Prince Ivar 'the Boneless' Erikson of Kiev falls in love with and marries Princess Helga (Olga) of Chernigov. While taxing her people to finance a war against Denmark, the Chernigov 20 ambush and capture the prince and his retinue and threaten to e...
"His son GORM, who had the surname of "The Englishman,"
because he was born in England, gained the sovereignty in
the island on his father's death." His byname was 'the Old',
as he was from the Old Fridlief/Frode Line of Skioldung Kings.
Comments on Book Nine of Danish History; Brian Howard Seibert
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Roman Midwife at Work
(920 AD) When King Ivar got back to York, he was just in time for the birth of his baby with young Princess Blaeja. As Ivar had predicted, it was a boy and Ivar named him Gorm, which meant snake, more in reference to the Midgard worm or serpent than to any curse. But it sent up enough red banners for Princess Blaeja Senior to insist on joining the couple on their honeymoon trip to Denmark.
When the Hraes' army landed in the port town serving Liere, Ivar learned that Hiarn, the former king of Liere was still on the loose even though he'd had a bounty on his head for almost a year. Ivar marched his Hraes' Kievan troops and Varangian Guard cataphracts into his grandfather's round Byzantine fortress and the Varangians felt at home, because many had served in just such fortresses across the Anatolian plains. As Ivar's royal carriage pulled up to Frodi's longhall, four cavalry officers, huge men, dismounted with one shield between them. All four men grabbed a strap each that ran around the perimeter of the buckler, and Ivar lifted himself from the seat of the carriage and sat on the shield. The four officers slid and lifted King Ivar through the double doors of the carriage and out into the courtyard as his wife and grandmother-in-law, the two Princess Blaejas stepped out and followed behind him carrying baby Gorm between them.
They walked up the steps of the huge front porch and young Princess Blaeja looked up at the high gable peak of the hall and almost got dizzy and her grandmother helped steady her with Baby Gorm. They walked into the open double door entrance and were met with the warmth of the blazing entry hearth fire and they walked between the benches along both walls to the triple highseats on the right side of the hall. Ivar slid himself from the shield onto the center highseat and his wife joined him there with Gorm. Elder Blaeja joined them on the second highseat and they watched as the hall hearths were lit and some cooks carried on to the far end of the hall and disappeared into the scullery. Fine wines and dark ales were served and soon the smell of roasting meats permeated the hall.
"This evening many of the local chieftains will join us to pledge allegiance to you," King Ivar's first minister said. "They will offer pledges of tribute and men."
