Note to Anon (Ragn) 7^VIII (Ragn 37)

[All]: The Ragnarr and Bjǫrn referred to in ll. 1 and 4 are presumably Ragnarr loðbrók, the hero of Ragn, and Bjǫrn járnsíða ‘Ironside’, the second of Ragnarr’s five sons by Kráka-Áslaug (see the Contexts of Ragn 7 and 8 above). On the historical prototype(s) of Ragnarr loðbrók, see the Introduction. The historical prototype of Bjǫrn járnsíða appears to have been one Berno, who according to the Chronicon Fontanellense for 855 (Pertz 1829, 304) and the contemporary Annales Bertiniani for 858 (Rau 1969, 96-7) was active between those years as a viking leader on the Seine. This Berno also seems to have been the prototype of the viking leader referred to as Lotroci regis filius, nomine Bier Coste … ferree ‘the son of King Lothrocus, named Bier of the Iron Side’ by William of Jumièges, writing in c.1070 (van Houts 1992-5, I, 8-11, 16-17). According to William, this Bier, son of Lothrocus, sailed with the viking Hastingus to Rome in order to conquer it, but bad weather forced them to land at Luni, which they took by a ruse and destroyed, mistaking it for Rome. On discovering their mistake they parted company and Bier sailed first to England, suffering shipwreck en route, and then to Frisia, where he died (van Houts 1992-5, I, 8-9, 22-7). William’s account of the conquest of Luni by Hastingus, derived from Dudo of St Quentin (who makes no mention of Bier; see Lair 1865, 129-38) is almost certainly unhistorical (de Vries 1923a, 254-5; 1928d, 122-5; Christiansen 1998, 16-20, 184 n. 88); it finds an echo in Ragn’s account of how the sons of Ragnarr, having proceeded victoriously to Luni, abandoned there the idea of going as far as Rome (see the Context of Ragn 23, above, and McTurk 1991a, 108-10, cf. 206-7, 226-7). It is not impossible, however, that Bier’s historical prototype Berno was active in the Mediterranean as well as on the Seine (de Vries 1923a, 253-6).

References

1. Bibliography
2. Houts, Elisabeth M. C. van, ed. and trans. 1992-5. The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni. 2 vols. Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon.
3. McTurk, Rory. 1991a. Studies in Ragnars saga loðbrókar and Its Major Scandinavian Analogues. Medium Ævum Monographs new ser. 15. Oxford: Society for the Study of Mediæval Languages and Literature.
4. Christiansen, Eric, trans. 1998. Dudo of St Quentin: History of the Normans. Woodbridge: Boydell.
5. Lair, Jules, ed. 1865. De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum auctore Dudone Sancti Quintini decano. Caen: F. Le Blanc-Hardel.
6. Pertz, G. H., ed. 1829. ‘Fragmentum chronici Fontallensis a. 841-859’. In Monvmenta Germaniae historica, Scriptores II. Hannover: Hahn, 301-04.
7. Vries, Jan de. 1923. ‘Die historischen Grundlagen der Ragnarssaga Loðbrókar’. ANF 39, 244-74.
8. Rau, Reinhold, ed. and revised. 1969. Quellen zur karolingischen Reichsgeschichte, part 2: Jahrbücher von St Bertin. Jahrbücher von St Vaast. Xantener Jahrbücher, with German translations by J. V. Jasmund and C. Rehdantz (= Ausgewählte Quellen zur deutschen Geschichte des Mittelalters. Freiherr vom Stein-Gedächtnisausgabe. Ed. Rudolf Buchner. VI). Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
9. Internal references
10. 2017, ‘ Anonymous, Ragnars saga loðbrókar’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 616. <https://skaldic.org/m.php?p=text&i=81> (accessed 25 April 2024)
11. Not published: do not cite (Rloð^VIII)
12. Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Ragnars saga loðbrókar 23 (Ragnarr loðbrók, Lausavísur 7)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 670.
13. Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Ragnars saga loðbrókar 37 (Anonymous Lausavísur, Lausavísur from Ragnars saga loðbrókar 7)’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 697.