Legendary, Semi-Legendary, and Historical Vikings: What's the Difference?
On Viking Figures | Book Fairs Are Fun | A Viking Tour of Western France
Welcome to the newsletter where history, storytelling, and inspiration meet. Every week, I share some of the fun historical research I’ve done while writing my novels, writing reflections (and sometimes tips), and sharing updates on my work and journey. If you were forwarded this message, you can join the weekly newsletter here.
Today’s Dispatch
Viking History: The difference between legendary, semi-legendary, and historical figures.
Writing and Publishing: Book Fairs Are Worth It.
Author Update: A Viking tour of Western France, anyone?.
This week’s book recommendation.
Viking History
The difference between legendary, semi-legendary, and historical figures.
When the History Channel started promoting their show called Vikings, they made us a promise: that it was based on real history and would offer a rare glimpse into the Viking Age, free from the tropes that had plagued it for so long. No sooner had the opening episode introduced the protagonist, Ragnar, than I knew they had not told the whole truth. While the show opened with a strong pilot and gave the appearance of historical authenticity, Ragnar was not a historical figure. He’s a legend.
And so, because of that show, my work, and indeed the history I love to learn and teach, has been plagued by this pesky mythological figure from the sagas, and he refuses to go away. This past month, I attended three book fairs in France, where, while promoting my books about a real historical figure from the Viking Age, Ragnar kept coming up. “Ragnar attacked Paris,” many folks said. “And he did that ruse to get into the city.” All wrong.
I get it. It’s not their fault. A very popular TV show that promised historical authenticity made Ragnar the protagonist in many Viking Age stories in which he was not. Not unlike the Ragnar of the Sagas, History Channel’s Ragnar was an amalgamation of figures from the Viking Age, combined into one character to tell a compelling story.
Not unlike the Ragnar of the Sagas, History Channel’s Ragnar was an amalgamation of figures from the Viking Age, combined into one character to tell a compelling story.
The trouble is that Ragnar Lothbrok is not a historical figure. His story resides in a liminal place beyond the reach of verifiable history, one that historians have come to call ‘legendary figures.’ Indeed, there are three categories: Legendary, semi-legendary, and historical.
Legendary Viking Figures
Staying with Ragnar Lothbrok as a prime example, he is considered a legendary figure primarily due to his prominent place and role in saga literature. He figures prominently in the Saga of the Volsungs, with his own subsection titled "The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok." These sagas tell of his conquests in England and his ultimate demise in a pit of snakes. It’s compelling storytelling.
Legendary figures are so-called for their place in legends. The figures who figure in the sagas are all legendary, meaning they are the product of no small amount of mythmaking. Could some of these stories hold a kernel of truth? Of course, and we have seen examples across history of these. However, I believe we are all far too quick to use that as an excuse to make the unreal real without ample evidence. Ragnar is a prime example.
The reason Ragnar is often considered historical is due to the numerous works by historians and amateur historians attempting to prove his existence. These works have attempted to link him to several historical figures who are mentioned in chronicles and charters of the time. A certain Reginherus, who led the fleet that sacked Paris in 845 A.D. (as attested in the Annales Xantenses, Miraculi Sancti Richarii, and the translation of St. Germain of Paris), is often evoked as having been Ragnar Lothbrok. The trouble is that the story of the sack of Paris and its aftermath (where Reginherus dies of dissentary two weeks after the attack) differs so much in form from the sagas that no concrete link can be made except to say that the man’s name was likely Ragnar. Ragnar may have been a common name.
Other figures have been suggested as perhaps inspiring Ragnar, such as Rorik of Dorestad, Turgesius of Dublin, and even Hastings himself, but none have been proven. The most likely explanation is that Ragnar is indeed entirely legendary, and the tales of many others inspired his story.
A more well-known historical parallel to illustrate the emergence and role of these legendary figures is that of King Arthur. Arthur, most of us will agree, is a myth, and the product of medieval literature more than anything else. And yet, serious efforts have been made over the years to prove that there may have been a real person who inspired the story. Most of these claims stem from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, which mentions a potential candidate—a Roman soldier—whose story may have later inspired Wace, Chrétien de Troyes, and others. Again, the trouble is that none of these links can be confirmed. Furthermore, the story of Arthur we know and love today is the product of the collective imagination of the society in which his story circulated. The same is true of Ragnar and the other legendary figures of the Viking Age.
