Everything about Offa Of Angel totally explained
Offa (? - c.
456), also
Uffo or
Uffe, was the (possibly mythical) 4th-great-grandfather of
Creoda of Mercia, and was reputed to be a great-grandson of
Odin. Whether historical or mythical, Offa was the son of
Wermund, and the father of
Angeltheow.
He was the most famous hero of the early
Angles (Anglii in
Latin). He is said by the Old English poem
Widsith to have ruled over
Angel, and the poem refers briefly to his victorious single combat, a story which is related at length by the Danish historians
Saxo and
Svend Aagesen.
Single combat
Offa is said to have been dumb or silent during his early years. His aged and blind father, King
Wermund believed him to be a simpleton and in order to preserve his son's position as king had him marry the daughter of
Freawine (a neighbouring warlord/king) so that Freawine would assist Offa when he became king. However, the plans didn't come to pass, as Freawine was killed by a marauding Viking warlord (a Swede called
Atisl). Wermund subsequently raised Freawine's sons
Ket and Wig as his own. The two would eventually cause great dishonour to the Angles when they ambushed Atisl in a forest as he walked alone and slew him. The surrounding peoples began to mock the Angles, accusing them of cowardice and dishonour. Eventually the neighbouring Saxons decided that Wermund was too weak to resist their requests for him to surrender his kingdom, and they sent their emissaries to Wermund's court. There they proceeded to mock the blind man, prompting Wermund to challenge their king to a duel — but the king stated that he wouldn't fight a blind man. It was then that Offa regained his speech, and revealed that his silence had been caused by the great dishonour involved in Atisl's death. He promptly challenged the prince of the Saxons and one of his champions to a duel in order to regain the Angles honour.
Offa's combat took place at
Rendsburg on an island in the
Eider River, and Offa succeeded in killing both his opponents. According to Widsith, Offa's opponents belonged to a tribe or dynasty called
Myrgingas, but both accounts state that he won a great kingdom as the result of his victory. A somewhat corrupt version of the same story is preserved in the
Vitae duorum Offarum, where, however, the scene is transferred to
England.
Other Offas
It is very probable that the Offa whose marriage with
Modþryð, a lady of murderous disposition, is mentioned in
Beowulf, is the same person. (This story also appears in the
Vitae duorum Offarum, though it's erroneously told of the later
Offa of Mercia.) Offa of Mercia was a descendant of Offa of Angel. It is probable from this and other considerations that the earlier Offa lived in the latter part of the
5th century.
Further Information
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