... was led, according to Viking legend, by the five sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. Ragnar was a legendary king of Denmark and Sweden, and a Viking hero. He is said to have conducted a raid on Northumbria during the reign of King Ælla (i.e. earlier in the 860s). The Vikings were defeated; Ragnar was captured by the Northumbrians, and Ælla had him executed by throwing him into a pit of venomous snakes. When the sons of Ragnar received news of their father's death, they decided to avenge him.
© Haydn Thompson 2020