Category Archives: Character Stories

Detailed character stories, maps of unit homelands, and anything else relating to the Viking and Anglo-Saxon units within DAS.

Character Stories

Hauk Ragnarsson’s Saga

Of Ragnar of Jutland

There was a man hight Ragnar, a farmer from near Fyrkat in Jutland. He was a wedded man; he had to wife Gudrun, daughter of Gunni and Sinfjotli, and sister to Ulrik of Ranrike; he had no sons but Ingibjorg was hight his daughter. Ragnar gave his daughter Ingibjorg to Halldor, who held land adjacent to Ragnar, and she bore him a son hight Arinbjorn and a daughter hight Dagrun.

Yet Ragnar was ill-favoured. Gudrun died when Ingibjorg was young, and he was left alone. His neighbours oft argued with him about the rights to the best pasture land. It was because of this that he had several times to go travelling, supporting his farm through trade.

And so Ragnar came to Gotland, the greatest island in the Baltic Sea, where he met Hilda, the daughter of Gaut a famous hersir of Visbær and the widow of Bræsi a rich trader. Hilda was of fine figure, and Ragnar lay with her whenever he visited Gotland. Hauk and Sighfridh were hight their sons.

In later days Ragnar’s feud with his neighbours on Jutland escalated. Ragnar was ambushed and killed on the way to the shieling, and so Ingibjorg his daughter travelled to England, where she followed her mother’s brother Ulrik, owner of the Svart-svín, hersir of the Holmbyggjar.

Of Hauk and Sighfridh Ragnarsson

When the sons of Ragnar and Hilda grew the people of Gotland said that they were touched by Loki, for they lacked restraint as they lacked a father. They spent much of the wealth of their mother Hilda, on strong alcohol and stronger women. They were also known for their gambling, where Hauk oft lied and cheated whilst Sighfridh oft stole.

Finally Hilda went to her brother, Magnus son of Gaut, a rich hersir and wise leader in Visbær. Magnus was told by Hilda how Ragnar’s sons were akin to Loki, and Magnus decided it was soft-living that had corrupted the sons of Ragnar, and so gave to Hauk a long-ship and sent him trading. However, in order that he would not forget this was a punishment, the ship was hight Lögseims, that is Sea-thread, a kenning for Jörmungandr the sea-serpent child of Loki. Magnus gave Hauk a great many furs, and instructed him to travel through the lands of the Rus and trade the furs for silver.

Travels in the Rus-lands

Hauk and Sighfridh took many men, including their good friends Lopt and Olaf, and travelled south and east, up the rivers to Rurik’s city, mighty Holmgarðr (that was later named Novgorod). Here they conducted their trade, and got much silver. Thereafter they went further, into the lands of the Rus and beyond.

There they fought alongside the Rus in a great battle, which sadly was lost. Many tales are told of that contest- how Lopt led the Rus charge, how Sighfridh lost his teeth but thankfully not his life, and how Hauk did absolutely no fighting but got very drunk and did much trading.

The Return to Gotland

Ragnar’s sons escaped the lands of the Rus, and returned to Gotland. They returned with much silver and fine clothes, but lacking many of their men. However their mother’s brother Magnus declared the journey successful, and gave them both fine swords.

Hauk did not wish to settle again, for the taste of adventure had intoxicated him even more than alcohol once had. And so he soon slipped away from his Uncle’s hall, and left Gotland once more aboard Lögseims. He took with him again his companions, Sighfridh, Lopt and Olaf, and also more men to replace those who had died in the Rus lands. Foremost among the recruits were the half-brothers Thorhelm and Snorri Sveinsson. Thorhelm was cruel man, famed for his slaughter of the defenseless and his taming of a mighty serpent, Smug. He had to himself a wife called Fritha. Snorri was, like many of Lögseims, a great follower of fashion and was particularly famed for his vast collection of clothes.

Arrival in Englisc Lands

Hauk traveled first to Sweden, thinking to travel onwards to Norway and offer his services to Harald Fairhair. At a great feast in the hall of the Österhus Vänner on the isle of Norderön, he met his half-sister Ingibjorg. She told him of the wealth and riches that were to be won in the Englisc Lands in the Great Heathen Army under Halfdan, and so Hauk turned Lögseims further west.

