Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway (± 765-± 845) » Arbre généalogique Homs

Données personnelles Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway

Les sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Noms alternatifs: Ragnar "Lodbrok" Sigurdsson, Lodbrok
Le surnom est Hairy-Breeks.
Il est né environ 765 dans Uppsala, Sweden.
Il a été baptisé environ 765 dans Uppsala Sweden.
Alternative: Il a été baptisé environ 826 dans Named Raginfrid or Reginfred or Reinfrid.
Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ le 25 juin 1878.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ le 25 juin 1878.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ le 25 juin 1878.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ le 25 juin 1878.
Alternative: Baptisé (à 8 ans ou plus tard) par l'autorité de la prêtrise de l'église SDJ le 25 juin 1878.
Professions:

.
dans King of Lethra.
.
.
{geni:job_title} Sækonungur í Danmörku og Svíþjóð
.
{geni:job_title} Roi, de Lethra
.
{geni:job_title} Roi, de Danemark, 774, d'Uppsala, 779
.
{geni:job_title} konge i Sverige og Danmark
.
{geni:job_title} Unknown GEDCOM info: Vikingehøvding, Greve af Flandern 841 Unknown GEDCOM info: 0

Résidant: Denmark.
Il est décédé environ 845 dans Snake Pit, Northumberland, England.
Il est enterré environ 845 dans Vikinghovding.
Un enfant de Sigurd I "Ring" Randversson et Alfhild Ingebjorg Gandolfsdatter
Cette information a été mise à jour pour la dernière fois le 15 novembre 2011.

Famille de Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway

Il est marié avec Aslaug (Aslög) Kraka Sigurdsdatter.

Ils se sont mariés environ 765 à Uppsala Svitjod.

Enfant(s):

Sigurð "Orm-i-øje" Ragnarsson ± 786-± 873
Ålov/ Alof Ragnarsdottir ± 786-± 860
Björn «Ironside» Järnsida ± 777-± 859

Notes par Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment). Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely legendary, or even mythical.

Name Prefix: King Name Suffix: of the Danes "Lodbrock" Hairy Britches" "Lodbrok". Danish King at Lethra. Born about 750. Name of first wife unknown. Second wife was Aslang of Denmark. He died in 845 in Northumbria, England.

[blended.FTW]
[mergebase.FTW]
See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely
legendary, or even mythical.

King of Dacia (Denmark)
845-Danish Viking leader Ragnar Lodgrok takes fleet up the Seine and besieges Paris. March 28 is Ragnar Lodbrok's Day, a day of Feasting. It is the day he sacked Paris 845 - The ship of King Ragnar Lothbrok (Hairy Breeches) of
Sjaelland & Uppsala (Scandinavia) is supposedly blown off course and he lands in East Anglia. He is entertained at the Royal Court but internal politics leads to him being kidnapped and smuggled into Northumbria where Aella has him executed in a pit of vipers. Glastonbury Abbey is probably damaged by Viking raiders. Ealdorman Eanwulf of Somerset defeats them at the Battle of the River Parrett. First written record of the county of Somerset. In the 1978 Journal of Laryngology & Otology, Carruth et al write "The Viking King Ragnar Lodbrock (which in translation means Ragnar
'hairy breeches', after the snake-proof trouser he habitually wore) and Aslaug, daughter of Sigurd Snake Eyes, consummated their marriage before the appointed day, traditionally three days after the marriage."
"In A History of the English-speaking Peoples Sir Winston Churchill tells how Ragnar Lodbrok the Viking was taken prisoner by King Ella, of Northumbria, cast into a snake-pit, and sang his death-song foretelling the vengeance his four sons would take. 'The little pigs would grunt now if they knew how it fares with the old boar.' The son destined to keep his father's promise by killing King Ella was Ivarr the Boneless, a great warrior of command and guile, the master-mind behind the Scandinavian invasion of England in the last quarter of the nineth century. Dr. Knut Hatteland (1957) who has undertaken an investigation of the incidence of osteogenesis imperfecta in three families in the north of Norway, has now traced the ancestry of Ivar the Boneless.

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be
purely
legendary, or even mythical.

Ragnar Lodbrok
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search

Ragnar Lodbrok ("Hairy-Breeches", Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a semi-legendary king of Sweden and Denmark who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. According to the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, Ragnar belonged to the Swedish Yngling Dynasty. Both Saxo and Icelandic sources describe him as the son of Sigurd Ring, a king of Sweden who conquered Denmark, but they are divided on whether Ragnar mainly resided in Sweden or in Denmark.

Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Contents [hide]
1 Life
2 Raids
2.1 France
2.2 England
3 Legacy
4 Mythology
5 External links

[edit]
Life
Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

[edit]
Raids
He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

[edit]
France
By 845, he was a powerful ruler and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s grandson Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

[edit]
England
After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria. Aelle's men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

[edit]
Legacy
One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing tafl, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Aelle in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivar was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Aelle. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the Danes a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Scandinavians).

[edit]
Mythology
Bragi Boddason is said to have composed the Ragnarsdrápa for the Swedish king Björn at Hauge. However, this does not correspond to what we know about the historical Ragnar.(of course, Ragnar is even of questionable historical existance) It is consequently said that in the Norse sagas, he was identified with a Swedish king Ragnar (770-785), the son of Sigurd Ring. According to legend, he married Aslaug and became the son-in-law of Sigurd the Völsung.

[edit]
External links
Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda and Ragnars saga loðbrókar in Old Norse from «Kulturformidlingen norrøne tekster og kvad» Norway.

Preceded by:
Sigurd Ring Semi-legendary king of Sweden Succeeded by:
Östen Beli

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be
purely
legendary, or even mythical.

{geni:comment} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok
{geni:comment} Some different ideas about who exactly Ragnar is son of here:
http://www.vikingekonger.dk/Vikingekonger%20HTML/Centrale%20dele/Prologen.htm
REFN: 5773
See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment) . Many
historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely
l egendary, or even mythical.See Snorre's Saga and the IcelandicLandnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

[Custer February 1, 2002 Family Tree.FTW]

[merge G675.FTW]

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

[3997] WSHNGT.ASC file (Geo Wash Ah'tafel) # 1116266624 = 117851008

Stuart p. 176, 258: King of Lethra said to have perished in a Northumbrian snake pit.

"Bloodline ... ", p 427-31 says father is Sigurd Ring of Denmark

The celebrated and heroic warrior Ragnar, so called because he alwayswore in battle a pair of enchanted breeches, made of a bear skin with thehair outwards. King Ragnar Lodbrok having invaded England in 794, wastaken prisoner by Aella, King of Northumberland, who put him to death ina most cruel manner, he being thrown into a pit hole full of adders,which stung him to death. When news of his death reached Denmark his fivevaliant sons were furious. When being told that their father had said,"How the young cubs would rage when they learned of the old bear's fate,"they vowed instant revenge. An expedition led by eight crowned headsinvaded England. In a battle at York the Anglo-Saxons were entirelyrouted and King Aella was made prisoner and subjected to the mostbarbarous treatment. The sons of Lodbrok ordered an eagle to be cut onthe fleshy part of his back, the ribs were severed from the spine and theheart and lungs extracted. After this victory Northumbria appears nolonger as a Saxon kingdom. Ivor was made Earl of Dublin and Danishmerchants and people flocked to England. Bjorn, another brother, was madeKing of Sweden. Gotefrid became King of Jutland. Another son, Sigurd,called the Snake Eye, inherited the Danish crown.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ragnar Lodbrok and King EllaRagnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was asemi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in theeighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in hisnative Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy andheavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign isnot certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and othersfrom 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and heprobably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his deathin 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five yearsof his life.

Contents [showhide]
1 Life

2 Raids

2.1 France
2.2 England

3 Legacy

4 Mythology

Life
Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the godOdin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities onholy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids
He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one countryafter another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave hisvictims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches inexchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he wasalso a gifted military leader.

[edit]
France
By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of thefirst ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was alwaysseeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebootingsons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer.With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France,probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as thewesternmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider,whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for thisis March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by manyScandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s grandsonCharles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not todestroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, wassatisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange forsparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attackingother parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drivehim out.

England
After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It isclaimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by KingAelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King orderedhim thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowlybeing bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How thelittle pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy
One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of hisdeath, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playingchess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails.Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impressionin it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straightthrough to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of hisfather’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, intime-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea witha large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentencedhim to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedinglypainful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtuallyall tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had seriousconsequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on theEnglish mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invadedEast Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by theinternal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of courseresponsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the longstruggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" ageneration later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty.Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times.Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land thatbecame known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called theVikings).

Mythology
Bragi Boddason is said to have composed the Ragnarsdrapa for theSwedish king Björn at Hauge. However, this does not correspond to whatwe know about the historical Ragnar. It is consequently said that inthe Icelandic sagas, he was identified with a Swedish king Ragnar(770-785), the son of Sigurd Ring. According to legend, he marriedAslaug and became the son-in-law of Sigurd the Völsung.

Aella_murdering_Ragnar_Lodbrok
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=7a03d3ee-b61f-4318-977e-a4eb6e5f2d43&tid=9125446&pid=-785266014

[MAGNUS.FTW]

Ragnar Lodbrok er trolig en historisk skikkelse, men dateringen av ham er
usikker. Det har vært hevdet at det kan være snakk om to personer, Ragnar
Lodbrok den eldre og den yngre.

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to Americabefore 1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

Of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

[Jeremiah Brown.FTW]

"Lodbruck" means Hairy Breeches because according to legend he froze hairy blankets to his breeches to protect his legs from the serpent which he drove out of his native Sweden. He led his men to Constantinople; to Dublin; up the Seine to Paris, which he sacked in 845; to the Orkney Islands; and finally Northumbria, whose king thrust him into a den of snakes. [See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamebok (Book of Settlement). Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely legendary or even mythical.]

#Générale##Générale#Sigurdsson
s:Auréjac ; Hull

note couple : #Générale#s:Gen-Medieval

{geni:occupation} Pirate, raider and legendary Danish King, Konge/viking, Vikingakung, konge i Sverige og Danmark, King of Denmark and Sweden, Roi des Danois et de Lethra, King of Denmark/Sweden, Vikingkonge etter sagaen, død etter 845, konge, Roi, de Lethra, Konge, Jarl

{geni:about_me} '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_LodbrokRagnar Lodbrok "Hairy Britches" Sigurdsson, King of Denmark & Norway]'''
> ⚪ c765
> ⚫ c845

'''Parents:''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Ring ♂ Sigurd Ring] and ♀ Alfhild Gandolfsdottir

>>>>=-------------------------------=
'''Ragnar''' was according to the sagas married to or had children with five women, and first wife according to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6lsungasaga Völsungasaga] was semi-legendary female Danish viking and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shieldmaiden shieldmaiden] [http://www.geni.com/people/Lathgertha-Queen-of-Seeland/600000000794 Lathgertha], and they had the son:
># [http://www.geni.com/people/Fridleiv-Ragnarsson/6000000013825097709 Fridleiv Ragnarsson]

His second wife was [http://www.geni.com/people/Aslaug-Kraka-Sigurdsdatter/3970714729430045179 Åslaug Sigurdsdatter] (also called '''Kråka''') and they had the children:
># [http://www.geni.com/people/Ivar-The-Boneless-Ragnarsson-King-of-Dublin/6000000002043186264?through=5604233735830047570 Ivar Ragnarsson «the Boneless» Beinlause], - ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_the_Boneless Wikipedia])
># [http://www.geni.com/people/Sigurd-Orm-i-%C3%B8je-Snake-Eye-Ragnarsson/347812287200006062?through=6000000013825097709 Sigurd Ragnarsson «Snake-in-the-Eye» Orm-i-Øje], - ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Snake-in-the-Eye WIkipedia])
># Ubbe Ragnarsson (uncertain mother, could be the son of a nameless wife)

The third wife was Tora Borgarhjort ...
># Björn «Ironside» Järnsida
>>>>=-------------------------------=

'''Relationships:'''

⚭1
Lathgertha
* ♂ Fridleiv Ragnarsson
* ♂ Gudrødr of Lochlainn (Mother assumed)

⚭2
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aslaug Åslaug Kråka Sigurdsdatter (Randalin)]
# ♂ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivar_the_Boneless Ivar the Boneless]
# ♂ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bj%C3%B6rn_Ironside Björn Ironside]
# ♀ Ragnhild Ragnarsdottir
# ♀ Alof Ragnarsdottir

⚭3
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Eora_Town-Hart Tora]
# ♂ Eiríkr ?
# ♂ Agnar
# ♂ Rathbarth Ragnarsson
# ♂ Dunyat Ragnarsson,

⚭4
Svanloga

>>>>=-------------------------------=

'''Currently linked but Possibly wrong:''' (Anyone can jump in any time and help fix please)
*Rognvald Ragnarsson;
*Olof
*Ragnvald
*Dtr of King Ragnar of Skjoldung;
*Gudrødr of Lochlainn;

Brother of
*N Of "Ring" Sigurdsdatter (n.n.);
*RING II SIGURDSSON KING OF DENMARK;
*Eysteinn Halfdansson;
*Gudrod Halfdansson;
*Sineus; Trouvor (le Fidèle);
*Ring
*Ragnhilde Sigurdsdottir

'''Notes/Assumptions/Decisions:'''

*According to xx Tora was the mother of Halvdan Kvitserk Ragnarsson and Björn Ironside.
* There is a note that Thora was also known as Aslaug or Kraka. The different online sources seem to confirm this. Could any expert on Ladbok please assist to confirm and fix if required.

'''Last Validated by:''' John Smith 22/10/2012
'''About me reviewed by:''' English John Smith 22/10/2012 English

'''Sources:'''

*List them all here..
*List them all here..

>>>============================================

Ragnar Lodbrok (Ragnar "Hairy-Breeks", Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas.

Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865.[citation needed] Neither really matches with what is known of him, though he may perhaps have held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

A historic Ragnar Lodbrok is held to have been an earl at the court of the Danish king Horik I (814-854), and this Ragnar participated in the Viking plunderings of Paris in 845.

A certain Reginheri attacked Paris with a fleet of 120 ships. The warriors belonging to the army of Charles the Bald, were placed to guard the monastery in St. Denis, but fled when the Danish Vikings executed their prisoners ferociously in front of their eyes.

After receiving a tribute of 7000 pounds of silver from Charles the Bald, Ragnar went back. By mysterious circumstances, many men in Ragnar's army died during the journey and Ragnar died soon after his return.

Ragnar apparently spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. One of his favorite tactics was to attack Christian cities on church feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving.

But as the extent of his supposed realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader. By 845, he was a powerful man and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that would outshine his own achievements.

It was in 845 that he is said to have sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in what is now France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish Empire was then known. Rouen was ravaged and then Carolivenna, a mere 20 km from St. Denis. The raiders then attacked and captured Paris. The traditional date for this is 28 March, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by certain followers of the Asatru religion.

The King of West Francia, Charlemagne's grandson Charles the Bald, paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

Later, Ragnar's sons were to return for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Scandinavians or the Nordmenn as the Norwegians called themselves (which is much more likely).

After he was done with France, and after his supposed death in 845, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the north-east coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria.

Aelle's men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he is alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!", referring to the vengeance he hoped his sons would wreak when they heard of his death.

Alternative versions of the story say that he landed by accident in East Anglia and there befriended King Edmund before being killed by a jealous courtier. The murderer escaped to Denmark and blamed Edmund for Lodbrok's demise.

As he was thrown into the snake pit, Ragnar was said to have uttered his famous death song: "It gladdens me to know that Balder’s father makes ready the benches for a banquet. Soon we shall be drinking ale from the curved horns. The champion who comes into Odin’s dwelling does not lament his death. I shall not enter his hall with words of fear upon my lips. The Æsir will welcome me. Death comes without lamenting… Eager am I to depart. The Dísir summon me home, those whom Odin sends for me from the halls of the Lord of Hosts. Gladly shall I drink ale in the high-seat with the Æsir. The days of my life are ended. I laugh as I die."

