"Historic Raids and Battles"

"Holmgang"

The Vikings had a strict code of rules for the "Holmgang" which literally means "going on an island," and was done on a small one whenever possible. If not, a space about the size of a boxing ring was marked out and used. There was a more informal duel called an "Einvigi" with even fewer rules and more of a brawl. The Holmgang was used to settle disputes over property, or women, rather like the later Medieval "Trials by Combat". However it was abused by professional "holmgangers" who would challenge anyone to get land, loose property, someone's wife/woman, or just for the fun of it like "Holmgang Bersi" of Kormac's Saga.

The Holmgang rules were this: A cloak 10 foot square was pegged down at the corners with three more squares marked out a foot from each other around this. The corners were marked with Hazel Poles called "Hoslur." Each man had three shields and when these came useless, he had to stand in the cloak and defend himself with weapons only. The man challenged first struck the first blow. If either drew blood that spilled on the cloak neither was obliged to continue. If either stepped outside the Hazel poles he is said to have "retreated". If with both feet, then "fled". If after the first blood drawn, the loser could buy himself out. But not all Holmgangs were so tame, or quite so formal.

In Egil's Saga, Egil has to fight Ljot, a known berserker, on a small island with the Holmgang space marked out in stones. Ljot came with his sword, shield and men to watch. He was very big and strong and with Egil watching, the berserker fury came upon him and howling, he began to bite the rim of his shield. Egil had his shield, his sword "Nadr" at his side, and another one, "Dragvandil". Egil stepped onto the cloak but Ljot was not ready yet. So Egil raised his sword and sang. When he finished, Ljot came forward and announced the rules of the Holmgang saying anyone who stepped outside the stones would be declared a "Niðing" (Coward).

They rushed at each other and Egil rained as many hard blows as he could so that Ljot could not strike back. When he stepped away to get some room to swing his sword, Egil rushed faster after him raining blows fiercely. This went on for a while and then Ljot called for a rest which Egil granted. Then Egil bade Ljot to resume and again attacked violently. Ljot was unable to cover himself with his shield as Egil was so close. Egil swung hard and hit Ljot's leg. Ljot fell and died.

Egil knew he had only one tactic to use against such a strong, fierce berserker and that was to attack violently and not give the other ground to swing back if possible. In a Berserker rage, Ljot would have thrown caution away, not feeling pain or caring what wounds he would get except a severe one that would bring him down. To slay would be his only thought and Egil used the best tactic he could to bring the holmgang to an end as quickly as possible.

True Heroes

The modern view of the Vikings is as being constant heroes or at least dying a heroic death; or of an aristocratic society with Jarls and Kings with loyal bands of warriors, controlled by the rights and duties that lord and man owed to each other. This is pretty much as the Vikings themselves saw it. Living a heroic life, or dying a heroic death.

The Eddic lore and Saga literature is full of adventure and entertainment for those at court and for the common man. Runestones abound with terse or longer inscriptions reporting the deeds of the dead in heroic terms. From Sjörup, Sweden (but formally Medieval Denmark) is a stone that reads:

"Saksi set up this stone in memory of his comrade Asbiorn Toki's son, He fled not at Uppsala But kept on fighting while he could hold weapon."

Three stones in nearby Hällestad are linked to this one and records the deeds of a local Jarl Toki Gormsson and imply a close comradeship between a lord and his men. On one stone is carved:
"Toki's retainer, Asbiorn, put up this stone in memory of his brother Toki."

While another just says "Now the stone shall stand on its mound". The final one echoes the Sjörup stone:
"He fled not a Uppsala. "Drengs'set up in their brother's memory A stone on a mound, held firm by runes. They were the closest to Gorm's Toki."

"Drengs" generally means "fighting men in service to a lord" with connotations of bravery, loyalty and toughness. The term "brother" was what the dead leader was called by his men.

The Battle of Bravoll

From about 700 AD comes the Battle of Bravoll in Eastern Gotland. A "battle of Champions" between the armies of King Harald Hilditonn (War-Tooth) and Sigurd Hring. Harald War-Tooth was king over Sweden and Denmark and part of England and other lands. Hring was his nephew and when Harald grew old, he made his nephew king over Uppsala and power over Sweden and West Gotland, but Harald kept rule over Denmark and East Gotland. Interestingly included in the list of Champions are several "Shield Maidens", champions in their own right leading hosts of warriors and fighting as well.

