Valland

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title: "Valland" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["saga-locations", "viking-age-populated-places", "norse-exonyms"] description: "Norse term for the lands of Celtic and Romance peoples" topic_path: "general/saga-locations" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valland" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Norse term for the lands of Celtic and Romance peoples ::

In Norse legend, Valland is the name of the part of Europe which is inhabited by Celtic and Romance peoples. The element Val- is derived from **Walhaz*, a Proto-Germanic word whose descendants were used in various Germanic languages to refer to the inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire.

Mythological context

In the genealogy section of Flateyjarbók, there are two kings of Valland named Auði and Kjárr, who may have been a late reflection of Julius Caesar and the Roman Emperors in Norse mythology:

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Kjárr and his daughter Ölrún also appear in the Völundarkviða, where she is a Valkyrie who marries the hero Egil: ::data[format=table]

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It is mentioned in Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra that Hringr, the king of Denmark and son of Sköld dagsson, was married to Sigrid, who was the daughter of Vilhálm - or William - king of Valland.{{cite web | url = http://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Illuga_saga_Gr%C3%AD%C3%B0arf%C3%B3stra | title = Illuga saga Gríðarfóstra | first = Guðni | last = Jónsson | language = non |trans-title=Saga of Illuga Gríðarfóstra | access-date = 22 April 2011 | quote = Hann átti drottningu, er Sigríðr hét. Hún var dóttir Vilhjálms konungs ór Vallandi. He had a queen, who was called Sigrid. She was King William of Valland's daughter.

Legendary and historical context

In the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson, Valland is mentioned several times as the Old Norse name for Gaul. It was the country where Rollo carved out Normandy: :Rolf Ganger went afterwards over sea to the West to the Hebrides, or Sudreys; and at last farther west to Valland, where he plundered and subdued for himself a great earldom, which he peopled with Northmen, from which that land is called Normandy.

In Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, the hero Hrómund slays an undead witch-king named Þráinn who had been the king of Valland.

References

1. [https://runeberg.org/svetym/1174.html The entry ''Valnöt'' in ''Svensk etymologisk ordbok'' by Elof Hellquist (1922).]
2. [http://www.carlaz.com/phd/cea_phd_chap2.pdf Anderson, Carl Edlund. (1999). ''Formation and Resolution of Ideological Contrast in the Early History of Scandinavia''. Ph.D. thesis, University of Cambridge, Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic (Faculty of English). p. 44.] {{webarchive. link. (2007-03-07)
3. [http://wayback.vefsafn.is/wayback/20070508145122/http://www.heimskringla.no/original/flateyjarbok/aettartolur.php ''Ættartölur'', a section of ''Flateyjarbók'' at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad», Norway.]
4. Translation provided by Wikipedia editors.
5. [http://www.heimskringla.no/original/edda/volundarkvida.php ''Völundarkviða'' at «Norrøne Tekster og Kvad», Norway.] {{webarchive. link. (2007-05-08)
6. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe17.htm Henry A. Bellows' translation of ''The Lay of Völund''.]
7. "Harald Harfager's Saga at Northvegr.".

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