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing tafl, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Although these stories may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. His other sons, Ivar the Boneless (alias Hingwar) and Ubbe soon learned the details of their father's death and swore that they would avenge his killing, in time-honoured Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar and Ubbe crossed the North Sea with a large army (The Great Heathen Army), sacked York, met King Aelle in battle, and captured him. He was sentenced to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn (Blood eagle), an exceedingly painful death.

They then moved south to East Anglia, on the way attacking the monasteries of Bardney, Croyland and Medeshampstede where, according to tradition, their army slew 80 monks. Eventually they captured King Edmund and had him shot by archers and beheaded. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the Danes a generation later.

He was said at one point to be married to the infamous Viking pirate Lathgertha.

--------------------

Född 765 i Uppsala. Död 845 i England.

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Ragnar%20Lodbrok&list=&vis=

--------------------

Ragnar Sigurdsson - also known as: Lodbrok - was born about 0765 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden and died in 0845 in England . He was the son of King Sigrud Randversson and Alfhild Gandolfsdatter.

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsatter about 0763 while living in Denmark. Aslaug was born about 0765, lived in Denmark. She is the daughter of Sigrud "Fafnisbana" Sigmundsson and Brunhild Budlasdatter.

Children:

i. Sigurd "Snake-Eye" Ragnarsson was born about 0786 in Denmark. See #5. below.

ii. Bjorn Ragarsson was born about 0777 in Denmark.

--------------------

Flourished in the 9th century

Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.

____________________________________

Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Life

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids

He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

France

By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

England

After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, daughter of Sigurd Wolsung and Unknown

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http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Ragnar%20Lodbrok&list=&vis=

--------------------

# ID: I21817

# Name: Ragnar "Lodbrok" SIGURDSON

# Sex: M

# Birth: ABT 0750 in Uppsala, Sweden

# Death: 0845 in Northumberland, England (France )

# Note:

Note: Notes:

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book ofSettlment).

Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to bepurely

legendary, or even mythical.

Subject: Ragnar LothbrokFrom: (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)(Stewart Baldwin)Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996996 20:46:28 GMTSometimein 1995 (I don't have the date), I posted an earlier versionofthe articlecle below in answer to an item asking whether or notRagnarLothbrok existed. Since Anders Berg hass asked me if hecan put thisitem on his web page, I decided to update it andsubmit it again, andssolicit comments, before making any finalcorrections. The section"Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK haveve beenthe same person?" is new, andwas not in last year's posting. Therest is essentially the ssame aslast year's version, with someminor changes.Any comments?StewartBaldwin------------------------------------------------WasRAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?One of the things that makes this adif difficult question to discuss isthat the question "WasRagnar Lothbrok historical?" is itselfsomemewhat ambiguous.Thus, before the question can be discussed, thequestion has tofirst be more cleearly defined. To mention twooppositeextremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything whicchissaid about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok ishistoricallyaccurate, observe that the answer i is certainly"no", and then claimvictory. At the other extreme, a proponentof a historical RagnaarLothbrok could ask if a Viking by thename of Ragnar ever existed,point out that a Viking having g thecorrect name ("Reginheri") appearsin the Frankish annals, andclaim that Ragnar Lothbrok wass thereforehistorical. Neither ofthese two extremes is acceptable in a seriousargument on thesububject, so I will discuss the subject from thefollowingmiddle ground. The criteria which I will uuse are that inorderfor Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, thereshouldbe a historicacally documented person of that name whoactuallyperformed a significant number of the deeds attribbutedto thelegendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonablecriteria, andthe remainder ofof this discussion is based onthese principles. Now,to answer the question: No, RagnarLothbrok does not appear to be ahistorical figure, based on theabove criteria. I will give somecomments a as to why I havethis opinion, and then mention some readingmaterial for thosewho want more.RAGNAGNARThe contemporary historical records ofthe ninth century (when RagnarLothbrok supposedly lived)ed) showonly one Viking of the correct name, aViking named "Reginheri"(a Latin form equivalent too the name Ragnar)in France WHO DIEDIN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporaryFrankish annals.s.The emphasized words in the previous sentence areoftenconveninetly overlooked by those who wissh to use Reginheri asahistorical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri diedinFrance inin the year 845, he cannot have participated in thelaterevents which form the principal part of tthe legendaryRagnarLothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no goodevidence thatReginheri was s the father of any of theindividuals who later came tobe regarded as sons of RagnarLothbrok. Thhus, Reginheri fails tosatisfy the criterionmentioned above. No other historical Norsemannamed RaRagnar isknown for the appropriate time period.LOTHBROKNo contemporaryrecord gives this name, and and it is significant thatwhen thename finally does make it appearance in the records 200yearslalater, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfthcentury, was thefirst known writer to make Raagnar and Lothbrokthe same person.) Thename first appears (as "Lothbroc") in"Gesta Normannorum DDucum", byWilliam of Jumieges, writing about1070, in which Lothbroc is calledhe father of Bjorn IrIronside.(A Viking named Bjorn is verified by thecontemporary chronicles,but without the nicknamme.) Adam of Bremen,writing soonafterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besidesthe factt that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of thecontemporarysources, there seems to be another pproblem, andthat is that the name("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name.See the article onRaRagnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "MedievalScandinavia: anencyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993)). Ifthis argument based onphilology is correct, then thisLothbrok(a), if historical at all,woululd be a women, andclearly not identical with the legendary RagnarrLothbrok. (I donot have the bbackground in linguistics to commentfurther onthis gender argument.)RAGNALLThe "Fragmentary Annalsnnals ofIreland" (edited and translated by Joan N.Radner, Dublin, 1978,formerly called "Three Fraagments") has an itemof interest whichhas frequently been pointed out as possibly relatingto the llegend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall(Rognvald)son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Noorway, ismentioned, and hisexploits prior to the fall of York to theDanes are given, in acontext t in which it is at least arguablethat Ragnall and RagnarLothbrok were the same person. Therearee two problem with thisinterpretation. First, Ragnar andRagnall are not the same name, eventhoughgh they look similar.Second, and more important, the FragmentaryAnnals are themselvesnot a conteemporary source, and there is goodreason to besuspicious about them. However, even if we were to allowthatthe events given there are historical (a concession whichmanyhistorians would be unwilllling to make), and then concedefurther thatthese events form the basis of the Ragnar legend,thenn we would stillhave that the person on whom the legend wasbased did not have theright name.Could uld RAGNALL and LOTHBROKhave been the same person?We have already seen that the onlyhistorically y attested Ragnar(Reginheri) cannot reasonably beregarded as a historical prototypefor Ragnar Loththbrok. Thus,it appears that the best attempt to arguefor a historical RagnarLothbrok is to proppose (as has been done onnumerous occasions)that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the sameperson, anand thenassume that the similar (but different) names Ragnalland Ragnarwere accidently confused. Thus, let us see whatassumptions areneeded in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrokwere the esame person, assuming that they existed at all. In orderforthis to be the case, we must make thhe followingassumptions:(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (lateeleventh century) wascorrectect in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e.,Lothbrok) as the name of thefather of Ivar (late ninthcentury).((2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel reGallaibh" ("The War ofthe Gaedhil with the Gaill", ", ed. byTodd, London, 1867), a twelfthcentury Irish source, is correctin stating that Halfdan off Dublin(killed in Ireland in 877,according to the Annals of Ulster) was theson of a certainRagnanall, and that this Ragnall was the same as theRagnall whoappears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireeland.(3) We mustassume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct instating thata brother (unnamnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources)ofHalfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despitetthecontradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a verydifferentreading for the same event (s(see 4).(4) We mustassume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong instating thatHalfdan brothother of Ivar was killed in England in 878,forotherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (dd. 877 inIreland)was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.(5)In addition to assuming ng that Halfdan of Dublin was thesameperson as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume thattthis Ivarwas the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keepingin mind thatAethelweard's chronicle,e, if correct, would implythe existence of twoIvars in the British isles at this time.(6)We mustust assume that the philological argument makingLothbrok(a)a feminine name is incorrect.(7) If Ar Ari, theearliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to beconsidered areliable source on this matter, then we must also assumethatHalfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brotherofSigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873,despitethe severe chronological prproblems which that wouldcause with Ari'sgenealogies.Of the above assumptions, numbers(1) throughugh (6) are crucial if onewishes to argue thatRagnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) isneededed also ifit is to be assumed that the information given by Ariisaccurate. Given the noncontempoorary nature of the first twoitems,along with the contradictions present some of the others,theree is avery small chance that all six of the crucialassumptions are correct.However, if any one of f the first sixitems is false, then the case forRagnall being the same asLothbrok collapses, and we must concludethat the "RagnallLothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrokisunsatisfactctory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article"RagnarrLothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of ttheSeventh VikingCongress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different,but much more rigid,list of the s same type isgiven.]CONCLUSIONSSince all of the above attempts to find ahistorical Ragnar Lothbrohbrokfail to satisfy the mentionedcriteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come fromnoncontemporary sourcess which are themselves open to suspicion, andthe historicalrecords show nobody else (as far as I kknow) who couldbeplausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must beconcludedthat Ragnar Lothbrbrok is not historical according tothe termsdescribed above. In fact, if there is any historicalbasis to RagnarLothbrok legend, it is quite likely that RagnarLothbrok is the resultof combining g two or more distinctindividuals into a single characterhaving the attributes ofboth, in much thhe same way as RagnarLothbrok's legendary"father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite oftwo differerentmen who fought against each other for the Danish thronein theyear 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" isatranslation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such compositecharacterrscannot be considered as historical, and there is noevidence whichcomes close to being contemporarary which showsthat either Lothbrok orRagnall existed.FURTHER READINGThe mostambitious attempt tmpt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as ahistoricalfigure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles8550-880" by AlfredP. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). Fora very criticalexamination of Smythth's views, see "High-kings,Vikings and otherkings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in IrishHistorical Review, vol 21(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highlyrecommended). Both of these sourcescite numerous o otherrelevant sources for those who are interested infurtherdetails.[Note: The usual apologiesies if my transliterationsfrom the Old Norsealphabet into the alphabet available to me isa bit slloppy.]Stewart Baldwin.

# Change Date: 1 APR 1999

Father: Sigurd I "Ring" b: ABT 0710 in Denmark

Mother: Alfhild b: ABT 0714 in Alfheim, Norway

Marriage 1 Aslaug of Denmark SIGURDSDOTTIR b: ABT 0755 in Denmark

Children

1. Has Children Sigurd II Snodoye (or Eric II) RAGNARSSON King of Denmark b: ABT 0782 in Denmark

2. Has Children Alof RAGNARSDOTTIR

3. Has Children Ivar "the Boneless" RAGNARSSON King of Dublin

4. Has No Children Halfdan RAGNARSSON

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Flourished in the 9th century, was a Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.2

Note* Other children given by Hull are: (1) female, Ragnhildir: (2) Ragnarsdottir, Alof and (3)Ragnarsson, Ubbe. He may have had a wife named Thora who MAY have been the mother of Alof.

Bjørn Ironside certainly played an important role in France. His father Ragnar Lodbrok can be identified in contemporary Frankish annals with his nickname Lodbrok translated to Hoseri (in German language Hosen), meaning fur or leather breeches. Variations are Ogier and Oschery. He operated from the Seine to the border of Spain from 840 to 851. He conquered Aquitania from the Franks, and he used Bordeaux as his stronghold for years. This conquer, one out of more, included Poitou, which in the sagas is called Peita. Saxo is saying Petiæ and that Ragnar conquered Petiæ. this is confirmed in annals. This is the district in the Loire area. In Western Europe his sons are more reported. Ragnar Lodbrok himself were operating more in East Europe

--------------------

Ægteskab (1): Ukendt

Ægteskab (2): Svanloge N.N.

Ægteskab (3): Thora Af Sverige

Anteckningar:

Se Snorre saga och den isländska Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).

Många historiker gäller mycket av släktforskning i detta skede att vara rent

legendariska, eller till och med mytiska.

Far: Ring, Sigurd

Gift med Sigurdsdottir, Aslög

Barn 1: Ragnarsson, Ivar "den Benfritt, kung av Dublin

Barn 2: Ragnarsson, Halfdan "vit skjorta", kung av Dublin

Barn 3: Ragnarson, Sigurd "Snake-i-ögat"

Barn 4: Ragnarson, Björn "Järnsida"

Barn 5: Ragnardottir, Ragnhildir

Barn 6: Ragnarsdottir, Alof

Barn 7: Ragnarsson, Ubbe

Noteringar

Som den AV Gammalt Har brukat refereras i English historieböcker Känner jag mig sminkad Sagan om Ragnar Lodbrok en sammanställning AV episoder fran Saxo OCH de isländska källorna. Den Börjar SOM ren folksaga MED Berättelsen OM Tora Borgarhjort, dotter till en jarl i Östergötland OCH Vacker SOM En dag. Jarlen hade dock Lovat Att den SOM dödade en Lindorm, SOM besvärade huset, skulle fa dottern. Ragnar lyckades Döda lindormen MED ETT spjut, OCH efter This bragd Fick Han tillnamnet Lodbrok Eller Ludenbyxa. De FN: s generalförsamling tu levde mycket Lyckliga Nagra ÅR OCH Fick Aven ETT par Söner, DARPA män sjuknade Tora OCH hund. (Källa: En nordisk kronologi, Alf Henriksson)

Ragnar Lodbrok var ute in vikingafärd FÖR Att fördriva Sorgen Över Tora Borgarhjort, OCH en kväll löpte Han i MED SINA Skepp i den Norska fjorden VID vilken Spangarhed var beläget. Hans folk Fick syn In Kraka OCH blev fascinerade AV Hennes Skönhet. Ragnar Fann Henne såväl Skön SOM Klok OCH ihop MED Henne till Danmark OCH firade Bröllop MED Henne. De Fick manga barn, OCH Nagra AV sönerna blev MED eller hur mycket berömda. Den äldste hette Ivar Benlös, ty Han hade dock Bara brosk i Stallet för Ben i Kroppen; Han var emellertid mycket vis. Den andre kallades Björn Järnsida, Den tredje bar namnet Vitsärk, den Fjärde hette Sigurd Ormöga. Sönerna kämpade väldeliga bad i Västeuropa OCH i Sverige. En dag Fick Han hora Att Ingen Kunde jämföras MED Hans Söner i mod OCH mandom, varför Han beslöt Att visum världen Att Han Heller integ gick AV för hackor. Med Nagra Skepp begav Han SIG till England, dödad män blev where AV kung Ethelred Tillsammans MED synd Skara. (Källa: En nordisk kronologi, Alf Henriksson)

Biografi

Vikingakung enligt flera sagor. Född 770 i Upplands artilleriregemente (C). Död 845 i England. Som den av gammalt har brukat refereras i svenska historieböcker är sagan om Ragnar Lodbrok en sammanställning av episoder från Saxo och de isländska källorna. Den börjar som ren folksaga med berättelsen om Tora Borgarhjort, dotter till en jarl i Östergötland och vacker som en dag. Jarlen hade lovat att den som dödade en lindorm, som besvärade huset, skulle få dottern. Ragnar lyckades döda lindormen med ett spjut, och efter denna bragd fick han tillnamnet Lodbrok eller Ludenbyxa. De unga tu levde mycket lyckliga några år och fick även ett par söner, men därpå sjuknade Tora och dog. (Källa: En nordisk kronologi, Alf Henriksson) Ragnar Lodbrok var ute på vikingafärd för att fördriva sorgen över Tora Borgarhjort, och en kväll löpte han in med sina skepp i den norska fjord vid vilken Spangarhed var beläget. Hans folk fick syn på Kraka och blev fascinerade av hennes skönhet. Ragnar fann henne såväl skön som klok och tog med henne till Danmark och firade bröllop med henne. De fick många barn, och några av sönerna blev med åren mycket berömda. Den äldste hette Ivar Benlös, ty han hade bara brosk i stället för ben i kroppen; han var emellertid mycket vis. Den andre kallades Björn Järnsida, den tredje bar namnet Vitsärk, den fjärde hette Sigurd Ormöga. Sönerna kämpade väldeliga både i Västeuropa och i Sverige. En dag fick han höra att ingen kunde jämföras med hans söner i mod och mandom, varför han beslöt att visa världen att han heller inte gick av för hackor. Med några skepp begav han sig till England, men blev där dödad av kung Ethelred tillsammans med sin skara. (Källa: En nordisk kronologi, Alf Henriksson) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Källor 1) Högskolan, Luleå

Gifte och barn

Aslög "Kraka" Sigurdsdotter.

