Rek (died 871) was a Viking warrior and the captain of Guthrum's vessel, the Wave Lover. He was the brother of Eskil.
Biography[]
By the time he captained the Wave Lover towards England, Rek had a violent temper, a scar across his scalp and a particular dislike for Geirmund Hel-hide, who had been a late join to the crew. One night, after drinking, Rek started insulting Geirmund, calling him a half-breed and a bad omen, though his brother stopped him from continuing.[1]
During a storm, Rek ordered the crew "give the Hel-hide to Ægir", that is, to throw him overboard to appease the sea. Geirmund, wanting to avoid confrontation that would end badly for his companions, Steinólfur and Skjalgi, chose to jump.[2] After the incident, Rek claimed Geirmund's sword for himself.[3]
In England, Geirmund managed to make his way to Guthrum's camp, and requested his sword back from Rek. Rek instead proposed a fight for the sword, even though Geirmund was still weak. Rek won the fight, keeping the sword.[3]
During the Battle of Bedwyn, a Saxon blade split his side and spilled his guts. As he laid dying, Geirmund approached and noticed that Rek's hands were empty. He retrieved the sword, put it into Rek's hands and curled the Dane's fingers around its grip, helping him hold on to it to make sure he would go to Valhalla. Rek thanked him for the gesture, saying it wouldn't take long. Eskil approached them and took over the duty from Geirmund, holding his brother's hands until he passed. His body was burned along with the other Viking losses on the pyres prepared at the battlesite.[4]
Appearances[]
References[]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||