| Succession: | Legendary King of Sweden |
| Predecessor: | Sveigder |
| Successor: | Visbur |
| Spouse: | Driva |
| Issue: | Visbur |
| House: | House of Yngling |
| House-Type: | Dynasty |
| Father: | Sveigder |
| Mother: | Vana |
| Place Of Burial: | By the Skuta river |
Vanlandi or Vanlande (Old Norse "Man from the Land of the Vanir"[1]) according to mythology was a Swedish king at Uppsala of the House of Yngling in Norse mythology. He was the son of Sveigðir whom he succeeded as king. He married a girl from Finnland, but forgot about her. In revenge, the girl arranged so that Vanlandi was hag ridden to death. He was succeeded by his son Visbur.
Snorri Sturluson wrote of Vanlandi in his Ynglinga saga (1225) (note that the translator has rendered Finnland as Finland):
| Vanlandi hét son Svegðis, er ríki tók eptir hann ok réð fyrir Uppsala auð; hann var hermaðr mikill, ok hann fór víða um lönd. Hann þá vetrvist á Finnlandi með Snjá hinum gamla, ok fékk þar dóttr hans Drífu. En at vári fór hann á brott, en Drífa var eptir, ok hét hann at koma aptr á þriggja vetra fresti; en hann kom eigi á 10 vetrum. Þá sendi Drífa eptir Huld seiðkonu, en sendi Vísbur, son þeirra Vanlanda, til Svíþjóðar. Drífa keypti at Huld seiðkonu, at hon skyldi síða Vanlanda til Finnlands, eða deyða hann at öðrum kosti. En er seiðr var framiðr, þá var Vanlandi at Uppsölum; þá gerði hann fúsan at fara til Finnlands, en vinir hans ok ráðamenn bönnuðu honum, ok sögðu at vera mundi fjölkyngi Finna í farfýsi hans. Þá gerðist honum svefnhöfugt, ok lagðist hann till svefns. En er hann hafði lítt sofnat, kallaði hann ok sagði, at mara trað hann. Menn hans fóru til ok vildu hjálpa honum; en er þeir tóku uppi til höfuðsins, þá trað hon fótleggina, svá at nær brotnuðu; þá tóku þeir til fótanna, þá kafði hon höfuðit, svá at þar dó hann. Svíar tóku lík hans, ok var hann brendr við á þá er Skúta heitir. Þar váru settir bautasteinar hans.[2] | Vanlande, Swegde's son, succeeded his father, and ruled over theUpsal domain. He was a great warrior, and went far around indifferent lands. Once he took up his winter abode in Finlandwith Snae the Old, and got his daughter Driva in marriage; but inspring he set out leaving Driva behind, and although he hadpromised to return within three years he did not come back forten. Then Driva sent a message to the witch Huld; and sentVisbur, her son by Vanlande, to Sweden. Driva bribed the witch-wife Huld, either that she should bewitch Vanlande to return toFinland, or kill him. When this witch-work was going on Vanlandewas at Upsal, and a great desire came over him to go to Finland;but his friends and counsellors advised him against it, and saidthe witchcraft of the Finn people showed itself in this desire ofhis to go there. He then became very drowsy, and laid himselfdown to sleep; but when he had slept but a little while he criedout, saying that the Mara was treading upon him. His menhastened to him to help him; but when they took hold of his headshe trod on his legs, and when they laid hold of his legs shepressed upon his head; and it was his death. The Swedes took hisbody and burnt it at a river called Skytaa, where a standing stone was raised over him.[3] [4] |
Snorri also quoted some lines from Ynglingatal composed in the 9th century:
En á vit Vilja bróður vitta véttr Vanlanda kom, þá er trollkund of troða skyldi liðs grímhildr ljóna bága; ok sá brann á beði Skútu menglötuðr, er mara kvalði.[5] | And Vanlande, in a fatal hour, Was dragg'd by Grimhild's daughter's power, The witch-wife's, to the dwelling-place Where men meet Odin face to face. Trampled to death, to Skytaa's shore The corpse his faithful followers bore; And there they burnt, with heavy hearts, The good chief killed by witchcraft's arts.[6] |
The Historia Norwegiæ presents a Latin summary of Ynglingatal, older than Snorri's quotation:
| Iste [Swegthir] genuit Wanlanda, qui in somno a dæmone suffocatus interiit, quod genus dæmoniorum norwegico sermone mara vocatur. Hic genuit Wisbur [...][7] | He [Sveigde] sired Vanlande, who died in his sleep, suffocated by a goblin, one of the demonic species known in Norwegian as 'mare'. He was the father of Visbur, [...][8] |
The even earlier source Íslendingabók cites the line of descent in Ynglingatal and also gives Vanlandi as the successor of Svegðir and the predecessor of Visbur: v Svegðir. vi Vanlandi. vii Visburr. viii Dómaldr.[9]
Geographical note: According to the article Skuttunge in Nationalencyklopedin, the creek skutá passed its name onto the village of Skuttunge and the parish of Skuttunge (sv). The area does not only contain raised stones, but also 45 grave fields (most from the Iron Age), including a dolmen. The creek is today named after the village.
The area has undergone considerable Post-glacial rebound. Rising about 0.5 m each 100 years. This has significantly changed the position of the seashore, lakes, rivers and human settlements over time.