--------------------

Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750 -794 , and others from 860 -865 . Neither jibes with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865 , perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

He was probably born in modern Norway, and later became part of the ruling class in Denmark. At some point, he became king there, and later gained control of Sweden and Finland (then a part of Sweden), as well. He was given the nickname "hairy breeches" because he favored trousers made from animal skin by his wife.

He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

By 845 , he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia , the Viking Rurik . It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France , probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28 , which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne ’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin . One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England . In 865 , he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. Here, it is claimed that he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Ella of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a snake pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Bjorn grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivor “the Boneless”, soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s death and subsequent killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866 , Ivor crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of the “blood red eagle”, which was to cut the ribs of the victim out and the lungs removed by grasping them and spreading them over the body. He then avenged his father’s death in exactly this manner.

Although this story, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, may or may not be accurate, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria--which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

--------------------

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Ragnar Lodbrok (Ragnar "Hairy-Breeks", Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas.

Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865.[citation needed] Neither really matches with what is known of him, though he may perhaps have held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

A historic Ragnar Lodbrok is held to have been an earl at the court of the Danish king Horik I (814-854), and this Ragnar participated in the Viking plunderings of Paris in 845.

A certain Reginheri attacked Paris with a fleet of 120 ships. The warriors belonging to the army of Charles the Bald, were placed to guard the monastery in St. Denis, but fled when the Danish Vikings executed their prisoners ferociously in front of their eyes.

After receiving a tribute of 7000 pounds of silver from Charles the Bald, Ragnar went back. By mysterious circumstances, many men in Ragnar's army died during the journey and Ragnar died soon after his return.

Ragnar apparently spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. One of his favorite tactics was to attack Christian cities on church feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving.

But as the extent of his supposed realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader. By 845, he was a powerful man and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that would outshine his own achievements.

It was in 845 that he is said to have sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in what is now France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish Empire was then known. Rouen was ravaged and then Carolivenna, a mere 20 km from St. Denis. The raiders then attacked and captured Paris. The traditional date for this is 28 March, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by certain followers of the Asatru religion.

The King of West Francia, Charlemagne's grandson Charles the Bald, paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

Later, Ragnar's sons were to return for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Scandinavians or the Nordmenn as the Norwegians called themselves (which is much more likely).

After he was done with France, and after his supposed death in 845, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the north-east coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria.

Aelle's men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he is alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!", referring to the vengeance he hoped his sons would wreak when they heard of his death.

Alternative versions of the story say that he landed by accident in East Anglia and there befriended King Edmund before being killed by a jealous courtier. The murderer escaped to Denmark and blamed Edmund for Lodbrok's demise.

As he was thrown into the snake pit, Ragnar was said to have uttered his famous death song: "It gladdens me to know that Balder’s father makes ready the benches for a banquet. Soon we shall be drinking ale from the curved horns. The champion who comes into Odin’s dwelling does not lament his death. I shall not enter his hall with words of fear upon my lips. The Æsir will welcome me. Death comes without lamenting… Eager am I to depart. The Dísir summon me home, those whom Odin sends for me from the halls of the Lord of Hosts. Gladly shall I drink ale in the high-seat with the Æsir. The days of my life are ended. I laugh as I die."

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing tafl, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Although these stories may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. His other sons, Ivar the Boneless (alias Hingwar) and Ubbe soon learned the details of their father's death and swore that they would avenge his killing, in time-honoured Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar and Ubbe crossed the North Sea with a large army (The Great Heathen Army), sacked York, met King Aelle in battle, and captured him. He was sentenced to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn (Blood eagle), an exceedingly painful death.

They then moved south to East Anglia, on the way attacking the monasteries of Bardney, Croyland and Medeshampstede where, according to tradition, their army slew 80 monks. Eventually they captured King Edmund and had him shot by archers and beheaded. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the Danes a generation later.

He was said at one point to be married to the infamous Viking pirate Lathgertha.

--------------------

Född 765 i Uppsala. Död 845 i England.

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Rag...=

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Ragnar Sigurdsson - also known as: Lodbrok - was born about 0765 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden and died in 0845 in England . He was the son of King Sigrud Randversson and Alfhild Gandolfsdatter.

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsatter about 0763 while living in Denmark. Aslaug was born about 0765, lived in Denmark. She is the daughter of Sigrud "Fafnisbana" Sigmundsson and Brunhild Budlasdatter.

Children:

i. Sigurd "Snake-Eye" Ragnarsson was born about 0786 in Denmark. See #5. below.

ii. Bjorn Ragarsson was born about 0777 in Denmark.

--------------------

Flourished in the 9th century

Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.

____________________________________

Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Life

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids

He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

France

By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

England

After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, daughter of Sigurd Wolsung and Unknown

--------------------

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Rag...=

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# ID: I21817

# Name: Ragnar "Lodbrok" SIGURDSON

# Sex: M

# Birth: ABT 0750 in Uppsala, Sweden

# Death: 0845 in Northumberland, England (France )

# Note:

Note: Notes:

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book ofSettlment).

Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to bepurely

legendary, or even mythical.

Subject: Ragnar LothbrokFrom: (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)(Stewart Baldwin)Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996996 20:46:28 GMTSometimein 1995 (I don't have the date), I posted an earlier versionofthe articlecle below in answer to an item asking whether or notRagnarLothbrok existed. Since Anders Berg hass asked me if hecan put thisitem on his web page, I decided to update it andsubmit it again, andssolicit comments, before making any finalcorrections. The section"Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK haveve beenthe same person?" is new, andwas not in last year's posting. Therest is essentially the ssame aslast year's version, with someminor changes.Any comments?StewartBaldwin------------------------------------------------WasRAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?One of the things that makes this adif difficult question to discuss isthat the question "WasRagnar Lothbrok historical?" is itselfsomemewhat ambiguous.Thus, before the question can be discussed, thequestion has tofirst be more cleearly defined. To mention twooppositeextremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything whicchissaid about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok ishistoricallyaccurate, observe that the answer i is certainly"no", and then claimvictory. At the other extreme, a proponentof a historical RagnaarLothbrok could ask if a Viking by thename of Ragnar ever existed,point out that a Viking having g thecorrect name ("Reginheri") appearsin the Frankish annals, andclaim that Ragnar Lothbrok wass thereforehistorical. Neither ofthese two extremes is acceptable in a seriousargument on thesububject, so I will discuss the subject from thefollowingmiddle ground. The criteria which I will uuse are that inorderfor Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, thereshouldbe a historicacally documented person of that name whoactuallyperformed a significant number of the deeds attribbutedto thelegendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonablecriteria, andthe remainder ofof this discussion is based onthese principles. Now,to answer the question: No, RagnarLothbrok does not appear to be ahistorical figure, based on theabove criteria. I will give somecomments a as to why I havethis opinion, and then mention some readingmaterial for thosewho want more.RAGNAGNARThe contemporary historical records ofthe ninth century (when RagnarLothbrok supposedly lived)ed) showonly one Viking of the correct name, aViking named "Reginheri"(a Latin form equivalent too the name Ragnar)in France WHO DIEDIN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporaryFrankish annals.s.The emphasized words in the previous sentence areoftenconveninetly overlooked by those who wissh to use Reginheri asahistorical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri diedinFrance inin the year 845, he cannot have participated in thelaterevents which form the principal part of tthe legendaryRagnarLothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no goodevidence thatReginheri was s the father of any of theindividuals who later came tobe regarded as sons of RagnarLothbrok. Thhus, Reginheri fails tosatisfy the criterionmentioned above. No other historical Norsemannamed RaRagnar isknown for the appropriate time period.LOTHBROKNo contemporaryrecord gives this name, and and it is significant thatwhen thename finally does make it appearance in the records 200yearslalater, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfthcentury, was thefirst known writer to make Raagnar and Lothbrokthe same person.) Thename first appears (as "Lothbroc") in"Gesta Normannorum DDucum", byWilliam of Jumieges, writing about1070, in which Lothbroc is calledhe father of Bjorn IrIronside.(A Viking named Bjorn is verified by thecontemporary chronicles,but without the nicknamme.) Adam of Bremen,writing soonafterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besidesthe factt that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of thecontemporarysources, there seems to be another pproblem, andthat is that the name("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name.See the article onRaRagnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "MedievalScandinavia: anencyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993)). Ifthis argument based onphilology is correct, then thisLothbrok(a), if historical at all,woululd be a women, andclearly not identical with the legendary RagnarrLothbrok. (I donot have the bbackground in linguistics to commentfurther onthis gender argument.)RAGNALLThe "Fragmentary Annalsnnals ofIreland" (edited and translated by Joan N.Radner, Dublin, 1978,formerly called "Three Fraagments") has an itemof interest whichhas frequently been pointed out as possibly relatingto the llegend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall(Rognvald)son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Noorway, ismentioned, and hisexploits prior to the fall of York to theDanes are given, in acontext t in which it is at least arguablethat Ragnall and RagnarLothbrok were the same person. Therearee two problem with thisinterpretation. First, Ragnar andRagnall are not the same name, eventhoughgh they look similar.Second, and more important, the FragmentaryAnnals are themselvesnot a conteemporary source, and there is goodreason to besuspicious about them. However, even if we were to allowthatthe events given there are historical (a concession whichmanyhistorians would be unwilllling to make), and then concedefurther thatthese events form the basis of the Ragnar legend,thenn we would stillhave that the person on whom the legend wasbased did not have theright name.Could uld RAGNALL and LOTHBROKhave been the same person?We have already seen that the onlyhistorically y attested Ragnar(Reginheri) cannot reasonably beregarded as a historical prototypefor Ragnar Loththbrok. Thus,it appears that the best attempt to arguefor a historical RagnarLothbrok is to proppose (as has been done onnumerous occasions)that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the sameperson, anand thenassume that the similar (but different) names Ragnalland Ragnarwere accidently confused. Thus, let us see whatassumptions areneeded in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrokwere the esame person, assuming that they existed at all. In orderforthis to be the case, we must make thhe followingassumptions:(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (lateeleventh century) wascorrectect in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e.,Lothbrok) as the name of thefather of Ivar (late ninthcentury).((2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel reGallaibh" ("The War ofthe Gaedhil with the Gaill", ", ed. byTodd, London, 1867), a twelfthcentury Irish source, is correctin stating that Halfdan off Dublin(killed in Ireland in 877,according to the Annals of Ulster) was theson of a certainRagnanall, and that this Ragnall was the same as theRagnall whoappears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireeland.(3) We mustassume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct instating thata brother (unnamnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources)ofHalfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despitetthecontradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a verydifferentreading for the same event (s(see 4).(4) We mustassume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong instating thatHalfdan brothother of Ivar was killed in England in 878,forotherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (dd. 877 inIreland)was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.(5)In addition to assuming ng that Halfdan of Dublin was thesameperson as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume thattthis Ivarwas the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keepingin mind thatAethelweard's chronicle,e, if correct, would implythe existence of twoIvars in the British isles at this time.(6)We mustust assume that the philological argument makingLothbrok(a)a feminine name is incorrect.(7) If Ar Ari, theearliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to beconsidered areliable source on this matter, then we must also assumethatHalfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brotherofSigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873,despitethe severe chronological prproblems which that wouldcause with Ari'sgenealogies.Of the above assumptions, numbers(1) throughugh (6) are crucial if onewishes to argue thatRagnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) isneededed also ifit is to be assumed that the information given by Ariisaccurate. Given the noncontempoorary nature of the first twoitems,along with the contradictions present some of the others,theree is avery small chance that all six of the crucialassumptions are correct.However, if any one of f the first sixitems is false, then the case forRagnall being the same asLothbrok collapses, and we must concludethat the "RagnallLothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrokisunsatisfactctory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article"RagnarrLothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of ttheSeventh VikingCongress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different,but much more rigid,list of the s same type isgiven.]CONCLUSIONSSince all of the above attempts to find ahistorical Ragnar Lothbrohbrokfail to satisfy the mentionedcriteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come fromnoncontemporary sourcess which are themselves open to suspicion, andthe historicalrecords show nobody else (as far as I kknow) who couldbeplausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must beconcludedthat Ragnar Lothbrbrok is not historical according tothe termsdescribed above. In fact, if there is any historicalbasis to RagnarLothbrok legend, it is quite likely that RagnarLothbrok is the resultof combining g two or more distinctindividuals into a single characterhaving the attributes ofboth, in much thhe same way as RagnarLothbrok's legendary"father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite oftwo differerentmen who fought against each other for the Danish thronein theyear 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" isatranslation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such compositecharacterrscannot be considered as historical, and there is noevidence whichcomes close to being contemporarary which showsthat either Lothbrok orRagnall existed.FURTHER READINGThe mostambitious attempt tmpt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as ahistoricalfigure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles8550-880" by AlfredP. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). Fora very criticalexamination of Smythth's views, see "High-kings,Vikings and otherkings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in IrishHistorical Review, vol 21(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highlyrecommended). Both of these sourcescite numerous o otherrelevant sources for those who are interested infurtherdetails.[Note: The usual apologiesies if my transliterationsfrom the Old Norsealphabet into the alphabet available to me isa bit slloppy.]Stewart Baldwin.

# Change Date: 1 APR 1999

Father: Sigurd I "Ring" b: ABT 0710 in Denmark

Mother: Alfhild b: ABT 0714 in Alfheim, Norway

Marriage 1 Aslaug of Denmark SIGURDSDOTTIR b: ABT 0755 in Denmark

Children

1. Has Children Sigurd II Snodoye (or Eric II) RAGNARSSON King of Denmark b: ABT 0782 in Denmark

2. Has Children Alof RAGNARSDOTTIR

3. Has Children Ivar "the Boneless" RAGNARSSON King of Dublin

4. Has No Children Halfdan RAGNARSSON

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Flourished in the 9th century, was a Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.2

Note* Other children given by Hull are: (1) female, Ragnhildir: (2) Ragnarsdottir, Alof and (3)Ragnarsson, Ubbe. He may have had a wife named Thora who MAY have been the mother of Alof.

Bjørn Ironside certainly played an important role in France. His father Ragnar Lodbrok can be identified in contemporary Frankish annals with his nickname Lodbrok translated to Hoseri (in German language Hosen), meaning fur or leather breeches. Variations are Ogier and Oschery. He operated from the Seine to the border of Spain from 840 to 851. He conquered Aquitania from the Franks, and he used Bordeaux as his stronghold for years. This conquer, one out of more, included Poitou, which in the sagas is called Peita. Saxo is saying Petiæ and that Ragnar conquered Petiæ. this is confirmed in annals. This is the district in the Loire area. In Western Europe his sons are more reported. Ragnar Lodbrok himself were operating more in East Eur

--------------------

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Ragnar Lodbrok (Ragnar "Hairy-Breeks", Old Norse: Ragnarr Loðbrók) was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas.

Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865.[citation needed] Neither really matches with what is known of him, though he may perhaps have held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

A historic Ragnar Lodbrok is held to have been an earl at the court of the Danish king Horik I (814-854), and this Ragnar participated in the Viking plunderings of Paris in 845.

A certain Reginheri attacked Paris with a fleet of 120 ships. The warriors belonging to the army of Charles the Bald, were placed to guard the monastery in St. Denis, but fled when the Danish Vikings executed their prisoners ferociously in front of their eyes.

After receiving a tribute of 7000 pounds of silver from Charles the Bald, Ragnar went back. By mysterious circumstances, many men in Ragnar's army died during the journey and Ragnar died soon after his return.

Ragnar apparently spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. One of his favorite tactics was to attack Christian cities on church feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving.

But as the extent of his supposed realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader. By 845, he was a powerful man and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that would outshine his own achievements.

It was in 845 that he is said to have sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in what is now France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish Empire was then known. Rouen was ravaged and then Carolivenna, a mere 20 km from St. Denis. The raiders then attacked and captured Paris. The traditional date for this is 28 March, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by certain followers of the Asatru religion.

