Gunwar

Family: Danes · Role: sister of Frode · First appears: Book Five · Part 1

In Book Five · Part 1, Grep (eldest son of Westmar) sought Gunwar’s love, and she took refuge in a fortified building to escape her wooer. By Book Five · Part 4, Grep had gathered her suitors under pretence of a banquet and killed them.

In Book Five · Part 11, Gunwar warned her betrothed, Erik Shrewd-spoken, that Frode (son of Fridleif the Swift) intended to kill him with a dagger. In Book Five · Part 14, Erik married Gunwar, while Roller married Frode’s divorced queen, Hanund. In Book Five · Part 16, Erik embraced Gunwar as usual while allowing Alfhild (daughter of Gotar)—destined for Frode—to lie apart.

Relationship record

Life events

• Grep (eldest) sought Gunwar's love.(Book Five · Part 1)
  • With: Grep (eldest son of Westmar)
  • “At last the eldest of those who shared the name of Grep, wishing to regulate and steady his promiscuous wantonness, ventured to seek a haven for his vagrant amours in the love of the king's sister.”
• Gunwar took refuge in a fortified building to escape her wooer.(Book Five · Part 1)
  • “She, much fearing the impudence of her wooer, and wishing to be safer from outrage, went into a fortified building.”
• Grep gathered Gunwar’s suitors and killed them.(Book Five · Part 4)
  • With: Grep (eldest son of Westmar)
  • “So he first gathered all the wooers of Gunwar together on the pretence of a banquet, and then lined the customary room of the princess with their heads--a gruesome spectacle for all the rest.”
• Erik wins the flyting, and Gotwar gives him the wagered necklace.(Book Five · Part 11)
  • With: Erik Shrewd-spoken Gotwar
  • “Powerless to answer this, Gotwar had to give the gold to the man whom she had meant to kill”
• Gunwar warns Erik that Frode intends to kill him with a dagger.(Book Five · Part 11)
  • With: Erik Shrewd-spoken Frode (son of Fridleif the Swift)
  • “Now Frode intended to pierce Erik by throwing a dagger at him. But Gunwar knew her brother's purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself.”
• Erik married the king's sister Gunwar, and Roller married Frode's divorced queen Hanund.(Book Five · Part 14)
  • With: Erik Shrewd-spoken Roller Hanund
  • “one wedding the sister of the king, and the other his divorced queen.”

Book Five · Part 1

• siblings with Frode (son of Fridleif the Swift) “Now the king had a sister, Gunwar, surnamed the Fair because of her surpassing beauty.”
• admirer: Grep (eldest son of Westmar) “At last the eldest of those who shared the name of Grep, wishing to regulate and steady his promiscuous wantonness, ventured to seek a haven for his vagrant amours in the love of the king's sister.”

Book Five · Part 4

• admirer: Grep (eldest son of Westmar) “Gunwar had many suitors; and accordingly Grep, trying to take revenge for his rebuff by stealthy wiles, demanded the right of judging the suitors, declaring that the princess ought to make the choicest match.”

Book Five · Part 11

• siblings with Frode (son of Fridleif the Swift) “Gunwar knew her brother's purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself.”
• engaged with Erik Shrewd-spoken “Gunwar knew her brother's purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself.”

Book Five · Part 14

• married with Erik Shrewd-spoken “Dear to Erik was his wife's fears; presently he embraced her and said: “I wished to know how loyal thou wert to me.”

Book Five · Part 15

• married with Erik Shrewd-spoken (The chapter also refers to Erik's wife and Gunwar's old marriage troth.) “Erik, he said, was delightful to him as a son-in-law, if only he could win alliance with Frode through Gunwar.”
• admirer: Gotar (king of Norway) “Then both went back to the nearest shore, where Gotar, when he learnt the mission of Erik, said that he wished for the sister of Frode, but would rather offer his own daughter to Frode's envoy, that Erik might not repent the passing of his own wife to another man.”
• siblings with Frode (son of Fridleif the Swift) (Gunwar is identified in the following sentence as the means by which Gotar hopes to make an alliance with Frode.) “Gotar, when he learnt the mission of Erik, said that he wished for the sister of Frode, but would rather offer his own daughter to Frode's envoy, that Erik might not repent the passing of his own wife to another man.”

Book Five · Part 16

• courtship with Erik Shrewd-spoken “But Erik suffered Alfhild, who was destined for Frode, to lie apart, and embraced Gunwar as usual, thus outwitting the king.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Danish History, Books I–IX. Made with Rho MD.