Ivar the Boneless explained

Ivar the Boneless (Norse, Old: Ívarr hinn Beinlausi in Norse, Old pronounced as /ˈiːˌwɑrː ˈhinː ˈbɛinˌlɔuse/; died c. 873), also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who invaded England and Ireland. According to the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, he was the son of Aslaug and her husband Ragnar Loðbrok, and was the brother of Björn Ironside, Halvdan Hvitserk, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye and Ragnvald. However, it is not known whether or not this is historically accurate. Ivar is sometimes regarded as the same person as Ímar, a Viking king of Dublin between 870 and 873.[1] He might have been born in Uppsala, Sweden in about 787.[2]

The origin of the nickname is not certain. "Ívarr beinlausi" could be translated to "Ivar legless", but "beinlausi" could also be translated as "boneless", since "bone" and "leg" are translations of the same word, "bein", in Old Norse.[3] Several of the sagas describe him as lacking legs/bones or having a skeletal condition such as osteogenesis imperfecta,[4] while a passage in Ragnarssona þáttr (also known as the tale of Ragnar's sons) suggest it refers to male impotence.[5]

Sources

According to the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, Ivar's bonelessness was the result of a curse. His mother, Aslaug, Ragnar's third wife was described as a völva, a seer or clairvoyant. Aslaug suggested that she and her husband wait for three nights before consummating their marriage after a long separation while he was in England raiding. However, Ragnar was passionate after such a long separation and did not heed her words. As a result, Ivar was born with weak bones.[6]

Another hypothesis is that he was actually known as "the Hated", which in Latin would be Exosus. A medieval scribe with only a basic knowledge of Latin could easily have interpreted it as ex (without) os (bone), thus "the Boneless",[7] although it is hard to align this theory with the direct translation of his name given in Norse sources.[6]

While the sagas describe Ivar's physical disability, they also emphasise his wisdom, cunning, and mastery of strategy and tactics in battle.[8]

He is often considered identical to Ímar, the founder of the Uí Ímair dynasty, which at various times, from the mid-ninth to the tenth century, ruled Northumbria from the city of York, and dominated the Irish Sea region as the Kingdom of Dublin.[9] This would also make him the ancestor of the Crovan Dynasty.

Chronology

Death

The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Æthelweard records his death as 870.[16] The Annals of Ulster describe the death of Ímar in 873. The death of Ímar is also recorded in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland under the year 873.[17]

The identification of the king of Laithlind as Gothfraid (i.e., Ímar's father) was added by a copyist in the 17th century. In the original 11th-century manuscript, the subject of the entry was simply called righ Lochlann ("the king of Lochlainn"), which more than likely referred to Ímar, whose death is not otherwise noted in the Fragmentary Annals. The cause of death—a sudden and horrible disease—is not mentioned in any other source, but it raises the possibility that the true origin of Ivar's Old Norse nickname lay in the crippling effects of an unidentified disease that struck him down at the end of his life.

In 1686, a farm labourer named Thomas Walker discovered a Scandinavian burial mound at Repton in Derbyshire, close to a battle site where the Great Heathen Army overthrew the Mercian king Burgred. The number of partial skeletons surrounding the body—over 250—signified that the man buried there was of very high status. It has been suggested that such a burial mound is possibly the last resting place of Ivar.[18]

According to the saga, Ivar ordered that he be buried in a place that was exposed to attack, and prophesied that, if that was done, foes coming to the land would be met with ill-success. This prophecy held true, says the saga, until "when Vilhjalm bastard (William I of England) came ashore[,] he went [to the burial site] and broke Ivar's mound and saw that [Ivar's] body had not decayed. Then Vilhjalm had a large pyre made upon which Ivar's body was] burned... Thereupon, [Vilhjalm proceeded with the landing invasion and achieved] the victory."[19] [20]

Fictional portrayals

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Marios. Costambeys. Oxford University Press . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Ívarr [Ívarr inn Beinlausi, Ingwaer, Imhar] (d. 873) ]. 2004 . 10.1093/ref:odnb/49261 . 978-0-19-861412-8 .
  2. Book: Strittmatter, Rowena . Our Ancestors: A Journey through the Generations . 2016-12-13 . tredition . 978-3-7323-8143-2 . en.
  3. Web site: Leg in Danish. 2021-02-05. dictionary.cambridge.org. en.
  4. Web site: Ivar the Boneless | Biography, Battles, & Facts | Britannica . 9 May 2024 .
  5. Encyclopedia: Ivar the Boneless. World History Encyclopedia. Emma. Groeneveld. 12 November 2018.
  6. Web site: Baker. Mick. Anglo-Saxon Britain: In the Footsteps of Ivarr the Boneless. The History Files. 1 September 2016.
  7. Book: Ferguson . Robert . The hammer and the cross: a new history of the Vikings . 2009 . London . Allan Lane . 978-0713997880 . 609990781 .
  8. Web site: Ivar the Boneless. Mahoney. Mike. www.englishmonarchs.co.uk. 2017-04-14.
  9. Book: Holman, Katherine. The northern conquest: Vikings in Britain and Ireland. 2007. Oxford . Signal Books . 166381361 . 9781904955344 . en.
  10. Book: Venning, Timothy. The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England. 2013-06-19. Amberley. 9781445608976. en.
  11. Book: Munch, Peter Andreas. Norse Mythology: Legends Of Gods And Heroes. 2010-09-10. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. 9781164510307. Olsen. Magnus. en.
  12. Book: Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 1984-11-01. Oxford University Press. 9780192158826. Revised. en. registration.
  13. Book: Viking Empires. Forte. Angelo. Oram. Richard. Pedersen. Frederik. 2005-05-30. Cambridge University Press. 9780521829922. First. en.
  14. Book: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1998-08-18. Routledge. 9780415921299. Swanton. Michael J.. First. en.
  15. Book: Mostert, Marco. The political theology of Abbo of Fleury: A study of the ideas about society and law of the tenth-century monastic reform movement. 1987-01-01. Verloren. 9789065502094. en.
  16. Book: Six Old English Chronicles: Ethelwerd's Chronicle, Asser's Life Of Alfred, Geoffrey Of Monmouth's British History, Gildas, Nennius And Richard Of Cirencester. 2010-09-10. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. 9781163125991. Giles. J. A.. en.
  17. Web site: Fragmentary Annals of Ireland 409 . 2 February 2009 . CELT.
  18. Book: Arnold, Martin. The Vikings: A Short History by Martin Arnold. April 2008 . The History Press. 978-0-7524-4577-9 .
  19. News: Ivar the Boneless, Ragnar Lothbrok's Son - Mythologian.Net. Symbols and Their Meanings - Mythology and Gods - Mythical Creatures. 28 December 2015 . en-US. 2017-04-19.
  20. Web site: Saga of Ivar (The Boneless) Ragnarsson Up Helly Aa. www.uphellyaa.org. en-GB. 2017-04-19. 20 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170420143200/http://www.uphellyaa.org/recent-festivals/up-helly-aa-2014/saga-of-ivar-the-boneless-ragnarsson. dead.
  21. Web site: Alfred the Great (1969) - Overview - TCM.com.
  22. Web site: Hammer of the Gods. 30 May 2013. IMDb.
  23. Web site: Vikings: Meet the Four New Actors Revealed in Season 4's Midseason Finale. Terri. Schwartz. IGN. April 21, 2016. December 22, 2016.
  24. Web site: The Darkness Return With 'Barbarian' Video: Exclusive Premiere . Billboard.com . 2015-06-02.