The King of West Francia, Charlemagne's grandson Charles the Bald, paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

Later, Ragnar's sons were to return for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Scandinavians or the Nordmenn as the Norwegians called themselves (which is much more likely).

After he was done with France, and after his supposed death in 845, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the north-east coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria.

Aelle's men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he is alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!", referring to the vengeance he hoped his sons would wreak when they heard of his death.

Alternative versions of the story say that he landed by accident in East Anglia and there befriended King Edmund before being killed by a jealous courtier. The murderer escaped to Denmark and blamed Edmund for Lodbrok's demise.

As he was thrown into the snake pit, Ragnar was said to have uttered his famous death song: "It gladdens me to know that Balder’s father makes ready the benches for a banquet. Soon we shall be drinking ale from the curved horns. The champion who comes into Odin’s dwelling does not lament his death. I shall not enter his hall with words of fear upon my lips. The Æsir will welcome me. Death comes without lamenting… Eager am I to depart. The Dísir summon me home, those whom Odin sends for me from the halls of the Lord of Hosts. Gladly shall I drink ale in the high-seat with the Æsir. The days of my life are ended. I laugh as I die."

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing tafl, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Although these stories may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. His other sons, Ivar the Boneless (alias Hingwar) and Ubbe soon learned the details of their father's death and swore that they would avenge his killing, in time-honoured Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar and Ubbe crossed the North Sea with a large army (The Great Heathen Army), sacked York, met King Aelle in battle, and captured him. He was sentenced to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn (Blood eagle), an exceedingly painful death.

They then moved south to East Anglia, on the way attacking the monasteries of Bardney, Croyland and Medeshampstede where, according to tradition, their army slew 80 monks. Eventually they captured King Edmund and had him shot by archers and beheaded. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the Danes a generation later.

He was said at one point to be married to the infamous Viking pirate Lathgertha.

--------------------

Född 765 i Uppsala. Död 845 i England.

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Ragnar%20Lodbrok&list=&vis=

--------------------

Ragnar Sigurdsson - also known as: Lodbrok - was born about 0765 in Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden and died in 0845 in England . He was the son of King Sigrud Randversson and Alfhild Gandolfsdatter.

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsatter about 0763 while living in Denmark. Aslaug was born about 0765, lived in Denmark. She is the daughter of Sigrud "Fafnisbana" Sigmundsson and Brunhild Budlasdatter.

Children:

i. Sigurd "Snake-Eye" Ragnarsson was born about 0786 in Denmark. See #5. below.

ii. Bjorn Ragarsson was born about 0777 in Denmark.

--------------------

Flourished in the 9th century

Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.

____________________________________

Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Life

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids

He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

France

By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

England

After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, daughter of Sigurd Wolsung and Unknown

--------------------

http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=gb&emne=asatru&person=Ragnar%20Lodbrok&list=&vis=

--------------------

Äktenskap : Aslög Sigurdsdottir

Död : Cir 865

Andra namn för Ragnar var Regnar , Regner , Lodbrog , Lodbrok och Lothbrok .

Allmänna hänvisningar:

Blomstrade i 9: e århundradet

Viking vars liv gått till legend i medeltida europeiska litteraturen .

I den Anglosaxiska krönikan var Ragnar sägs vara far till tre söner , Halfdan , Inwaer ( Ivar Benlös ) och Hubba ( Ubbe ) , som ledde en Viking invasion av East Anglia i 865 att försöka hämnas Ragnars mord. I den europeiska litteraturen i flera århundraden efter Ragnars död , hans namn är omgiven med stor legend. I Gesta Danorum (ca 1185 ) av den danska historikern Saxo Grammaticus , han var en 9. - talet danske kungen vars kampanjer ingår ett slag mot den tysk-romerske kejsaren Karl den store. Enligt Saxo legendariska historia, Ragnar småningom fångas upp av den anglosaxiska kung Ella av England och kastades i en ormgrop att dö. Denna historia också är återberättad i senare isländska verk Ragnars saga lodbrókar och Tháttr af Ragnarssonum . Det 12 -talet isländska dikten Krákumál ger en romantiserad beskrivning av Ragnar död och länkar honom i äktenskap med en dotter till Sigurd ( Siegfried ) och Brynhild ( Brynhild ) , siffror från den hjältemodiga litteratur av de gamla germanerna . De åtgärder av Ragnar och hans söner är också berättade på Orkneyöarna " dikt Háttalykill .

____________________________________

Ragnarr Lodbrok eller Ragnar Lodbrok var en semi- legendarisk kung av Danmark och Sverige som regerade någon gång i åttonde eller nionde århundradena. Även om han är något av en hjälte i sitt hemland Skandinavien, tillförlitliga räkenskaper av sitt liv är mycket knapphändiga och tungt bygger på gamla Viking sagor . Även dateringen av sin regeringstid är inte säkert , det finns källor som denna dag 750 till 794 , och andra från 860 till 865 . Varken matcher med vad vi vet om honom, och han förmodligen hade makten som en krigsherre från cirka 835 till sin död 865 , kanske bara erkänns som kung under de senaste fem åren av sitt liv .

Livet

Ragnar var en hedning som påstod sig vara en ättling till guden Oden. En av hans favorit strategier var att angripa kristna städer på helig festdagar , i vetskap om att många soldater skulle vara i kyrkan.

Raids

Han tillbringade större delen av sitt liv som en pirat och raider , invadera ett land efter land. Han skulle generellt acceptera en enorm betalning lämna sina offer ensam , bara för att komma tillbaka senare och kräva mer rikedom i utbyte mot att lämna . Men eftersom omfattningen av sitt rike visar var han också en duktig militär ledare .

Frankrike

Genom att 845 var han en mäktig härskare , och troligen samtida med den första härskaren i Ryssland, Viking Rurik . Det sägs att han var alltid söker nya äventyr eftersom han var orolig att hans freebooting söner skulle göra saker som outshined hans egna prestationer .

Samma år seglade han söderut , letar efter nya världar att erövra. Med 120 fartyg och 5.000 Viking krigare , landsteg han i det moderna Frankrike , troligen vid Seines mynning, och härjade Västfranken , som den västligaste delen av det frankiska riket då kallades .

Även i 845 , var Paris fångas in och hålls gisslan av en Viking raider , vilka sagor säga var Ragnar Lodbrok . Det traditionella datumet för detta är 28 mars, som idag kallas Ragnar Lodbrok dag av många skandinaver . Kungen av Västfranken , Karl den stores son Karl II " den skallige " , betalade honom en fantastisk summa pengar inte förstöra staden. Ragnar Lodbrok , enligt Viking källor , var nöjd med inte mindre än 7000 pounds av silver i utbyte skona staden. Detta har emellertid inte stoppa Ragnar från att angripa andra delar av Frankrike , och det tog lång tid för frankerna att köra ut honom.

England

När han var klar med Frankrike , vände han sin uppmärksamhet till England. I 865 , landade han i Northumbria i nordöstra Englands kust . Det påstås att här han blev besegrad i kampen om den enda gången , av kung Aelle av Northumbria. Ella män tillfångatagna Ragnar, och kungen beordrade honom kastades i en grop fylld med giftiga ormar . När han sakta bli biten till döds , han påstås ha utbrast " Hur små grisar skulle grymta om de kände till situationen i det gamla galten ! "

Legacy

En Viking saga att när hans fyra söner hörde hur hans död , reagerade de alla i stor sorg. Hvitserk , som spelade schack , grep verket så hårt att han blödde från hans fingernaglar. Björn Järnsida tog ett spjut så hårt att han lämnade ett avtryck i den och Sigurd Snake -Eye , som putsning sina naglar , skär rakt igenom till benet .

Ragnar fjärde son, Ivar Benlös lärde sig snart att detaljer om hans fars död och svor att han skulle hämnas sin faders mord, i en hundraårig Viking tradition. I 866 , korsade Ivar Nordsjön med en stor armé mötte kung Ella i strid, och tillfångatog honom. Han dömde honom till döden enligt den praxis för Rista Blodörn , en ytterst plågsam död. Även denna historia kanske inte är rätt , liksom nästan alla berättelser om Ragnar Lodbrok hade hans död allvarliga konsekvenser. Ivor var hjärnan bakom attackerna på det engelska fastlandet under det sista kvartalet av det nionde århundradet. Han invaderade East Anglia , och året därpå anföll York. Han hjälp av den interna maktkampen i Northumbria - som han naturligtvis ansvarig för genom att döda Ella . Dessa krig var ett förspel till den långa kampen för saxare av Alfred den store mot " danskarna " en generation senare.

Under tiden i Frankrike, höll vikingarna kommer tillbaka för mer byte. Bland deras bedrifter var att förstöra staden Rouen flera gånger. I slutändan , fast många av dem finns permanent i ett land som blev känd som Normandie ( för " nordmännen ", som frankerna kallas vikingar ).

Ragnar gifte Aslög Sigurdsdottir , dotter till Sigurd Wolsung och Okänd.

Källor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Encyclopædia Britannica Online, "Ragnar Lothbrok " .

2 Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/ ).

3 Brian C. Tompsett , Register över Royal genealogiska ( Datahttp : / / www.dcs.hull.ac.uk / public / Släktforskning / royal / catalog.html

Brian Tompsett

Institutionen för datavetenskap

University of Hull

Hull , Storbritannien, HU6 7RX

(XXXXX@XXXX.XXX) ), se Snorre saga och den isländska Landnamobok ( Book of Settlment ).

--------------------

Marriage: Aslaug Sigurdsdottir

Died: Cir 865

Other names for Ragnar were Regnar, Regner, Lodbrog, Lodbrok and Lothbrok.

General Notes:

Flourished in the 9th century

Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.

____________________________________

Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Life

Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids

He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

France

By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

England

After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy

One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, daughter of Sigurd Wolsung and Unknown.

Sources

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Encyclopædia Britannica Online, "Ragnar Lothbrok".

2 Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/).

3 Brian C. Tompsett, Directory of Royal Genealogical (Datahttp://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/public/genealogy/royal/catalog.html

Brian Tompsett

Department of Computer Science

University of Hull

Hull, UK, HU6 7RX

(XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)), See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).

Fra Wikipedia:

Ragnar Lodbrok (norrønt Ragnarr Loðbrók) var en delvis legendarisk svensk og dansk småkonge som levde en gang på 700- og 800-tallet. I henhold til den krønikeskriver Saxo Grammaticus tilhørte Ragnar til den svenske Ynglingeætten. Både Saxo og islandske kilder har beskrevet ham som sønn av Sigurd Ring, en svensk konge som etter sigende skal ha erobret Danmark, men kildene strides om Ragnar bodde i Sverige eller i Danmark.

Myte eller historisk figur?

Selv om Ragnar Lodbrok ble betraktet som en helt i det norrøne Norden er troverdige opptegnelser om livet hans svært overfladisk og hviler tungt på legendariske fornaldersagaer. Selv en noenlunde datering av hans tid og liv hviler på stor usikkerhet: noen kilder nevner 750-794, mens andre kilder daterer betydelig senere fra 860-865. Antagelig var han en krigsherre fra antatt 835 til sin død i 865, og kanskje kun regnet som konge de siste få årene av livet. Den historiske Ragnar Lodbrok var muligens en jarl for den danske kong Hårek. [1]

Lodbrok betyr «lodden bukse», etter sigende for at Ragnars kone hadde sydd ham klær fra dyreskinn. Navnet «Lothbroc» finnes i verket Gesta Normannorum Ducum av William av Jumièges (ca 1070) hvor denne blir nevnt som far til Bjørn Jernside, sistnevnte blir bekreftet av andre kilder. Ivar Beinlause er også blitt identifisert som sønn av Ragnar Lodbrok av Adam av Bremen som kalte Ivar sønn av «Lodparchus». Det er den islandske sagaskribenten Are Torgilsson Frode (1067-1148) som er den første kjente forfatteren som knytter Lodbrok med fornavnet Ragnar, eller knytter to personer sammen til en skikkelse, Ragnar og Lodbrok. I Irlands fragmentariske annaler finnes det en opptegnelse over en «Ragnall» (Ragnvald), sønn av «Alpdan» (Halvdan), «konge av Norge», og hans bedrifter fram til York faller til danskene. Det er en av de sterkest argumenter for at Ragnall eller Ragnvald er den samme som Ragnar Lodbrok, og for krønikeskrivere på de britiske øyene var det vanskelig å skille mellom norsk eller dansk når de knapt nok gjorde det selv.

I senere foraldersagaer ble Ragnar gjort til konge av Danmark og drar på fantastiske eventyr over hele verden. Blant annet møter han den enestående vakre og trolldomskyndige Åslaug Sigurdsdatter i Norge som han gifter seg med og hun føder ham fire sønner. Åslaug, som også blir kalt for «Kråka», er en påstått datter av Sigurd Fåvnesbane, en annen legendarisk helt fra fornaldersagaene. Som Kråka er Åslaug ei norrøn Askepott, og blir hyllet i både Norge og Danmark, og hennes funksjon er å være en forbindelse mellom Odin og de norrøne fornalderkongene som krevde å nedstamme fra gudene.

To av sagaene som omhandler Ragnar Lodbrok er Ragnar Lodbroks saga (Ragnars Saga Lodbrokar) og den kortere og kanskje yngre Tætten om Ragnarsønnenes saga (Ragnarssona þáttr). Han nevnes også i Völsungasagaen og i Orknøyingenes saga som Snorre Sturlasson kaller «jarlesagaen». Det knyttes en forbindelse mellom Ragnar Lodbrok og Orkenøyene. En runestein der bærer hans navn. I henhold til De fragmentariske irske annaler ble Ragnars sønn Halvdan med sine tre sønner fordrevet til Orknøyene. Det skjedde senest i 854. Ragnar Lodbrok er også en sentral skikkelse i skaldekvadet Håttalykill (Háttalykill inn forni = Versemålnøkkelen), diktet av islenderen Hall Torarinsson og Ragnvald Orknøyjarl i fellesskap.

Røver og helt

Ragnar var en førkristen hedning som påsto at han var en direkte etterkommer av ingen ringere enn Odin selv. Ett av hans favorittstrategier var å angripe kristne byer på helligdager, vel vitende om at mange av soldatene da ville være i kirken.

Ragnar tilbrakte det meste av livet som pirat og viking, invaderte det ene landet etter det andre. Han ville vanligvis godta en høy betaling for å la være å angripe sine ofre, kun for å komme tilbake senere og forlange en enda høyere avbetaling for ikke å angripe. Omfanget av hans område tyder på at han må ha vært en dyktig hærfører.

Ravnen var Ragnar Lodbroks symbol. Han hadde fått sine døtre til å sy et banner med en ravn avbildet. Ravnen hadde i alle år vært en fugl knyttet til dårlige varsler lik Odin selv eide to ravner kalt Hugin og Munin som fortalte om det som skjedde i verden. Banneret kalte han «Reafan» og det ble sagt at når banneret flagret ville Ragnar seire, men om det hang livløst vil slaget være tapt. Også de norske kongene Harald Hårfagre og Harald Hardråde eide et tilsvarende ravnebanner.

Frankrike

I 845 var han tilsynelatende en mektig hersker og sannsynligvis samtidig med den første herskeren av Russland, den norrøne Rurik. Det er sagt at Ragnar alltid søkte nye eventyr ettersom han fryktet for at hans egne sønner ville utføre gjerninger som ville overskygge hans egne.

I dette året seilte han sørover med 120 skip og anslagsvis 5 000 krigere. Han gikk i land i dagens Frankrike, sannsynligvis ved elvemunningen Seine og herjet i «Vest-Francia», som den vestlige delen av det frankiske riket den gang var kjent som.

Det samme året ble Paris okkupert og holdt som gissel av norrøne menn, og som sagaene har identifisert som Ragnar Lodbrok. Den tradisjonelle datoen for dette er 28. mars. En fortelling forteller at de soldatene som var utplassert for å vokte klosteret i St Denis flyktet da de danske vikingene henrettet sine fanger på en særdeles grusom måte. Kongen av Vest-Francia, Karl den stores sønnesønn Karl den skallete betalte Ragnar en enorm sum penger for ikke å ødelegge byen. Ragnar Lodbrok, i henhold til sagatradisjonen, var tilfreds med ikke mindre enn 7 000 pund sølv. Det forhindret dog ikke Ragnar fra å angripe andre deler av Frankrike, og det kostet mye tid og anstrengelser for frankerne å drive ham ut.