Semi-Legendary Viking Figures
As we say in French, “les choses se compliquent” (things get more complicated) when we enter the semi-legendary space. Semi-legendary figures are those who appear in sagas considered more historical (such as the Sagas of the Icelanders), are attested in saga literature and historical sources, have some archaeological support, or a combination of all of these.
Leif Eriksson is a notable example of a semi-legendary figure. He appears in the Sagas of the Greenlanders, which were considered, for many years, to be part fabrication with a kernel of truth from oral storytelling, and then, surprisingly, confirmed, at least in part, by the archaeological find of a Norse settlement in Newfoundland. Now, whether Leif Eriksson existed in the flesh is up for debate—he’s not mentioned in any contemporary sources, nor did he leave us any written testimony of his own. Herein lies one of the issues with Viking figures: they did not write anything down, making the work of historians all the more frustrating.
Undoubtedly, there are people who will argue that Leif Eriksson is a historical figure. The argument is that his name was transmitted through oral tradition. While this is true in many cases, the issue with oral tradition is that, although it occasionally provides us with evidence, it is, on the whole, unreliable. This unreliability is further exacerbated by the fact that those oral traditions were written down by people who did not necessarily practice them. And so we are left with the frustrating middle ground of leaving these historical figures to semi-legend.
Leif Eriksson joins a long list of these figures, including most of the earliest kings and jarls of Viking Age Scandinavia, who are attested in sagas such as the Ynglinga Saga (also known as the Saga of the Yngling Dynasty, or the kings of Norway).
Historical Viking Figures
Historical figures are those whose existence can be confirmed through contemporary sources. They are those Vikings whose names made it into the annals, diplomas, charters, and cartularies of those people who had the ability and willingness to write down the stories of their deeds in the time that they did them. A single source will not do. As we discussed above, what cannot be confirmed lives in the semi-legendary realm. Historical figures can be confirmed through cross-referencing of sources, with multiple mentions of them within a narrow timeframe and specific geographical location.
That they are historical does not mean they have escaped the tendency of mythmaking by later chroniclers and historians. In fact, many of these figures took on larger-than-life proportions over the twelve centuries since their deeds were recorded. What’s important is that we can confirm their existence through contemporary sources.
My favorite example (because, of course!) is the Viking warlord Hasting (also spelled Hastein, Hastæn, and Alsting). In contemporary sources, he first appears in the Chronicle of Nantes for the year 843, allegedly having assisted the Bretons to defeat the Franks before moving on to sack the city. While the chronicle of Nantes has been questioned for some of its obvious fabrications, the events of that year it describes are confirmed in large part by the Annales d’Agoulême and the Annales de Saint-Bertin.
Later, Hasting reappears in the 860s in a flurry of mentions by the Chronicles of Regino Prüm, confirmed by the Annales de St. Bertin, the Annales de St. Vaast, and a handful of diplomas—including a land grant for Chartres—as a fidelis of King Charles.
Hasting was such an active force of chaos that later medieval historians featured him prominently in their histories. He is a tidal force of nature in the Gesta Normanorum, receiving no fewer than 150 epithets to describe his villainy. In the Gesta Danorum, he joins Bjorn Ironsides on a legendary adventure in the Mediterranean. And perhaps the most curious of these medieval histories is that of Raoul Glaber, who claimed to have worked from contemporary sources now lost to history to put forward a narrative that places Hasting at all the major raids in Nantes, Angers, Orléans, Tours, and even Paris through the 840s, 850s, and 860s. Short of finding the sources he used to verify his claims, his narrative remains in question.
Hasting was a real Viking whose exploits were recorded enough for us to say that he was a historical figure.
Why this matters
The Viking Age has fallen victim to modern mythmaking to a much greater extent than most other historical periods. This could partly be due to the mythmaking they themselves did, and that their victims later did to them. It’s essential, however, to understand where the line between fact and fiction lies because ignoring it means ignoring the truth you can hold in your hands and opening yourself to believing all sorts of silly ideas. It’s an exercise in critical thinking to look at narratives about the past and to question them, and to put in the effort to understand what’s real and what’s myth. Good critical thinking skills are essential to survive in today’s madhouse of a media landscape, where fact and fiction swirl together like the Tasmanian devil’s tornado.
Writing and Publishing
Book Fairs Are Worth It.
This past month, I attended three book fairs in a row, first at the Domaine de Roiffé, then at the Salon de Noirmoutier, and most recently at the Chateau de la Flocellière. I was able to learn a great deal about how book fairs work in France, their value to authors, and where they will fit in my ‘author business plan’ moving forward.
