Ivar the Boneless

Ivar the Boneless (

Another hypothesis is that he was actually known as "the Hated", which in Latin would be Exosus. A medieval scribe with only a basic knowledge of Latin could easily have interpreted it as ex (without) os (bone), thus "the Boneless",[8] although it is hard to align this theory with the direct translation of his name given in Norse sources.^[7]

While the sagas describe Ivar's physical disability, they also emphasise his wisdom, cunning, and mastery of strategy and tactics in battle.^[9]

He is often considered identical to

Chronology

• 865 the
  Dido
  ).
• Late the next year, the army turned north and invaded Northumbria, eventually capturing Ælla at
  Æthelred of Wessex, and with a combined force they laid siege to the town. The Anglo-Saxons were unable to recapture the city, but a truce was agreed whereby the Danes would withdraw to York.^[14] The Great Heathen Army remained in York for over a year, gathering its strength for further assaults.^[14]
• Ivar and Ubba are identified as the commanders of the Danes when they returned to East Anglia in 869, and as the executioners of the East Anglian king, Edmund the Martyr, for refusing their demand that he renounce Christ.^[15] The precise account of Edmund's death is unknown, however it has been suggested that his capture and execution at the hands of the sons of Ragnar is likely to have occurred.^[16]

Death

The Anglo-Saxon chronicler Æthelweard records his death as 870.^[17] The Annals of Ulster describe the death of Ímar in 873. The death of Ímar is also recorded in the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland under the year 873.^[18]

The identification of the king of

• Ivar the Boneless is a minor character in the 1969 film Alfred the Great,^[22] portrayed as an acrobatic and agile warrior.
• In the 2013 film
  History television series Vikings.^[23]
• In Vikings, Ivar is portrayed as the son of Ragnar and Aslaug and a younger half-brother to Björn Ironside. He first appeared in season 2 as a baby, and later was played by James Quinn Markey and Alex Høgh Andersen.^[24]
• Ivar's invasion of East Anglia and killing of
  Barbarian.^[25]
• Ivar is a character in the 1993 novel The Hammer and the Cross.
• Ivar appears as a minor character in Bernard Cornwell’s 2004 novel The Last Kingdom, in which his epithet “the Boneless” is explained by him being very thin. Ivar dies off-screen in the novel, and his later descendants continually appear throughout the remainder of the series.
• Ivar is a recurring character in Ubisoft's video game
  Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
  which takes place in for the most part in England between 873 CE and 878 CE. He plays a significant part in the main storyline of the game.
• In the 2020 game Crusader Kings 3 by Paradox Interactive, Ivar is a playable character as leader of the Jarldom of the Suðreyjar in northwestern Scotland. His character in game is missing a leg, referring to his epithet “the Boneless”.

References