Earl Frodi Skallagrimsson

Frodi Skallagrimsson (825-875) was a Norwegian Earl.

## Biography

### Early Life

Frodi was born somewhere in the region of Rogaland in Norway around 825 AD, the son of a petty king called Skallagrim "the Tall".

In 844 AD Frodi, his older brother Sulke, and King Skallagrim discovered the eldest brother, Hoskuld, having sex with his stepmother, Skallagrim's second wife Ingrid "the Fair" Horiksdottir, in Skallagrim's own bed. In a jealous rage Skallagrim drew his sword, slew Ingrid, and castrated Hoskuld before Frodi and Sulke managed to restrain him. It was revealed that the two had been engaged in a love affair since before her marriage to King Skallagrim, and that his youngest son, also called Skallagrim, was not his son at all but Hoskuld's. Hoskuld along with his love child and Ingrid's maid Thorkatla were subsequently banished from the kingdom.

### Reign

In 845, upon the death of his father, he inherited the northern part of his father's kingdom and began ruling there as the Earl of Haugaland.

In 847 he married Thora Saumrsdottir. They had three children together:

* Skallagrimma (b. 848)
* Skallagrim "the Wise" (b. 860)
* Hrolf "Blood-Axe" (b. 862)

In AD 863 he seduced his servingwoman Jofrid Hallbjornsdottir into becoming his mistress, though she was twenty-two years his junior. In AD 865 he sired a son by her named Skallagrim "the Lame" for his deformed club-foot. She continued to enjoy the Earl's attentions and fell pregnant several more times but bore no more living children. Regardless, she was able to exert increasingly more influence upon Earl Frodi over the following years until ultimately matching that of his lawful wife, much to Thora's jealousy and hatred.

In AD 874 King Harald Fairhair began his campaign of subjugation in Norway. It was the advice of Earl Frodi's wife Thora that he should accept Harald's kingship over all Norway as a fait accompli and swear fealty to him while the getting was still good. It was Jofrid's advice on the other hand that he should join the confederation growing against Harald and resist him. Taking Jofrid's advice over that of his wife, Earl Frodi mustered his forces to make war on Harald.

### Death

In AD 875 Frodi and several other allied autonomous rulers (including his brother King Sulke of Rogaland) met Harald Fairhair's forces at the battle of Hafrsfjord. At once point in the battle, Frodi and Sulke were fighting together when they encountered their exiled brother Hoskuld among their enemies. In the intervening years since his banishment Hoskuld had entered Harald Fairhair's service and risen to be one of his captains. Faced with the trilemma of either hyaving to kill his brothers, letting his brothers kill him, or breaking his oath of loyalty to King Harald Fairhair, Hoskuld shared a few passing words with his brothers before throwing himself upon his own sword. In the course of the battle Harald's forces carried the day and Frodi, Sulke, and all of Sulke's sons were slain.

Skallagrim "the Wise" Frodisson took his father's household and settled in Iceland, while Skallagrim Hoskuldsson was elevated to Thane of part of Sulke and Frodi's former lands by King Harald Fairhair.