England

Etter at han var ferdig med Frankrike dro Ragnar tilbake til Danmark hvor han senere døde. Eller han var den som vendte sin oppmerksomhet mot England og i 865 gikk i land i Northumbria på nordøstkysten av England. Det er blitt sagt at han ble beseiret for første gang i slag av kong Ælla II av Northumbria. Ælles menn tok Ragnar til fange og den angelsaksiske kongen ga ordre om at han skulle kastes i et hull som var fylt med giftige slanger. Mens han langsomt ble bitt i hjel av slangene skal han etter sigende ha erklært: «Grynte ville grisene, om de visste hva galten led!»

Ragnar blir hevnet

Ragnars siste ord er selvsagt et litterært påfunn ettersom de ble profetiske. I henhold til sagaen fikk hans fire sønner høre om hans død: Halvdan Kvitserk som spilte Hnefatafl (et brettspill kalt «Kongens bord» eller «Tablut») grep så hardt om en spillbrikke at blod tøt ut fra neglene; Bjørn Jernside grep så hardt om spydet at fingermerkene sto igjen om skaftet; og Sigurd Orm-i-auga som trimmet neglene kuttet kniven rett inn i beinet.

Kun den fjerde sønnen, Ivar Beinlause, lyttet til alle detaljene om drapet og forberedte hevnen. Brødrene samlet sammen en enorm hærstyrke, dro til Northumbria, beseiret kong Ællas hær og torturerte denne i hjel ved å skjære blodørn på ham. Det vil si at de skar opp ryggen, brettet ribbeina til side og trakk ut lungene til offeret døde. Det er opplagt overdrevet at Ragnars død skulle få såpass store konsekvenser, men Ivar Beinløse er uten tvil en historisk skikkelse som i 866 erobret først York og deretter hele nordlige England.

Ragnars antatte slekt

Ragnar Lodbrok var gift eller fikk barn med en rekke kvinner, hans første Lathgertha, hans andre hustru Åslaug Sigurdsdatter (også kalt Kråka), hans tredje hustru Tora, hans fjerde hustru Svanloga; og hans femte navnløse hustru (datter av Esbern). Av de ulike fortellingene, feilkilder og overdrivelser inkludert, fikk han følgende sønner:

Ivar Beinlause, sønn av Åslaug

Halvdan Kvitserk Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora

Sigurd Orm-i-auga Ragnarsson, sønn av Åslaug

Ubbe Ragnarsson, sønn av navnløse hustru, eller av Åslaug?

Bjørn Jernside Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora

Rathbarth Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora

Dunyat Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora

Agnar Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora

Regnald Ragnarsson, sønn av Svanloga

Eirik Vindhatt Ragnarsson, sønn av Svanloga.

Fridleiv Ragnarsson, sønn av Lathgertha.

Og følgende døtre:

Alof Ragnarsdatter

Ragnhild Ragnarsdatter

Litteratur

Smyth, Alfred P.: Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880, Oxford University Press, 1977

O' Corrain, Donnchadh: «High-kings, Vikings and other kings», i Irish Historical Review, vol 21 (1979), sidene 283-323

Humble, Richard: The Fall of Saxon England, (BCA) 1995

Jones, Gwyn: A History of the Vikings, 1983

Eksterne lenker

Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?

Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda fra «Kulturformidlingen Norrøne Tekster og Kvad».

Sagaen om Ragnarsønnene i engelsk oversettelse av Tunstall på Northvegr

--------------------

Ragnar Lodbrok omtales som sagnkonge, det finnes ei egen soge om ham. Hn var konge rundt Oslofjorden, på Romerike og i Vestfold helt til Langesundfjorden. Han var ofså konge i Danmark

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Reference: http://familytrees.genopro.com/318186/jarleslekt/default.htm?page=toc_families.htm

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http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok

--------------------

Bild: Aella mördar Ragnar Lodbrok

Rag
--------------------
Directory of Royal Genealogical Data, Hull, England
aka: King Ragnar Lodbrok of Denmark at Lethra (Succeeding his father, Sigurd Ring. )(1) , King Ragnar Lodbrok of Sweden at Uppsala (Succeeding Harald Hildetand. )2, Ragnar "Shaggy-pants"(2)
1. p430
2. p480
A figure of the Icelandic sagas and of the Danish pseudohistorian Saxo
Danish King at Lethra; plundered Paris in 845; King of Seeland.
A viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature
Said to have perished in a snake pit.

Ragnar was not historical as such

The celebrated and heroic warrior Ragnar, so called because healways wore in battl e a pair of enchanted breeches, made of abear skin with the hair outwards. King Reymer Lodbrok havinginvaded England in 0794, was taken prisoner by Aella, King ofNorthumberland, who put him to death in a most cruel manner, hebeing thrown into a pit hole full of adders, which stung him todeath. When news of his death reached Denmark his five valiantsons were furious. When being told that their father hadsaid,"How the young cubs would rage when they learned of the oldbear's fate, they vowed instant revenge. An expedition led byeight crowned heads invaded England. In a battle at York, theAnglo-Saxons were entirely routed and King Aella was madeprisoner and subjected to the most barbarous treatment. The sonsof Lodbrok ordered an eagle to be cut on the fleshy part of hisback, the ribs were severed from the spine an d the heart andlungs extracted. After this victory, Northumbria appears nolonger as a Saxon kingdom. Ivor was made King of Northumbria andDanish merchants and people flocked to England. Bjorn, anotherbrother, was made King of Sweden. Gotefrid became King ofJutland. Another son, Sigurd, called the Snake Eye, inheritedthe Danish crown.

REFN: 5773
See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment) . Many
historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely
l egendary, or even mythical.See Snorre's Saga and the IcelandicLandnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

[Custer February 1, 2002 Family Tree.FTW]

[merge G675.FTW]

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

Historical personage - see www.wikipedia.org

Roi Viking mort dans une fosse à Serpents ou il a été jetté par le Roi Saxon Aella Ier Roi de Deira qui mourra avec son fils Osfrith en 633 sous les coups de trois fils de Sigurd

_P_CCINFO 1-2782

BIOGRAPHY
Ragnar Lodbrok ('Hairy-Breeks') was a Norse legendary hero from the Viking Age who was thoroughly reshaped in Old Norse poetry and legendary sagas. Ragnar was said to be the son of Siguard Randversson and Alfhild Gandolfsdottir. He married Aslang Sigurdsdottir of Denmark, daughter of Sigurd 'Fovnesbane', and they had numerous children. The _Ragnarssona báttr_ mentions his sons Bjorn 'Ironside', Hvitserk, Ivar 'the Boneless', and Sigurd 'Snake-in-the-Eye', and the half-brothers Eric and Agnar. Other names of children linked to him include: Halfdan 'White Shirt', Ragnaldir, Alof/Olaf and Ubbe/Ubbi. Of these, Bjorn 'Ironside' is recorded as having progeny, though others probably did also.

Although Ragnar is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750 to 794, and others from 860 to 865. Neither really matches with what is known of him, though he may perhaps have held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognised as king (of Lethra, in what is now Denmark) in the last five years of his life.

Ragnar apparently spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. One of his favourite tactics was to attack Christian cities on church feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving.

However he was also a gifted military leader. By 845 he was a powerful man and most likely as contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that would outshine his own achievements.

A historic Ragnar Lodbrok is held to have been a jarl at the court of the Danish king Horik I (814-854), and this Ragnar participated in the Viking plunder of Paris in 845. In that year he is said to have sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in what is now France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish Empire was then known.

Paris was captured in that year and held to ransom by a Viking raider who the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The king of West Francia, Charlemagne's grandson Charles 'the Bald', paid him a sum not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

Later, Ragnar's sons were to return for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately some of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for 'Northmen', as the Franks called the Scandinavians or the Norman as the Norwegians called themselves).

Ragnar turned his attention to England. In 865 he landed in Northumbria on its north-east coast. It is claimed that there he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle II of Northumbria. There are several versions of the story of his death.

In the most colourful, Aelle's men were said to have captured Ragnar, and the king ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he is alleged to have exclaimed 'How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!', referring to the vengeance he hoped his sons would wreak when they heard of his death.

An alternative version says that he landed by accident in East Anglia and there befriended King Edmund before being killed by a jealous courtier. The murderer was said to have escaped to Denmark and to have blamed Edmund for Ragnar's demise.

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to Americabefore 1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

Of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

[large-G675.FTW]

See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95,Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols.vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.

Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?

One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.

RAGNAR

The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED IN THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.

LOTHBROK

No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)

RAGNALL

The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.

Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?

We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:

(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).

(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.

(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).

(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.

(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.

(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.

(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.

Of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]

CONCLUSIONS

Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.

FURTHER READING

The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.

[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]

Stewart Baldwin

RESEARCH NOTES:
Viking; Ragnarr Lodbr¢k or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark
and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he
is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his
life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the
dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750-
794, and others from 860- 865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and
he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in
865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.
[There appear to be two Ragnar Lodbroks The 8th century dates are for RL I.]
Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One
of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days,
knowing that many soldiers would be in church.
By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first
ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new
adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things
that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120
ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France
, probably at the Seine
estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish
empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a
Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for
this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar
Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia,
Charlemagne's son Charles II
"The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy
the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no
less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for
sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts
of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

SOURCE NOTES:
FW94

_P_CCINFO 1-20792
Original individual @P2203970994@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@) merged with @P2203970773@ (@MS_NHFETTERLYFAMIL0@)

Døde formentlig av pest i 845. Greve av Flandern og Viking høvding.

Ragnar Lodbrok Sigurdsson. Født ca. 715. Han var gift med "Kråka" - Åslaug, fra Spangereid ved Lindesnes. Hun var egentlig datter av kong Sigurd Fåvnesbane og hustru Brynhild Budlesdatter, men etter deres død flyktet fosterfaren kong Heime i Lymdalene med henne til Spangereid.

Kong Heime ble etter løgnaktige påstander drept av Åke, som var eier av gården. Den høyættede Åslaug vokste dermed opp hos Åke og hustruen Grima på Spangereid. De behandlet Åslaug som en trell, satt henne til hardt arbeid og til å gjete dyrene ute i marka. Årene gikk, og jenta vokste seg penere og penere, og for at ingen skulle se hvor vakker hun var hadde Grima nektet henne å vaske seg og å stelle håret.

Navnet "Kråka" skal hun ha fått da hun en sommer det var svært tørt påkalte en flokk kråker som til sist dekket hele himmelen, og da kråkene fløy bort begynte det å regne. Hun visste at hun var av kongelig ætt og drømte ofte om å komme bort fra fattigdommen på Spangereid og fra trellekårene hos Åke og Grima. En dag mens hun satt slik å drømte fikk hun se at det var kommet mange store skip inn til land like i nærheten av gården hvor hun bodde. Det hun så var flåten til en av datidens mektigste konger i Europa, nemlig kong Ragnar Lodbrok av Danmark. Han var egentlig på vei til England, men hadde lagt turen innom Spangereid på å besøke slektninger på Agder.

Åslaug skyndte seg hjem og vasket seg godt å kjemmet håret uten å bry seg om Grimas forbud. Og med det gylne håret om seg som en kappe gikk hun mot huset. Mens Åslaug var på vei hjem hadde kong Ragnar sendt matsveinene sin på land for å bake brød. De gikk inn på gården og traff Grima, som fortalte dem at hun hadde en datter som kunne hjelpe dem med å bake brød. Men sveinene ble så forvirret av den vakre jenta at de glemte hele bakingen og dermed ble alle brødene brent. Da de kom tilbake til skipene spurte kongen om hvorfor alle brødene var blitt brent, og de unnskyldte seg med at de hadde fått hjelp av ei bondejente som var så fager at de ikke hadde maktet å ta øynene fra henne. Kongen, som var enkemann, ville se nærmere på jenta og var hun som sveinene hadde sagt kunne han nok tenke seg å ha henne til dronning. Kongen kalte til seg noen av de gjeveste mennene sin og ba dem å gå opp til gården med bud til jenta. Men han ville også finne ut om hun var like klok som fager, og derfor skulle hun løse denne gåten: "Hun skal komme til meg hverken naken eller kledd, verken fastende eller mett og verken alene eller i følge med noe menneske". Sendemennene gikk opp til gården og overbrakte budskapet til Kråka. Hun løste gåten med det samme, og ba de ta med seg beskjed tilbake til kongen om at hun om morgenen dagen etter skulle komme til skipet til kong Ragnar slik han ønsket.

Tidlig neste morgen stod Åslaug opp og gjorde seg i stand. Hun tok på seg kun et fiskegarn, som hun svøpte rundt seg, og lot det lange gylne håret falle over garnet. Så var hun verken naken eller kledd. Hun bet i en løk. Så var hun verken fastende eller mett. Hun lot den store bukken følge seg så var hun verken alene eller i følge med noe menneske. Da hun nærmet seg skipene ropte kongen til henne og ville straks ha henne ombord. Men først etter at å ha blitt lovet full trygghet, lot Åslaug seg ro ut til "kongeskipet". Hun kom vel ombord og Ragnar talte lenge med henne og undret seg dypt over hennes høviske tale og kloke svar. Han ble kjær i henne og ba henne følge med på reisen til England, men Åslaug takket nei.

Ragnar Lodbroks hær var godt rustet med sverd, spyd og økser på toktet til England, men overmakten ble for stor for den skipbrudne hæren til engang Nord-Europas mektigste konge. Bildet er tatt på Nasjonalmuseet i København. Foto: Karl Arnt Skarpeid.

Hun svarte kongen at han måtte dra til England uten henne, og at det da kunne hende at han fikk andre tanker. Men dersom han ikke skiftet mening kunne han komme tilbake og sende bud etter henne,

Kong Ragnar seilte nå fra Spangereid med kurs for England, men jenta i fiskegarn glemte han ikke. På hjemturen fra England ble på ny kursen satt mot norskekysten og den lille havna ved Spangereid. Åslaug hadde lenge gått å ventet på at skipene til Ragnar skulle dukke opp igjen. En dag gikk ønsket hennes i oppfyllelse, for da stevnet den mest staselige flåten som noen gang har besøkt Spangereid inn mot land. Fremst i rekken seilte Ragnars eget høvdingeskip. Med mange drageskip hadde Ragnar forlatt Spangereid, men med atskillig flere og større skip vendte han tilbake til den lille havna, der han hadde lært Åslaug å kjenne. Samme kveld sendte kongen bud og hilste til henne at hun nå skulle følge med han for godt. Men Åslaug svarte at hun ikke ville dra før neste morgen, og slik ble det.

Neste dag sto hun tidlig opp og fant frem harpen med arvegodset sitt, og til Åke og Grima fortalte hun at nå ville hun reise bort fra dem. Hun fortalte dem at hun visste at de hadde drept fosterfaren hennes, men hun ville ikke hevne seg på dem. Så tok Åslaug harpen, forlot huset, og gikk til skipene. Der ble hun vel mottatt, og først nå fortalte hun kong Ragnar hvem hun egentlig var.

Samme dag forlot den danske flåten Spangereid og med god bør satte de kursen sørover til Danmark. Ferden gikk godt, og cirka ett døgn senere ankret de opp i Ragnars hjemland. Der ble det feiret hjemkomst og bryllup med et kostelig gjestebud som varte i tre dager. Åslaug og Ragnar levde sammen i mange år og holdt mye av hverandre. De hadde sønnene Sigurd (Sivat) Orm-i-øye, Bjørn Jernside, Hvitserk og Ivar Benløs (han hadde visstnok ikke ben, men brusk i kroppen).

Ragnar Lodbrok rustet på sine eldre dager ut to krigsskip, for vikingtokt til England. Hans hustru Åslaug hadde på forhånd advart ham - at han ikke burde dra avsted med en så liten flåte, men Ragnar svarte at jo færre skip, dess større ære. Men det gikk ikke så bra for skipene forliste på Northumberlands kyst. Det lyktes allikevel Ragnar og hans menn å redde seg i land, men der kom de i kamp med den angelsaksiske kongen Ella.

