Disa
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2008-03-24T07:22:41Z
Berig
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[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 190577093 by [[Special:Contributions/203.87.210.238|203.87.210.238]] ([[User talk:203.87.210.238|talk]])
:''This article treats the legendary heroine Disa, for other uses see [[Disa (disambiguation)]]''
[[Image:Disaliten.jpg|right|thumb|Illustration from [[Johannes Messenius]]'s play ''Disa'']]
'''Disa''' is the heroine of a Swedish legendary saga, which was documented by [[Olaus Magnus]], in [[1555]]. It is believed to be from the Middle Ages, but includes Old Norse themes.
It was elaborated by [[Johannes Messenius]] in his drama ''Disa'', which was the first historic play in the [[Swedish language]], and was played at the [[Disting]] of [[1611]]. It was also presented in an exaggerated version by [[Olaus Rudbeck]] in his ''[[Atlantica]]'' ([[1685]]–[[1689|89]])
==Synopsis==
In time the when the god-king [[Freyr]] (or king Sigtrud) ruled in Sweden, there was a famine. The long peace during Freyr's reign had greatly increased Sweden's population until the lands could no longer support it sufficiently.
The king and the chieftains decided that the population had to be culled by killing all the elderly, sickly and handicapped, and by sacrificing them to [[Odin]]. However, Disa, the daughter of the chieftain Sigsten of [[Venngarn Castle|Venngarn]] in [[Uppland]], was upset by this cruel solution. She talked mockingly to the king and chieftains about their ''wisdom'' and claimed to have wiser words of advice.
In order to test her wits, Freyr asked her to visit him, but she could not do so by foot, by horse, in a wagon, nor in a boat. She could not visit him either dressed or undressed. The time must not be within a year nor within a month, and neither during daytime nor nighttime, and neither when the moon was waxing nor waning.
She passed the test by harnessing two young men to a sled. By the sled, she had a billygoat and she had one leg over the goat and the other leg in the sled. For clothes she had a net, and she arrived at dusk to the king the third day before [[Yule]], a day which was not counted to the year but was considered to be an additional day between two years.
The democide was cancelled, and according to the behest of the new queen Disa, there was a drawing of lots so that a part of the population was to leave Sweden (then restricted to [[Svealand]]), for the northern regions that were later called [[Norrland]], where they were to settle and cultivate the land.
Disa's wisdom was so highly valued that many disputes were relegated to her at the Midwinter [[blót]] at the [[Temple at Uppsala]], which from this time was called the [[Disablot]] and the [[Disting]].
==Disa as a source of inspiration==
The saga has been treated by [[Johan Celsius]] in the prose drama ''Disa'' ([[1687]]), which was an adaptation of Messenius' stage play in verse. Later it was adapted by [[Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna]] in the poetic letter ''Disa'' ([[1795]]), and in the fourth song of the poem ''Skördarne'' ([[1796]]). In the so-called ''Disasal'' on the second floor of the castle of Venngarn, there are eight large paintings depicting scenes from Disa's saga. They were previously believed to be works of [[David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl]], but according to [[August Hahr]], they are only the work of artisans based on copies of Ehrenstrahl's compositions, which were published as etchings. One of these etchings was the basis of depictions on tapestry which are partly preserved in the [[Stockholm Palace]] and [[Ulriksdal Palace]]. Under every painting there are verses providing explanations in Latin and Swedish.
==See also==
*[[Sitones]]
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[[Category:Scandinavian folklore]]