What’s in a name? ….
While researching the Viking History timeline I became amused with the names of some of the characters in history. So, I decided to gather them as I went and have presented them altogether below. Note that the dates presented below are estimates, and in some cases the birth date has been left out altogether since there is apparently no reliable source from which this can be determined.
Harald Wartooth (690 – 770) was a semi-legendary King of Denmark. His mother was said to be Audr the Deep-Minded
Charles the Bald (823 – 877) was Charlemagne’s grandson and was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire. His father was Louis the Pious
| Charles the Fat (839 – 888) was the son of Charles the Bald, and so was also Emperor of the Carolingian Empire after his father. | Harald Fairhair (850 – 932) was the king responsible for unifying Norway. His name is actually Harfage, which means “pleasing to the eye”. See my history timeline entry here. |
Ragnar of the Hairy-Britches (Died 865?) or Ragnar Lothrok may not even have existed as there is much debate about whether he was a person or a legendary figure or even a combination of many characters. I have mentioned Ragnar in my timeline here. It is believed, however, that his sons did exist, and three of them are presented immediately following…
| Ivar the Boneless (Died 873) is described as having weak bones; i.e. a physical disability. Notwithstanding this, the sagas describe him as being wise, cunning and a master of strategy and tactics in battle. | Halfdan of the Wide Embrace (Died 877). Your guess is as good as mine as to the origin of his name!? |
Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (Died 887) was born with a mark in his eye resembling an ouroboros (which is a snake biting its own tail)
Charles the Simple (879 – 929) was also known as Charles the Straightforward, and was the son of Louis the Stammerer and Adelaide of Paris. Charles was the King of West Francia during the time when a group of Vikings led by Rollo attacked Paris. See the history timeline entry here.
| Harald Bluetooth (911 – 985). See this timeline entry for info. The modern-day Bluetooth icon is actually based on his initials. | Hakon the Good (920 – 961) was the youngest son of Harald Fairhair. He fought against his half brother Eirik Bloodaxe for the throne of Norway, later also waging war against the sons of Eirik. |
| Gunnhild Mother of Kings (910 – 980). According to the Icelandic Sagas Gunnhild was the wife of Eirik Bloodaxe. She and Eirik lived in Orkney and had 8 (possibly 9) children, some of which became rulers of Norway in the late tenth century | Eirik Bloodaxe (Died 854) was the son of Harald Fairhair and Ragnild the Mighty. Eirik ruled as King of Norway for a time. How he got the name “Bloodaxe” is not known. He is also sometimes referred to as “Brother-Slayer”, but the original of this name is equally vague. |
| Thorfinn Skull-Splitter (Died 963) He was Jarl (Earl) of Orkney, a title created at the time of the Norse invasion to indicate their status as vassals of the Norwegian Kingdom. There is no discussion about how he got his name of “skull-splitter”, although I ready that it could either be because he was ruthless in living up to the Viking bloodthirsty deeds, or equally as a joke because “he was a gentle old soul who wouldn’t have hurt the proverbial fly”. | Helgi the Lean (939-979) Helgi was born in Ireland. His father was a Norwegian Viking and his mother was an Irish Princess. Helgi was one of the first settlers in Iceland. |
| Eric the Victorious (945 – 995) Eric was a Swedish King who ruled from 970 until his death, and is considered to be the first officially documented and accepted ruler of Sweden (earlier rulers being the subject of some debate). The Norse Sagas mention Eric being married to Sigrid the Haughty, although whether Sigrid actually existed or not is also up for debate. | Erik the Red (950 – 21003). Erik is accredited with founding the first settlement in Greenland. See this entry on the timeline on the history of Greenland, which I created for my Arctic trip. |
Lief the Lucky (970s – 1018) Lief Erikson was the son of Erik the Red. He was born in Iceland and died in Greenland. He is described as the Viking who settled the Vinland region of coastal north America. My history timeline entry can be found here.
Aethelred the Unready (966 – 1016) He is also referred to as Aethelred the Ill-Advised. His name is actually an oxymoron, insofar as the fact that his first name of Aethelred roughly translates as “well-advised”, while his nickname means “ill-advised”. Aethelred was King of England between between 978 and 1013, and again from 1014 to 1016, and is known for paying tribute (danegeld) to protect England from Viking raiders.
Robert the Magnificent (1000 – 1035) was a Norman noble; i.e. one of the group of people who arose from the settlement of the Vikings in the French region now known as Normandy. He became Duke of Normandy, and was the father of William the Conqueror.
Magnus the Good (1024 – 1047). He was the illegitimate son of St Olaf and was King of Norway and King of Denmark. He in mentioned in my timeline here.
(The photo to the right is his grave in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim)