Det ble en lang og bitter kamp - hvor Ragnar fikk alle sine menn drept, og tilsist var bare han selv igjen. Han ble nå tatt til fange av kong Ella, kastet i en ormegård - en gruve med slanger - og døde der.

tekst: Karl Arnt Skarpeid

Jarl i danska Lethra
Dog i en engelsk ormgrop

Døde formentlig af pest

Ragnar Lodbrok (norrønt Ragnarr Loðbrók) var en delvis legendarisk svensk og dansk småkonge som levde en gang på 700- og 800-tallet. I henhold til den krønikeskriver Saxo Grammaticus tilhørte Ragnar til den svenske Ynglingeætten. Både Saxo og islandske kilder har beskrevet ham som sønn av Sigurd Ring, en svensk konge som etter sigende skal ha erobret Danmark, men kildene strides om Ragnar bodde i Sverige eller i Danmark.

Myte eller historisk figur?
Selv om Ragnar Lodbrok ble betraktet som en helt i det norrøne Norden er troverdige opptegnelser om livet hans svært overfladisk og hviler tungt på legendariske fornaldersagaer. Selv en noenlunde datering av hans tid og liv hviler på stor usikkerhet: noen kilder nevner 750-794, mens andre kilder daterer betydelig senere fra 860-865. Antagelig var han en krigsherre fra antatt 835 til sin død i 865, og kanskje kun regnet som konge de siste få årene av livet. Den historiske Ragnar Lodbrok var muligens en jarl for den danske kong Hårek. [1]

Lodbrok betyr ?lodden bukse?, etter sigende for at Ragnars kone hadde sydd ham klær fra dyreskinn. Navnet ?Lothbroc? finnes i verket Gesta Normannorum Ducum av William av Jumièges (ca 1070) hvor denne blir nevnt som far til Bjørn Jernside, sistnevnte blir bekreftet av andre kilder. Ivar Beinlause er også blitt identifisert som sønn av Ragnar Lodbrok av Adam av Bremen som kalte Ivar sønn av ?Lodparchus?. Det er den islandske sagaskribenten Are Torgilsson Frode (1067-1148) som er den første kjente forfatteren som knytter Lodbrok med fornavnet Ragnar, eller knytter to personer sammen til en skikkelse, Ragnar og Lodbrok. I Irlands fragmentariske annaler finnes det en opptegnelse over en ?Ragnall? (Ragnvald), sønn av ?Alpdan? (Halvdan), ?konge av Norge?, og hans bedrifter fram til York faller til danskene. Det er en av de sterkest argumenter for at Ragnall eller Ragnvald er den samme som Ragnar Lodbrok, og for krønikeskrivere på de britiske øyene var det vanskelig å skille mellom norsk eller dansk når de knapt nok gjorde det selv.

I senere foraldersagaer ble Ragnar gjort til konge av Danmark og drar på fantastiske eventyr over hele verden. Blant annet møter han den enestående vakre og trolldomskyndige Åslaug Sigurdsdatter i Norge som han gifter seg med og hun føder ham fire sønner. Åslaug, som også blir kalt for ?Kråka?, er en påstått datter av Sigurd Fåvnesbane, en annen legendarisk helt fra fornaldersagaene. Som Kråka er Åslaug ei norrøn Askepott, og blir hyllet i både Norge og Danmark, og hennes funksjon er å være en forbindelse mellom Odin og de norrøne fornalderkongene som krevde å nedstamme fra gudene.

To av sagaene som omhandler Ragnar Lodbrok er Ragnar Lodbroks saga (Ragnars Saga Lodbrokar) og den kortere og kanskje yngre Tætten om Ragnarsønnenes saga (Ragnarssona þáttr). Han nevnes også i Volsungesaga og i Orknøyingenes saga som Snorre Sturlasson kaller ?jarlesagaen?. Det knyttes en forbindelse mellom Ragnar Lodbrok og Orkenøyene. En runestein der bærer hans navn. I henhold til De fragmentariske irske annaler ble Ragnars sønn Halvdan med sine tre sønner fordrevet til Orknøyene. Det skjedde senest i 854. Ragnar Lodbrok er også en sentral skikkelse i skaldekvadet Håttalykill (Háttalykill inn forni = Versemålnøkkelen), diktet av islenderen Hall Torarinsson og Ragnvald Orknøyjarl i fellesskap.

Røver og helt
Ragnar var en førkristen hedning som påsto at han var en direkte etterkommer av ingen ringere enn Odin selv. Ett av hans favorittstrategier var å angripe kristne byer på helligdager, vel vitende om at mange av soldatene da ville være i kirken.

Ragnar tilbrakte det meste av livet som pirat og viking, invaderte det ene landet etter det andre. Han ville vanligvis godta en høy betaling for å la være å angripe sine ofre, kun for å komme tilbake senere og forlange en enda høyere avbetaling for ikke å angripe. Omfanget av hans område tyder på at han må ha vært en dyktig hærfører.

Ravnen var Ragnar Lodbroks symbol. Han hadde fått sine døtre til å sy et banner med en ravn avbildet. Ravnen hadde i alle år vært en fugl knyttet til dårlige varsler lik Odin selv eide to ravner kalt Hugin og Munin som fortalte om det som skjedde i verden. Banneret kalte han ?Reafan? og det ble sagt at når banneret flagret ville Ragnar seire, men om det hang livløst vil slaget være tapt. Også de norske kongene Harald Hårfagre og Harald Hardråde eide et tilsvarende ravnebanner.

Frankrike
I 845 var han tilsynelatende en mektig hersker og sannsynligvis samtidig med den første herskeren av Russland, den norrøne Rurik. Det er sagt at Ragnar alltid søkte nye eventyr ettersom han fryktet for at hans egne sønner ville utføre gjerninger som ville overskygge hans egne.

I dette året seilte han sørover med 120 skip og anslagsvis 5 000 krigere. Han gikk i land i dagens Frankrike, sannsynligvis ved elvemunningen Seine og herjet i ?Vest-Francia?, som den vestlige delen av det frankiske riket den gang var kjent som.

Det samme året ble Paris okkupert og holdt som gissel av norrøne menn, og som sagaene har identifisert som Ragnar Lodbrok. Den tradisjonelle datoen for dette er 28. mars. En fortelling forteller at de soldatene som var utplassert for å vokte klosteret i St Denis flyktet da de danske vikingene henrettet sine fanger på en særdeles grusom måte. Kongen av Vest-Francia, Karl den stores sønnesønn Karl den skallete betalte Ragnar en enorm sum penger for ikke å ødelegge byen. Ragnar Lodbrok, i henhold til sagatradisjonen, var tilfreds med ikke mindre enn 7 000 pund sølv. Det forhindret dog ikke Ragnar fra å angripe andre deler av Frankrike, og det kostet mye tid og anstrengelser for frankerne å drive ham ut.

England
Etter at han var ferdig med Frankrike dro Ragnar tilbake til Danmark hvor han senere døde. Eller han var den som vendte sin oppmerksomhet mot England og i 865 gikk i land i Northumbria på nordøstkysten av England. Det er blitt sagt at han ble beseiret for første gang i slag av kong Ælla II av Northumbria. Ælles menn tok Ragnar til fange og den angelsaksiske kongen ga ordre om at han skulle kastes i et hull som var fylt med giftige slanger. Mens han langsomt ble bitt i hjel av slangene skal han etter sigende ha erklært: ?Grynte ville grisene, om de visste hva galten led!?

Ragnar blir hevnet
Ragnars siste ord er selvsagt et litterært påfunn ettersom de ble profetiske. I henhold til sagaen fikk hans fire sønner høre om hans død: Halvdan Kvitserk som spilte Hnefatafl (et brettspill kalt ?Kongens bord? eller ?Tablut?) grep så hardt om en spillbrikke at blod tøt ut fra neglene; Bjørn Jernside grep så hardt om spydet at fingermerkene sto igjen om skaftet; og Sigurd Orm-i-auga som trimmet neglene kuttet kniven rett inn i beinet.

Kun den fjerde sønnen, Ivar Beinlause, lyttet til alle detaljene om drapet og forberedte hevnen. Brødrene samlet sammen en enorm hærstyrke, dro til Northumbria, beseiret kong Ællas hær og torturerte denne i hjel ved å skjære blodørn på ham. Det vil si at de skar opp ryggen, brettet ribbeina til side og trakk ut lungene til offeret døde. Det er opplagt overdrevet at Ragnars død skulle få såpass store konsekvenser, men Ivar Beinløse er uten tvil en historisk skikkelse som i 866 erobret først York og deretter hele nordlige England.

Ragnars antatte slekt
Ragnar Lodbrok var gift eller fikk barn med en rekke kvinner, hans første Lathgertha, hans andre hustru Åslaug Sigurdsdatter (også kalt Kråka), hans tredje hustru Tora Borgarhjort [2], hans fjerde hustru Svanloga; og hans femte navnløse hustru (datter av Esbern). Av de ulike fortellingene, feilkilder og overdrivelser inkludert, fikk han følgende sønner:

Ivar Beinlause, sønn av Åslaug
Halvdan Kvitserk Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora
Sigurd Orm-i-auga Ragnarsson, sønn av Åslaug
Ubbe Ragnarsson, sønn av navnløse hustru, eller av Åslaug?
Bjørn Jernside Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora
Rathbarth Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora
Dunyat Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora
Agnar Ragnarsson, sønn av Tora
Regnald Ragnarsson, sønn av Svanloga
Eirik Vindhatt Ragnarsson, sønn av Svanloga.
Fridleiv Ragnarsson, sønn av Lathgertha.
Og følgende døtre:

Alof Ragnarsdatter
Ragnhild Ragnarsdatter

Litteratur
Smyth, Alfred P.: Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880, Oxford University Press, 1977
O' Corrain, Donnchadh: ?High-kings, Vikings and other kings?, i Irish Historical Review, vol 21 (1979), sidene 283-323
Humble, Richard: The Fall of Saxon England, (BCA) 1995
Jones, Gwyn: A History of the Vikings, 1983

Referanser
^ En viking som nevnes i frankiske annaler (Annales Bertiniani, det vil si St. Bertin-annalene) som ?Reginheri?, en latinsk form ekvivalent til Ragnar. Denne vikingen døde i Frankrike i år 845!
^ Tora Borgarhjort (Þóra borgarhjörtr) var datter av Herraud (Herrauðr), blant annet fortalt i Saga om Bose og Herraud (Bósa saga ok Herrauðs)

(Kilde: FAW nr 91)

Ragnar Hairy-breeks Lodbrock king of Denmark And Sweden (I171995)
Birth after 755
Death 865 (Age 109-110) -- Northumbria, England

Birth after 755
Christening 826 (Age 70-71)
Marriage Thora Borgarhjort Herraudsdotter Of Sweden - [View Family]
Marriage Aslaug Sigurdsdottir or Aslaug Randalin Wolsung - [View Family]
Marriage Mistress (unknown) - [View Family]
Death 865 (Age 109-110) Northumbria, England
LDS Child Sealing vik2 - Submitted 8 February 2005 (2) #1
LDS Baptism vik2 - Submitted 8 February 2005 (2) #1
LDS Endowment vik2 - Submitted 8 February 2005 (2) #

Flourished in the 9th century
Viking whose life passed into legend in medieval European literature.

In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ragnar was said to be the father of three sons, Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and Hubba (Ubbe), who led a Viking invasion of East Anglia in 865 seeking to avenge Ragnar's murder. In the European literature of the several centuries following Ragnar's death, his name is surrounded with considerable legend. In the Gesta Danorum (c. 1185) of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, he was a 9th-century Danish king whose campaigns included a battle with the Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne. According to Saxo's legendary history, Ragnar was eventually captured by the Anglo-Saxon king Aella of Northumbria and thrown into a snake pit to die. This story is also recounted in the later Icelandic works Ragnars saga lodbrókar and Tháttr af Ragnarssonum. The 12th-century Icelandic poem Krákumál provides a romanticized description of Ragnar's death and links him in marriage with a daughter of Sigurd (Siegfried) and Brynhild (Brunhild), figures from the heroic literature of the ancient Teutons. The actions of Ragnar and his sons are also recounted in the Orkney Islands' poem Háttalykill.
____________________________________

Ragnarr Loðbrók or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750–794, and others from 860–865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865, perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Life
Ragnar was a pagan who claimed to be a direct descendant of the god Odin. One of his favorite strategies was to attack Christian cities on holy feast days, knowing that many soldiers would be in church.

Raids
He spent most of his life as a pirate and raider, invading one country after another. He would generally accept a huge payment to leave his victims alone, only to come back later and demand more riches in exchange for leaving. But as the extent of his realm shows, he was also a gifted military leader.

France
By 845, he was a powerful ruler, and most likely a contemporary of the first ruler of Russia, the Viking Rurik. It is said he was always seeking new adventures because he was worried that his freebooting sons would do things that outshined his own achievements.

In that year, he sailed southward, looking for new worlds to conquer. With 120 ships and 5,000 Viking warriors, he landed in modern France, probably at the Seine estuary, and ravaged West Francia, as the westernmost part of the Frankish empire was then known.

Also in 845, Paris was captured and held ransom by a Viking raider, whom the sagas say was Ragnar Lodbrok. The traditional date for this is March 28, which is today referred to as Ragnar Lodbrok Day by many Scandinavians. The King of West Francia, Charlemagne’s son Charles II "The Bald", paid him a fantastic amount of money not to destroy the city. Ragnar Lodbrok, according to Viking sources, was satisfied with no less than 7,000 pounds of silver in exchange for sparing the city. However, that did not stop Ragnar from attacking other parts of France, and it took a long time for the Franks to drive him out.

England
After he was done with France, he turned his attention to England. In 865, he landed in Northumbria on the northeast coast of England. It is claimed that here he was defeated in battle for the only time, by King Aelle of Northumbria. Ella’s men captured Ragnar, and the King ordered him thrown into a pit filled with poisonous snakes. As he was slowly being bitten to death, he was alleged to have exclaimed "How the little pigs would grunt if they knew the situation of the old boar!"

Legacy
One Viking saga states that when his four sons heard the manner of his death, they all reacted in great sorrow. Hvitserk, who was playing chess, gripped the piece so hard that he bled from his fingernails. Björn Ironside grabbed a spear so tightly that he left an impression in it, and Sigurd Snake-Eye, who was trimming his nails, cut straight through to the bone.

Ragnar’s fourth son, Ivar the Boneless soon learned the details of his father’s death and swore that he would avenge his father’s killing, in time-honored Viking tradition. In 866, Ivar crossed the North Sea with a large army, met King Ella in battle, and captured him. He sentenced him to die according to the custom of Rista Blodörn, an exceedingly painful death. Although this story may not be accurate, like virtually all tales concerning Ragnar Lodbrok, his death had serious consequences. Ivor was the mastermind behind the attacks on the English mainland in the final quarter of the ninth century. He invaded East Anglia, and the following year attacked York. He was aided by the internal struggle for power in Northumbria—which he was of course responsible for by killing Ella. These wars were a prelude to the long struggle of the Saxons of Alfred the Great against the "Danes" a generation later.

Meanwhile, in France, the Vikings kept coming back for more booty. Among their feats was destroying the city of Rouen several times. Ultimately, many of them settled there permanently, in a land that became known as Normandy (for "Northmen", as the Franks called the Vikings).

Ragnar married Aslaug Sigurdsdottir, daughter of Sigurd Wolsung and Unknown

THE old sagas, or hero tales of the north, are full of stories of enchantment and strange marvels. We have told one of these tales in the record of King Rolf and Princess Torborg. We have now to tell that of Ragnar Lodbrok, a hero king of the early days, whose story is full of magical incidents. That this king reigned and was a famous man in his days there is no reason to doubt, but around his career gathered many fables, as was apt to be the case with the legends of great men in those days. To show what these tales were like we take from the sagas the marvellous record of Ragnar and his wives.

