The Gesta Danorum (Books I-IX) on Ragnar

The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Political Institutions.

• comparison: Ragnar was cast into a serpent-pit, suffering the same fate as the elder Gunnar in the Eddic lay Atlakvida.

  "thrown into a serpent-pit, wherein Ragnar is given the fate of the elder Gunnar in the Eddic Lays, Atlakvida"

The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Customary Law.

• attestation: Ragnar's sons performed the blood-eagle ritual on Ella and salted his flesh as vengeance for their father's death.

  "Ragnar's sons act the blood-eagle on Ella, and salt his flesh"

The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Statute Laws.

• attestation: Ragnar required householders to give up their worst child or laziest slave for war service.

  "That any householder should give up to his service in war the worst of his children, or the laziest of his slaves"

• attestation: Ragnar decreed that all suits be referred to the judgment of twelve chosen elders, appearing as originator of trial by jury.

  "That all suits shall be absolutely referred to the judgment of twelve chosen elders (Lodbroc here appearing in the strange character of originator of trial by jury)"

• attestation: Ragnar's tribute from Daxo required Daxo and twelve elders to come barefoot bearing yearly tribute.

  "RAGNAR'S exaction from Daxo, his son's slayer, was a yearly tribute brought by himself and twelve of his elders barefoot"

The Danish History, > Books I-Ix > Folk-Tales.

• attestation: Ragnar slew Thora's serpents wearing frozen woolly clothes to resist venom, earning the nickname Shaggy-breech (Lodbrok) from the king.

  "The hero (Ragnar) devises a dress of a peculiar kind (by help of his nurse, apparently), in this case, woolly mantle and hairy breeches all frozen and ice-covered to resist the venom"

• attestation: Ragnar married King Herraud's daughter Thora after slaying the serpents and begot two sons.

  "feasts, marries the king's daughter, and begets on her two fine sons"

• attestation: Ragnar won the shield-maiden Ladgerda in Gaulardale, Norway, by slaying a guardian bear and dog.

  "The lady is Ladgerda, the hero Ragnar. Enamoured of the maiden by seeing her prowess in war, he accepts no rebuffs, but leaving his followers, enters the house, slays the guardian Bear and Dog"

• attestation: Ragnar and Ladgerda had two daughters and a son named Frithlaf.

  "The lady is won and wed, and two daughters and a son (Frithlaf) duly begotten"

The Danish History, > Book Two

• attribution: Ragnar disguised his royal identity by claiming to be a slave who had lost his flock and feared punishment

  "Think us men, not monsters; we are slaves who drove our lingering flocks for pasture through the country"

• attribution: Ragnar declared he feared no supernatural power except the god Thor

  "He therefore feared the might of no supernatural prowess, save of the god Thor only, to the greatness of whose force nothing human or divine could fitly be compared"

• attestation: Ragnar captured Ubbe upon entering Denmark and pardoned him, attributing the usurpation to his wife's instigation

  "Ragnar, entering Denmark, captured Ubbe, had him brought before him, and pardoned him, preferring to visit his ill deserts with grace rather than chastisement"

• attestation: Ragnar took Ulfhild from Ubbe and forced her to marry his friend Scot, who founded the Scottish name

  "he took Ulfhild away from him and forced her to wed his friend Scot, the same man that founded the Scottish name"

• attestation: Ragnar died in Sweden and his wife Swanhwid died of grief soon after, unable to endure separation

  "Ragnar died in Sweden; and Swanhwid his wife passed away soon after of a malady which she had taken from her sorrow"

The Danish History, > Book Five.

• attestation: Ragnar welcomed his sons and revealed hidden treasure buried in underground caverns

  "He welcomed them paternally, and on the morrow took them to the forest to inspect the herd, for the old man was wealthy in cattle. Also he revealed to them treasures which had long lain hid in caverns of the earth"

• attestation: Ragnar had died and Kraka had remarried a man named Brak

  "They found that Ragnar was dead, and that Kraka had already married one Brak"

The Danish History, > Book Seven.

• attestation: Ragnar took the boys to Funen, was captured by Frode, and persuaded the king to spare them by shaming him about double unnatural murder

  "he prayed the king to spare the wards whom he had made fatherless, and not to think it a piece of good fortune to be guilty of two unnatural murders."

• attestation: Ragnar went to warn Frode at night as promised, but the king was asleep and none dared wake him because Frode punished sleep disturbances with the sword

  "the king was asleep, and he would not suffer them to wake him up, because Frode had been used to punish any disturbance of his rest with the sword."

The Danish History, > Book Nine.

• attestation: Siward's young son Ragnar was sent to safety in Norway during the civil conflict

  "loyalty in his absence, proclaimed his son Ragnar as king, when he was scarcely dragged out of his cradle."

