The Battle of Fýrisvellir was a battle fought on a plain called Fýrisvellir in what is now Uppsala, Sweden. It was fought around 985 CE between King Eric of Sweden and his nephew Styrbjörn the Strong for the throne of Sweden.
Prelude[]
After being ousted by his uncle, Styrbjörn and his sister Gyrid sailed to Jomsborg to gain the Jomsvikings as part of his army.[1] After besting their leader Palnatoke, he sailed his growing army to Jutland to gain the Christian King Harald Bluetooth's alliance.[2] After winning battles across the Danish coasts,[3] he met with Bluetooth but their initial meetings turned sour despite Harald being offered Gyrid's hand in marriage. Leading a sea battle, Styrbjörn managed to defeat Harald and acquired his army.[4]
Sailing on Lake Mälaren, Styrbjörn and his army were stopped by a recently built palisade and thus decided to march through the Mirkwood against Palnatoke and Harald's advice. However, tensions brewed to where Styrbjörn attacked and forced Harald to give up his prized dagger, which was in reality the Devotion Prong of the Trident of Eden. The next day, Harald and his men abandoned Styrbjörn.[5]
To counter and delay Styrbjörn's arrival, the Swedish Hidden Ones, allied with King Eric, planned to attack his army covertly. Assigned by the Mentor Torgny, the Icelandic skald and Hidden One Thorvald Hjaltason composed a small legion from Eric's ledung to attack them in the woods. Having placed snares and traps laced with poison, the legion, led by the renowned farmer and warrior Östen Jorundsson, attacked them while they were vulnerable. As a result, Styrbjörn charged out to protect his men.[6]
Styrbjörn yelled that he would burn the forest down to rule Sweden.[6] Thus, Östen and his legion split up and retreated. However, Thorvald had snuck around the warriors' camps and succeeded in assassinating Palnatoke, thus instigating the Jomsvikings to break their oath to Styrbjörn.[7] The next day, Styrbjörn led his men to Uppsala, only to be met by weaponized cattle bound together. After Styrbjörn dismantled it, he and his forces were attacked by Eric's warriors. Styrbjörn and his men held their ground, which led Eric's forces to retreat. Injured, Styrbjörn and his army regressed back to their camp to recuperate their losses.[8]
Battle[]
Styrbjörn and his forces marched once more to Uppsala[9] while Eric readied his forces and selected a new champion, Östen, to challenge Styrbjörn.[10] While Östen stood and guarded King Eric, both armies fought each other, with Styrbjörn leading the charge. Out of the blue, Eric's marshal came towards Östen and tried to kill him. Fortunately, Thorvald assassinated the marshal before he could strike.[9]
Soon, Styrbjörn came closer and almost challenged his uncle to a duel, only to be himself challenged by Östen, who sought vengeance for his fallen friend Alferth. Although Styrbjörn wanted to kill Eric, he instantly fought against Östen, who proved to hold his own against the rage-filled prince.[9]
After a prolonged fight, Östen managed to wound Styrbjörn with his axe. Although Styrbjörn was still standing, he soon fell ill and realized he had been poisoned. Looking at a piece of silver laced with poison, he blamed Eric and called him a coward.[9] However, Östen knew that Thorvald had succeeded in poisoning the prince before the battle.[10]
Wounded and bleeding, Styrbjörn admitted defeat and expressed his respect for Östen and his desire for a quick death. At that moment, the shieldmaiden and Harald's daughter Thyra Haraldsdottir came to be with Styrbjörn but was stopped by Eric's housecarls. The king then ordered Östen to kill his nephew, but the latter declined. Thyra was ultimately allowed to be with Styrbjörn during his final moments, and the prince admitted that Thyra was his wife before dying in her arms. With his nephew dead, Eric called for the death of Styrbjörn's army. Thus, Styrbjörn's men and the Jomsvikings accepted their deaths and were killed by Eric's forces.[9]
Aftermath[]
Following the battle, Thyra was bound and taken by Östen, who went to meet with King Eric, Thorvald, and Torgny. Thorvald divulged that the marshal had belonged to a group of people who wanted to see Styrbjörn succeed, and vowed to hunt down every last one of them. Eric turned to Östen, thanked him for his valor, and gifted Thyra to him as his thrall. While Eric and Torgny left to deal with post-battle matters with Eric's council, Thorvald gave Östen the Devotion Prong and asked him to hide it from all prying eyes.[9]
Along with Thyra, Östen later traveled back home. After having dinner with his family, Östen decided to set Thyra free, and the latter prepared to recover Styrbjörn's sword, which he had gifted to her on the night of their wedding. After some time, Östen did as Thorvald had asked and hid the Devotion Prong, burying it near his farm.[9]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter Thirteen
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter Twenty
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan – Chapter Twenty-Nine
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter One
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Thirteen
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Fifteen
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Sixteen
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Nineteen
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Twenty-Two
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods – Chapter Twenty-One
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