Book fairs are great for meeting readers.
At the salon de Noirmoutier, I was overjoyed by how many people came just to see me and meet me. In 2019, I gave a lecture to the community about the Vikings and sold some 1,000 copies of the French version of The Lords of the Wind. Many people remembered me and, despite my long absence during and after Covid, still came out to see me again and chat about Vikings, writing, and other things. The support from readers was a big boost to my morale as an author.
Book fairs are great for meeting other authors.
The book fair at the Domaine de Roiffé was a dud. A dozen or so people showed up in total, so it was a slow day. Still, I spent the day networking with other authors, learning about their works, inspirations, and goals, and it was a pleasure to start building a community of like-minded people. I had not had many opportunities to meet other authors before, and so this was a delightful part of my book fair experience.
Book fairs are not a great sales channel.
I would be remiss if I omitted mentioning that I was disappointed by the sales volume. At each fair, I sold the most books of any other author there (because Vikings sell!!!), but that volume was much lower than I had anticipated. Still, people bought, so it wasn’t a total loss. However, I was forced to reframe book fairs in my author business plan.
But they are great for marketing.
Get known. That’s rule #1 of marketing. And these book fairs were not only great for local exposure, but also an opportunity to create content for my online channels. What a privilege it has been to travel through France and visit so many amazing historical sights along the way! I’ve created many videos of my travels, inviting my readers to share in this journey. TikTok seems to be the most interested. If you have a chance, check out my TikTok, Instagram reels, etc, to see the tremendous sights I’ve had the privilege of visiting.
Stay tuned for more book fairs to come. I’ll be at Barbatre end of October, Riantec in November, and Noirmoutier again for the Christmas market in December.
Author Update
A Viking Tour of Western France, Anyone?
I am starting to put together a ‘Viking Tour of Western France’ tour group for summer 2026 and am looking for 20 individuals who are interested. Thanks to some wise advice from fellow author Octavia Randolph, who does tours of Gotland, I plan to bring her same mix of travel, history, and literary intrigue to my region of France. You’ll get to visit these important sites with me as your guide. The goal will be to follow Hasting’s journey (loosely) from Noirmoutier to Paris (books 1-3).
Here is a tentative itinerary of spots we would visit:
Start in Noirmoutier at the castle and the church of St. Philbert (for the crypt).
Go sailing on the Viking ship Olaf D’Olonne in Les Sables D’Olonne.
Visit the 1,200-year-old priory at St. Philbert de Grand Lieu.
Visit the Château de Nantes.
Visit the Cathedral of Nantes.
Learn about Namborg (Viking Nantes) from a local Viking reenactment group.
Visit le Puy du Fou (to explore modern interpretations of the Vikings in France)
Visit the Viking fort in Brittany.
Visit the Viking village in Normandy.
Move inland to Rouen.
End in Paris at the foot of the wall the Vikings climbed in 845 A.D.
If you are interested in joining my waiting list, please email me at author@cjadrien.com to express your interest, and I will add you.
Thank you!
Book Recommendations
The Oxford Illustrated History of The Vikings
Blurb:
With settlements stretching across a vast expanse and with legends of their exploits extending even farther, the Vikings were the most far-flung and feared people of their time. Yet the archaeological and historical records are so scant that the true nature of Viking civilization remains shrouded in mystery.
In this richly illustrated volume, twelve leading scholars draw on the latest research and archaeological evidence to provide the clearest picture yet of this fabled people. Painting a fascinating portrait of the influences that the “Northmen” had on foreign lands, the contributors trace Viking excursions to the British Islands, Russia, Greenland, and the northern tip of Newfoundland, which the Vikings called “Vinlund.” We meet the great Viking kings: from King Godfred, King of the Danes, who led campaigns against Charlemagne in Saxony, to King Harald Bluetooth, the first of the Christian rulers, who helped unify Scandinavia and introduced a modern infrastructure of bridges and roads. The volume also looks at the day-to-day social life of the Vikings, describing their almost religious reverence for boats and boat-building, and their deep bond with the sea that is still visible in the etymology of such English words as “anchor,” “boat,” “rudder,” and “fishing,” all of which can be traced back to Old Norse roots. But perhaps most importantly, the book goes a long way towards answering the age-old question of who these intriguing people were.
And, as always…
Buy my novels!
