None of these accounts appeared until long after Alfhild died, for she lived during the ninth century. She was the daughter of Siward, King of the Goths. “She continually kept her face muffled in her robe, lest she should cause her beauty to provoke the passion of another.” A woman’s virginity was highly prized in this time period, and being a princess, Alfhild might one day become the wife of someone with whom her father wished to form an alliance. For these reasons, Siward “banished her into very close-keeping, and gave her a viper and a snake to rear, wishing to defend her chastity by the protection of these reptiles….” Her father also let it be known that “if any man tried to enter it [her chamber], and failed, he must straight away yield his head to be taken off and impaled on a stake.” (Saxo Grammaticus in Druett, 32-33)
It would take a brave man indeed to venture past such formidable guardians or endure death just for a beautiful maiden, but many young men tried. All failed until Prince Alf, son of King Sigar of Denmark, deemed the task worthy of his attention.inaccuracies. The picture that accompanied the text showed Alfhild clad in garments reminiscent of Ellms’ time period, rather than hers.