Ivar the Boneless

Lore & Background

The origin of Ivar's nickname remains unclear. Some sagas attribute it to a curse resulting from Ragnar ignoring Aslaug's warning about waiting three nights, leading to his birth with weak bones. Another hypothesis suggests he was actually known as "the Hated" (Latin: exosus), which a medieval scribe might have misinterpreted as "without bone." In 865, Ivar led the Great Heathen Army into the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The invasion was organized by Ragnar's sons to avenge their father's supposed execution by Ælla of Northumbria in a snake pit, though this explanation's historicity is unknown. According to saga legend, Ivar initially sought reconciliation with Ælla, asking for only as much land as he could cover with an ox's hide. He then cut the hide into fine strands to envelop a large fortress, which in older sagas was York and in younger ones London.

In Their Own Story

Legend states that Ivar and his brothers executed Ælla using the blood eagle, a ritual method of debated historicity involving opening the ribcage from behind and pulling out the lungs to form a wing-like shape. Later that year, the army moved south into Mercia, capturing Nottingham for the winter. King Burgred of Mercia allied with West Saxon king Æthelred, but they could not recapture the city; a truce was agreed upon whereby the Danes withdrew to York. In 869, Ivar and Ubba are identified as commanders when the army returned to East Anglia, where they executed King Edmund the Martyr for refusing to renounce Christ.

Reader's Guide

Ivar is often considered identical to Ímar, a Viking king of Dublin who ruled between 870 and 873 and founded the Uí Ímair dynasty. This dynasty later ruled Northumbria from York and dominated the Irish Sea region as the Kingdom of Dublin. The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Æthelweard records Ivar's death in 870, while the Annals of Ulster and Fragmentary Annals of Ireland record the death of Ímar in 873. A theory suggests a sudden, horrible disease caused his death, possibly explaining the "boneless" nickname as referring to crippling effects rather than birth defects. In 1686, Thomas Walker discovered a Scandinavian burial mound at Repton with over 250 partial skeletons surrounding a high-status body, leading some to suggest this is Ivar's last resting place. Saga tradition claims he ordered his burial in an exposed place to protect the land from foes until William I broke his mound and burned his body.

Did You Know?

• Some sagas claim Ivar's nickname 'the Boneless' resulted from a curse because his father Ragnar ignored his mother Aslaug's request to wait three nights before consummating their marriage.
• Ivar is sometimes regarded as the same person as Ímar, who ruled Dublin between 870 and 873 and founded the Uí Ímair dynasty that later ruled Northumbria from York.
• According to legend, Ivar used a clever ploy to acquire land: he asked for only what he could cover with an ox's hide, then cut the hide into fine strands to envelop a large fortress (York or London).
• The cause of Ivar/Ímar's death is recorded in some sources as a sudden and horrible disease, which raises the possibility that his nickname referred to the crippling effects of this illness rather than a birth defect.
• In 1686, a burial mound at Repton containing over 250 partial skeletons surrounding one high-status body was discovered, leading to suggestions that it might be Ivar's final resting place.