• attestation: Ragnar grew up in Norway, where he developed his legendary martial abilities

  "loyalty in his absence, proclaimed his son Ragnar as king, when he was scarcely dragged out of his cradle."

• attestation: The assembly marveled at the eloquence and wit of the young Ragnar, embracing his proposals with enthusiasm

  "The assembly, marvelling at the eloquence as much as at the wit of one so young, gladly embraced a proposal of such genius"

• attestation: The old men were not ashamed to follow the counsel of someone so young

  "Nor were the old men ashamed"

• attestation: Ragnar won his first victory and proved himself a capable leader despite his youth

  "When Ragnar heard of this, he went to Norway to avenge his grandfather."

• attestation: Ragnar's first wife was Ladgerda, a famous shield-maiden of Norway

  "was Ladgerda, a skilled amazon, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders."

• attestation: Ragnar had to overcome Ladgerda's defenses — a bear and a hound guarding her home — to win her

  "When Ragnar heard of this, he went to Norway to avenge his grandfather."

• attestation: Ragnar's proposal to the assembly demonstrated political cunning beyond his years

  "a proposal of such genius, which they thought excellent beyond his years"

• attestation: Ragnar divorced Ladgerda and desired Thora, daughter of King Herodd, to wife

  "Afterwards, changing his love, and desiring Thora, the daughter of the King Herodd, to wife, Ragnar divorced himself from Ladgerda"

• attestation: Ragnar thought ill of Ladgerda's trustworthiness, remembering she had once set animals on him

  "thought ill of her trustworthiness, remembering that she had long ago"

• attestation: To win Thora, Ragnar had to slay a serpent that guarded her, wearing special shaggy clothing for protection

  "Afterwards, changing his love, and desiring Thora, the daughter of the King Herodd, to wife, Ragnar divorced himself from Ladgerda; for he thought ill of her trustworthiness, remembering that she had long ago set the most savage beasts to destroy him."

• attestation: From the shaggy clothing he wore while fighting the serpent, Ragnar gained the surname Lodbrog (Shaggy-breeches)

  "shaggy lower portion of his garb, and chiefly the uncouth aspect of his breeches; so that he gave him in jest the nickname of Lodbrog."

• attestation: After Thora's death, Ragnar mourned deeply before eventually remarrying

  "King Herodd, to wife, Ragnar divorced himself from Ladgerda; for he thought ill of her trustworthiness, remembering that she had long ago set the most savage beasts to destroy him."

• attestation: The name Lodbrog (Shaggy-breeches) became Ragnar's most famous epithet throughout later legend

  "breeches; so that he gave him in jest the nickname of Lodbrog."

• attestation: The Jutes and Skanians rebelled against Ragnar's rule, giving sovereignty to a certain Harald

  "the Jutes and Skanians were kindled with an unquenchable fire of sedition; they disallowed the title of Ragnar, and gave a certain Harald the sovereign power"

• attestation: Ragnar sent envoys to Norway to request military support against the rebels

  "Ragnar sent envoys to Norway"

• attestation: Ragnar defeated the rebels and restored his authority over Denmark

  "of sedition; they disallowed the title of Ragnar, and gave a certain Harald the sovereign power."

• attestation: Stubborn Danish rebels rallied to the exiled Harald and tried to raise his fallen fortunes

  "some of the Danes who were most stubborn in their hatred against Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion. They rallied to the side of Harald, once an exile, and tried to raise the fallen fortunes"

• attestation: Ragnar's sons fought alongside their father against the rebels and proved their valor

  "fought with Ragnar; but Karl did not succeed as happily in the field as he had got warning of the danger."

• attestation: Ragnar sent his sons Biorn, Iwar, and Sigurd on military expeditions to prove themselves

  "against Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion."

• attestation: Ragnar's sons conquered extensive territories in their own right, spreading Danish power

  "the rebels, drove Harald, the leader of the conquered army, a fugitive to Germany, and forced him to resign unbashfully an honour which he had gained without scruple."

• attestation: The sons of Ragnar became as famous as their father through their military exploits across Europe

  "against Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion."

• attestation: Ragnar maintained authority over his vast domains partly through his sons' conquests

  "against Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion."

• attestation: The repeated rebellions against Ragnar demonstrated persistent internal opposition to his rule

  "against Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion."

