Erik Årsäll

Who was Erik Årsäll?

Erik Årsäll, Old Norse: Eiríkr hinn ársæli, was a semi-historical king of Sweden. His historicity has been called into question. He is dated by some to the end of the 11th century, by others to the 1120s, while more critical historians believe that he is a legendary name belonging to the 10th century. According to some, he was the son of the pagan Swedish king Blót-Sweyn, and that he, like his father before him, administered the blóts at the temple at Uppsala. However, Eric does not appear in any Swedish or Danish primary sources.

His epithet indicates that the harvests during his reign were good.

The 13th-century historian Snorri Sturluson wrote in the Heimskringla that Blót-Sweyn and Eric had renounced Christianity and still ruled a largely pagan Sweden:

Eric was the contemporary of Inge the Elder, and this suggests that Eric was the last high priest of the Temple at Uppsala, and that he was killed or deposed by Inge the Elder.

Eric is mentioned in unverifiable sources of legend as the father or grandfather of Sverker the Elder, which suggest that either Kol or Cornube might have been his true name, or his father's.