There was a lady called Freyja. She was a fearsome fighter, bountiful feaster, and great gift-giver, who led a force of mercenary Vikings in Britain called the Oestvikingae, a feared host. She was a child of Gotland, and many there knew her name. Hauk saw that she would lead him to greatness, and so he sought her out, and pledged his sword to her. Her warriors also included the fierce Visna, a shieldmaiden every bit as fearsome as her namesake who fought for Harald Wartooth against Sigurd Ring at the Battle of Bråvalla.

Shortly after his arrival in Englisc lands, the Oestvikingae visited a hall ruled by the Westmen. After all had dined on a great feast, the lord of the hall called for entertainment and to hear a tale of Vikings. There Hauk recited these verses, about his life:

Now this is the saga all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there
I’ll tell you how I became the Rus vike from Visbær.

On the isle of Gotland, born and raised
In the mead-halls I spent most of my days
Drinking hard, wenching, cheating at dice
And picking on folks, never playing nice.

Caused havoc all round, I was up to no good
Enjoyed making trouble in my neighbourhood
I got in one little blood-feud, my mum got scared
And said “You’re going to your uncle Magnus in Visbær”.

He lent me his ship, gifted it at a feast
I sailed her south, to the Rus and the East
I bought some bling, traded furs that were rare
Then I set sail home, went home to Visbær.

Magnus wanted his ship back, he said I was late
But I said screw that, fled in sixty eight
I sailed for Englisc lands, til I was finally there
In the Oestviking, the Rus vike from Visbær.

Hauk Leads the Oestvikingae

After several years of fighting, Freyja declared that she wished to return to Gotland, and use her money to rule men in peace not in war. All the Vikings of the Great Heathen Host lamented this fact. The remaining Oestvikingae had a great Thing, and there Hauk persuaded them that he would be their leader. And so it was.

At this time, the Great Summer Army had joined the Heathen Host, and together they fought the forces of Wessex near to Reading. Many mighty battles were fought, and for the first time the Englisc halted the Viking advance, Wessex succeeding where East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia had failed. At Æscesdūn King Bagsecg of the Great Summer Army was slain with a sword hight Kingslayer, and the Vikings fled. The Englisc later said that all the Vikings who fled that day were cowards, and poured shame upon them.

The Oestvikingae organised a great blót, and gathered many folk. From Gotland came Wulfhild, daughter of Magnus, cousin to Hauk. She feasted in the hall of the Oestvikingae at the top table in the place of honour, but then whilst all were drunk she took Hauk’s longship Lögseims and fled with it, in the process driving it against the rocks and destroying it. A dark mood descended upon Hauk after the defeats and insults that had been placed upon him, and he fell under the influence of a dark vǫlva named Guðrún, who delighted in bloodshed.

The next year the Great Heathen Host descended upon London. As the Englisc fled their burning city, the Oestvikingae fell upon them, under the orders of the vǫlva Guðrún to gather living creatures for sacrifice at blót. The Englisc attempted to travel in a convoy, escorting refugees to St Albans, but the Oestvikingae harried them, chasing through the woodlands, howling like wolves and striking where they were weakest. The Englisc convoy collapsed, and Hauk unleashed Thorhelm the Cruel, who chased down the unarmed civilians and children like a fearsome beast. However, the Oestvikingae over-extended themselves, advancing ahead of the other Vikings, and were driven off by the re-grouped Englisc, who marched on to St. Albans. Guðrún was displeased not to have her offering, and the Oestvikingae swore to do better next time… Whilst the plunder from London was being divided, Fritha of the Oestvikingae, wife of Thorhelm the Cruel, claimed for herself the Chalice of King Edwin of Northumbria, a precious vessel that once bore the saint’s head.

The Doom of Kings

Two years later, the Oestvikingae fell again upon Mercia. Mercia had been weakened by the many raids, and their leaders were divided between those seeking peace and those who would still fight. The vǫlva Guðrún told Hauk that the Kingslayer, the sword that slew King Bagsecg at Æscesdūn, was held at a monastery named Earleywood, and foresaw that:

Kingslaying blade will betray its bearer,
Defeat’s disgrace will be drowned in blood.

