About the Christian era there is said to have been a king, called Frode I., who, as he never was deified, may have had a tomb on earth, and might, if that could be identified, be allowed to head our list. Between him and Harald Harfagar, who, in 880, conquered Norway and came into distinct contact with British history in the Orkneys, we have several lists of kings, more or less complete, and with dates more or less certain.[1] That there were kings in those days, no one will probably dispute, nor perhaps is the succession of the names doubtful; and if the dates err to the extent of even fifty years or so, it is of little consequence to our argument. The monuments extend so far down, and to kings whose dates are so perfectly ascertained, that it is of no importance whether the earlier ones are assigned to dates forty or fifty years too early or too late. Their fixation may be left to future research, as it has no direct bearing on the theory we are now trying to investigate.
Battle-fields.
The chief of the Scandinavanian monuments, and the most interesting for our present object, comprise those groups of stones which mark battle-fields. Not only are their dates generally known with sufficient precision to throw considerable light on the
- ↑ The following list of the kings of Denmark, copied from Dunham's, and giving the dates from Suhm, and Snorro's 'Heimskringla,' will probably suffice for our present purposes:—
Suhm.
A.D.Snorro.
B.C.Frode I. 35 17 Fridlief 47 Havar 59 Frode II. 87 Wermund 140 Olaf 190 Suhm.
A.D.Snorro.
A.D.Dan Mykillate 270 170 Frode III. 310 235? Halfdan I. 324 290 Fridlief III. 348 300 Frode IV. 407 370 Ingel 436 386 Halfdan II. 447 ,, Fode V. 460 ,, Helge and Roe 494 438 Frode VI. 510 ,, Rolf Krake 522 479 Frode VII. 548 ,, Halfdan III. 580 554 Ruric 588 ,, Ivar 647 587 Harald Hildetand 735 ,, Sigurd Ring 750 — Rajnar Lothbrog 794 — Sigurd Snogoge 803 — Herda Canute 850 — Eric I. 854 — Eric II. 883 — Harald Harfagar — 863 Gorm the Old (died ?) 941 — Harald Blatand 991 — Sweyn 1014 —
