Helena of Sweden: From Pagan Conflict to Abbey Founder

At the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries, Sweden became the scene of a brutal struggle between the old Norse faith and advancing Christianity. At the very center of this conflict stood a woman who, according to medieval sources, had a pagan ruler as her brother and a Christian king as her husband. Helena, wife of Inge the Elder, had to find her place in a world torn by religious conflict, and her later decisions forever changed the spiritual landscape of Sweden.

A Woman of Many Names

Medieval sources disagree on the basic facts about the queen. The Icelandic Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks from the late 13th century refers to King Inge’s wife as Maer or Mö, which in Old Norse means simply 'maiden’ or 'virgin’. An older Danish royal genealogy from around 1194, on the other hand, calls her Queen Helena, mother of Christina, who was grandmother to the Danish King Valdemar I.

Are we dealing with two different women, or was Maer simply an epithet for the young Elin, recorded by foreigners in its Latinized form, Helena? Some scholars support the theory of two marriages for King Inge.

Others believe it was the same person, with the name Maer only a nickname indicating her youth at marriage. There is also a third interpretation according to which the sibling pair Maer and Sweyn are allegorical figures because their names can be translated as 'maiden’ and 'youth’.

Regardless of how this mystery is resolved, one thing seems certain. The queen had strong ties to Östergötland, as seen in her later foundations. A 17th-century tombstone in the Vreta Abbey mentions the burial of Inge and Helena somewhere within the church, although the inscription contains certain inaccuracies.

Between a Pagan Brother and a Christian Husband

If we believe medieval accounts, Helena found herself in an almost impossible situation. Her brother Sweyn, later known as Blot-Sweyn or Sweyn the Sacrificer, was said to be King Inge’s closest confidant and one of the most powerful figures in the kingdom. This closeness to the king, however, did not prevent him from usurping authority and proclaiming himself the pagan ruler of Svealand.

Sweden between 1080 and 1110 was a country torn by religious conflicts, which had already begun around 1020. King Inge was known as the one who ultimately defeated the Swedish pagans and put an end to the free practice of old rituals. His policies forced subjects to accept Christianity, although traces of Norse beliefs survived well into the 12th century.

When Blot-Sweyn seized power in Svealand, Inge retreated to Västergötland. Sources are silent on whether Helena accompanied her husband into exile or remained in her brother’s domain. Nor do we know which side she supported in her heart. The war between her Christian husband and pagan brother ended in a victory for Inge between 1083 and 1087, which meant defeat and likely death for Blot-Sweyn.

Patroness of Sweden’s First Women’s Monastery

In her later years, Helena gained a reputation as a pious Christian. If she was indeed Blot-Sweyn’s sister, she would have journeyed from paganism to Christianity, possibly taking the name Helena at baptism. Her daughters received names typical of Christian Europe, indicating full integration of the royal family with the new faith.

Helena’s greatest lifetime achievement was the co-founding of Vreta Abbey in Östergötland, the first known women’s monastery in Sweden. The Benedictine convent was established between approximately 1090 and 1100. A 16th-century paraphrase of a medieval donation list details specific royal grants: four attungs of land in Lilla Vreta, two in Kungsbro, nine in Brunneby, four in Håckla, and two in Mjölorp.

All these lands lay near Vreta, and the royal couple also donated two attungs in Broby near Omberg, also in Östergötland. These endowments were a milestone in Swedish medieval history, as no such monastery had previously existed in the kingdom. Scholars speculate these lands may have belonged to the queen herself as dowry or inheritance from her brother Sweyn.

Her Final Years Behind Monastic Walls

A 16th-century donation list mentions a certain Queen Helena who gave land in the parish of Slaka to Vreta Abbey and later entered the convent as a nun herself. On this basis, it is assumed that after her husband’s death around 1105–1110, the widowed queen dedicated the rest of her life to serving God within the monastery walls.

There is, however, an alternative hypothesis that the mention refers to another Queen Helena, widow of King Canute V of Denmark. Regardless, Helena’s connection to Vreta Abbey remains undeniable. The 17th-century tombstone in the abbey mentions the burial of the royal couple, suggesting Helena was laid to rest alongside her husband within the monastery they founded.

Attempts to determine the exact origins of Helena or Maer have led to several hypotheses. Blot-Sweyn has been identified with Sweyn from the Saga of Ingvar the Far-Travelled, son of Prince Ingvar Vittfarne and great-great-grandson of King Eric the Victorious. Were this identification correct, Helena would have been her husband’s third cousin. A runestone from the Ballingsta parish in Uppland from the late 11th century mentions a woman named Mö, daughter of Sigtorn, and her brother Sweyn, whom some runologists have associated with the queen. Greek or Ruthenian origins for Helena have also been suggested, but this theory is unsupported by sources.

For centuries, Queen Helena has been confused with St. Helena of Skövde, who died around 1135. Modern historians categorically reject this identification, regarding the two as entirely separate figures sharing only a name and era in Swedish history.