Ivar the Boneless, a prominent figure in Viking history, continues to fascinate and intrigue historians and enthusiasts alike. Known for his leadership, strategic brilliance, and enigmatic nickname, Ivar played a significant role in the Viking expansion into England and Ireland during the 9th century. This article delves into the historical accuracy surrounding Ivar the Boneless, exploring the available evidence and separating fact from legend.
Ivar the Boneless, also known as Ivar Ragnarsson, was a Viking leader who led invasions into 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 (or Hvitserk), Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, and Ragnvald. However, it is not known whether this is historically accurate.Some sources suggest that Ivar may have been the same person as the Viking king of Dublin, Ímar, who ruled from 870-873.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Ivar is the origin of his nickname, "Boneless." The exact reason for this moniker remains shrouded in mystery, with several theories attempting to explain its meaning.
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.
“Ívarr beinlausi” could be translated to “Ivar legless”, but “beinlausi” could also be translated as “boneless”, since “bone” and “leg” translates to the same word, “bein”, in Old Norse. Some sagas describe Ivar as having a skeletal condition, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, which would make him legless. The showrunners didn't just make up Ivar the Boneless. He was a real person. And that wonderful, cryptic nickname? No one knows why folks called him "Ivar the Boneless." Maybe he was disabled, and maybe he wasn't.
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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 have interpreted it as “without bone,” leading to his nickname “the Boneless.” However, this theory is hard to align with the direct translation of his name given in Norse sources.
Others suggest the nickname refers to male impotence.
Ivar the Boneless is primarily known for his role in leading the Great Heathen Army, a formidable Viking force that invaded England in 865 AD.
In 865 the Great Heathen Army, led by Ivar, invaded the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The Heptarchy was the collective name for the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. The invasion was organised by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, to wreak revenge against Ælla of Northumbria who had supposedly executed Ragnar in 865 by throwing him in a snake pit, but the historicity of this explanation is unknown. The popular belief is that Ivar was one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Making him the brother of Halfdan, Ubbe, Sigurd and Björn Ironside among others. This is mainly found mentioned in the Old Norse sagas about Lothbrok and his sons. However, much of what we today attribute to Ivar Ragnarsson, comes from old Irish and Anglo-Saxon sources.
Despite his physical disability, the sagas emphasize Ivar’s wisdom, cunning, and mastery of strategy and tactics in battle.Ivar did not overcome Ælla and sought reconciliation. He asked for only as much land as he could cover with an ox's hide and swore never to wage war against Ælla. Ivar then cut the ox’s hide into such fine strands that he was able to encompass a large fortress, which he claimed as his own.
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Late the next year, the army turned north and invaded Northumbria, eventually capturing Ælla at York in 867. According to legend, Ælla was executed by Ivar and his brothers using the blood eagle, a ritual method of execution of debated historicity whereby the ribcage is opened from behind and the lungs are pulled out, forming a wing-like shape.Later in the year, the army moved south and invaded the kingdom of Mercia, capturing the town of Nottingham, where they spent the winter. King Burgred of Mercia responded by allying with the West Saxon king Æthelred of Wessex, and with a combined force they laid siege to the town. The Anglo-Saxons were unable to recapture the city, but a truce was agreed whereby the Danes would withdraw to York. The territory that Ivar and the vikings conquered would later be the foundation for what would be known as Danelaw. This was a great part of Britain under Viking rule. Lasting around 150 years, until the conquest of the Normans in AD 1066.
In late AD 869 (870 according to the Chronicle which at times was a year off), the Vikings attacked East-Anglia. Led by king Edmund, East-Anglia was a smaller Christianized kingdom, originally one of the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain. The precise account of the death of King Edmund the Martyr is unknown, but it is believed that he was executed by the sons of Ragnar for refusing their demand that he renounce Christ. According to the most colorful descriptions of events, the Vikings didn’t kill Edmund right away, but captured him alive. Threatening him on his life, they then demanded of him that he renounce Christianity.
While Ivar is primarily associated with his exploits in England, historical sources also suggest his involvement in Ireland.
