Jomsvikings

The Jomsvikings were a group of Viking mercenaries or conquerors from the 10th and 11th centuries. Despite their loyalty to the old Norse gods, they fought for any lord who could pay their substantial fees, even if that lord was Christian. The Jomsvikings are considered a precursor to the religious and chivalric orders of the medieval period.

The legend of the Jomsvikings appears in several Icelandic sagas from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly the Jómsvíkinga Saga, the Saga of King Olaf Tryggvason, and stories in the Flatey Book. According to the sagas, their stronghold, Jomsborg, was located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, though its exact location is disputed by modern historians and archaeologists. Most scholars now place it on the Silver Mountain north of the city of Wolin, in present-day Poland. Some researchers even suggest Jomsborg is identical with Jumne, Julin, and Vineta, which are mentioned in both Danish and German medieval records. The only medieval source mentioning the precise location of Jomsborg is the Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum, discovered in the fall of 2019.

Historians still debate the accuracy of the accounts about the Jomsvikings. Without a clearly identified headquarters and due to the lack of primary or contemporary sources explicitly mentioning the Jomsvikings or Jomsborg, it’s difficult to confirm the tales of their deeds. However, there are three contemporary rune stones and passages in Old Norse poetry and Lausavísur that refer to their battles.

The Jomsviking Code

The Jómsvíkinga Saga reports that the Jomsvikings were very selective about who they accepted into their order. Membership was restricted to men aged 18 to 50 who had proven their courage (except for a boy named Vagn Åkesson, who defeated Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson in single combat at 12 years old). To join, initiates had to demonstrate their strength, often through a ritual duel (Holmgang) with an existing Jomsviking.

After joining, Jomsvikings had to adhere to a strict code of conduct to instill military discipline. Any breach of these rules could result in immediate expulsion from the order. Each Jomsviking was obliged to defend his brothers and avenge their deaths if necessary. They were forbidden from speaking ill of one another or quarrelling. Blood feuds between members were to be settled by Jomsviking officers. Jomsvikings were prohibited from showing fear or fleeing from an equal or weaker enemy, although a strategic retreat from an overwhelmingly superior force was allowed. All battle spoils had to be divided equally among the brotherhood. No Jomsviking was permitted to be absent from Jomsborg for more than three days without the brotherhood's permission. Women and children were not allowed within the fortress walls, and captives could not be taken. It is unclear whether members were prohibited from marrying or having relationships with women outside the walls.

History

Various accounts exist regarding the origins of the order. In Gesta Danorum (Book 10), it is said that a settlement named Julinum was conquered by Danish King Harald Bluetooth, who gave it to Swedish Prince Styrbjörn the Strong. Harald then provided Styrbjörn with a strong army, which Styrbjörn used to terrorize the seas. The Knytlingsaga concurs, naming Harald as the founder of the Jomsvikings, but it does not associate Styrbjörn with them. In the Jómsvíkinga Saga, the settlement is said to have been founded by Palnatoke, who received the land from the mythical Wendish ruler Burislav. The Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa and Eyrbyggja Saga agree, making Styrbjörn the commander of the Jomsvikings after their founding. The Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa also mentions that many men from the "Eastlands" (likely referring to Slavic or Eastern European regions) joined Jomsborg, suggesting the settlement was ethnically diverse.

The Jomsvikings are described as having a fleet ranging from 30 to 300 ships, though some historians believe Jomsborg was primarily a market center with a Danish garrison imposed on the Wends.

In Gesta Danorum (Book 10), Styrbjarnar þáttr Svíakappa, and the Eyrbyggja Saga, it is reported that the exiled Swedish Prince Styrbjörn the Strong defeated King Eric the Victorious of Sweden in the Battle of Fýrisvellir in 984 or 985 while attempting to seize the Swedish crown. The defeat of the Jomsvikings is attributed to a pact that the Swedish king made with Odin. Three rune stones from this time, the Högby Rune Stone ("the brave warrior Asmund fell at Fyrisvellir"), one of the Hällestad Rune Stones marked DR 295 ("he did not flee at Uppsala"), and the Sjörup Rune Stone ("he did not flee at Uppsala but fought as long as he had a weapon") refer to honored dead at Uppsala, likely three Jomsvikings. The Icelandic skald Þórvaldr Hjaltason, who fought on the Swedish side in the battle, also commemorates the battle in his poems.

