Starkad

Starkad (Old Norse: Starkaðr [ˈstɑrkɑðz̠] or Stǫrkuðr [ˈstɔrkoðz̠]; Latin: Starcaterus; in the Late Middle Ages also Starkodder; modern Danish: Stærkodder) was either an eight-armed giant or the human grandson of the aforementioned giant in Norse mythology.

Starkad appears in numerous accounts, and the stories of his adventures relate to different Scandinavian traditions. He is most fully treated in Gesta Danorum but he also appears in Icelandic sources. He is portrayed as a great warrior who performed many heroic deeds but also many crimes.

A cognate of the Starkad legends can be found in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf.