According to King Alfred's biographer, Bishop Asser, Ecgwyn was the daughter of a shepherd. As a girl, she had a vision that she would have a son who would become king. One day, according to Asser, Prince Edward was riding and stopped at the shepherd's hut. When Ecgwyn came out, he was entranced by her beauty, and took her back to court. Edward's family seems to have accepted her, and Asser tells us that their son Ethelstan was Alfred's favourite grandson.