Hauk swore that he would get the Kingslayer for Guðrún, and traveled south to find it. However it was well-defended, and so Hauk made an agreement with his father’s daughter Ingibjorg of the Holmbyggjar – she would give him the Kingslayer if it fell into her hands, and he would give her land to settle upon if any fell into his hands. Hauk cared not for the settled life, he was a raider and nothing else, and unlike the Holmbyggjar he had no wish to possess land for he sought only war. Seeing this, Kappi Bosison, younger son of Styrsman Bosi who led the Holmbyggjar, left the Holmbyggjar and joined the Oestvikingae to seek his fame and fortune.
Later that day, the Holmbyggjar managed to seize the Kingslayer. When the Oestvikingae re-joined them, however, they refused to hand it over and treacherously turned on Hauk’s forces. They struck Hauk, Fritha and Kappi down, and forced Thorhelm to surrender. But Thorhelm was cunning, and as soon as they were distracted he seized the Kingslayer, and fled back to the Oestvikingae. Sadly at this moment the Englisc arrived, attacked the divided Vikings, and took the Kingslayer. The Oestvikingae fell into berserking, and Kappi earned himself the name Spear-Splitter, but they did not recover the Kingslayer.
The Englisc took Kingslayer back the Earleywood Monastery, and so Hauk led the Oestvikingae there. The Englisc were few, and could not stand against the greater numbers of the Vikings, and thus the Vikings forced entry into the monastery and took the Kingslayer and other relics. Thorhelm, using his customary speed, escaped with the Kingslayer. However when he returned to the monastery he was ambushed by some nuns, who tormented him and placed a strange Christian curse upon his shield.
Later, at banquet, there were great discussions about whether Mercia should seek peace or war from the Vikings. Ingibjorg spoke in favour of co-operation and settlement, showing the Englisc what could happen if they chose peace; Hauk spoke of killing all who stood against him, showing the Englisc what could happen if they chose war – which led to Hauk almost coming to blows with Herewulf of Mercia. Hauk returned to Guðrún bearing Kingslayer.

Hauk took to Kingslayer to the vǫlva Guðrún, and she thought of a plan to harness its magics to make King Burhred flee Mercia, so that Ceolwulf might take his place and rule Mercia as a puppet of the Vikings. Guðrún presented her plan to Ivar Ragnarsson, and he was pleased. And so when the Great Army attacked Mercia, Guðrún went ahead of them, to the heart of that land, and she took with her Hauk and his cousin Wulfhild, who was learning the arts of seiðr from Guðrún, and other warriors. In a terrible storm Hauk erected a powerful níðstang, topped with a stag’s head, bathed in blood from the Chalice of King Edwin of Northumbria, and sliced with the Kinglayer. And the vǫlvas carved it with dark runes, and recited spells, and walked backwards around it three times with their heads between their legs, and called down the gaze of Odin on King Burhred.

After erecting the níðstang to curse Burhred, the Oestvikingae travelled to Repton, and there met with the rest of the Great Heathen Host. There Hauk was reunited his cousin Katla, sister to Wulfhild, and her family.

Under King Ivar ‘the Boneless’ Ragnarsson’s leadership, the Great Heathen Host erected a mighty fortified bank around their camp at Repton. When Burhred’s army arrived, they tried to pen the Vikings inside this camp. As disease began to spread in the camp, King Ivar saw the need for us to break out and fight in open group – the Oestvikingae were among the leaders of the breaching force. It was a hard fight, with the Englisc intent on not giving the Host the space to use their superior numbers, but eventually the Mercians were driven back. Hauk was greatly impressed by the courage of the fallen Mercian thegn who led the battleline, and died with his sword in his hand. Hauk took his penis as a talisman, and later Guðrún buried the body with a boar’s tusk between its legs and a Thor’s Hammer around his neck, to ensure that he went to Valhalla, and was whole there.

The Oestvikingae then fought through the streets and woods surrounding Repton, as the Host fought to get to open ground where they could reform the battleline. The vǫlva Guðrún instructed Hauk that in order to ensure the battle ahead would go well, he must sacrifice an infant, quartering them into a bloody mess, and this was done, using a young Viking boy that they encountered and brawled with. This earnt Hauk his sister Ingibjorg’s grave disapproval.

