Hreðric and Hroðmund were the sons of the Danish king Hroðgar and his queen, Wealhþeow , in the Old English epic Beowulf . They are only mentioned in passing, and there seems to be some foreshadowing in Beowulf that their cousin, Halga 's son Hroðulf, i.e. Hrólfr Kraki , would usurp the throne from them.
21-521: It has been suggested that Hreðric corresponds to Hrörekr/Rørik in Scandinavian tradition. However, the traditions vary and so Hrörekr is either killed by Hrólfr Kraki or his successor as the ruler of Zealand (the Danish heartland). In Saxo Grammaticus 's Gesta Danorum (Book 2), Hrólfr Kraki kills a Rørik: "... our king, who laid low Rorik (i.e. Rørik), the son of Bok the covetous, and wrapped
42-464: A common hypothesis is that the Old Danish form Siâland is based on the word * selha- with the ending * wundia- . The latter means "indicates, resembles". The word * selha- may have two different meanings: "seal" (in modern Danish sæl ) or "deep bay, fjord". Since Roskilde is a major and ancient settlement on Zealand, accessible by sea through the narrow Roskilde Fjord (branched from
63-644: A population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising 40% of the country's population. Zealand is the 13th-largest island in Europe by area and the 4th most populous . It is connected to Sprogø and Funen by the Great Belt Fixed Link and to Amager by several bridges in Copenhagen. Indirectly, through the island of Amager and the Øresund Bridge , it is also linked to Scania in Sweden. In
84-534: A similarity between Zealand and the Swedish lake Vänern , it is sometimes identified as the hole left by Gefjun. Gefjun is queen of King Skjöldr , eponymous ancestor of the Scyldings , related to the etymological debate. Zealand is the most populous Danish island. It is irregularly shaped, and is north of the islands of Lolland , Falster , and Møn . The small island of Amager lies immediately east. Copenhagen
105-532: Is divided between two Danish regions: The Copenhagen metropolitan area and North Zealand belong to the Capital Region , while the major and more rural part of the island belongs to the Zealand Region . The origin of the Danish name Sjælland is not exactly known. Sjæl in modern Danish means "soul"; a derivation from siô / sæ (meaning "lake" or "sea") has been assumed. However, today
126-615: Is mostly on Zealand but extends across northern Amager. A number of bridges and the Copenhagen Metro connect Zealand to Amager, which is connected to Scania in Sweden by the Øresund Bridge via the artificial island of Peberholm . Zealand is joined in the west to Funen, by the Great Belt Fixed Link, and Funen is connected by bridges to the country's mainland, Jutland . On 5 June 2007 the regional subsidiary of national broadcaster DR reported that Kobanke in
147-540: The Isefjord ), it has been assumed that the sailors named the island after this. The Swedish name of the island is Själland , a direct translation to the different script used in that language. The English form may be borrowed from the German form Seeland . These forms might be based on the assumption that the first part means sea or lake (German See ), or they could simply be based on an alternative Danish form of
168-459: The Paleocene . Urban areas with 10,000+ inhabitants: Roskilde Fjord Roskilde Fjord is the fjord north of Roskilde , Denmark . It is a long branch of the Isefjord . The cities Frederiksværk , Frederikssund , Jægerspris , Jyllinge and Roskilde (including Himmelev ), (home to the famous Roskilde Festival ), all have coastline at Roskilde Fjord. The image on this page shows
189-634: The Jutlandic, Zealandic and the Scanian laws, there had been no uniformity of laws throughout settlements in Denmark. Ringsted and later Roskilde were the first important political and religious centres on the island, a role later taken over by Copenhagen. Other important religious centres prior to the Reformation were Sorø Abbey at Sorø and Esrom Abbey at Esrum . With its strategic location at
210-620: The coward in death." Rørik is the expected Old East Norse form of Hreðric , and personages named Rørik , Hrok or similar such names can be found in most versions of the Hrólf Kraki tradition. In the Skjöldunga saga , Valdar disputes Hrörekr's succession of Hrólfr Kraki as the king of the Daner . After the war, Hrörekr took Zealand , while Valdar took Skåne . If based on the same tradition as Hversu Noregr byggdist , Valdar had
231-408: The districts of the southern Hawkes Bay and the northern Wairarapa . The tribal Danes came from Zealand and Scania and spoke an early form of North Germanic . Historians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes . The Jutes migrated to Great Britain eventually, some as mercenaries of Brythonic King Vortigern , and were granted
