The Story of Gunnhildur konungamóðir (Gunnhild, Mother of Kings)
Gunnhildur konungamóðir—Gunnhild, Mother of Kings—was a woman forged in legend, her story echoing through the sagas like the wind across Iceland’s valleys. Born in the 10th century, her origins are shrouded in mystery, though the sagas place her in the wild northern reaches of Norway, with ties to Iceland through her marriages and exploits.
Gunnhild was no ordinary woman. In an age when power came at the edge of a sword, she wielded hers through wit, beauty, and a mastery of magic that even her enemies feared. She was said to have trained with two Finn sorcerers, deep in the frozen wilderness where the sun rarely rose and the air crackled with unseen power. Under their tutelage, Gunnhild learned the arts of seiðr, the Norse magic of prophecy, manipulation, and weather-working.
The sagas tell of her first test of power. As a young woman, she lured her sorcerer mentors into sleep and turned their spells back upon them, ensuring they could never enslave her. It was a bold act, one that set the tone for a life marked by cunning and ruthlessness.
Gunnhild married Eirik Bloodaxe, a fierce and ambitious man who became King of Norway. Together, they ruled with fire and steel, carving their names into history. But it was Gunnhild who worked in the shadows, weaving alliances and spells to secure her family’s grip on power. They called her "Mother of Kings" for good reason—through her machinations, her sons ascended to thrones across Scandinavia, their fates shaped by her hand.
Yet power comes with enemies, and Gunnhild had many. They whispered that she used magic to destroy her rivals, that storms followed her commands, and that her words could twist a man’s heart or break it. When Eirik was betrayed and killed, Gunnhild fled to the Orkney Islands, then to Denmark, where she continued to plot her sons’ ascension.
Her connection to Iceland comes through the sagas, which depict her as both a threat and a force to be reckoned with. In Icelandic tradition, she represents the dangerous allure of seiðr—powerful, captivating, and ultimately untouchable. Her influence lingered even in exile, her name spoken with a mix of awe and fear in the halls of kings and the quiet valleys of Iceland.
Gunnhild’s death is as mysterious as her life. Some say she faded into obscurity, while others claim she died as she lived: defiant and unbowed, wielding power until her last breath. The fjords and valleys of Iceland may not have been her home, but they carried her legacy. The wind that howls through the cliffs seems to whisper of her still, of the woman who bent the will of men and kings alike.