Thyra Danebod - Unknown Date
I don't know for sure if Thyra Danebod was a Pagan or not, but I assume she was. There is no definitive evidence of her religious background, but her husband was a devout Pagan and so were most Danes during their time, to my understanding. It seems that popular (later) legends say she was a Christian, which seems odd given that the sources I read say her husband, Gorm the Old, was bent on eradicating all Christians in his lands. Odd to marry and reproduce an heir with a culture you're trying to eliminate when abundant Pagan women were around. Her son, Harald Bluetooth, was not raised a Christian nor was he converted by his mother. According to Adam of Bremen he was forcefully converted by German king, Otto I. Thyra was also credited with the Danevirke, a military structure used to fend off the Christians to the south. In reality she expanded on a previously built Danevirke, but her involvement in military means against Christians and in support of Pagans speaks for itself. Her being a Christian (prior to being forced by Otto I) makes no sense to me, and I'm assuming she was (at least before forced conversion) of the Germanic polytheistic faith. Personal opinion.
"Adam of Bremen reports that in the year 936, or shortly before, Archbishop Unni of Hamburg traveled to Denmark, and here he met the king of the Danes, Hardecnudth Wurm. Adam wrote: "He was, I must say, a horrible worm and not a little hostile to Christian people. He was scheming to completely eradicate the Christianity that existed in Denmark, expelling the god's ministers from his country, and he killed even very many of them under torments." Some, among them the author, believe that Adam forgot a "filius" in the Latin text so that it should have been "Hardecnudth filius Wurm", which would mean Wurm, son of Hardecnudth. Wurm was, without doubt, the king, called Gorm the Old, whom the Jelling stone simply calls "Gorm king". When Unni visited him, he had perhaps been on the throne for some years."
-taken from jelling.natmus.dk and dandebat.dk
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| Thyra Danebod - Unknown Date. |
Quote:
http://jelling.natmus.dk/en/about-jelling/gorm-thyra-and-harald/the-myth-of-queen-thyra/the-christian-wife/
http://www.dandebat.dk/eng-dk-historie18.htm
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