View source for Visbur

[[File:Wisbur(GretaSellberg1911).jpg|thumb|Cover of a play by [[Erik Johan Stagnelius]] about the legend of Wisbur]]
{{short description|Legendary King of Sweden}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession      = [[Legendary King of Sweden]]
| image           =
| caption         =
| reign           = 
| coronation      =
| full name       = 
| predecessor     = [[Vanlande]]
| successor       = [[Domalde]]
| spouse          =
| issue           = [[Domalde]]; Gisi; Ondur
| issue-link      =
| issue-page      =
| house           = [[House of Yngling]]
| house-type      =Dynasty
| birth_date      = 
| birth_place     = 
| death_date      = 
| death_place     = 
| date of burial  =
| place of burial =
| religion        = [[Norse Paganism]]
|}}
'''Visbur''' or '''Wisbur''' ([[Old Norse]] "Certain/Undoubted Son"<ref name=MCKINNELL70>McKinnell (2005:70).</ref>) was a legendary Swedish king of the [[House of Yngling]]s and the son of [[Vanlandi]]. He was burned to death inside his [[hall]] by the [[arson]] of two of his own sons in revenge for rejecting their mother and denying them their heritage. He was succeeded by his son [[Dómaldi]].

==Attestations==
[[Snorri Sturluson]] wrote of Visbur in his ''[[Ynglinga saga]]'' (1225):
<br />
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Vísburr tók arf eptir Vanlanda föður sinn; hann gékk at eiga dóttur Auða hins auðga ok gaf henni at mundi þrjá stórbœi ok gullmen. Þau áttu 2 sonu, Gisl ok Öndur. En Vísburr lét hana eina ok fékk annarrar konu; en hon fór til föður síns með sonu sína. Vísbur átti son er Dómaldi hét; stjúpmóðir Dómalda lét síða at honum úgæfu. En er synir Vísburs váru 12 vetra ok 13, fóru þeir á fund hans ok heimtu mund móður sinnar, en hann vildi eigi gjalda. Þá mæltu þeir, at gullmenit skyldi verða at bana hinum bezta manni í ætt hans, ok fóru í brott ok heim. Þá var enn fengit at seið ok siðit til þess, at þeir skyldu mega drepa föður sinn. Þá sagði Huldr völva þeim, at hon mundi svá síða, ok þat með, at ættvíg skyldu ávalt vera í ætt þeirra Ynglinga síðan. Þeir játtu því. Eptir þat sömnuðu þeir liði, ok kómu at Vísbur um nótt á úvart ok brendu hann inni.<ref name="heimskringla.no">{{Cite web |url=http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |title=''Ynglinga saga'' at ''Norrøne Tekster og Kvad'' |access-date=2006-11-03 |archive-date=2005-12-31 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051231070651/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/heimskringla/ynglingasaga.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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Visbur succeeded his father Vanlande.  He married the daughter of
[[Auðr (mythological character)|Aude the Rich]], and gave her as her bride-gift three large farms,
and a gold ornament.  They had two sons, Gisle and Ond; but
Visbur left her and took another wife, whereupon she went home to
her father with her two sons.  Visbur had a son who was called
Domald, and his stepmother used [[seiðr|witchcraft]] to give him ill-luck.
Now, when Visbur's sons were the one twelve and the other
thirteen years of age, they went to their father's place, and
desired to have their mother's dower; but he would not deliver it
to them.  Then they said that the gold ornament should be the
death of the best man in all his race, and they returned home.
Then they began again with enchantments and witchcraft, to try if
they could destroy their father.  The [[völva|sorceress]] [[Huld]] said that by
witchcraft she could bring it about by this means, that a
murderer of his own kin should never be wanting in the Yngling
race; and they agreed to have it so.  Thereafter they collected
men, came unexpectedly in the night on Visbur, and burned him in
his house.<ref name="sacred-texts.com">[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/heim/02ynglga.htm Laing's translation at the Internet Sacred Text Archive]</ref><ref>[http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/001_03.php Laing's translation at Northvegr] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312204129/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/001_03.php |date=2007-03-12 }}</ref>
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Snorri included a piece from ''[[Ynglingatal]]'' (9th century) in his account in the ''[[Heimskringla]]'':

{|
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:Ok Visburs
:vilja byrgi
:sævar niðr
:svelga knátti,
:þá er meinþjóf
:markar öttu
:setrs verjendr
:á sinn föður;
:ok allvald
:í arinkjóli
:glóða garmr
:glymjandi beit.<ref name="heimskringla.no"/><ref>[http://www.home.no/norron-mytologi/sgndok/kvad/yngli.htm A second online presentation of ''Ynglingatal''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060928181924/http://www.home.no/norron-mytologi/sgndok/kvad/yngli.htm |date=September 28, 2006 }}</ref>
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:Have the fire-dogs' fierce tongues yelling
:Lapt Visbur's blood on his own hearth?
:Have the flames consumed the dwelling
:Of the here's soul on earth?
:Madly ye acted, who set free
:The forest foe, red fire, night thief,
:Fell brother of the raging sea,
:Against your father and your chief.<ref name="sacred-texts.com"/><ref>[http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/001_05.php Laing's translation at Northvegr] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311071027/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/heim/001_05.php |date=March 11, 2007 }}</ref>
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The ''[[Historia Norwegiæ]]'' presents a Latin summary of ''Ynglingatal'', older than Snorri's quotation:

{|
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Hic [Wanlanda] genuit Wisbur, quem filii sui cum omni curia sua, ut citius hærenditarentur, vivum incenderunt. Cujus filium Domald [...]<ref>Storm, Gustav (editor) (1880). ''Monumenta historica Norwegiæ: Latinske kildeskrifter til Norges historie i middelalderen'', Monumenta Historica Norwegiae (Kristiania: Brøgger), p. 98</ref>
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He [Vanlande] was the father of Visbur, whose sons
burnt him alive with all his hirdsmen, so that they might attain
their inheritance more swiftly. His son Domalde [...]<ref>Ekrem, Inger (editor), Lars Boje Mortensen (editor) and Peter Fisher
(translator) (2003). ''Historia Norwegie''. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN
8772898135, p. 75.</ref>
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The even earlier source ''[[Íslendingabók]]'' cites the line of descent in ''Ynglingatal'' and also gives Visburr as the successor of Vanlandi and the predecessor of [[Domalde|Dómaldr]]: ''vi Vanlandi. vii Visburr. viii Dómaldr''.<ref>[http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20070508145441/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/islendingesagaene/islendingabok.php Guðni Jónsson's edition of Íslendingabók]</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
*McKinnell, John (2005). ''Meeting the Other in Norse Myth and Legend''. [[Boydell & Brewer|DS Brewer]]. {{ISBN|1-84384-042-1}}

==Sources==
*[[Ynglingatal]]
*[[Ynglinga saga]] (part of the [[Heimskringla]])
*[[Historia Norvegiæ|Historia Norwegiae]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Yngling|House of Yngling]]||||}}
{{succession box|title=[[Mythological king of Sweden]]|years=|before=[[Vanlandi]]|after=[[Domalde]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Norse mythology}}

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