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Jomsvikings

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: British History 1500 and
before (including Roman Britain)

   Jomsvikings were a company of Viking mercenaries of the 900s and 1000s,
   dedicated to the worship of such deities as Odin and Thor. Though
   staunchly pagan, they have been compared to the Crusaders of
   Christendom. However, they reputedly would fight for any lord able to
   pay their substantial fees. According to the Norse sagas (particularly
   the Jómsvíkinga saga, King Olaf Tryggvasson’s Saga, and stories found
   in the Flatey Book), their stronghold Jomsborg was located on the
   southern shore of the Baltic Sea, but the location is disputed by
   modern historians and archeologists. Nordisk familjebok asserts it to
   be located on the eastern side of the island of Wollin, on the hill
   Silberberg north of the town Wollin. Saxo Grammaticus mentioned a
   settlement called Julinum that he described as inhabited by Slavic
   pirates, while some believe an island fortress on the Slavonian coast
   to be the perfect haunt of Viking mercenaries, between the easterly and
   westerly courses of Scandinavian sea routes, with all the Baltic Sea in
   the north.

   The legend of the Joms appears in some of the Icelandic sagas from the
   twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The existence of Jomsborg is a matter
   of debate in historical circles, due to the scarcity of primary
   sources. There are no contemporary sources mentioning the names
   Jomsvikings and Jomsborg, but there are three contemporary runestones
   and several contemporary lausavísur held to refer to one of their
   battles.

The Jomsviking code

   The Saga of the Jomsvikings relates that the Jomsvikings were highly
   selective in deciding who 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 a feat of
   strength, often taking the form of a ritual duel, or holmgang, with a
   Jomsviking.

   Once admitted, the Jomsvikings required adherence to a strict code of
   conduct in order to instill a sense of military discipline among its
   members. Any violation of these rules could be punished with immediate
   expulsion from the order. Each Jomsviking was bound to defend his
   brothers, as well as to avenge their deaths if necessary. He 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, though orderly retreat in the face
   of vastly outnumbering forces appears to have been acceptable. All
   spoils of battle were to be equally distributed among 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 were
   to be taken captive. It is unclear, however, whether members were
   forbidden marriage or liaisons with women outside the walls.

History

   Historians still debate the accuracy of the accounts of the
   Jomsvikings. Some maintain that the order was entirely legendary. The
   site of their headquarters has never been conclusively located, so
   confirming the tales of their exploits is somewhat difficult.

   There are different accounts for the origins of the order. One version
   states that the Jomsvikings were founded by the King of Denmark, Harald
   Bluetooth, after his exile, yet he was probably an old man when his son
   Sweyn Forkbeard committed hiself to his father's domain. According to
   this version, he taught seafaring skills to the local Wends, and the
   Danes with him led aspirants on piratical raids against his enemies to
   the north. Jomsborg is described in these sources as a largely Wendish
   town with Norse officers. The Jómsvíkinga saga states that the
   settlement was entirely Norse, and the brotherhood, was founded by
   Palnatoke, receiving the location from the mythical Wendish ruler
   Burislav. Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, on the other hand, states that
   among the Norse there were many men from the "East land" arriving at
   Jomsborg, suggesting that it was a settlement of mixed ethnicity.

   Accounts of their size vary. Jomsborg, in various sources, is supposed
   to have held anywhere from 30 to 300 ships in its harbour, with
   Jomsviking chieftains including Palnatoke, Styrbjörn the Strong, Sveyn
   Forkbeard, Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, Thorkell the High, and Hemeng.

   Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja saga relate that in the early
   980s, Palnetoke lost the fortress and the control of the Jomsvikings to
   the exiled Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong. He allied with the
   Danish king, Harald, but brought the Jomsvikings to a devastating
   defeat against Styrbjörn's uncle 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 the Jomsvikings lost was
   attributed to a pact that the Swedish king Eric made with Odin. Three
   runestones, the Högby Runestone (the brave champion Asmund fell on the
   Fyrisvellir), DR 295 (he did not flee at Uppsala) and DR 279 (he did
   not flee at Uppsala, but fought as long as he had weapons), from this
   time relate to deaths with honour at Uppsala, probably three
   Jomsvikings. The battle 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 Jómsvíkinga saga
   ends with a brief explanation of the battle's aftermath, and, in fact,
   points to this battle as the beginning of the end for the Jomsvikings.
   The Battle of Svolder, at which the Jomsvikings fought with Denmark
   against Norway, maybe with a swap of allegiance to side with
   Forkbeard's advantage, of his 400 ships to Tryggvason's 100. (Otto
   Sinding painter).
   Enlarge
   The Battle of Svolder, at which the Jomsvikings fought with Denmark
   against Norway, maybe with a swap of allegiance to side with
   Forkbeard's advantage, of his 400 ships to Tryggvason's 100. ( Otto
   Sinding painter).

