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34-709: The legend of the Jomsvikings appears in some of the Icelandic sagas from the 12th and 13th centuries. According to the sagas (particularly the Jómsvíkinga saga , King Olaf Tryggvasson’s Saga , and stories found in the Flatey Book ), their stronghold of Jomsborg was located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea , but its exact location has been disputed by modern historians and archeologists. Jomsborg

68-566: A brief explanation of the battle's aftermath and, in fact, points to this battle as the beginning of the end for the Jomsvikings. After these two decisive defeats, the power of the Jomsvikings waned, but Olaf Trygvasson 's Saga relates that they played a decisive, if treacherous, role in the Battle of Svolder in 1000. At Svolder, a Jomsviking force led by Sigvald Jarl abandoned King Olaf of Norway and joined forces with his enemies to annihilate his fleet. This action may have been intended to fight

102-423: A feat of strength, which often took the form of a ritual duel , or holmgang , with a Jomsviking. Once admitted, the Jomsvikings required adherence to a strict code of conduct to instill a sense of military discipline among its members. Any violation of the rules could be punished with immediate expulsion from the order. Each Jomsviking was bound to defend his brothers and to avenge their deaths if necessary. He

136-422: A location near Paprotno, Poland, at 53°51′50″N 14°43′05″E  /  53.86389°N 14.71806°E  / 53.86389; 14.71806 . Rosborn has visited the location and confirms that it matches the descriptions of Jomsborg from the various sagas and chronicles, and that various artifacts found on the surface of the location seem to match the period of time in which Jomsborg existed. However, both

170-519: A long stretch of land between Usedom and Rügen , which fell victim to storm floods in the early 14th century. Suspected locations in this area are the Veritas grounds between the petty islands of Ruden and Greifswalder Oie , and the Peenemünde shoals. While Viking Age jewelry has been found at the site, archaeological evaluation of these theories has not yet been possible. According to

204-575: A settlement named Julinum was conquered by the King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth , who gave it to the Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong . Harald then provided Styrbjörn with a strong force with which Styrbjörn terrorized the seas. The Knýtlinga saga agrees by giving Harald as the founder of the Jomsvikings, but the story of Styrbjörn is not connected to the Jomsvikings. The Jómsvíkinga saga says that

238-624: Is also commemorated, in poetry, by the Icelandic skald Þórvaldr Hjaltason , who took part in the battle on the Swedish side. Jómsvíkinga saga tells that in 986, they attacked Haakon Jarl in Norway and were defeated in the Battle of Hjörungavágr . The saga recounts that Jomsvikings captured by the Norwegians and about to be executed exhibited courage and defiance, some being eventually spared by their captors. The Jómsvíkinga saga ends with

272-484: Is also thought by some researchers to be identical with Jumne, Julin and Vineta , which are mentioned in both Danish and German records from the Middle Ages . There is no medieval source that mentions a precise location of Jomsborg except for the disputed Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum (at 53°51′50″N 14°43′05″E  /  53.86389°N 14.71806°E  / 53.86389; 14.71806 ) that

306-631: Is by no means universally accepted; professor and historian Steven Fanning writes: "The Trelleborg -type fortresses of Denmark have been taken to be actual examples of Jómsborg-style camps of such warriors and Wolin in Poland was believed to be the actual Jómsborg. However, all such attempts to locate Jómsborg or encampments of the Jómvikings have failed, leading many to doubt that Jómvikings ever existed outside of literature." According to Władysław Filipowiak there are several dated sources which attest to

340-486: Is claimed that the disc was a part of a Viking hoard found in 1841 in the Polish village Wiejkowo near the town of Wolin by Heinrich Boldt. Following the find of the disc, Sven Rosborn also found a text that purports to be modern Polish translation of an otherwise unknown Latin chronicle, Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum , which in addition to providing details on the Jomsvikings and Jomsborg, attributes to Jomsborg

374-462: Is often maintained that Jomsborg was located on the eastern outlet of the Oder river. Historian Lauritz Weibull dismissed Jomsborg as a legend. The only source that mentions a precise location of Jomsborg ( 53°51′50″N 14°43′05″E  /  53.86389°N 14.71806°E  / 53.86389; 14.71806 ) is the controversial Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum that was discovered in

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408-427: Is thought that a number of sagas are now lost, including the supposed Gauks saga Trandilssonar – The saga of Gaukur á Stöng. In addition to these, the texts often referred to as the "Tales of Icelanders" ( Íslendingaþættir ) such as "Hreiðars þáttr" and "Sneglu-Halla þáttr" of the kings' saga Morkinskinna could be included in this corpus, as well as the contemporary sagas (written in the 13th century and dealing with