In East Gothland in the ancient days there lived a mighty jarl, or earl, named Herröd, who was descended from the gods. He had a daughter named Tora, who was famed for her beauty and virtue, but proved as hard to win for a wife as Princess Torborg had been. She dwelt in a high room which had a wall built around it like a castle, and was called Castle Deer, because she surpassed all other women in beauty as much as the deer surpasses all other animals.

Her father, who was very fond of her, gave her as a toy a small and wonderfully beautiful snake which he had received in a charmed egg in Bjar- [20] maland. It proved to be an unwelcome gift. The snake was at first coiled in a little box, but soon grew until the box would not hold it, and in time was so big that the room would not hold it. So huge did it become in the end that it lay coiled in a ring around the outer walls, being so long that its head and tail touched.

It got to be so vicious that no one dared come near it except the maiden and the man who fed it, and his task was no light one, for it devoured an ox at a single meal. The jarl was sorry enough now that he had given his daughter such a present. It was one not easy to get rid of, dread of the snake having spread far and wide, and though he offered his daughter with a great dower to the man who should kill it, no one for a long time ventured to strive for the reward. The venom which it spat out was enough to destroy any warrior.

At length a suitor for the hand of the lovely princess was found in Ragnar, the young son of Sigurd Ring, then one of the greatest monarchs of the age, with all Sweden and Norway under his sway, as the sagas tell. Ragnar, though still a boy, had gained fame as a dauntless warrior, and was a fit man to dare the venture with the great snake, though for a long time he seemed to pay no heed to the princess.

But meanwhile he had made for himself a strange coat. It was wrought out of a hairy hide, which he boiled in pitch, drew through sand, and then dried and hardened in the sun. The next summer [21] he sailed to East Gothland, hid his ships in a small bay, and at dawn of the next day proceeded toward the maiden's bower, spear in hand and wearing his strange coat.

There lay the dreaded serpent, coiled in a ring round the wall. Ragnar, nothing daunted, struck it boldly with his spear, and before it could move in defence struck it a second blow, pressing the spear until it pierced through the monster's body. So fiercely did the snake struggle that the spear broke in two, and it would have destroyed Ragnar with the venom it poured out if he had not worn his invulnerable coat.

The noise of the struggle and the fierceness of the snake's convulsions, which shook the whole tower, roused Tora and her maids, and she looked from her window to see what it meant. She saw there a tall man, but could not distinguish his features in the grey dawn. The serpent was now in its death throes, though this she did not know, and she called out:

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

Ragnar answered in this verse:

"For the maid fair and wise

I would venture my life.

The scale-fish got its death wound

From a youth of fifteen!"

Then he went away, taking the broken handle of the spear with him. Tora listened in surprise, for she learned from the verse that a boy of fifteen [22] had slain the great monster, and she marvelled at his great size for his years, wondering if he were man or wizard. When day came she told her father of the strange event, and the jarl drew out the broken spear from the snake, finding it to be so heavy that few men could have lifted it.

Who had killed the serpent and earned the reward? The jarl sent a mandate throughout his kingdom, calling all men together, and when they came he told them the story of the snake's death, and bade him who possessed the handle of the spear to present it, as he would keep his word with any one, high or low.

Ragnar and his men stood on the edge of the throng as the broken head of the spear was passed round, no one being able to present the handle fitting it. At length it came to Ragnar, and he drew forth the handle from his cloak, showing that the broken ends fitted exactly. A great feast for the victor was now given by Jarl Herröd, and when Ragnar saw the loveliness of Tora, he was glad to ask her for his queen, while she was equally glad to have such a hero for her spouse. A splendid bridal followed and the victor took his beautiful bride home.

This exploit gave Ragnar great fame and he received the surname of Lodbrok, on account of the strange coat he had worn. Ragnar and Tora lived happily together but not to old age, for after some years she took sick and died, leaving two sons, Erik and Agnar, who grew up to be strong and beautiful [23] youths. Ragnar had loved her greatly and after her death said he would marry no other woman. Nor could he comfort himself at home but began to wander abroad on warlike voyages, that he might drive away his sorrow.

Leaving Ragnar Lodbrok to his travels, let us take up the strange story of another fair maiden, who was to have much to do with his future life. She was named Aslög and was the daughter of King Sigurd Fafnisbane, of Germany. Soon after she was born enemies of her father killed him and her mother and all of his race they could find. Her life was saved by Heimer, foster-father to her mother, who to get her away from the murderers had a large harp made with a hollow frame, in which he hid the child and all the treasure he could find.

Then he wandered far as a travelling harper, letting the child out when they came to solitary woods, and when she wept and moaned silencing her by striking the strings of the harp. After long journeying he came to a cottage in Norway called Spangerhed, where lived a beggar and his wife. Seeing a gold bracelet under Heimer's rags, and some rich embroidery sticking from the harp, the beggar and his wife killed him during the night and broke open the harp. They found in it the wealth they sought, but the discovery of the pretty little girl troubled them.

"What shall we do with this child?" he asked.

"We will bring her up as our own, and name her Kraka, after my mother," said his wife.

[24] "But no one will believe that ugly old people like us can have so fair a daughter."

"Let me manage it," said the wife. "I will put tar on her head so that her hair will not be too long, and keep her in ragged clothes and at the hardest work."

This they did and little Aslög grew up as a beggar's child. And as she kept strangely silent, never speaking, all people thought her dumb.

One day, when Aslög was well grown, Ragnar Lorbrok came that way, cruising along the Norway coast. The crew was out of bread and men were sent ashore to bake some at a house they saw in the distance. This house was Spangerhed, where Kraka dwelt.

She had seen the ships come up and the men land, and was ashamed to be seen by strangers as she was, so she washed herself and combed her hair, though she had been bidden never to do so. So long and thick had her hair grown that it reached to the ground and covered her completely.

When the cooks came to bake their bread they were so surprised at the beauty of the maiden that they let the loaves burn while looking at her, and on being blamed for this carelessness on their return to the ship said they could not help it, for they had been bewitched by the face of the loveliest maiden they had ever gazed upon.

"She cannot be as lovely as Tora was," said Ragnar.

"There was never a lovelier woman," they de- [25] clared, and Ragnar was so struck by their story that he sent messengers ashore to learn if they were telling the truth. If it were so, he said, if Kraka were as beautiful as Tora, they were bidden to bring her to him neither dressed nor undressed, neither fasting nor satisfied, neither alone nor in company. The messengers found the maiden as fair as the cooks had said and repeated the king's demand.

"Your king must be out of his mind, to send such a message," said the beggar's wife; but Kraka told them that she would come as their king wished, but not until the next morning.

The next day she came to the shore where the ship lay. She was completely covered with her splendid hair, worn like a net around her. She had eaten an onion before coming, and had with her the old beggar's sheep dog; so that she had fulfilled Ragnar's three demands.

Her wit highly pleased Ragnar and he asked her to come on board, but she would not do so until she had been promised peace and safety. When she was taken to the cabin Ragnar looked at her in delight. He thought that she surpassed Tora in beauty, and offered a prayer to Odin, asking for the love of the maiden. Then he took the gold-embroidered dress which Tora had worn and offered it to Kraka, saying in verse, in the fashion of those times:

"Will you have Tora's robe? It suits you well.

Her white hands have played upon it.

Lovely and kind was she to me until death."

[26] Kraka answered, also in verse:

"I dare not take the gold-embroidered robe which adorned Tora the fair.

It suits not me. Kraka am I called in coal-black baize.

I have ever herded goats on the stones by the sea-shore."

"And now I will go home," she added. "If the king's mind does not change he can send for me when he will."

Then she went back to the beggar's cottage and Ragnar sailed in his ship away.

Of course every one knows without telling what came from such an invitation. It was not long before Ragnar was back with his ship and he found Kraka quite ready to go with him. And when they reached his home a splendid entertainment was given, during which the marriage between Ragnar and Kraka took place, everything being rich and brilliant and all the great lords of the kingdom being present. It will be seen that, though the Princess Aslög pretended to be dumb during her years of youthful life in the beggar's cottage, she found her voice and her wits with full effect when the time came to use them.

She was now the queen of a great kingdom, and lived for many years happily with her husband Ragnar. And among her children were two sons who were very different from other men. The oldest was called Iwar. He grew up to be tall and strong, though there were no bones in his body, but only gristle, so that he could not stand, but had to be carried everywhere on a litter. Yet he was very [27] wise and prudent. The second gained the name of Ironside, and was so tough of skin that he wore no armor in war, but fought with his bare body without being wounded. To the people this seemed the work of magic. There were two others who were like other men.

Since the older brothers, the sons of Tora, had long been notable as warriors, the younger brothers, when they grew up, became eager to win fame and fortune also, and they went abroad on warlike expeditions, fighting many battles, winning many victories, and gaining much riches.

But Iwar, the boneless one, was not satisfied with this common fighting, but wanted to perform some great exploit, that would give them a reputation everywhere for courage. There was the town of Hvitaby (now Whitby, in Yorkshire, England), which many great warriors had attacked, their father among them, but all had been driven back by the power of magic or necromancy. If they could take this stronghold it would give them infinite honor, said Iwar, and to this his brothers agreed.

To Hvitaby they sailed, and leaving their younger brother Ragnwald in charge of the ships, because they thought him too young to take part in so hard a battle, they marched against the town. The place was ably defended, not only by men but by two magical heifers, their charm being that no man could stand before them or even listen to their lowing. When these beasts were loosed and ran [28] out towards the troops, the men were so scared by the terrible sound of their voices that Ironside had all he could do to keep them from a panic flight, and many of them fell prostrate. But Iwar, who could not stand, but was carried into battle upon shields, took his bow and sent his arrows with such skill and strength that both the magic heifers were slain.

Then courage came back to the troops and the townsmen were filled with terror. And in the midst of the fighting Ragnwald came up with the men left to guard the ships. He was determined to win some of the glory of the exploit and attacked the townsmen with fury, rushing into their ranks until he was cut down. But in the end the townsmen were defeated and the valiant brothers returned with great honor and spoil, after destroying the castle. Thus it was that the sons of Kraka gained reputation as valiant warriors.

But meanwhile Kraka herself was like to lose her queenly station, for Ragnar visited King Osten of Upsala who had a beautiful daughter named Ingeborg. On seeing her, his men began to say that it would be more fitting for their king to have this lovely princess for his wife, instead of a beggar's daughter like Kraka. Ragnar heard this evil counsel, and was so affected by it that he became betrothed to Ingeborg. When he went home he bade his men to say nothing about this betrothal, yet in some way Kraka came to know of it. That night she asked Ragnar for news and he said he had none to tell.

[29] "If you do not care to tell me news," said Kraka, "I will tell you some. It is not well done for a king to affiance himself to one woman when he already has another for his wife. And, since your men chose to speak of me as a beggar's daughter, let me tell you that I am no such thing, but a king's daughter and of much higher birth than your new love Ingeborg."

"What fable is this you tell me?" said Ragnar. "Who, then, were your parents?"

"My father was King Sigurd Fafnisbane and my mother was the Amazon Brynhilda, daughter of King Budle."

"Do you ask me to believe that the daughter of these great people was named Kraka and brought up in a peasant's hut?"

The queen now told him that her real name was Aslög and related all the events of her early life. And as a sign that she spoke the truth, she said that her next child, soon to be born, would be a son and would have a snake in his eye.

It came out as she said, the boy, when born, having the strange sign of which she had spoken, so that he was given a name that meant Sigurd Snake-in-Eye. So rejoiced was Ragnar at this that he ceased to think of Ingeborg and all his old love for Kraka, or Aslög as she was now called, came back.

The remainder of the lives of Ragnar and Aslög and of their warlike sons is full of valiant deeds and magic arts, far too long to be told here, but [30] which gave them a high place in the legendary lore of the north, in which Ragnar Lodbrok is one of the chief heroes. At length Ragnar was taken prisoner by King Ethelred of England and thrown into a pit full of serpents, where he died. Afterwards Iwar and his brothers invaded England, conquered that country, and avenged their father by putting Ethelred to death by torture. Iwar took England for his kingdom and the realms of the north were divided among his brothers, and many more were the wars they had, until death ended the career of these heroes of northern legend

King at Lethra, King of Denmark and Sweden. See Snorre's Saga and theIcelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlement). Lodbrok translates to HairyBritches.

The celebrated and heroic warrior Ragnar, so called because he alwayswore in battle a pair of enchanted breeches, made of a bear skin with thehair outwards. King Reymer Lodbrok having invaded England in 794, wastaken prisoner by Aella, King of Northumberland, who put him to death ina most cruel manner, he being thrown into a pit hole full of adders,which stung him to death. When news of his death reached Denmark his fivevaliant sons were furious. When being told that their father had said,"How the young cubs would rage when they learned of the old bear's fate,"they vowed instant revenge. An expedition led by eight crowned headsinvaded England. In a battle at York the Anglo-Saxons were entirelyrouted and King Aella was made prisoner and subjected to the mostbarbarous treatment. The sons of Lodbrok ordered an eagle to be cut onthe fleshy part of his back, the ribs were severed from the spine and theheart and lungs extracted. After this victory Northumbria appears nolonger as a Saxon kingdom. Ivor was made King of Northumbria and Danishmerchants and people flocked to England. Bjorn, another brother, was madeKing of Sweden. Gotefrid became King of Jutland. Another son, Sigurd,called the Snake Eye, inherited the Danish crown.

--Other Fields

REFN: 5773 See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobo k (Book of Sett l ment). Many historians regard much of the genealogy at this point to be purely legendary, or even mythical.

Lodbrok means "of the shaggy bones"

