Helena, Queen of Sweden
| Helena | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Sweden | |
| Tenure | 1079–1084 and 1088–1105 |
| Born | 11th century Sweden |
| Died | After 1105 Vreta Abbey, Sweden |
| Burial | Sweden |
| Spouse | Inge the Elder |
| Issue |
Christina, Grand Duchess of Kiev Ragnvald Ingesson Margaret, Queen of Norway and Denmark Katarina Ingesdotter |
| House | Stenkil |
| Father | Sigtorn? Prince Ingvar of Sweden? |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Queen Helena or Elin, also known as Maer, Mär or Mö (Old Norse for Maiden) (born in the 11th century – Floruit 1105), was a Swedish queen consort, spouse of King Inge the Elder and the sister of King Blot-Sweyn of Sweden.
The background of Queen Helena is unconfirmed. She is believed to have been from Östergötland. Helena is said to have been of the old Swedish royal family, a sideline of the House of Yngling, and the sister of Blot-Sweyn. King Inge, who was King of Sweden and parts of Sweden several times, is famous for being the King who defeated the pagans in the religious wars who took place in Sweden between 1022 and 1088 and abolished freedom of religion, requiring everyone to profess the Christian faith. His greatest opponent in this fight was the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.
King Inge was said to have married Blot-Sweyn's sister Maer, or Mö; in Icelandic sources, she is referred to as Mär and officially, she is referred to as Helena. It is also sometimes suggested that she was of Greek or Russian origin, but this is unconfirmed and unlikely. The marriage is well pointed out in history as the wedding between Inge and the sister of Blot-Sweyn, and Sweyn is always referred to as the brother-in-law of Inge*. Because of this it is therefore sometimes believed that Inge was married two times. However, "Maer" is not an actual name, it is simply an old Nordic word for "Maiden"; the other spelling of the name, "Mö", is still well known as an old-fashioned word for "Maiden" or "Virgin". "Helena" is the usual Latin spelling of the Swedish name Elin. This can be assumed to be the same person; the maiden Elin, to Christian foreigners spelled as Helena in Latin, sister to the Pagan King Blot-Sweyn.
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