442-565: The Knytlingasaga and Fagrskinna , Jomsborg was built by the Danish king Harold Bluetooth (910-985/86) in the 960s. The Jomsvikinga Saga mentions Danish Viking Palnatoki as its founder. In medieval records, Jomsborg is described as a fortress with a harbour. The harbour was overseen by a stone tower mounted with catapults, built on an arch spanning over the harbour entrance which could be closed by an iron gate. According to

476-649: The Christianization of Scandinavia , which had been forcibly promoted by Olaf. As it happened though, the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard , who won the Norwegian throne when the sea battle ended, was (at least nominally) a Christian. He and his father, King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, are reported to have been baptized in 965. Their decline continued over the next few decades. According to the Heimskringla , King Magnus I of Norway decided to put an end to

510-576: The Wends . Gesta Danorum (book 10), Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja saga relate that in the early 980s, the exiled Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong brought the Jomsvikings to a devastating defeat against Styrbjörn's uncle King Eric the Victorious at the Battle of the Fýrisvellir , Uppsala , in 984 or 985, while trying to take the crown of Sweden by force of arms. The fact that

544-457: The lausavísur , that refer to their battles. The Saga of the Jomsvikings relates that the Jomsvikings were highly selective in deciding whom to admit to their order. Membership was restricted to men of proven valor between 18 and 50 (with the exception of a boy named Vagn Åkesson , who defeated Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson in single combat at the age of 12). In order to gain admission, prospective members were required to prove themselves with

578-475: The town of Wolin by Heinrich Boldt. This list is not exhaustive: Icelandic sagas The sagas of Icelanders ( Icelandic : Íslendingasögur , modern Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈislɛndiŋkaˌsœːɣʏr̥] ), also known as family sagas , are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic sagas . They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in

612-579: The Jomsviking threat. As part of consolidating his control of Denmark, he sacked Jomsborg in 1043, destroying the fortress and killing many of its inhabitants. A golden disc bearing the name of Harald Bluetooth and Jomsvikings stronghold seat Jomsborg was re-discovered in Sweden in autumn 2014. The disc, also called the Curmsun Disc , is made of high gold content and has a weight of 25.23 grams. On

646-728: The Jomsvikings lost was attributed to a pact which the Swedish king Eric made with Odin. Three runestones from this time, the Högby Runestone ("the brave champion Asmund fell on the Fyrisvellir"), one of the Hällestad Runestones , labelled DR 295 ("he did not flee at Uppsala"), and the Sjörup Runestone ("He did not flee at Uppsala, but slaughtered as long as he had a weapon"), relate to deaths with honour at Uppsala, probably three Jomsvikings. The battle

680-403: The alternate names, some of which may be spelling variants, "vimne", "uimne", "Jumneta", "Juminem", "Julinum", "uineta", " Vineta " and "Vinneta". In 1931/32, Pomeranian historian Adolf Hofmeister (1883-1956) suggested, through comparison of the events reported by the different chronicles, that all these terms describe the same place, which is at or near the modern town of Wolin. However, this

714-540: The autumn of 2019. Jomsborg is often thought to be identical with the present-day town of Wolin (also Wollin) on the southeastern tip of the isle of Wolin in northwestern Poland , probably located at Srebrna Góra hill north of the town. In the Early Middle Ages , modern Wolin was the site of a multi-ethnic emporium (then known as Jumne or Julin ). The Nordic sagas use "Jómsborg" exclusively, while medieval German histories use "Jumne" or "Julin", with

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748-447: The entire brotherhood. No Jomsviking was permitted to be absent from Jomsborg for more than three days without the permission of the brotherhood. No women or children were allowed within the fortress walls, and none was to be taken captive. It is unclear, however, whether members were forbidden marriage or liaisons with women outside the walls. There are different accounts for the origins of the order. Gesta Danorum (book 10) tells that

782-514: The heroic age. Eventually, many of these Icelandic sagas were recorded, mostly in the 13th and 14th centuries. The 'authors', or rather recorders, of these sagas are largely unknown. One saga, Egil's Saga , is believed by some scholars to have been written by Snorri Sturluson , a descendant of the saga's hero, but this remains uncertain. The standard modern edition of Icelandic sagas is produced by Hið íslenzka fornritafélag ('The Old Icelandic Text Society'), or Íslenzk fornrit for short. Among

