Bárid mac Ímair

Bárid mac Ímair (died 881) was the Norse-Gaelic King of Dublin who reigned in late 9th century Ireland. He was the son of the Viking leader Ímair and the Irishwoman Ségdae, and had a son named Sichfrith with his wife Sadhbh. Through Rosta, he was a cousin of jarlskona Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan.

Biography

Early life

Born in Norway as the son of Viking leader Ímair, Bárid was present when his aunt Rosta and her husband Varin came to stayed with his family during a plague outbreak. There, he bore witness to the birth of his younger cousin, Eivor and would often slip out to hunt alongside her. Later on, Bárid lost contact with Rosta and her family after following his father to Ireland. They settled down in Dublin, a new Viking settlement originally founded years ago by Thorgest, with Ímair as its king.

Following Ímair's death and Dublin's destruction in 873 as a result of a siege by the Irish kingdoms, Bárid ascended the throne and worked to rebuild the city to its former glory. He employed the Persian trader, Azar, as his advisor to set up a trade network across the world and attempted to build relations with the kingdoms of Ireland, including Flann Sinna, the king of Meath. Around this time, Bárid became friends with the Irish poet Ciara ingen Medba and also spent time trying to deter Viking raids conducted by Thorstein the Red, the son of the Dublin king Olaf the White, who once ruled alongside Ímair.

Reunion with Eivor

In 879, Bárid sent Azar to England to establish a trade route with the settlement of Ravensthorpe in Ledecestrescire. Discovering that his long lost cousin Eivor was now jarlskona of the settlement, Bárid also sent an invtiation to invite her to visit him in Dublin. After Eivor arrived in Dublin, he met her at the docks and welcomed her by touring around his town. However, the tour turned sour once they meet up with a disrespectful and drunk Sichfrith. There, Bárid left to go think about the future at Gortknaw at his father's grave.

Bárid was soon found by Eivor as they caught up. Once leaving Gortknaw, they are ambushed by warriors sent by Thorstein but swiftly defeated them. Realizing the complications of being incompetent to Flann, he was soon promised by Eivor to find Thorstein. Soon, he saw a restrained Thorstein brought in by Eivor. Angered, he reluctantly exiled Thorstein from Dublin in order to show "Christian" mercy as a way to gain favor from Flann. Afterwards, he asked Eivor to help Azar to restore a former trade post and to attain a foreign gift for Flann.

Saving Flann

Readying himself for Flann's coronation, Bárid had to find Flann's poetess Ciara ingen Medba as Eivor offered to find her. Once Ciara and Eivor arrived at Dublin's stables, he and his allies rode for Tara. Once they all arrived, a soldier told them of a missing priest. With Eivor, Bárid investigated the area and saw a struggle, which soon led them away from the coronation ceremony. Investigating the tracks, both cousins found themselves at Annagh Doo, where they discovered a group of bandits. Killing the bandits, they found out about a kill order against Flann.

Back at Tara, Bárid and Eivor discussed their findings to Ciara as they all agreed to inform Flann after his ceremony. During the ceremony, they all watched Abbot Eogan mac Cartaigh crown Flann as the new High King. After the ceremony, he left for Durrow to meet with Flann about building an alliance between Flann and Dublin.

Aiding Flann

Upon meeting Flann and Eivor at Durrow, Bárid was informed that Dublin Vikings stole the Book of Kells during the coronation. In response, he was assisted by Eivor, who offered to reclaim the book for Flann in Bárid's stead. Although Eivor found and returned the book, the King of Dublin still worried over trying to gain Flann's favor as he asked for Eivor to help the kings of Meath in their royal demands.

At Knockfree, Bárid was met by Eivor as they discussed Flann's current distrust of him. Afterwards, they met and planned how to siege Cashelore as Eivor offered to break in and open the gates from the inside. After Eivor succeeded in her task, he and Flann joined her and took over the ringfort. They all later celebrated their victory through the night. However, the next day came as Bárid was framed for poisoning Flann's soldiers. In response, as Ciara and Eivor left to find a cure, Bárid was temporarily spared until Flann decided who was behind the poisoning.

After Eivor and Ciara found the cure and the true culprit being the cult, the Children of Danu, Bárid was proven innocent as he and his allies planned to conquer Aileach while at Clogher. However, once a letter of truce came from the Kings of Aileach, he saw Flann's caution with the letter's vagueness. He soon offered to go to Aileach to speak for Flann, who agreed and granted him permission to go. Before he left, Bárid asked Eivor to help the kings of Connacht with their own royal demands as well.

Undercover at Aileach

Days passed as Bárid eased his way into their respective private quarters. Portraying to be drunk, he soon saw Eivor come in as she was disguised as a Dane from Donegal. However, through coded messages, he informed Eivor of the private prisoners within the adjacent ringfort as he distracted Kings Domnall mac Áeda and Niall Glúndub. While Eivor freed the prisoners and killed all soldiers, he took control of the room and restrained the kings. Joined by Eivor, Bárid interrogated the kings and learned that Abbot Eogan commanded the imprisonment of Flann's allies and any person against him. In fact, he and Eivor was notified of Eogan's attack on Flann at Clogher. Luckily, he sent a letter warning Flann before the assault occurred.

Ambush and death

By 881, back at Clogher, Bárid saw that Flann stayed due to continued bias against the Vikings and his belief the Church stood with him. Unfortunately, he and his allies were sieged by Eogan's forces. Fighting back, the onslaught kept going as Flann's numbers started to dwindle. Although they pushed back Eogan's men, the casualty rate was high especially in Bárid's case. Bárid was overwhelmed as his wounds proved grave. Found by Eivor, he was given an axe for Valhalla as he asked Eivor to guide Flann to back his son as the new King of Dublin. He soon succumbed to his injuries and was soon buried alongside his father at Gortknaw.

Legacy and influence

After Bárid's death, Sichfrith became the new King of Dublin and aided Flann in his attack against Abbot Eogan, who proved to be the Ollamh Druid of the Children of Danu. After Sichfrith avenged his father with Eogan's death, Flann's war soon ended as Dublin was considered an ally to the High King, which honored Bárid's last wish. Meanwhile, Bárid's other goal of Dublin being a trade center succeeded as well, due to Eivor reclaiming all of Ireland's trade posts and reestablishing their connection to the city.

Trivia

• The true origins of Bárid and the Uí Ímair are obscure. Some historians believe Bárid's father Ímair may in fact have been none other than Ivarr the Boneless.

Gallery

• 
  3D model of Bárid
• 
  3D model closeup of Bárid
• 
  Concept art
• 
  Concept art
• 
  Promotional image of Bárid

Appearances

• Echoes of History (first mentioned) (indirect mention only)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Wrath of the Druids (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Sword of the White Horse (indirect mention only)