The Headless Norsemen: Decapitation in Viking Age Scandinavia

The Headless Norsemen: Decapitation in Viking Age Scandinavia

By Leszek Gardeła

International Interdisciplinary Meetings ‘Motifs Through The Ages: Volume 1, The Head Motif in Past Societies in a Comparative Perspective (Bytowie, 2013)

Introduction:  The famous Jómsvíkinga Saga ends with a gripping story which describes how the Jómsvikings were subjected to the ultimate test of courage after losing the naval battle in Hjörungavá gr. Seventy warriors were taken ashore and tied with a rope and man named Þórke ll Leira was appointed to the task of cutting their heads off.  The saga describes in a vivid and violent way (yet with occasional moments of dark humour) how the fearless warriors of Jómsborg mocked their coming end and died one after another remaining forever faithful to the laws of their war-band. Impressed by the courageous attitudes of the Jómsvikings, the executioners finally decided to spare their lives. As a result some of the brave warriors were able to regain their freedom and save their heads.

The Jómsvíkinga Saga is a fascinating yet very problematic textual account and its attribution to a particular saga-genre is not easy. Therefore the degree to which it represents past realities is still a matter of heated academic debates.  Nonetheless, there is ample evidence that executions, similar to the one described above, on occasion did actually take place in the Viking Age. The proof for the existence of such violent practices is supported not only by other (less problematic) textual sources, but also by archaeological discoveries from different parts of the Viking diaspora – particularly from Denmark, Sweden and the British Isles.

Although not many iconographic representations of beheadings have been found to date there is actually a broad range of graves which contained the remains of beheaded individuals – among them are single, double and even the so-called ‘mass graves’ bearing witness to an execution and burial of a large group of people.

Several years ago, in June 2009, a peculiar mass grave was discovered at Ridgeway Hill near Weymouth. An isotope analysis has revealed that the deceased had come from several places aroundScandinavia. Interestingly, one part of the burial was a deposit of 51 decapitated skulls. The osteological examination has shown that all of the individuals were male and mostly aged from their teens to about 25 years. They were tall and robust in stature and apparently leading rather healthy lifestyles. No traces of textiles were found in their grave, which might suggest that the bodies could have been thrown naked in the pit. The new radio carbon dates for this mass burial place it between 890-1030 AD. In case of Ridgeway Hill, the interpretation seems to be more straightforward than with another famous mass grave from Repton as it appears that all individuals who were found there had been violently executed and did not die from some kind of plague. It is noteworthy, however, that while the people whose skeletal remains were found at Ridgeway Hill were probably Scandinavian, it is quite clear that their executioners were from a different cultural milieu – the Anglo-Saxon world.

Click here to read this article from Academia.edu

Top Image: The head cut off of Regin in the Ramsund Sigurd inscription. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg / Riksantikvarieämbetet