Ivar the Boneless

Ivar the Boneless or Ivar Ragnarsson was a Viking warrior, and leader who invaded England during the "Viking age". It is not 100% known what "Boneless" means. Many Viking stories describe him as literally lacking bones or legs. But it is not known how reliable these stories are.

According to the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, Ivar was "boneless" because of a curse. His mother Aslaug was the third wife of his father Ragnar Lodbrok. She had stated that she and her husband must wait 3 days before having sex. But Ragnar Lodbrok had been raiding in England and was really horny due to being away for such a long time, and so he had sex with his beautiful wife anyway. Because of this, Ivar was born "boneless".

Ivar the Boneless has been described by several Viking sagas as being skillful, and fierce on the battlefield. He was a commander of the Great Heathen Army which attacked England.

Was Ivar the Boneless actually boneless?

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Vikings

Vikings were Norse or Scandinavian raiders and seafarers. From the late 8th to early 12th centuries they raided wide areas of Europe and also established many governments, and trading networks. The Vikings were known for their ferocity and sailing ability. The word “Viking” does not describe the Norse or Scandinavian people as a whole, but rather it describes the Norse or Scandinavian men who went sailing and raiding.

The vast majority of Viking raiders were male, and the main reason they originally started their raiding was because they wanted to acquire women from foreign lands for sex and marriage. Viking men would return from their raiding with large amounts of women that they had kidnapped. Polygyny was common, so rich and powerful Viking warriors had many wives and concubines.

Apart from Europe, the Vikings had activities in faraway regions such as North Africa, and the Middle East. There is also ample evidence that Vikings had colonized parts of North America. The Vikings have had an undeniable impact on the course of world history.

Vikings were known for their ferocity in battle. They would often defeat their enemies, and then steal their women.

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