Halfdan Ragnarsson

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"I am Halfdan Ragnarsson, Wolf of War, Lord of Jorvik, ruler of men. I am king!"

―Halfdan, during his coronation as King of Northumbria, 876.^[src]^-[m]

Halfdan Ragnarsson (died 877) was a Viking leader who served as one of the commanders of the Great Heathen Army that invaded Anglo-Saxon England during the late 9th century. He was Ragnar Lothbrok's eldest son through his first wife Lagertha, and thus half-brother to Ivarr, Sigurd, Bjorn, and Ubba.

Arguably the greatest son of Ragnar's, Halfdan's conquests in northern England gained him fame as the Conqueror of the North. The army he commanded was noted to have sacked Lunden, conquered York, and extorted every petty king from Exeter to Hadrian's Wall.

Halfdan was also unknowingly the human incarnation of the Isu Thor, who was revered by the Norse as the warrior god of lightning and thunder.^[1]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Early life[edit | edit source]

"My father, Ragnar, he gifted this to me. Took it off a Finnish chief. Still warm with blood when he handed it to me. I had fourteen winters."

―Halfdan recalling how he had acquired his hammer Orthstirr, 876.^[src]^-[m]

Halfdan was born as the eldest son of Ragnar Lothbroke and his first wife Lagertha.^[2] At the age of fourteen, Halfdan received his signature war hammer, Orthstirr, as a gift from his father, who had taken it from the body of a Finnish chief he had slain in retaliation for Lagertha's murder.^[3]

Like his half-brothers, Halfdan eventually followed in his father's footsteps and became a successful seafer and Viking raider. In 865, Raganar was murdered by the ealdorman Ælla in England who threw him into a snake pit.^[4] Seeking revenge for their father's death, Halfdan and his brothers led a vast army into England,^[5] joining forces with the Great Summer Army led by Guthrum jarl. This coalition came to be known as the Great Heathen Army.^[6]

After landing in East Anglia in the summer of 865, Halfdan and his brothers moved northwards and invaded Northumbria, which was embroiled in a civil war for kingship between Ælla and Osberht.^[7] In 866, Ælla was crowned king of Northumbria in Jorvik, which was thereafter captured by Ivarr.^[8] Following Ivarr's departure to the south to join Ubba, Halfdan took control of the armies in the north, and appointed Ecgberht as Northumbria's puppet-king.^[7] After reigning for a few years until 872, Ecgberht was disposed and Halfdan appointed Ricsige as king, joined by a council consisting of Halfdan's war chief Faravid, Audun, and Hjorr Halfsson.^[6]

War with the Picts[edit | edit source]

Eivor: "You've earned great fame, won many battles across England."

Halfdan: "But not alone, no no. Björn Ironside, fearless Ubba, Ivarr the Boneless, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. Great warriors all. My brothers."

Eivor: "Gold is good and battle better, but glory never dies. Forever it lives in the hall of heroes, high on valor's steed."

Halfdan: "Together, we have conquered. Together with my friends, my clan. Faravid above all others. One sword is not an army, Eivor. Even a hero needs loyal friends. I have never lost sight of that. Never!"

—Halfdan to Eivor during their meeting in Donecastre, 876.^[src]^-[m]

With Ricsiege ruling Jorvik in his stead, Halfdan focused on his wars in the north, and by 874, his army was embroiled in a war against the Pictish tribes that inhabited the lands north of Hadrian's Wall. By 876, having learned the reputation of the famed Raven Clan shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir through his brothers, Halfdan sent a letter to Eivor's settlement of Ravensthorpe in Ledecestrescire, requesting her aid and counsel in Eurvicscire.^[9]

Halfdan soon met Eivor amidst a snowy skirmish against the Picts. After defeating their enemies, Eivor introduced herself to Halfdan, who cited her achievements involving Ivarr and Ubba in Mercia and Finnr in East Anglia. Halfdan then requested to talk to Eivor in private, away from the ears of his right-hand man Faravid, who had also taken part in the battle.^[9]