The Great Heathen Host succeeded in getting through to clear ground, fighting past many Englisc and suffering some terrible losses in the process. They then reformed the shieldwall, and charged Burhred’s wall, seeking to capture and kill the King. As his battleline broke, Burhred fled, and hid in the nearby woods. The Vikings split up to search for him, clashing with Mercians seeking to find and protect their lord.

The Oestvikingae succeeded in capturing several ladies of Burhred’s court, and Hauk sought to threaten them to draw out Burhred and talk to him. In order to do this, Hauk sent one of their hostages to get Burhred and told her to return within a certain count or else the others would die. This strategy drew the ire of other Vikings, with Guðrún and Thorhelm the Cruel not wanting to set a captive free, the Holmbyggjar saying that slaying unarmed women was cowardly and wrong, whilst the Westmen wanted to continue the pursuit not engage in politics. As the count was completed, Burhred had not emerged – either because he was too cowardly to come forward to save his people, or because he was too far away to hear the demands – and so the Oestvikingae killed their captive, impaling her on Odin’s Tree.

The search for Burhred continued, and the Oestvikingae clashed with Englisc and Viking alike as they continued to carve a bloody path through any hostages they caught. However the search proved inconclusive, and the Oestvikingae returned to Repton to bury the dead.

A while later, they feasted at a hall of the Cilternsaete. There much news was shared: King Burhred was missing, presumed fled; Ceolwulf had declared himself King of Mercia; and King Ivar ‘the Boneless’ Ragnarsson, the man who held the Great Summer Army and the Great Heathen Host together, was dead. Tempers were high, and Englisc and Viking alike turned their ire on the Oestvikingae for the sacrifices they had performed, especially the killing of the unarmed hostages. Hauk remained defiant: the sacrifices were neccessary in order to gain the victory, and the threat to the hostages would have been averted by Burhred if he was a true king and cared about his people, if he had just stepped forwards. With King Ivar dead, there was no leader to bind the Vikings together, and deep fractures appeared between the groups… The peace held, but only just.

After the Battle of Repton, Hauk wrote this song about King Ivar’s death:

The saddest song, I shall now sing;
Of how the Kingslayer, killed a king.
Ivar the Boneless, big and brave;
Reaved British lands, for Ragnar’s revenge.

His Heathen Host, harried the Englisc,
Kings were killed, and kingdoms vanquished.
When fighting Wessex, we suffered woe,
King Bagsecg killed, by Kingslayer’s blow.

The sword was saved, stored in Christ’s house,
Symbol of our slain, giving Saxons strength.
So we were sent, to steal sword for seiðr,
As witches wove words, wyrd’s web drew near:

Kingslaying blade will betray its bearer,
Defeat’s disgrace will be drowned in blood.

Monks were mauled, monastery attacked,
To get the king-slayer, seiðr for spá-wives.
A nithing-pole erected, a night for norns,
King Burhred cursed, with deep-cut runes.

The blade was brought, to Ivar the Boneless,
King Ivar cursed Burhred, Kingslayer would kill.
At Repton’s battle, Burhred was beaten,
Shield-wall smashed, and fyrdsmen slain.

As Burhred’s battleline, began to flee,
Ivar sprang forward, shouting his glee.
The Viking king, drew Kingslaying blade,
Predicted by witches, who prophecies made:

Kingslaying blade will betray its bearer,
Defeat’s disgrace will be drowned in blood.

From Englisc flight a thegn stepped forth,
Boldly blocked Boneless, to save Burhred his lord.
Both rained blows, blood flowed bright,
Ivar’s blade bounced; bit him, took life.

The battle was won, Burhred’s battleline fled,
But the Viking king, was cut, killed, dead.
Where to now, will the wanderers Vike?
The heathen host, has lost it’s head.

The witches’ words, were twisted and wicked,
The bearer betrayed, was Boneless not Burhred.
Mercia retreats, but Ragnarsson is rift,
Saxons gain strength, as Ivar is slain.

Kingslaying blade betrayed its bearer,
Defeat’s disgrace was drowned in blood.