816-550: The name of Harald Bluetooth and Jomsborg appeared in Sweden in autumn 2014, first presented by Swedish archaeologist Sven Rosborn . The disc, also called the Curmsun Disc , is made of high gold content and has a weight of 25,23 gram. On the obverse there is a Latin inscription and on the reverse there is a Latin cross with four dots surrounded by an octagonal ridge. The inscription reads: "+ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+" and translates as "Harald Gormsson king of Danes , Scania , Jomsborg, diocese of Aldinburg". It

850-648: The ninth, tenth, and early eleventh centuries, during the so-called Saga Age . They were written in Old Icelandic , a western dialect of Old Norse . They are the best-known specimens of Icelandic literature . They are focused on history, especially genealogical and family history. They reflect the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the early generations of Icelandic settlers. The Icelandic sagas are valuable and unique historical sources about medieval Scandinavian societies and kingdoms, in particular regarding pre-Christian religion and culture and

884-407: The obverse there is a Latin inscription and on the reverse there is a Latin cross with four dots surrounded by an octagonal ridge. The inscription reads: "+ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+" and translates as "Harald Gormsson king of Danes , Scania , Jomsborg, diocese of Aldinburg". It is assumed that the disc was a part of a Viking hoard found in 1841 in the Polish village Wiejkowo near

918-725: The oldest records, the harbour had space for three ships; later records give a capacity of up to 360 ships. According to the Heimskringla , Jomsborg was destroyed in 1043 by Dano-Norwegian king Magnus the Good . The fortress was burned down, and many of the inhabitants were killed. The Jomsborg Vikings ( Jomsvikings ) were composed of selected warriors who adhered to a special codex and were loyal only to their leader. Most records list as jarl of Jomsborg, Sigvald(i) , son of petty king Strut-Harald of then Danish Scania . Sigvald died some time before 1010. A golden disc bearing

952-514: The presence of a company of armed Vikings at the end of the 10th century in Wolin, who may have been installed there as mercenaries by the Polish king Bolesław the Brave . Ruins discovered in Wolin in 2023 are being investigated as a possible site of Jomsborg. Other theories see Jomsborg in the northwest of nearby Usedom island, on lands now submerged. The small islands in this area are remnants of

986-419: The same period) incorporated into Sturlunga saga . Jomsborg Jomsborg or Jómsborg ( German : Jomsburg ) was a semi-legendary Viking stronghold at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea (medieval Wendland , modern Pomerania ), that existed between the 960s and 1043. Its inhabitants were known as Jomsvikings . Jomsborg's exact location, or its existence, has not yet been established, though it

1020-502: The settlement was founded by Palnatoke , receiving the location from the mythical Wendish ruler Burislav . Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja saga agree with all previously mentioned versions by making Styrbjörn take command of the Jomsvikings after they already had been established. Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa also tells that among the Norse there were many men from the "East land" arriving at Jomsborg , suggesting that it

1054-490: The several literary reviews of the sagas is the Sagalitteraturen by Sigurður Nordal , which divides the sagas into five chronological groups (depending on when they were written not their subject matters) distinguished by the state of literary development: This framework has been severely criticised as based on a presupposed attitude to the fantastic and an over-estimation on the precedence of Landnámabók . It

Jomsvikings - Misplaced Pages Continue

1088-450: Was a settlement of mixed ethnicity. Jomsviking chieftains included Palnatok, Styrbjörn the Strong, Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson , Thorkell the High , and Hemeng . Accounts of their size vary. In various sources, Jomsborg was supposed to have held anywhere from 30 to 300 ships in its harbor. However some historians believe Jomsborg was largely a market center with its Danish garrison imposed on

1122-584: Was alleged to have been discovered in the autumn of 2019. Historians still debate the accuracy of the accounts of the Jomsvikings. Without a conclusively identified location for their headquarters, and because of a lack of primary or contemporary sources specifically mentioning the Jomsvikings or Jomsborg , confirming the tales of their exploits has been difficult. However, there are three contemporary runestones, as well as passages in Old Norse poetry and

1156-399: Was forbidden to speak ill of his fellows or to quarrel with them. Blood feuds between members were to be mediated by Jomsviking officers. Jomsvikings were forbidden to show fear or to flee in the face of an enemy of equal or inferior strength, but orderly retreat in the face of vastly-outnumbering forces appears to have been acceptable. All spoils of battle were to be equally distributed among

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