. The connection with Glamma is interesting regarding how Gylfi is attested in [[Ynglinga saga]] particularly connecting him to the longest river system in Scandinavia, now carrying four different names beginning as [[Femundelva|Femund river and]] [[Trysilelva|Trysil river]] in Norway, then [[Klarälven]] in Sweden, above the rather big lake Vänern into which it drains, central to the story of [[Gefjon]] in Ynglinga saga, and finally [[Göta älv]] that drains lake [[Vänern]] into the [[Kattegat]], at the city of [[Gothenburg]], on the western coast of Sweden. Hversu Noregr byggðist is loaded with [[Eponym|eponymous]] tales to such an extent that to not connect this Gylfi with this river system would be kind of ignorant. One will find some common sources of the drainage-system forming the signified rivers in the Mountain-region of Norway, turning into Rena River as a tributary to Glomma, and Femund River, as a tributary to Kläraälven. The lake Korssjøen which drains to the east into the Femund River and the drainage system reaching the sea by [[Gothenburg]] in Sweden, and the lake Narsjøen that drains to the north into Nørå River and Glomma running south, reaching the sea close to [[Fredrikstad]] by the [[Oslofjord]].    

==Notes==
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[[Category:Semi-legendary kings of Sweden]]