The Great Army Splits

After the death of Ivar, the Oestvikingae were given part of a map that showed where he had hidden the treasure he had taken from Medhamstead Abbey 5 years before. They went east, through the lands of the Cilternsaete, to find it. On the way they clashed with other Vikings, wild raiders, who stole their fragment of Ivar’s map. However the Oestvikingae were wise, and had memorised their fragment of the map, chanting its words and drawing its shapes on the ground. When they met the Holmbyggjar, who had also once possessed some of Ivar’s map but then lost it, they shared the details which they remembered and together they rebuilt the map in their minds. With the help of some Englisc they later managed to defeat the wild Vikings, enforcing the peace which Ceolwulf had made.

The Oestvikingae then followed other treasure hunters to the place where Ivar’s gold lay. Using the map they had memorised, they hurried to one of the locations, and the keen eyes of Thorhelm quickly spotted the glint of monastic relics. Some of their treasure was stolen by the Holmbyggjar, once again reneging on earlier friendship, so Guðrún and Fritha buried the rest. Later they managed to rescue another piece of treasure from Englisc hands, and Fritha buried it so well that no man could find it, though several saw the area she had hidden in it and searched it long and hard. They then had to get the treasure out of the area, beyond the grasping hands of the Englisc. They dug up their first hoard, and entrusted it to Thorhelm’s swift legs whilst the rest of the warband held up the Englisc attempting to persue him. Then Fritha sneaked out to her buried stash, and managed to return it all on her own whilst the other searchers were distracted.

That evening they dined well, and received news that Harald Fairhair was seeking to rule these islands as well as Norway. The Oestvikingae agreed that they would not bend their knee to him, but would march north with Halfdan to repel his attack (staying somewhat near the back of Halfdan’s army, making sure that they Englisc did not rise up behind them).

Character Stories

Dagrun’s Story

My name is Dagrun, the daughter of Ingibjorg and Halldor. I was born on my father’s lands in Jutland, neighouring the land held by my mother’s family. I lived there for many years until I was married to my dear husband Ørn whose lands were not so far from where I had grown up. The marriage was a promising one and I was pleased with the match, although I did not get on well with his family. Ørn was very good to me but very stubborn in his affairs with others. I always feared that this would be his downfall.

One spring my mother’s father Ragnar was killed in an ambush. From then on the year was ill-fated; their livestock was stolen and the animosity between my family and their neighbours escalated. My mother’s uncle Ulrik had lands in England and offered my parents a new life there. My older brother Arinbjorn was as yet unmarried as were my younger siblings, so they went to England along with my parent’s few relatives and slaves. I was saddened to see them go but understood that they could not stay where they were, and I in turn could not leave Ørn and the life and children I hoped to have with him.

My family left and for too short a time life was good, although I missed them terribly and longed for news. My husband’s family were civil to me but it always seemed as though they thought their son could have married better. I worked harder to try to gain their favour, and became a fine worker of cloth and yarn, though I missed the guidance of my mother in these matters, whose weavings were the finest of any in the land.

The following yule Ørn had a drunken row with Sigarr, a local man whom I had never liked. I thought the row trivial but Ørn felt slighted and brooded over it for weeks. One day he announced he was going to settle matters with Sigarr. I begged him not to go but his stubbornness won out: that was the last time I saw him alive. My dreams of a happy marriage shattered, I tried my best to get on with his family but they blamed me for Ørn’s death, saying I should have stopped him from going to see Sigarr. I longed for my own family and became more and more unhappy as the months wore on.

Then at the height of summer, my mother’s cousin Valgard came to Jutland. I had never seen such a wonderful sight! Though it pained him to do so Valgard told me the news of my brother and father’s deaths. He had heard of Ørn’s death and knowing of the emnity between his family and me had come to offer me passage to England. I did not even stop to think and was soon on my way to a new land to be with what remained of my beloved family, knowing my mother would appreciate help to run the household. The passage to England was strange for me having never been at sea, but I was excited to see new places and to be back amongst my own people.

Now I live here at Hólmr, helping my mother with the running of the farm and learning to improve my weaving from her skilled hands. Many visitors pass this way and we always show them the greatest hospitality. It is thanks to one of these visitors that I have my son, Finn, although his father did not settle here amongst us. I have no doubt that he will grow up to be a fine, strong lad, and we will raise him with the stories of the old gods and the new.

