Vagn Åkesson was a Norseman of the late 10th century, mentioned in the ''

Jómsvíkinga saga The ''Jómsvíkinga saga'' ("''Saga of the Jomsvikings''") is a medieval saga, Icelandic saga composed by an anonymous author. The saga was composed in Iceland during the 13th century. It exists in several manuscripts which vary from each other. T ...

''. At the age of 12, Vagn, a warrior, applied for admission to the

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

brotherhood of the

Jomsvikings The Jomsvikings were purportedly a legendary order of Viking mercenaries or conquerors of the 10th and 11th centuries. Though reputed to be staunchly dedicated to the worship of the Old Norse gods, they would allegedly fight for any lord who ...

. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Vagn was the son of Aki, a son of the Jomsviking chieftain

Palnatoke Palnatoke or Palnatoki, sometimes written Palna-Toki or Palna Toki (Old Norse: or ), was a legendary Danish hero and chieftain of the island of Fyn. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Palnatoki founded the brotherhood of Jomsvikings and est ...

. Intrigued by the courage displayed by Vagn, his grandfather Palnatoke allowed him (after first attempting to dissuade him) to prove his worth with a duel against

Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson Jarl Sigvaldi was the semi-legendary chieftain of the fabled Jomsvikings and commander of their stronghold - Jomsborg. He succeeded Palnatoke as the leaders of the Jomsvikings in the late 10th century. The character of Sigvaldi remains largely e ...

, whom Vagn defeated. He was admitted to the order despite the Jomsviking rule that no man under the age of 18 be allowed to join. Palnatoke adopted Vagn, who is described as one of the most fearless of the Jomsvikings, as a sort of protégé. Vagn's courage stand in sharp contrast to the pragmatism (some would say cowardice) displayed by Sigvaldi. After Palnatoke's death, Sigvaldi became leader of the order. At the

Battle of Hjörungavágr The Battle of Hjörungavágr (Norwegian: ''Slaget ved Hjørungavåg'') is a semi-legendary naval battle that took place in the late 10th century between the Jarls of Lade and a Danish invasion fleet led by the fabled Jomsvikings. This battle playe ...

, he ordered a retreat, an order which Vagn angrily refused to obey. According to the saga, Vagn even threw his spear in Sigvaldi's direction, but missed. Vagn managed to survive the battle with honor and was spared by

Eiríkr Hákonarson Erik Hakonsson, also known as Eric of Hlathir or Eric of Norway, (, 960s – 1020s) was Earl of Lade, Governor of Norway and Earl of Northumbria. He was the son of Earl Hákon Sigurðarson and brother of the legendary Aud Haakonsdottir of Lade. He ...

, while Sigvaldi became the object of ridicule.

References

*Hollander, Lee M., Trans. ''The Saga of the Jomsvikings.'' University of Texas Press, 1989. *Oddr Snorrason (translated by Theodore M. Andersson) (2003). ''The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason''. Cornell University Press. *Snorri Sturluson (translated by Lee M. Hollander). (1991). ''Heimskringla : History of the Kings of Norway''. University of Texas Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vagn Akesson Jomsvikings 10th-century Vikings