Viking Magazine - October 2015 - 17

HARALD " BLUETOOTH " GORMSSON
VIKIngs
In pop
CuLtuRe
FULL NAME:
Harald Gormsson
BORN: Circa 935 A.D. in Denmark
DIED: Circa 985 A.D.
FAMILY: First wife Gyrid, second wife
Tove; daughters Thyra and Gunhilde;
sons Sweyn " Forkbeard " and Haakon
CLAIM TO FAME: Unifying Denmark
and Norway, and converting the Danes
to Christianity
HIS STORY: Harald's father, Gorm
the Old, was the fi rst king in a new
line of Danish royalty. When Gorm
died in 958 A.D., Harald inherited
the throne and ruled Denmark for
nearly 30 years. During that time,
King Harald " Bluetooth " fi nished the
work his father had started and united
the country's various tribes into one
kingdom. While Harald and Gorm saw
eye to eye on the unifi cation front, one
thing they didn't have in common was
their religious beliefs.
Gorm was a strict pagan who
believed in the Norse gods, and
his son leaned toward Christianity.
That didn't seem to affect their
relationship, however, as Harald had
a large rune stone erected around 965
in Jelling that commemorated both
his mother Thyra and his father. The
Jelling Stone also features depictions
of Christ and an inscription that seems
to prove that Harald lead the Danes
in converting to Christianity. Around
965, Harald became King of Norway,
which he ruled for more than a decade.
In the mid 980s, his son Sweyn revolted
against him and seized the Danish
throne. Harald was driven into exile,
and is thought to have died from
wounds sustained in the battle.
BOOKS
" The Age of the Vikings "
by Anders Winroth
" The Oxford Illustrated
History of the Vikings "
by Peter Sawyer
" Story of the
Vikings Coloring Book " by
A.G. Smith
" The Viking Codex: The Saga
of Leif Eriksson " by Fiona
MacDonald
" The Long Ships " by
Frans G. Bengtsson
" Vikingworld: The
Age of Seafarers
and Sagas "
by Robert MacLeod
VIKINGS WERE FILTHY.
In reality, Vikings took
a great deal of care with
their appearances. Some
of the most frequent
artifacts found during
excavations are
combs, tweezers,
razors, ear cleaners
and materials for
making soap.
VIKINGS USED
UNSOPHISTICATED
WEAPONS.
Though often depicted
with crude clubs, giant
double axes and the like,
Vikings were actually
skilled weapon makers.
They created sharp and
fl exible swords, and
made lightweight axes
that could be used with
one hand. The weapons
most commonly found
on Viking sites are spears.
" VIKING " IS A PERSON.
" Viking " was actually
a verb used to defi ne a
lifestyle. Most Norsemen
spent their lifetimes
in their villages. But
those who had a more
adventurous side would
go " viking " or raiding
for months or years.
The term was attributed
to any Scandinavian
who participated in
expeditions at sea. So it
is said that all Vikings
were Norse, but not all
Norsemen were Vikings.
FILMS
" The Long Ships " (1964)
" The Vikings " (1958)
TELEVISION
" Vikings, " History Channel
PHOTO BY JONATHAN HESSION / HISTORY
Viking Magazine - October 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - October 2015
