Gizur

Gizur, Gizurr or Gissur was a wise King of the Geats. He appears in The Battle of the Goths and Huns, which is included in the Hervarar saga and in versions of the Poetic Edda.

Ár kváðu Humla

Húnum ráða,

Gizur Gautum,

Gotum Angantý,...

In the old days, they said Humli

Ruled the Huns,

Gizur of the Geats,

of the Goths Angantyr,

Gizur was the foster-father of Heidrek, who made a coup-d'état in Reidgotaland, the land of the Goths (see Oium and the Chernyakhov culture).

When Heidrek is dead, Gizur arrives to the Goth capital Arheimar on the Dniepr (Danpar) to pay homage to his foster-son. Heidrek's son Angantyr, who is the new king of the Goths, holds a great banquet in the honour of his father. Then Heidrek's illegitimate son Hlöd, who has grown up among the Huns arrives to claim his rightful inheritance. Angantyr offers a great many riches and a third of the Goth kingdom, but before Hlöd can answer, Gizur reminds Angantyr that Hlöd is but a bastard son, who does not deserve such riches.

This causes an invasion of the Hunnish Horde (ca 350 000 men), and prospects look grim. Gizur supports Angantyr and helps him fight the Horde, presumably with his own Geatish forces.

Since he helped the Goths, Hlöd mockingly calls the king the Grýtingaliði, an Ostrogoth (Greutungi) warrior and Angantyr's man:

Taki þér Gizur

Grýtingaliða,

mann Angantýs,

kominn af Árheimum.

You be seized

Ostrogoth warrior,

Angantyr's man,

Arrived from Arheimar.

During the battle, the old Gizur slays the Hun king Humli, but Hlöd arrives and splits Gizur in two with one slash of his sword.