[Royal Families from timmychew File.FTW]
[Pullen010502.FTW]
See Snorre's Saga and the Icelandic Landnamobok (Book of Settlment).
"Greatest of all Vikings" (Makers of England, Arthur Bryant, p. 95, Doubleday & Comp., 1962)
"Royalty for Commoners", Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
"Pedigrees of the County Families of Yorkshire", Foster, 1874, 2 vols. vol1: West Riding, vol2: North and East Ridings
"Ancestral roots of certain American colonists who came to America before 1700", Weis, 1992, seventh edition.
Was RAGNAR LOTHBROK historical?
One of the things that makes this a difficult question to discuss is
that the question "Was Ragnar Lothbrok historical?" is itself
somewhat ambiguous. Thus, before the question can be discussed, the
question has to first be more clearly defined. To mention two
opposite extremes, a skeptic could ask whether or not everything which
is said about the character of Ragnar Lothbrok is historically
accurate, observe that the answer is certainly "no", and then claim
victory. At the other extreme, a proponent of a historical Ragnar
Lothbrok could ask if a Viking by the name of Ragnar ever existed,
point out that a Viking having the correct name ("Reginheri") appears
in the Frankish annals, and claim that Ragnar Lothbrok was therefore
historical. Neither of these two extremes is acceptable in a serious
argument on the subject, so I will discuss the subject from the
following middle ground. The criteria which I will use are that in
order for Ragnar Lothbrok to be considered as historical, there should
be a historically documented person of that name who actually
performed a significant number of the deeds attributed to the
legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. I think these are reasonable criteria, and
the remainder of this discussion is based on these principles. Now,
to answer the question: No, Ragnar Lothbrok does not appear to be a
historical figure, based on the above criteria. I will give some
comments as to why I have this opinion, and then mention some reading
material for those who want more.
RAGNAR
The contemporary historical records of the ninth century (when Ragnar
Lothbrok supposedly lived) show only one Viking of the correct name, a
Viking named "Reginheri" (a Latin form equivalent to the name Ragnar)
in France WHO DIED Indiana THE YEAR 845, according to the contemporary
Frankish annals. The emphasized words in the previous sentence are
often conveninetly overlooked by those who wish to use Reginheri as a
historical prototype for Ragnar Lothbrok. Since Reginheri died in
France in the year 845, he cannot have participated in the later
events which form the principal part of the legendary Ragnar
Lothbrok's exploits. In addition, there is no good evidence that
Reginheri was the father of any of the individuals who later came to
be regarded as sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, Reginheri fails to
satisfy the criterion mentioned above. No other historical Norseman
named Ragnar is known for the appropriate time period.
LOTHBROK
No contemporary record gives this name, and it is significant that
when the name finally does make it appearance in the records 200 years
later, it stands alone. (Ari, writing in the twelfth century, was the
first known writer to make Ragnar and Lothbrok the same person.) The
name first appears (as "Lothbroc") in "Gesta Normannorum Ducum", by
William of Jumieges, writing about 1070, in which Lothbroc is called
he father of Bjorn Ironside. (A Viking named Bjorn is verified by the
contemporary chronicles, but without the nickname.) Adam of Bremen,
writing soon afterward, called Ivar the son of "Lodparchus". Besides
the fact that this Lothbrok is not attested in any of the contemporary
sources, there seems to be another problem, and that is that the name
("Lothbroka") appears to be a women's name. See the article on
Ragnars saga" by Rory McTurk in "Medieval Scandinavia: an
encyclopedia" (New York and London, 1993). If this argument based on
philology is correct, then this Lothbrok(a), if historical at all,
would be a women, and clearly not identical with the legendary Ragnarr
Lothbrok. (I do not have the background in linguistics to comment
further on this gender argument.)
RAGNALL
The "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland" (edited and translated by Joan N.
Radner, Dublin, 1978, formerly called "Three Fragments") has an item
of interest which has frequently been pointed out as possibly relating
to the legend of Ragnar Lothbrok. In it, a certain Ragnall (Rognvald)
son of Alpdan (Halfdan), king of Norway, is mentioned, and his
exploits prior to the fall of York to the Danes are given, in a
context in which it is at least arguable that Ragnall and Ragnar
Lothbrok were the same person. There are two problem with this
interpretation. First, Ragnar and Ragnall are not the same name, even
though they look similar. Second, and more important, the Fragmentary
Annals are themselves not a contemporary source, and there is good
reason to be suspicious about them. However, even if we were to allow
that the events given there are historical (a concession which many
historians would be unwilling to make), and then concede further that
these events form the basis of the Ragnar legend, then we would still
have that the person on whom the legend was based did not have the
right name.
Could RAGNALL and LOTHBROK have been the same person?
We have already seen that the only historically attested Ragnar
(Reginheri) cannot reasonably be regarded as a historical prototype
for Ragnar Lothbrok. Thus, it appears that the best attempt to argue
for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok is to propose (as has been done on
numerous occasions) that Ragnall and Lothbrok were both the same
person, and then assume that the similar (but different) names Ragnall
and Ragnar were accidently confused. Thus, let us see what
assumptions are needed in order to assume that Ragnall and Lothbrok
were the same person, assuming that they existed at all. In order for
this to be the case, we must make the following assumptions:
(1) We must assume that Adam of Bremen (late eleventh century) was
correct in giving "Lodparchus" (i.e., Lothbrok) as the name of the
father of Ivar (late ninth century).
(2) We must assume that the "Coghad Gaedhel re Gallaibh" ("The War of
the Gaedhil with the Gaill", ed. by Todd, London, 1867), a twelfth
century Irish source, is correct in stating that Halfdan of Dublin
(killed in Ireland in 877, according to the Annals of Ulster) was the
son of a certain Ragnall, and that this Ragnall was the same as the
Ragnall who appears in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland.
(3) We must assume that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is correct in
stating that a brother (unnamed, but called Ubbe in later sources) of
Halfdan and Ivar was killed in England in 878, despite the
contradictory testimony of Aethelweard which gives a very different
reading for the same event (see 4).
(4) We must assume that the chronicle of Aethelweard is wrong in
stating that Halfdan brother of Ivar was killed in England in 878, for
otherwise that would prove that Halfdan of Dublin (d. 877 in Ireland)
was a different person from Halfdan brother of Ivar.
(5) In addition to assuming that Halfdan of Dublin was the same
person as Halfdan brother of Ivar, we must also assume that this Ivar
was the same person as Adam of Bremen's Ivar, keeping in mind that
Aethelweard's chronicle, if correct, would imply the existence of two
Ivars in the British isles at this time.
(6) We must assume that the philological argument making Lothbrok(a)
a feminine name is incorrect.
(7) If Ari, the earliest author to mention Ragnar Lothbrok, is to be
considered a reliable source on this matter, then we must also assume
that Halfdan of Dublin was the same person as the Halfdan brother of
Sigifrid who appears in the Annals of Fulda for the year 873, despite
the severe chronological problems which that would cause with Ari's
genealogies.
Of the above assumptions, numbers (1) through (6) are crucial if one
wishes to argue that Ragnall and Lothbrok were the same, and (7) is
needed also if it is to be assumed that the information given by Ari
is accurate. Given the noncontemporary nature of the first two items,
along with the contradictions present some of the others, there is a
very small chance that all six of the crucial assumptions are correct.
However, if any one of the first six items is false, then the case for
Ragnall being the same as Lothbrok collapses, and we must conclude
that the "Ragnall Lothbrok" attempt for a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
is unsatisfactory. [Note: See R. W. McTurk's article "Ragnarr
Lothbrok in the Irish Annals?" (Proceedings of the Seventh Viking
Congress, 1976, pp. 93-123), where a different, but much more rigid,
list of the same type is given.]
CONCLUSIONS
Since all of the above attempts to find a historical Ragnar Lothbrok
fail to satisfy the mentioned criteria, Lothbrok and Ragnall come from
noncontemporary sources which are themselves open to suspicion, and
the historical records show nobody else (as far as I know) who could
be plausibly identified with Ragnar Lothbrok, it must be concluded
that Ragnar Lothbrok is not historical according to the terms
described above. In fact, if there is any historical basis to Ragnar
Lothbrok legend, it is quite likely that Ragnar Lothbrok is the result
of combining two or more distinct individuals into a single character
having the attributes of both, in much the same way as Ragnar
Lothbrok's legendary "father" Sigurd Ring is in fact a composite of
two different men who fought against each other for the Danish throne
in the year 814, Sigifridus ("Sigurd") and Anulo (of which "Ring" is a
translation of Latin "Annulus"). However, such composite characters
cannot be considered as historical, and there is no evidence which
comes close to being contemporary which shows that either Lothbrok or
Ragnall existed.
FURTHER READING
The most ambitious attempt to portray Ragnar Lothbrok as a historical
figure is "Scandinavian Kings in the British Isles 850-880" by Alfred
P. Smyth (Oxford University Press, 1977). For a very critical
examination of Smyth's views, see "High-kings, Vikings and other
kings", by Donnchadh O' Corrain, in Irish Historical Review, vol 21
(1979), pp. 283-323 (very highly recommended). Both of these sources
cite numerous other relevant sources for those who are interested in
further details.
[Note: The usual apologies if my transliterations from the Old Norse
alphabet into the alphabet available to me is a bit sloppy.]
Stewart Baldwin

Snorre, 63. Saga1, 42.

Vikingehøvding, Greve af Flandern 841. Død ,
formentlig af pest, 845

Ragnar LODBROK
Yrke: Vikingakung enligt flera sagor
Far:
Mor:

Händelse Datum Plats Källa
Födelse omkr 800 Danmark Egen beräkning
Död omkr 860 Frankrike, Normandie Egen beräkning

Familj med: Tora Borgarhjort (ca 800-830)
Barn: Olov (Kvite) Ragnarsson (ca 824-880), kung på Irland 856-871

Händelse Datum Källa
Vigsel omkr 824 Egen beräkning

Familj med Aslög (Kraka) SIGURDSDOTTER (810 - 842)
Barn: Ålof RAGNARSDOTTER (831 - )
Sigurd (Ormöga) RAGNARSSON (836 - )
Ivar I (Benlös) RAGNARSSON (841 - 873)

Händelse Datum Källa
Vigsel omkr 830 Egen beräkning

Så finner vi Ragnar Lodbrok
igjen i Olav Trygvassons saga. Ragnar Lodbrok er også nevnt som Ragnar
Sigurdsson.

Noteringar
Bilden ovan föreställer Ragnar Lodbrok i ormgropen. Denna bild handlar mindre om hans död än hans straff; målning av R.H. Brock. (Källa: Alf Henriksson)

Som den av gammalt har brukat refereras i svenska historieböcker är sagan om Ragnar Lodbrok en sammanställning av episoder från Saxo och de isländska källorna. Den börjar som ren folksaga med berättelsen om Tora Borgarhjort, dotter till en jarl i Östergötland och vacker som en dag. Jarlen hade lovat att den som dödade en lindorm, som besvärade huset, skulle få dottern. Ragnar lyckades döda lindormen med ett spjut, och efter denna bragd fick han tillnamnet Lodbrok eller Ludenbyxa. De unga tu levde mycket lyckliga några år och fick även ett par söner, men därpå sjuknade Tora och dog. (Källa: Alf Henriksson)

Ragnar Lodbrok var ute på vikingafärd för att fördriva sorgen över Tora Borgarhjort, och en kväll löpte han in med sina skepp i den norska fjord vid vilken Spangarhed var beläget. Hans folk fick syn på Kraka och blev fascinerade av hennes skönhet. Ragnar fann henne såväl skön som klok och tog med henne till Danmark och firade bröllop med henne. De fick många barn, och några av sönerna blev med åren mycket berömda. Den äldste hette Ivar Benlös, ty han hade bara brosk i stället för ben i kroppen; han var emellertid mycket vis. Den andre kallades Björn Järnsida, den tredje bar namnet Vitsärk, den fjärde hette Sigurd Ormöga. Sönerna kämpade väldeliga både i Västeuropa och i Sverige. En dag fick han höra att ingen kunde jämföras med hans söner i mod och mandom, varför han beslöt att visa världen att han heller inte gick av för hackor. Med några skepp begav han sig till England, men blev där dödad av kung Ethelred tillsammans med sin skara. (Källa: Alf Henriksson)

KING OF DENMARK AND SWEDEN

King of Denmark and Sweden.

!BIRTH: "Royal Ancestors" by Michel Call - Based on Call Family Pedigrees on
file in Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Copy of "Royal Ancestors"
owned by Lynn Bernhard, 848 West 1440 North, Orem, UT 84057.

Data From Lynn Jeffrey Bernhard, 2445 W 450 South #4, Springville UT 84663-4950
email - (XXXXX@XXXX.XXX)

SOURCE NOTES:
http://www.masterliness.com/a/Ragnar.Lodbrok.htm
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cousin/html/p162.htm#i10091
http://home.austarnet.com.au/dfgoonan/ESTRITH.htm

RESEARCH NOTES:
"Shaggy pants", King of Denmark (750-794). Danish & Swedish sea-viking
Let sack of Paris in 845.
Ragnar Lodbrok er trolig en historisk skikkelse, men dateringen of ham er
usikker. Det har vaert hevdet at det kan vaere snakk if to personer, Ragnar
Lodbrok den eldre and den yngre.
Ragnarr Lodbr¢k or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and
Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is
something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life
are very sketchy and heavily based on ancient Viking sagas. Even the dating of
his reign is not certain; there are sources that date it from 750- 794, and
others from 860- 865. Neither matches with what we know of him, and he
probably held power as a warlord from approximately 835 to his death in 865,
perhaps only being recognized as king in the last five years of his life.

Källa: http://ulf.lrsn.se/index.html

Nedan från

He conquered or inherited large sections of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. His armies overran Europe.

He was the leader of a flotilla of 120 ships,which, in 1845, rode up the Seine to Paris. Charles the Bald paid them 7,000 pounds of silver so they wouldn's burn Paris.

He conquered or inherited large sections of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. His armies overran Europe.

Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Lothrocus" "Hairy Britches" Sigurdson King of Dacia (Denmark)born about 0754 Uppsala, Swedendied 0845 Northumbria, Englandfather:*Sigurd "Ring" Randversson King in Sweden <http://www.mathematical.com/randverssonsigurd730.html>born about 0730 Denmarkdied 0812mother:*Alfhild Gandolfsdotter <http://www.mathematical.com/gandolfsdotteralfhild735.htm>born about 0735 Denmarkmarried about 0759 Uppsala, Swedensiblings:Miss Sigurdsdotter born about 0760 Uppsala, Swedenspouse:*Aslaug Sigurdsdotter <http://www.mathematical.com/sigurdsdotterauslag765.html>born about 0765 Denmarkmarried about 0783 Denmarkchildren (from this marriage):*Bjorn "Ironside" Ragnarsson <http://www.mathematical.com/ragnarssonbjorn777.html> born Denmark*Ivar "The Boneless" Ragnarsson King of Dublin & York <http://www.mathematical.com/dublinivar787.html> born about 0787 Denmark died 0873*Sigurd "Snake-Eye" Ragnarsson <http://www.mathematical.com/ragnarssonsigurd786.html> born about 0786 DenmarkHvitserk Ragnarsson born about 0790 DenmarkRognvald Ragnarsson born about 0791 Denmark*Halfdan "White Shirt" Ragnarsson King of Dublin <http://www.mathematical.com/ragnarssonhalfdan822.html> died 0877 IrelandRagnhildir RagnardottirAlof RagnardottirUbbe Ragnarssonother spouse (or consort):*Thora Herraudsdatter <http://www.mathematical.com/herraudsdatter756.htm>born about 0756children by this union:*Eirik Ragnarsson <http://www.mathematical.com/ragnarssoneirik788.htm>born 0788 Denmarkbiographical and/or anecdotal:Invaded England and was defeated by King Ella of Northumbria and was reputedly put to death in a snakepit.notes or source:

1 NAME Lodbrock //
2 GIVN Lodbrock
2 SURN
2 NICK Lodbrock

1 NAME Ragnar /Lodbrok/ 2 SOUR S033320 3 DATA 4 TEXT Date of Import: Jan 17, 2001 1 DEAT 2 DATE AFT. 845 2 SOUR S033320 3 DATA 4 TEXT Date of Import: Jan 17, 2001

[De La Pole.FTW]
Source: "Some Ancestral Lines of Edmond Hawes, Alice Freeman and Thomas James" (1984), compiled by Henry James Young. Young: Ragnar Lodbrok, a Viking chief who sacked Paris in 845.

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Ancêtres (et descendants) de Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" Sigurdsson

Randver Radbardsson av Sverige
± 668-± 770

Ingild Randver Godfredsdotter
± 675-± 709

Gandolf Alfgeirsson
± 710-± 771

Unknown Wife

Sigurd I "Ring" Randversson
± 730-± 812

Alfhild Ingebjorg Gandolfsdatter
± 729-± 770

Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" Sigurdsson
± 765-± 845

± 765

Aslaug (Aslög) Kraka Sigurdsdatter
± 765-± 842



Sigurð "Orm-i-øje" Ragnarsson ± 786-± 873	Ålov/ Alof Ragnarsdottir ± 786-± 860	Björn «Ironside» Järnsida ± 777-± 859

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Les sources

Événements historiques

Jour du baptême 25 juin 1878

Jour du baptême 25 juin 1878

La température le 25 juin 1878 était d'environ 29,5 °C. La pression du vent était de 2 kgf/m² et provenait en majeure partie du sud-sud-est. La pression atmosphérique était de 77 cm de mercure. Le taux d'humidité relative était de 52%. Source: KNMI
Du 3 novembre 1877 au 20 août 1879 il y avait aux Pays-Bas le cabinet Kappeijne van de Coppello avec comme premier ministre Mr. J. Kappeijne van de Coppello (liberaal).
En l'an 1878: Source: Wikipedia
- La population des Pays-Bas était d'environ 4,0 millions d'habitants.
- 28 février » aux États-Unis, le Bland allison act(en) oblige le gouvernement à frapper mensuellement des pièces d'argent pour un montant de deux millions de dollars et sur la base du rapport légal. Justifiée par l'encombrement occasionné par les greenblacks (billets inconvertibles), depuis la guerre de Sécession, cette loi a vu s'affronter inflationnistes et déflationnistes, «argentistes» et «monométallistes».

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La publication Arbre généalogique Homs a été préparée par George Homs.contacter l'auteur

Lors de la copie des données de cet arbre généalogique, veuillez inclure une référence à l'origine:
George Homs, "Arbre généalogique Homs", base de données, Généalogie Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-homs/I5604233735830047570.php : consultée 10 juin 2024), "Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway (± 765-± 845)".

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Arbre généalogique Homs » Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches" (Ragnar "Lodbrok" "Hairy Britches") "Hairy-Breeks" Sigurdsson King of Denmark & Norway (± 765-± 845)