Character Stories

Lands of the Holmbyggjar

Ranrike – Ulrik’s Homeland

Ranrike, or Ránríki in Old Norse, corresponds to the northern half of the traditional Swedish province of Bohuslän. Bohuslän is on the western coast of Sweden, bordering Skagerrak and Norway, and is approximately the area described as Alfheim in Scandinavian mythology. Ranrike forms part of Viken, which is a broad term for the huge bay formed by southern Norway and the northern part of Sweden’s west coast.

It is sometimes claimed that the word “Viking” is derived from Viken, although the word “wicing” appears in the 6th or 7th century Anglo-Saxon poem Widsith which predates its appearance in Icelandic Sagas and Scandinavian rune stones. The word is used to refer to pirates generally and not Scandinavians in particular: the Old English word wíc means “trading city” or “camp”. If this derivation is correct, the word may have come to mean Nordic pirates specifically when the Danes and Norwegians started raiding in the 8th century, and the term was eventually adopted by the raiders themselves.

Osea Island – Ulrik’s Land in England

Osea Island is part of the Hundred of Thurstable, a name which probably derives from the pagan deity Thunor. This is the Anglo-Saxon name for Thor. The neighbouring island, Northey, was in a different hundred, probably because the causeways to the two islands lead to opposite shores of the Blackwater estuary. The Domesday Book gives the following information about Thurstable, Osea and Northey islands:

“Hundred of Thurstable: Richard holds (Great) Totham from Hamo, which Thorbert held as one manor, for 5 hides before 1066. Then 10 villagers, now 9: always 16 smallholders. Then 12 slaves, now 13. Then 4 ploughs in lordship, now 3. Always 5 men’s ploughs.

Woodland: 100 pigs; meadows, 16 acres; 2 salt-houses. Always 20 cattle; 40 pigs. Then 5 cobs, now 2; then 100 sheep; now 150; always 40 goats. Value then and later 100s; now £6.

The Blackwater Estuary (modern times)

In the same (totham) 8 free men held 1 1/2 hides which Richard also holds. Always 2 ploughs. Meadow, 3 acres. Value 20s.

He also holds Osea (Island), which Thorbert held before 1066 as a manor, for 4 hides. Then 1 smallholder, now none; always 3 slaves. 1 fishery; pasture, 60 sheep. Value 60s.

Hundred of Wibertsherne: Richard holds Northey Island from Hamo (a steward) which Thorbern, a free man, held before 1066 as a manor, for 4 hids and 40 acres.

Then 2 villagers, now 3. Always 4 slaves; 2 ploughs in lordship; 1 men’s plough. Pasture, 60 sheep. Value then 60s, now £4.”

Osea and Northey Islands, as they are today. The sea was about a metre lower in the 9th century, so the islands would have been larger. [1]

The Future of the Hólmbyggjar

We don’t really know the scale of Viking settlements in Southern England. It’s hard to identify buildings as specifically Scandinavian, and although in the North of England there is genetic evidence for a Norwegian legacy, the settlers in the South were mainly Danish, and too close in origin to the Anglo-Saxons for a clear distinction to be easily made.

Finds of Scandinavian oval brooches, swords and other items have confirmed that Vikings definitely came to England. The distribution of the finds suggests however that only first or second generation settlers maintained the Scandinavian style of dress. It seems that there were not repeated waves of settlers as in Iceland to build up a Norse community: Iceland was unoccupied and land was there for the taking, unlike England which was already fully occupied. Instead, single settlement events seem to have occurred and then fairly soon afterwards the settlers disappeared from our sight. Possible explanations include:

  • The settlers were relatively few in number, and rapidly adopted English styles and burial practices [2].
  • The settlers were killed or driven out within a generation or two.
  • There were very few Viking women settlers: the jewellery we’ve found was given by Viking men to English women.

The Hólmbyggja settled on Osea Island in Essex around the year 880, when Guthrum allocated land in East Anglia to his followers. Again, we don’t know whether there was major population replacement, minor settlement or merely a takeover of the aristocracy – it may also have varied from region to region. The story of the Hólmbyggja assumes that relatively small numbers of Viking warriors and their families settled in lands which were inhabited by the Anglo-Saxons but temporarily under Danish rule. Most of the neighbours would have been English, and there would have been pressure to learn the language and adopt Christianity: according to Icelandic sagas, when a Christian king defeated pagans, they could buy their freedom by being baptised.

