Ecgwynn

Ecgwynn (also spelled Ecgwynna; Old English: Eċġwynn, meaning “sword joy”;fl. 890s) was the first known consort of Edward the Elder, who reigned as King of the English from 899 to 924. She was the mother of Æthelstan (r. 924–939), the first monarch to rule a unified England, and is also believed to have had a daughter who married Sitric Cáech, Norse king of Dublin, Ireland and Northumbria. Virtually nothing is known about Ecgwynn’s origins or personal life and her name is absent from all contemporary records and does not appear in any surviving sources until after the Norman Conquest. The earliest known reference comes from William of Malmesbury, who Latinized her name as Egwinna and who is in fact the principal source for her existence.