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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 1996-07 > 0836253570


From: Jared Olar <>
Subject: Re: Siward Digri of Northumbria (was Re: Sven Estridssons ancestors)
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 15:39:30 -0500
In-Reply-To: <4r7hp4$8fp@madeline.INS.CWRU.Edu>


On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, Todd A. Farmerie wrote:

> Searle's pedigree appears to depend on the identification of Beorn Bereson
> with Beorn Ulfson. This seems unlikely, since Siward seems roughly
> contemporary with Godwin, having a son and nephew die in defeating Macbeth.

Yes, I've always been bothered by this problem--the generation seems to be
far too short. If Bjorn Ulfsson died in 1049, and he doesn't seem to
have been anywhere near middle-aged at the time, how could he be the same
as Siward's father Beorn Bereson?

> To address this, I have seen Beorn Bereson moved one or two generations up
> the lineage, as son of Thorgils or Styrbeorn. All of this looks like
> guesswork to me (while the tradition that Beorn was son of a bear is
> standard fare "just so story" material to explain a misunderstood
> patronymic).
>
> Is there any contemporary evidence for a relationship between Siward and
> Godwin's wife, or is this another case of "all them new foreigners are
> related", to go along with all viking co-leaders being brothers?

Indeed, what evidence is there that Siward was even related to this family?
It's odd that Searle identifies the lineage of Svein Astridsson with
Siward's lineage--yet on one chart he makes no indication that Ulf's
brother Bjorn was Siward's father, while on the other chart he makes no
indication that Siward's lineage is supposed to be the same as Svein
Astridssons.

Jared Olar

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