Halfdan subsequently returned to his castle in Donecastre, where he engaged in an argument against Ricsige, who wanted to end the war with the Picts quickly rather than strategically. Halfdan dismissed Ricsige and spoke with Eivor and Faravid, who had arrived to meet him. During their conversation, Faravid showed signs of jealousy towards Halfdan's actions during the previous battle. He then gifted his jarl a goblet, to which Halfdan asked for Eivor's opinion.^[9]

After Faravid left to return to his forward camp, Halfdan was left alone with Eivor and told her about his suspicions of Faravid, who he believed was plotting behind his back. Halfdan spoke of rumors in the air about Faravid's treachery, and revealed that he suspected his war chief to have attempted to poison him. He then tasked Eivor to investigate Faravid and uncover his treachery, just as she had uncovered Audun's in Jorvik. Eivor rode off to find Faravid while Halfdan waited at his castle with his caretaker Moira.^[9]

Eivor soon returned with another goblet from Faravid, which Halfdan tossed aside immediately. The shieldmaiden then advised Halfdan to be careful of everyone he surrounded himself with, even Moira, to which the jarl reluctantly ordered Eivor to investigate his caretaker. While Eivor did so, Halfdan traveled to the Temple of Brigantia with his dog Beonton in response to reports of a traitor from one of his scouts, Olav.^[10]

At the temple, Halfdan looked for his scout as he awaited Eivor's return, though there was no sign of him. Eivor soon arrived and found Olav dead, slain by the traitor. Beonton then led the two Vikings to the Petuaria Ruins, where they found a treasure room filled with Halfdan's stolen war spoils. Upon exiting, Faravid's man Ulf greeted Halfdan and Eivor and admitted to taking the war spoils and killing Olav, though he claimed the goods had been a gift from Faravid and that he had mistaken Olav for a thief. Nevertheless, Halfdan executed Ulf for his treason and dismissed Eivor, telling her to continue her investigation into Faravid.^[10]

Halfdan eventually learned that Faravid planned to besiege Magnis Fortress to end the war without his knowledge, and confronted his lieutenant, who was accompanied by Eivor and Ljufvina Bjarmarsdottir. Despite the tensions between Halfdan, Faravid and Eivor, the Vikings agreed to put their personal differences aside and work together to defeat their common enemy. Ahead of the battle, the group noticed a Pict signaling a message, and Halfdan and Eivor approached the fortress walls to see who had sent it. To Halfdan's surprise and anger, Ricsige greeted them, revealing that he had allied with the Picts. ^[11]

During the subsequent fight, Halfdan and his allies managed to conquer Magnis Fortress and then defend it when the Picts attempted to reclaim their stronghold. Upon spotting Ricsige fleeing the battle, Eivor chased and assassinated him, with Halfdan following closely behind. As Ricsige succumbed to his injuries, Halfdan decided to stop relying on client kings and take Northumbria's crown himself.^[11]

King of Northumbria[edit | edit source]

"Up, my lord. You're a king, you're not allowed to sulk. Men bled and died to sit you on that throne. So go, sit."

―Eivor trying to convince Halfdan to return to his king duties, 876.^[src]^-[m]

After their victory, Halfdan, Eivor and Faravid traveled back to Jorvik, where Halfdan was to be coronated in the Royal Hall. During the ceremony, Halfdan praised Eivor for her aid, though things went awry when the new king began to have a coughing fit. Halfdan discovered his drinking goblet to be made of lead, and soon put two and two together, accusing Faravid of poisoning him. Eivor stood up to Halfdan and engaged Faravid in combat after he pulled out his sword. Halfdan watched and commentated as Faravid was brought to his knees, then judged his former friend's punishment.^[12]

Regardless of Faravid's fate, Halfdan took his rightful place on Jorvik's throne and gifted Eivor an arm band as a symbol of their alliance before the latter left the city.^[12] However, the loss of his friend and advisor, as well as his long separation from his brothers, soon took a toll on Halfdan's psyche and he became absent, wallowing in paranoia and sadness. As a result, he failed to properly fulfill his duties as king, concerning his subjects.^[3]