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#1732780686140252-409: The entrance to the Øresund, especially after the construction of Kronborg Castle and the introduction of Sound Dues , Helsingør would later develop into the most important town and seaport outside Copenhagen. Most of North Zealand was for centuries, starting in the late 16th century, owned by the crown and used mainly as a royal hunting domain. Local manors played a central role in the economy on
273-524: The island were constructed by Det Sjællandske Jernbaneselskab (1847-1888). The first section opened between Copenhagen and Roskilde in 1847. In Norse mythology as told in the Gylfaginning , the island was created by the goddess Gefjun after she tricked Gylfi , the king of Sweden. She removed a piece of land and transported it to Denmark, which became Zealand. The vacant area was filled with water and became Mälaren . However, since modern maps show
294-563: The name, Sælland , which was common until the 19th century. The island nation of New Zealand has no etymological relations to Zealand. New Zealand is named after the Dutch province of Zeeland , which is sometimes referred to as and/or anglicized to Zealand, but is not to be confused with the Danish island. However, there is a historical connection between Denmark and New Zealand based on 19th century immigration of Scandinavians, especially Danes, to New Zealand's North Island, particularly to
315-494: The rest of the island. Early industrial centres outside Copenhagen included Mølleåen with its watermills, the Kronborg Arms Factory at Hellebæk , Johan Frederik Classen 's Frederick's Works at Frederiksværk and Niels Ryberg's Køng Textile Factory at Vordingborg. Substantial parts of the southernmost part of the island was in the 18th century part of Vordingborg Cavalry District . The first railways on
336-546: The right to claim the throne being the son of the former king Hróarr ( Hroðgar ). Even though Hrólfr Kraki was made their guardian, their mother could have easily fled back to her Wuffing kin, as the male line of Hroðgar seemed to live on through Valdar. Valdar also took power in Scane, which makes sense as it is near Östergötland. After Ingjald's death, Sögubrot relates, Ivar Vidfamne gave the East Geatish throne to Hjörmund,
357-611: The son of Hjörvard, since it had been the kingdom of Hjörmund's father Hjörvard. As Ivar Vidfamne was a great grandson of Hroðgar and his Wuffing wife Wealhþēow, this could be seen as a reward for loyalty as well as kinship with the Wuffings. Zealand (Denmark) Zealand ( Danish : Sjælland [ˈɕeˌlænˀ] ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island , which are larger in size) at 7,031 km . Zealand had
378-721: The south, the Storstrøm Bridge and the Farø Bridges connect it to Falster , and beyond that island to Lolland , from where the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel to Germany is planned. Copenhagen , the capital of Denmark, with a population between 1.3 and 1.4 million people in 2020, is located mostly on the eastern shore of Zealand and partly on the island of Amager . Other cities on Zealand include Roskilde , Hillerød , Næstved , Helsingør , Slagelse , Køge , Holbæk and Kalundborg . Administratively, Zealand
399-568: The south-eastern territories of Kent , the Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons , who formed the Anglo-Saxons . The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes . Valdemar's Zealandic Law was a civil code enacted in the 13th century. Prior to the adoption of
420-535: The southeast near the town Rønnede in Faxe Municipality , with a height of 122.9 metres (403 ft), was the highest natural point on Zealand. Gyldenløveshøj , south of the city Roskilde , has a height of 126 metres (413 ft), but that is due to a man-made hill from the 17th century and its highest natural point is only 121.3 metres (398 ft). Zealand gives its name to the Selandian era of
441-627: The view of the fjord, as seen from Roskilde. During the Viking era, circa 1000 AD, the people of Roskilde decided to sink a number of their ships in the fjord at Skuldelev , in an effort to prevent the Vikings from coming and raiding. Today, five ships have been discovered; during expansion of the museum that houses these finds , another nine were uncovered. 55°50′00″N 12°02′50″E / 55.83333°N 12.04722°E / 55.83333; 12.04722 This Danish location article
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