Eadgyth Swanneshals (c. 1012–?)

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Eadgyth Swanneshals (c. 1012–?)

Mistress of Harold II Godwineson. Name variations: Edith; Edith of the Swan's Neck; Eadgyth Swan-neck. Born around 1012; some sources list her as the daughter of Emma of Normandy (c. 985–1052) and Ethelred II the Unready, king of England; mistress of Harold II Godwineson (c. 1022–1066), king of England (d. 1066); children: (with Harold) Gyseth (fl. 1070); Godwine; Edmund; Magnus; Gunhild, a nun at Wilton; Ulf (b. December 1066).

Eadgyth Swanneshals found her ex-lover, Harold II Godwineson on the field where he lay dead after falling at the Battle of Hastings (October 14, 1066). He had been pierced through the eye with an arrow. Eadgyth identified the corpse by birthmarks known only to her and arranged for the king's burial in Waltham Abbey. Because

she is also known as Edith of the Swan's Neck, Eadgyth is often confused with Harold's wife Edith (fl. 1063).