Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter

Heimskringla then tells of Sigurd Hart, a great hero who had two children: a daughter named Ragnhild and a son called Guthorm.

According to the Ragnarssona þáttr, Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter, daughter of Sigurd Hart and his wife Ingeborg ("Ingibjorg") was the granddaughter of Helgi the Sharp and Aslaug.

The Ragnarssona þáttr, Fagrskinna, and Heimskringla suggest that Ragnhild was a daughter or even granddaughter of Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye,[3] [4] unless there was more than one man by that name.

That is, most sources suggest that Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye was active only in the late 9th century, which would mean that he was either about the same age as Ragnhild or younger.

But it's said of his passing, that he rode out hunting in the wilderness, as was his custom, and Haki Hadaberserk came at him with thirty fully armed men and they fought with him.

Afterwards Haki and his men rode to Ringerike, to Stein, where Sigurd's dwelling was, and took away Ragnhild his daughter, and his son Gudthorm, and plenty of goods too, and carried them off home with him to Hadeland.

He sent Harek Gand with a hundred and twenty men, and they marched over the frozen Lake Mjøsa to Hadeland one night and came the next morning to King Haki's home and seized all the doors of the hall where the retainers were sleeping.

His father was Helge Hvasse (the Sharp); and his mother was Aslaug, a daughter of Sigurd the worm-eyed, who again was a son of Ragnar Lodbrok.

Sigurd had two children, one of whom was a daughter, called Ragnhild, then twenty years of age, and an excellent brisk girl.

"[11] The account slightly differs from the Ragnarssona þáttr when giving the age of Ragnhild at the time of Sigurd Hart's death.

"It is related in regard to Sigurd's death that he had a custom of riding out quite alone in the uninhabited forest to hunt the wild beasts that are hurtful to man, and he was always very eager at this sport.

Harek got ready with a hundred men, and made his journey so that they came over the lake to Hake's house in the grey of the morning, and beset all the doors and stairs of the places where the house-servants slept.

Then they broke into the sleeping-room where Hake slept, took Ragnhild, with her brother Guthorm, and all the goods that were there, and set fire to the house-servants' place, and burnt all the people in it.

"[13] "When King Halfdan, who was very quick of sight, saw the party returning over the frozen lake, and with a covered waggon, he knew that their errand was accomplished according to his desire.

Thereupon he ordered the tables to be set out, and sent people all round in the neighbourhood to invite plenty of guests; and the same day there was a good feast which was also Halfdan's marriage-feast with Ragnhild, who became a great queen.

"[15] "Queen Ragnhild gave birth to a son, and water was poured over him, and the name of Harald given him, and he soon grew stout and remarkably handsome.

"[18] The saga of Halfdan the Black portrays its hero rising to the throne of Agder and Vestfold at the age of eighteen years (c. 858).

Gwynn considers the saga of Halfdan the Black to be able to give some historical information but dismisses its second part, covering events from the marriage with Ragnhild to his death, as based on "legend, folktale, and dreams."

The dream of Ragnhild has a clear implication, that "her progeny would flourish like a great tree with blood-red roots, green trunk, and snow-white branches which would cover the whole of Norway and lands father afield."

Gwyn points to a literary tradition of such "dreams," dating at least to the surviving narratives about Cyrus the Great.