Ivar the Boneless
Ivar the Boneless was a famous son of Ragnar Lodbrok and was even less lucky in the nickname department than his father. No one is exactly sure where the Viking got the strange nickname from. There are some who believe it was due to a physical deformity that made it seem like he was without bones. It was said that he was cursed by his mother, Ragnar’s third wife, who was known to be a sorceress. There is a theory that the name was poorly transcribed by a medieval scribe and was meant to be “Ivar the Hated.”
The sagas do tell that Ivar had some sort of a deformity and that he was lacking bones, but it is unclear how bad the deformity was. It seems unlikely that he would be able to be a successful Viking conqueror if his deformity left him without the ability to move. However, the sagas do tell of his wisdom, cunning, and unmatched mastery of strategy and tactics.
Ivar was the leader of the Great Heathen Army in 865 that invaded the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy in order to exact revenge for the death of Ragnar Lodbrok. The sagas say that at first Ivar did not defeat Aella and sought reconciliation asking for only as much land as could be covered with an ox hide. Then he tore the ox hide into so many fine strands that it was able to envelop a mighty fortress.
The next year Ivar and his army invaded Northumbria and captured Aella. Together with his brothers he murdered the King and then continued to invade more of what is now known as England, including Mercia and York. All historical records for Ivar stop in 870, which many believe is the date of his death. He told his men to bury him in a place that was exposed to attack and he would ensure that no one would succeed. This proved true until William I of England dug up the burial mound, found that the body of Ivar had not decayed and ordered that it be burned. It was only after the body was burned that William was successful.