Starkad (Old Norse: Starkaðr [ˈstɑrkɑðz̠] or Stǫrkuðr [ˈstɔrkoðz̠];[1] Latin: Starcaterus; in the Late Middle Ages also Starkodder; modern Danish: Stærkodder)[2] was either an eight-armed giant or the human grandson of the aforementioned giant in Norse mythology.
Starkad appears in numerous accounts, and the stories of his adventures relate to different Scandinavian traditions.[2] He is most fully treated in Gesta Danorum but he also appears in Icelandic sources.[1] He is portrayed as a great warrior who performed many heroic deeds but also many crimes.[2]
A cognate of the Starkad legends can be found in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.[1][3]
- ^ a b c The article Starkad in Nordisk familjebok (1909).
- ^ a b c The article Starkad in Nationalencyklopedin.
- ^ Andersson, Ingvar. (1947). Skånes historia: till Saxo och Skånelagen. Norstedts, Stockholm. p. 210.