Ulf Stensson
Ulf Stensson (born c. 846) was a Viking member of the Great Heathen Army during the Viking expansion into England. He was the son of Sten Stensson and the older brother of Björn Stensson.
Biography[edit | edit source]
In 866, Ulf and his brother were out hunting wolves, once again betting drinks on who would kill the biggest number of them, when they came upon a pack attacking a blond man. Ulf used his bow while Björn favored his battleaxe. After a short while, the wolves had all been killed, with Björn boasting he had killed six to Ulf's five. Ulf was calm and went to inspect a wolf with an axe wound, revealing an arrow imbedded in its skull. The blond man approached the pair, thanking them profusely for saving him. Björn called him a weakling and wanted only to know if he had seen the wolf die by his axe instead of Ulf's arrow, which he had not.[2]
The blond joined the brothers on their way back home, talking with Ulf while Björn walked in front, carrying the wolves. The man introduced himself as a British skald and told Ulf the mission bestowed upon him by Ivarr the Boneless and Halfdan Ragnarsson: recruiting Vikings into the Great Heathen Army to help conquer Britain. When they arrived in the longhouse, Björn presented the wolf for jarl Stensson's appraisal, who determined it was felled by the arrow strike. Björn complained that his father always sided with his brother, to the laughter of the other Vikings present. The skald then approached jarl Stensson, presented him with the proposal and, as a show of what awaited them, the skald gifted the jarl an ornate Christian cross.[2]
Sten accepted the proposal and a group of Vikings made the journey across the North Sea to England. On the voyage there, he told his sons of his experiences as a member of Ragnar Lothbrokk's drengir and their sacking of Paris. He also told all Vikings on the three longships to remember three things: to guard their weaknesses, to recall that the strongest shield they have is the brothers by their side, and to know that the elements control all.[1]
Upon arriving in East Anglia, the skald led the Stenssons to the church housing Halfdan and Ivarr. The church was preceded by a large number of crucified people,[1] nailed there by Ivarr to warn others to not resist and to cause no trouble. They entered the church, witnessing Ivarr killing a messanger from King Edmund of East Anglia and scaring another. Fearing his life, the remaining herald passed the message that Edmund thanked them for abiding by the truce and gifted them 2,000 pounds of silver as a sign of respect and hope that the peace would continue. Ivarr sent him away, asking instead for a hundred strong horses in 10 days.[3]
The skald then approached and announced jarl Stensson, to the happiness of the sons of Ragnar, who embraced their father's old friend. Sten introduced his sons, and Ivarr was eager to see them fight, given the great Blueshield had recommended them. Upon a question by Björn, Ivarr explained the horses were to be used in their next hunt, an attack they planned on York during All Saints' Day. On the night of 1 November 866, Sten and his sons joined the Sons of Ragnar in storming the city.[3]
Björn and Ulf complained that the battle against the Northumbrian soldiers was easier than the wolves in Norway when King Ælla's chief of guards appeared and began to fight the brothers, almost gaining the upper hand at times, but being ultimately defeated by them. Sten praised his sons for working together and informed them of Ælla's escape and Ivarr's claim on the York Minster. There, Ivarr presided over the tradition of gifting the most outstanding of the Vikings in the battle, Björn and Ulf. Ivarr gifted Ulf "Odin's Flame", an Ulfberht sword that once belonged to Ragnar, and gifted Björn "Thor's Armband", an armband he had forged with claimed gold. After that, Ivarr informed the Vikings of his plan, to stay and live in England, like the Anglo-Saxons had done before them.[4]
Björn, Ulf, and Sten were members of the Great Heathen Army as they conquered East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. On 4 January 871, following a failed attack at a Viking encampment at Reading, Halfdan ordered the army to march to Ashdown, hoping to hunt King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred.[5]
Upon arriving at Ashdown, they split up, with Halfdan going around to attempt a sneak attack while Sten and his sons drew the Saxons' attention by attacking from the front. Spotting Æthelred's coat of arms fleeing from the scene, the Stenssons moved towards it, killing the Saxons standing in their way, only to have it be a trick by Alfred. Alfred loosed an arrow at Björn, but he was saved by Sten who took the blow instead. Alfred escaped from the scene as another Saxon clan arrived led by Æthelred. Björn and Ulf took their father and carved their way out of the battle. Later, they prepared a funeral for Sten, placing his shield and a barrel of his favorite mead alongside him on a small ship before letting it drift out to sea.[5]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Ulf Stensson rides at Ashdown
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – Departure
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – An Invitation from England
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – The Boneless
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – Battle of York
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Blood Brothers – The Dust Settles
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