• attestation: Ragnar prepared an expedition against the Hellespontines and summoned a Danish assembly

  "Ragnar prepared an expedition against the Hellespontines, and summoned an assembly of the Danes"

• attestation: Ragnar promised to give the people most wholesome laws at the assembly

  "promising that he would give the people most wholesome laws"

• attestation: Ragnar had previously enacted laws requiring each man to bring his sons to war

  "He had enacted before that each father of"

• attestation: The Hellespontines were among the eastern peoples Ragnar sought to conquer

  "an expedition against the Hellespontines"

• attestation: Ragnar had spent almost five years in sea-roving and compelled all other nations to submit

  "Ragnar had spent almost five years in sea-roving, and had quickly compelled all other nations to submit"

• attestation: The Perms defied Ragnar's sovereignty and he had to conquer them separately

  "he found the Perms in open defiance of his sovereignty"

• attestation: After conquering the Perms, Ragnar's forces were attacked by the Finns using sorcery and weather magic

  "Roman soldiery, and the forces of a most great and serene captain, now yielded to a base mob with the poorest and slenderest equipment; and he whose lustre in war the might of the strongest race on earth had failed to tarnish, was now too weak to withstand the tiny band of"

• attestation: Ragnar's forces suffered greatly from the Finnish magical attacks before rallying

  "Roman soldiery, and the forces of a most great and serene captain, now yielded to a base mob with the poorest and slenderest equipment; and he whose lustre in war the might of the strongest race on earth had failed to tarnish, was now too weak to withstand the tiny band of"

• attestation: Ragnar eventually overcame the Finnish sorcery and defeated them militarily

  "Now Ragnar had spent almost five years in sea-roving, and had quickly compelled all other nations to submit; but he found the Perms in open defiance of his sovereignty."

• attestation: Ragnar's five-year roving campaign was one of the most extensive in Danish legendary history

  "Ragnar had spent almost five years in sea-roving"

• attestation: Ragnar was equally pleased at the flight of the Finns as at Karl's retreat, acknowledging the Finns' unexpected strength

  "Ragnar was equally as well pleased at the flight of the Finns as he had been at that of Karl, and owned that he had found more strength in that defenceless people than in the best equipped soldiery"

• attestation: Ragnar acknowledged that the unarmed Finns using sorcery were more dangerous than well-equipped soldiers

  "he had found more strength in that defenceless people than in the best equipped soldiery"

• attestation: The Finnish use of sorcery impressed Ragnar as more powerful than conventional military force

  "Ragnar was equally as well pleased at the flight of the Finns as he had been at that of Karl, and owned that he had found more strength in that defenceless people than in the best equipped soldiery; for he found the heaviest weapons of the Romans eas"

• attestation: Ragnar continued his campaigns after defeating the Finns, seeking further conquests

  "Ragnar was equally as well pleased at the flight of the Finns as he had been at that of Karl, and owned that he had found more strength in that defenceless people than in the best equipped soldiery; for he found the heaviest weapons of the Romans eas"

• attestation: Ragnar showed merciful moderation toward the slayer of his dearest son, exiling rather than executing Daxo

  "Ragnar showed on this occasion the most merciful moderation towards the slayer of his dearest son, since he sufficiently satisfied the vengeance which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death"

• attestation: Ragnar chose exile rather than death for Daxo, satisfied that this was sufficient vengeance

  "he sufficiently satisfied the vengeance which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death"

• attestation: Hwitserk was described as Ragnar's dearest son, suggesting a special bond between them

  "But Ragnar's sons, Dunwat and Radbard, after fighting nobly, were slain by the enemy."

• attestation: Ragnar's clemency toward his son's killer was notable for its restraint in a culture of blood-feud

  "the most merciful moderation"

• attestation: After Hwitserk's death, Ragnar reasserted Danish control over Sweden

  "Ragnar showed on this occasion the most merciful moderation towards the slayer of his dearest son, since he sufficiently satisfied the vengeance which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death."

• attestation: The rebellion drew support from disaffected members of Ragnar's own military forces

  "certain Danes who were cold-hearted servants in the army of Ragnar"

• attestation: Ragnar defeated Harald's renewed rebellion and restored order in Denmark

  "cold-hearted servants in the army of Ragnar, disturbed his country with renewed sedition, and came forward claiming the title of king."

• attestation: Ragnar attacked Ella with his fleet but was defeated through divine justice for his arrogance

  "Ragnar attacked him with his fleet, but, by the just visitation"

• attestation: Ragnar was captured by Ella and thrown into a pit of serpents to die

  "punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar."

• attestation: As Ragnar died in the snake-pit, he composed a famous death-song celebrating his life of warfare

  "punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar."

• attribution: Ragnar prophesied that his sons would avenge him, saying the young pigs would grunt if they knew the old boar's fate

  "punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar."

• attestation: The death of Ragnar Lodbrog set the stage for the great invasion of England by his sons

  "punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar."