Edith the Fair

Edith the Fair, also known as Edith Swanneck, was a prominent English magnate before the Norman conquest and is believed to have been the first wife of King Harold Godwinson. The name ‘Swanneck’ originates from a folk etymology that translates to ‘swan neck’ in Old English, but it likely derived from ‘Gentle Swan’. She is sometimes mistaken for Ealdgyth, Queen during Harold’s reign.

Edith was possibly born to Thorkell the Tall and a daughter of Ethelred the Unready. She is thought to be the mother of Harold’s daughters, including Gunhild and Gytha of Wessex. Despite Harold’s political marriage to Ealdgyth for strategic alliances, Edith’s union with Harold was a longstanding common law marriage. Additionally, she is posited to be the visionary ‘Rychold’ associated with the foundation of Our Lady of Walsingham. Following the Battle of Hastings, folklore recounts her role in identifying Harold’s body, allowing him a Christian burial.