Swedish Ragnhilda ( Swede: Ragnhild av Tälje ; d. C. 1117) is a legendary locally revered saint in Sweden , whose veneration was attested in late medieval Sweden and whose name was connected by the province of Södermanland and the Strennes diocese. According to legend, she was also the Queen of Sweden and the wife of King Inge II the Younger .
| Ragnhilda Swedish | |
|---|---|
| Swede. Ragnhild av Tälje | |
 Image of Ragnhild in the church in Enenger | |
| Birth | |
| Death | |
| In the face | |
Biography
Ragnhilda, according to legend, founded a church in Södertälje and was buried in it. If she really is a historical person, then she probably lived in the late XI - early XII centuries, however, the first sources that have survived to date, telling about her life, date back only to the XV century. The epitaph in the church is supposed to be a 17th-century reproduction, authored by Swedish antiquarian Elias Palmskjöld. In the literature of the 15th century, Ragnhild is called the queen and daughter of a certain Halsten (it is not clear whether we are talking about King Halsten Stenkilsson or any other Halsten). It is assumed that she could be the wife of Inge the Elder or Inge the Younger (however, in this case, for genealogical and chronological reasons, she cannot be the daughter of King Halsten). Wall murals depicting Ragnhild of the 15th century are located in the churches of Bierrier and Vikst in Uppland , as well as in Enenger in Helsingland (all three settlements belong to the Uppsala diocese ).
Interest in Ragnhild (as well as some other medieval locally revered saints) was revived in the post- Reformation times and was accompanied by a general interest in the ancient history of Sweden. In the case of Ragnhilda, the publication of the work of Vitis aquilonia by Johannes Vastovius in 1623 caused a rethinking of the human figure on the coat of arms of the city of Södertälje : now it is believed that it is Ragnhild who is depicted on it.
Literature
- Fröjmark, Anders, "Ragnhild", Svenskt biografiskt lexikon , vol. 29 (1995-1997), pp. 613-615. (Swede.)
- Anteqningar om Svenska quinnor at Projekt Runeberg (Swedish)