   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 the Christianization of Scandinavia which
   had been forcibly promoted by Olaf . As it happened though, the Danish
   king who won the Norwegian throne when the seabattle ended, Sweyn
   Forkbeard, was (at least nominally) a Christian. He and his father,
   Harald Bluetooth, the king of Denmark are reported to have been
   baptized in 965.

   Jomsvikings are also reported to have raided eastern England in 1009,
   and made forays into various Scandinavian territories during the early
   1000's. Around 1013 the Jomsvikings were campaigning in England on
   behalf of Sveyn Forkbeard, yet switched sides, maybe in a ruse to get
   their own Danegeld from the English, while the main Viking invasion
   force drove Ethelred the Unready to Normandy. Their decline continued
   over the next few decades. In 1043, according to the Heimskringla,
   Magnus I of Norway decided to put an end to the Jomsviking threat. He
   sacked Jomsborg, destroyed the fortress and put the surviving brethren
   to death.

Archaeological evidence

   Runestones are counted as historic documents about the events of the
   Viking Age in Scandinavia. The following three runestones probably
   mention Jomsvikings who died with Styrbjörn the Strong south of
   Uppsala. Note that the first runestone mentions a warleader named Toki
   Gormsson and he may be a son of the Danish king Gorm the Old, an
   interpretation which fits the fact that Styrbjörn was allied with
   another son of Gorm, Harald Bluetooth. The idea Harald was the
   Jomsviking founder is probably a cross of wires.
     * The runestone DR 295 in Hällestad, Hallandia says: Eskil raised
       this stone after Toki Gormsson, his beloved warleader. He did not
       flee at Uppsala. Champions erected this stone after their brother
       on the hill. They went closest with Toki.
          + A : askil : sati : stin : þansi : ift[iR] : tuka : kurms :
            sun : saR : hulan : trutin : saR : flu : aigi : at : ub::salum
          + B satu : trikaR : iftiR : sin : bruþr stin : o : biarki :
            stuþan : runum : þiR :
          + C (k)(u)(r)(m)(s) (:) (t)(u)(k)(a) : kiku : (n)(i)(s)(t)[iR]
          + A Æskel satti sten þænsi æftiR Toka Gorms sun, seR hullan
            drottin. SaR flo ægi at Upsalum
          + B sattu drængiaR æftiR sin broþur sten a biargi støþan runum.
            ÞeR
          + C Gorms Toka gingu næstiR.
     * The runestone DR 279 in Sjörup, Scania, relates: He did not flee at
       Uppsala, but fought as long as he had weapons.
          + [+ sa]ksi : sati : st[in] : þasi : huftiR : o[s]biurn :
            (s)in : fil(a)go ' (t)u-a[s : sun :] saR : flu : aki : a[t :]
            ub:sal(u)m : an : ua : maþ : an : uabn : a(f)þi '
          + Saxi satti sten þæssi æftiR Æsbiorn, sin felaga, To[f]a/To[k]a
            sun. SaR flo ægi at Upsalum, æn wa mæþ han wapn hafþi.
     * On the Högby Runestone, it says The good freeman Gulli had five
       sons. The brave champion Asmund fell on the Fyris.

In fiction

   Jomsvikings are the focus of the novels The Long Ships by Frans Gunnar
   Bengtsson and E. R. Eddison's Styrbiorn the Strong, and Horned Helmet,
   a juvenile historical novel by Henry Treece. Fictionalized versions of
   the Jomsberg (under the name "Jormsvik") and the Jomsvikings appear in
   Guy Gavriel Kay's novel The Last Light of the Sun, which is set in a
   fictional world that closely parallels 9th century Britain and
   Scandinavia.

   Our legendary Jomsburgers also appear in Creative Assembly's Medieval
   Total War Viking Invasion expansion pack, though they are called Joms
   Viking. They are the most highly skilled warrior available to the
   Vikings.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jomsvikings"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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