Harald became very old indeed, so "Some chiefs resolved when he was having a his bath to cover it with timber and stones, intending to smother him in it. When he saw that they wanted to kill him, he asked to be allowed to get out of the bath. He said, "I know that you think I am too old. That is true, but I would rather die my fated death. I don't want to die in a bath tub, but in a more kingly way." A little while later, he sent word to his nephew Hring in Sweden, that he should gather a host from all the lands he ruled over and meet him on the frontier and fight against him; and he told him about the reasons, that the Danes thought him "too old."

Hring gathered men from his lands, and many came from Norway, while many warriors from Ireland and "Saxland" (Frisia) came to the aid of Harald, as well as some Koenugard (Kiev). There follows a long list of champions who followed the two kings. Among those of Harald are: "There were the shield-maidens, Visma and Heid, each of whom had come with a numerous host. Visma carried Harald's standard." Another shield-maiden was Vegjorg who came from the south from Gotland and many champions followed her. Among Hring champions were Erling the Snake, Hrut the Rambler, Odd the Wide-Travelling, Egil the Squinting, Hrolf the Woman-Loving, Dag the Stout, Gerdar the Glad and Glismak the Good.

Harald sent Herlief with the Saxon force to King Hring "in order to stake out the field chosen for the battle and declare the truce and peace broken". When these formalities had been done, the host drew up on Bravoll. When these hosts were ready for battle, both had the war-horns sounded and raised the war-cry. The arrays met, and the battle was so severe that it is said in all old Sagas that no battle in the Northern lands was ever fought with so many or so valiant-picked men. The battle raged for a while, and Ubbi, one of Harald's champions, began to take a terrible toll on Hring's leading men:

"When Hring saw this, he urged the host not to let one man overcome all, such proud men as they were. He shouted "Where is Storkud who till now has always borne the highest shield?" Storkud answered, "We have plenty to do, Sir, but we will try to gain a victory if we can, though Ubbi is a man may be fully tried." At the urging of the king he rushed to the front against Ubbi, and there was a great fight between them with heavy blows; each of them was fearless. After a while, Storkud gave him a large wound, and himself received six -- all of them severe, and he thought he had rarely been so hard pushed by one man. The arrays were so dense they were torn apart and so their hand-to-hand fight ended. Then Ubbi slew the champion Agnar and cleared a patch in front of himself, dealing blows on both hands; his arms were bloody up up to his shoulders. There he attacked the men from Telemark. When they saw him they said, "Now we need not go elsewhere, but let us shoot arrows at this man for a while, and as everybody thinks little of us let us do the more and show that we are valiant men." The most skilled of the Telemarkians began to shoot at Ubbi and he took twenty-four arrows into him. This much was needed to kill him but not before he had slain six champions and severely wounded many more. Killing many Swedes and Goths who stood in the front ranks before him.

Vebjorg, shield-maiden, made hard onsets on the Swedes and the Goth; she attacked the champion Soknarsoti; she had accustomed herself so well to the use of the helmet, mail shirt and sword, that she was one of the foremost in "Riddaraskap" (literally "horse exercises") as Storkud the Old says. She dealt the champion heavy blows and attacked him for a long while, and with a blow at his cheek cut through his jaw and chin; he put his beard into his mouth and bit it, thus holding up his chin. She performed many great feats. A little later Throkel the Stubborn, a champion of Hring, met her and they fiercely attacked each other. Finally with great courage, she fell, covered with wounds.

And so on. Finally King Harald War-Tooth died while fighting in a cart as he could not ride or walk. When Hring saw Harald's wagon empty he knew that his uncle was dead. He had the horns blown and shouted that the hosts should stop fighting. When the Danes became aware of this the battle ceased, and Hring offered truce to the entire host of King Harald, which all accepted."

Sögubrot Saga ch.9

Laurie, "the Deep Minded"