There was no room for further immigrants and the descendents of the original settlers were more concerned with establishing a position within English society. It’s likely that by 920, Essex was under English rule again, at which time some of the original settlers may still have been alive. Certainly English rule was fully re-established by the time of the Battle of Maldon in 991, which was part of the fresh wave of Viking invasions.

On St Brice’s Day 1002, Aethelred ordered that all the Danes living in England be killed. It’s not known whether this order applied to settlers of long standing within the Danelaw, or only to the newcomers who were extorting Danegeld and terrorising the coasts. It was not a good time to be seen as a Dane, and if the Hólmbyggja had not been sufficiently Anglicised they may have fallen victims.

Osea Island is close to Northey Island, the site of the Battle of Maldon. According to the Domesday Book, in 1066 Osea Island was owned by Thorbert, and Northey Island by Thorbern. These names are Anglicised versions of Old Norse names, and it’s possible that these men were descendants of ninth century settlers.

Notes

  1. A metre is just over a yard in old money. [back]
  2. Pagans were usually buried with grave goods. Christians were not. This showed a lack of consideration towards archaeologists on the part of the Christians. [back]
Character Stories

Ingibjorg’s Story

Ingibjorg of the Holmbyggjar

My name is Ingibjorg. My mother was Gudrun, daughter of Gunni and Sinfjotli, and sister to Ulrik of Ranrike. She died when I was young. My father was Ragnar, who held land in Jutland, near Fyrkat. Ragnar was always on bad terms with our neighbours because they argued about the rights to the best pasturelands.

My father arranged for me to marry his friend, Halldor, who held land adjacent to my father’s. We lived there well enough for some years. Our first son was called Arinbjorn, and was a promising lad. We also had a daughter Dagrun, who is a fine weaver and a delight to me.

But the feud between the landholders escalated. One spring, my father was ambushed and killed on the way to the shieling, and later that year much of our livestock was stolen. It was clear that we had little chance of getting compensation for any of these injuries, because our neighbours had given fine presents to all the powerful men in the region. We lacked their wealth and could not match their gifts. My uncle Ulrik had lands in England, and he invited us to settle there with him, being near kinfolk and without allies in our own land. I consulted with Hraefna, who can see the fates of men, and she announced that we would be lucky in England, so we determined to leave our own lands and venture abroad.

We crossed the ocean in Ulrik’s ship, the Black Pig. We took our remaining followers (a few slaves and relatives) and our children. We settled with Ulrik at Hólmr, on the Island of Osea near to Maeldune. [1]

The land at Osea was rich, and Ulrik had learned enough of English ways that he was on good terms with the Anglo-Saxon people who dwelt thereabouts. I was sorry when he and Sigrid returned to Ranrike, but enjoyed being mistress of the household in their absence.

The settlement prospered, and my husband soon decided he could leave us for a while and sail to the new lands in Iceland seeking walrus ivory, cloth and furs. I counselled against this because Hraefna had said that our luck lay in England. He disregarded my advice and took Arinbjorn with him to seek greater wealth and reputation than he could easily gain as an English farmer. Ulrik did not favour this venture, and he and Valgard Ulriksonnr took the Black Pig up the Baltic, so Ragnar and Arinbjorn sailed on a ship owned by a Norwegian named Thorolf, who I considered to be ill-favoured.

I was devastated but not surprised when word came that my son and husband had perished at sea. I could not show my grief because a woman of strong character must organise the household and continue to talk cheerfully, to offer hospitality and to maintain the connections with her kinfolk.

Our family’s luck in England continued to be good. What with Valgard’s frequent journeys to trade eastwards, and travellers like Alf Silversmith passing through, the settlement at Hólmr sees many visitors and it is always a pleasure to make them welcome and hear the latest news. It is my desire now to be known as a skilled woman and a generous hostess, and to ensure that the farm prospers for our remaining children. It is of the greatest importance to me to foster good relations with our neighbours, as I do not know how long the Danelaw may persist here, so close to Wessex. Our children must be marked with the cross in due course, though I hope that they will respect my wishes enough to bury me in the traditional fashion with my finest clothing and ornaments, so that I will be fitly attired when I go to Freyja’s hall, Folkvang. If they will spare me in addition a horse and wagon I will be well contented.

Notes

  1. Maldon, in the Blackwater estuary, Essex. [back]