In 986, the Jomsvikings attacked Haakon Jarl in Norway and were defeated in the Battle of Hjörungavágr. The saga recounts that the Jomsvikings, who were captured by the Norwegians and were to be executed, displayed courage and resilience, leading some of them to be spared by their captors. The Jómsvíkinga Saga ends by suggesting that this battle marked the beginning of the Jomsvikings' decline.

After these two decisive defeats, the power of the Jomsvikings waned. However, the Saga of Olaf Tryggvason reports that they played a decisive, albeit treacherous, role in the Battle of Svolder in 1000. At Svolder, a Jomsviking force led by Sigvald Jarl deserted King Olaf of Norway, allied with his enemies, and destroyed his fleet. This action was likely an attempt to counter the Christianization of Scandinavia, which Olaf had aggressively pursued. Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard, who rose to the Norwegian throne after the naval battle, was (at least nominally) a Christian. He and his father, King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, were said to have been baptized in 965. The Jomsvikings' decline continued in the following decades.

According to Heimskringla, King Magnus I of Norway decided to put an end to the threat posed by the Jomsvikings. To solidify his control over Denmark, he raided Jomsborg in 1043, destroyed the fortress, and killed many of its inhabitants.

Curmsun Disk

In the fall of 2014, a golden disk was rediscovered in Sweden, bearing the name of Harald Bluetooth and the Jomsborg fortress of the Jomsvikings. The disk, also known as the Curmsun Disk, is highly gold-enriched and weighs 25.23 grams. It features a Latin inscription on the front and a Latin cross on the back, surrounded by an octagonal ridge. The inscription reads: "+ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+" and translates to "Harald Gormsson, King of the Danes, Skåne, Jomsborg, Diocese of Aldinburg." It is believed that the disk belongs to a Viking hoard found in the Polish village of Wiejkowo near the city of Wolin in 1841.

In Fiction

The Jomsvikings are central figures in E.R. Eddison's novel Styrbiorn the Strong and Henry Treece’s historical youth novel Horned Helmet. Fictionalized versions of Jomsborg (under the name "Jormsvik") and the Jomsvikings appear in Guy Gavriel Kay's novel The Last Light of the Sun, set in a fictional world closely resembling 9th-century Britain and Scandinavia. In Tim Severin’s Viking series, Thorgils spends time among the Jomsvikings, though they are depicted as a smaller, older, and weaker force. Frans G. Bengtsson's The Long Ships recounts an episode where a group of defeated Jomsvikings, about to be executed in Norway, fight bravely and defiantly until the end, earning the reluctant respect of their captors and allowing some to survive despite all odds.

The legendary Jomsvikings also appear in the Medieval Total War Viking Invasion expansion game, where they are called "Joms Viking" and are the best-trained warriors available to the Vikings. Jomsvikings also feature in Thrones of Britannia, another Total War game, where they are one of the best units available to the Nordic civilizations.

The Jomsvikings also appear in the Crusader Kings 2 downloadable content The Old Gods, where they serve as a Nordic-pagan version of the Christian Orders of Knights.

The Jomsvikings play central roles in The Deepest Sea by Charles Barnitz. In the 2003 Polish film An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God by Jerzy Hoffman, they are depicted as raiders in the service of the main antagonist, Popiel. The Swedish melodic death metal band Amon Amarth released an album in 2016 titled Jomsviking, which tells a story set in the world of the Jomsvikings.

The video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020) includes Jomsvikings as player-created characters that can be used by others in the single-player game.

In the Crusader Kings 3 downloadable content Northern Lords, the Jomsvikings serve as a Nordic-pagan version of the Christian Orders of Knights, with special events for rulers of various faiths.