Amleth facts for kids
Amleth (pronounced AM-leth) is a famous character from an old Scandinavian legend. He was the main inspiration for Prince Hamlet, the hero of William Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
The most important source for the legend of Amleth comes from Saxo Grammaticus. He wrote about Amleth in his book Gesta Danorum around the early 1200s. Another similar version is found in the 12th-century Chronicon Lethrense. In both stories, Prince Amleth (also called Amblothæ) is the son of Horvendill, who was the king of the Jutes. People often thought the story came from an even older Icelandic poem, but no such poem has been found.
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What's in a Name?
The old Icelandic name for Amleth is Amlóði. This name appears in an old book called the Prose Edda. The Latin names Amlethus and Amblothæ from the 12th century likely came from this Old Norse name.
The meaning of the name Amlóði isn't fully known, but there are some ideas. In Iceland, Amlóði was used to describe a fool or a simple person. This fits with how Amleth acts in the story.
Some people think the name comes from Old Norse words meaning "to annoy" and "fierceness" or "madness." This idea connects to Amleth pretending to be mad.
Many people believe the Scandinavian legend of Amleth originally came from an old Norse poem, possibly from the 900s. However, this poem has not survived. The oldest written versions we have are the two Latin stories from the 12th century.
There was also a later Icelandic version of the tale from the 1600s. A historian named Thormodus Torfæus said that the story of Amlodi was a popular folk tale in Iceland in the mid-1600s. It's not clear if this Icelandic story was influenced by Saxo's book or if it came from a different, older tradition.
Saxo's Story
Gervendill, a ruler in Jutland, was followed by his sons, Horvendill and Feng. Horvendill went on a Viking trip and defeated Koll, the king of Norway. When he returned, he married Gerutha, who was the daughter of Rørik Slyngebond, the king of Denmark. Horvendill and Gerutha had a son named Amleth.
However, Feng was jealous and killed Horvendill. He then convinced Gerutha to marry him, saying he killed her husband because Horvendill didn't love her. Amleth was scared he would suffer the same fate as his father, so he pretended to be foolish and crazy.
Feng, however, was suspicious and tested Amleth many times. For example, they tried to trick him with a young girl, who was like his foster-sister. But Amleth was clever and avoided the trap. Later, Amleth killed a spy hiding in his mother's room, much like Polonius in Shakespeare's play. Amleth then cleverly hid all proof of the deed. This made Feng sure that Amleth's madness was just an act.
So, Feng sent Amleth to Britain with two servants. They carried a secret letter telling the British king to kill Amleth. Amleth figured out their plan. While they slept, he secretly changed the message on their wooden tablets. The new message told the king to kill the servants instead and to let Amleth marry the king's daughter. The British king followed the altered instructions.
After marrying the princess, Amleth returned to Denmark a year later. He brought back only some hollow sticks filled with gold. He arrived just in time for a funeral feast that was being held to celebrate his supposed death. During the feast, he gave the courtiers lots of drinks. While they were in a deep sleep, he got his revenge. He used sharp pegs, which he had made during his feigned madness, to fasten the hall's wool hangings over them. Then, he set the palace on fire. Amleth killed Feng with his own sword. After giving a long speech to the people, he was declared king.
Amleth went back to Britain for his wife. He found out that his father-in-law and Feng had promised to avenge each other's deaths. The English king didn't want to kill Amleth himself. So, he sent Amleth to propose marriage to a fierce Scottish queen named Hermuthruda. She had killed all her previous suitors, but she fell in love with Amleth. When Amleth returned to Britain, his first wife, who still loved him, warned him about her father's plan for revenge. In the battle that followed, Amleth won by setting up the dead soldiers from the day before on stakes. This scared the enemy away.
Amleth then returned to Jutland with his two wives. There, he faced an enemy named Wiglek, who had taken over from Rørik. Amleth was killed in a battle against Wiglek. Even though Hermuthruda had promised to die with him, she instead married Wiglek. Saxo wrote that Amleth was buried on a plain in Jutland, a place still known for his name and burial spot.
The Chronicle of the Kings of Leijre
The 12th-century Chronicle of the Kings of Leijre tells a similar story. It says that the Danish king Rorik Slengeborre made Orwendel and Feng rulers in Jutland. He gave his daughter to Orwendel as a reward. Orwendel and the daughter had a son, Amblothæ the Jutlander.
The jealous Feng killed Orwendel and took his wife. Amblothæ knew his life was in danger, so he pretended to be insane to survive. Feng sent Amblothæ to the king of Britain with two servants. They carried a message telling the British king to kill Amblothæ. While the servants slept, Amblothæ changed the message. He wrote that the servants should be killed and that he should marry the king's daughter. The British king did what the new message said.
Exactly one year later, Feng was celebrating Amblothæ's supposed death. But Amblothæ appeared and killed him. He also killed Feng's men in a tent and became the ruler of Jutland. Then he went back to Britain to kill the British king, who wanted to get revenge for Feng's death and marry Scotland's queen. Amblothæ returned to Jutland and was killed in battle when he arrived.
Icelandic Versions
In Iceland, there is a romantic tale called Ambale's Saga. The oldest copy of this story is from the 1600s.
Thormodus Torfæus wrote in 1702 that when he was young, he "often heard the story of Amlod told in Iceland by old women."
Similar Stories in Other Cultures
The story of Amleth has similarities to other old tales from around the world. For example, it is like the story of Lucius Junius Brutus from ancient Rome. In both stories, a nephew pretends to be mad to avoid being noticed by a bad uncle who took over. The nephew then gets revenge.
Other similar stories include those of Bellerophon and Heracles from Greek myths. There are also connections to the "traitorous letter" idea, where a letter orders the death of the person carrying it. This idea appears in old French, Arabian, and Indian tales.
There are also strong similarities between Amleth's story and that of Kai Khosrow in the Shahnameh (Book of the King) by the Persian poet Firdausi. In ancient Egyptian mythology, a similar story exists about a king who is killed by his jealous brother but is avenged by his son. This is the tale of Osiris, Set, and Horus.
Modern Adaptations
The story of Amleth has inspired many modern works:
- Henry Treece adapted the story for his 1966 novel The Green Man.
- The legend was the basis for the 1994 film Prince of Jutland (also known as Royal Deceit). It starred Gabriel Byrne as Fenge, Helen Mirren as Geruth, and Christian Bale as Amled.
- The Amleth story was also the basis for the 1994 Disney film The Lion King.
- The legend, combined with Shakespeare's play, forms the basis for Alan Gordon's novel An Antic Disposition (2004).
- Amleth's story was also adapted into the 2022 film The Northman. This movie was directed by Robert Eggers and co-written with Icelandic author Sjón. Alexander Skarsgård played Amleth.
See Also
- Sources of Hamlet
- Hamlet's Grave