Ivar is often considered identical to Ímar, the founder of the Uí Ímair dynasty, which ruled Northumbria from the city of York and dominated the Irish Sea region as the Kingdom of Dublin. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, was founded by Vikings first in AD 841 and would become an important Viking Age town. It was in this time, filled with conflict and opportunity that Ivar first landed in Ireland in the late 840s or early 850s.
Ivar and Olaf formed short-lived alliances with certain Irish rulers, including Cerball, king of Ossory, and campaigned and plundered in the county of Meath in the early 860s.
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Ivar apparently did not participate in the Viking campaign-ultimately unsuccessful-to take Wessex from King Alfred in the 870s. Instead he renewed his partnership with Olaf the White and entered what is now Scotland. Their army overran and destroyed Dumbarton, capital of the Strathclyde kingdom, in 870. The following year the two returned in triumph to Dublin. Ivar, by then known as “king of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britain,” died in 873.
There are two more or less contemporary sources to draw from that detail many of the events Ivar was involved in during his time in Ireland. Those are the Annals of Ulster, and the so-called Fragmentary Annals of Ireland. The former is believed to have been written down at the time, while the latter is believed to have been written down sometime later during the 11th century. Here it’s worth pointing out that throughout both the Irish Annals, Ímar (Ivar) is said to be the brother of two other viking chiefs, Amlaíb and Óisle. According to the entries then, Ívar is not the son of Lothbrok, but of some lesser known viking chief, or king, named Gofraid. As we will also find, Ímar disappears from the Irish annals during the late 860s. The same time period Ivar the Boneless, son of Lothbrok, is active in Britain according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In the same manner, there are no mentions of Ivar in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in the periods Ímar is active in the Irish Annals.
Then in AD 863, he is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster. Operasting along with Amlaíb and a third possible brother, Auísle. The caves of Achad Aldai, and of Cnodba, and of Boadán’s Mound above Dubad, and of Óengoba’s wife, were searched by the foreigners-something which had never been done before. This was the occasion when three kings of the foreigners, i.e.
There is a mention in both Annals for AD 867 in which it is said that Auísle / Óisle is killed. Parricide can be understood as him having been killed by someone in his immediate family. “There was an encounter between Óisle, son of the king of Norway, and Amlaib, his brother. The king had three sons: Amlaíb, Ímar, and Óisle. He outshone the Norwegians in strength with swords and in shooting arrows. Reading the first part of this, it seems that Amlaíb is alone in the encounter with Óisle. However, in the end both he and Ímar are implicated in the murder. A couple of centuries had passed between the writing of the two Annals. Possibly giving the myth time to grow.
The death of Ivar the Boneless, a legendary Viking leader, is recorded in several historical sources. The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Æthelweard recorded his death in 870, while The Annals of Ulster and The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland both describe his death in 873.
In 1686, a farm labourer named Thomas Walker discovered a Scandinavian burial mound in Repton, Derbyshire. The large number of partial skeletons surrounding the body (over 250) suggested that the person buried there was of very high status, leading some to believe that it could be the resting place of Ivar the Boneless. 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 was said to have held true until William I of England, also known as Vilhjalm bastard, arrived and broke open Ivar’s mound.
One of the breakout characters from "Vikings" - a History Channel drama that ended its six-season run in 2020 - is Ivar the Boneless. Played by Alex Høgh Andersen, he's an antihero fans love to loathe. All very impressive for a Viking who can barely walk. Andersen's Ivar has a lifelong medical condition that's rendered his legs useless. To get around, Ivar crawls, rides in chariots or hobbles on crutches.
Ivar appears as a minor character in Bernard Cornwell's 2004 novel The Last Kingdom, in which his epithet "the Boneless" is explained by him being very thin. Ivar is a recurring character in Ubisoft's video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, which takes place in for the most part in England between 873 CE and 878 CE. In the 2020 game Crusader Kings 3 by Paradox Interactive, Ivar is a playable character as leader of the Jarldom of the Suðreyjar based in northwestern Scotland.
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