When Eivor learned of Halfdan's condition, she tracked him to Picheringa in an attempt to convince him to return to Jorvik. Halfdan, having discovered Eivor was responsible for his brother Ivarr's death, confronted the shieldmaiden for not telling him about this, to which Eivor claimed that Ivarr's death was no secret and that Ubba already knew about it. A dismayed Halfdan then agreed to accompany Eivor to Jorvik if she found Beonton, who had run off with his hammer, and told her to meet him at Scarborough.^[3]

Once Eivor arrived at Scarborough with his hammer, Halfdan recounted his past to the shieldmaiden and told her how his father Ragnar had avenged his mother. He then sadly remarked that his father's remains lay in a snake pit, to be forgotten by time, but Eivor argued that Ragnar lived on through stories of his deeds. After questioning Eivor about the circumstances of Ivarr's death, Halfdan cheered up when Beonton arrived, and asked Eivor to light Scarborough's beacon as a final favor before returning to Jorvik to take back his place on the throne.^[3]

Sometime later, Halfdan attended the funeral of Hemming jarl in Snotinghamscire, during which he briefly reunited with Eivor, who was also in attendance.^[13]

Death[edit | edit source]

Although newly crowned as the King of Jorvik, Halfdan's ambitions stretched to Dublin, Ireland, which he intended to claim for himself. Despite being warned against such an action as Dublin was ruled by the Viking king Bárid mac Ímair, Halfdan dismissed giving up. Wanting to conquer Dublin and force its king to kneel at his feet, Halfdan's aspirations were cut short when Bárid slew him in 877 during the Battle of Strangford Lough.^[14]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

In 886, Toka Sinricsdottir arrived in Ravensthorpe to convince Eivor to help aid in the siege of Paris. Unaware that Halfdan had died nearly a decade earlier, Toka claimed that she sought his help, immediately arousing both Eivor and Randvi's suspicions regarding the true purpose of her visit.^[15]

Personality and traits[edit | edit source]

Eivor: "When you said there's no cure for what ails Halfdan ... you mean he's touched in the head?"

Moira: "I fear so. The same malady bedeviled my mother. The body breaks down and the mind falls apart over time. It's a terrible thing."

—Eivor and Moira discussing Halfdan's illness, 876.^[src]^-[m]

A famed Viking leader with many victories to his name, Halfdan nonetheless maintained a humble attitude, acknowledging that none of his victories would have been possible without his allies' help. He was also very caring towards his friends and family, being deeply affected by the deaths of his father Ragnar and brother Ivarr, and was almost always accompanied by his beloved dog Beonton, whose mere presence was enough to cheer him up.^[6]

As Thor's reborn form, Halfdan retained several elements of his past life's persona, such as his love of conquest and affinity for using a hammer in battle. However, he also seemed to inherit Thor's fear of being poisoned, foreshadowing the thunder god's demise during Ragnarök from Jörmungandr's venom. This made him extremely paranoid and distrusting of his close friend and advisor Faravid,^[6] himself the reincarnation of Thor's wife Sif.^[1]

Halfdan's struggle with Thor's memories was misinterpreted by those around him as a sign of mental illness, and as a result most of his allies deemed him mad. This was not helped by Halfdan's occasional outbursts, such as ruthlessly executing one of Faravid's men, Ulf, whom he suspected of treason. As his condition worsened, Halfdan became frequently absent, entering a near-constant state of sadness and paranoia, until Eivor helped him partially recover.^[6]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Halfdan is a historical character first introduced in the 2020 Echoes of History podcast episodes on Vikings, though his voice actor is uncredited. He later featured in the 2020 video game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, where he was voiced by Norwegian actor Jeppe Beck Laursen, who also provided the voice of Thor.

Valhalla describes Halfdan as Ragnar's eldest son by his first wife Lagerth; however, the sagas say his mother is instead Ragnar's third wife Aslaug, with Ivarr and Bjorn being his older siblings from the same mother.

Despite Halfdan historically dying in 877 while fighting Dublin's king Bárid mac Ímair, no mention or reference of this event is made in Valhalla's 2021 downloadable expansion Wrath of the Druids, in which Bárid features as a major character.