The Great Heathen Army

In the fall of 865, dragonships began to beach on the shores of East Anglia. Led by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, the initial groups of ships, maybe a hundred at most, swelled to maybe a thousand or more. The Great Heathen Army, as the vikingrs would come to be known, was now invading England. The word “vikingr” simply meant “pirate” which was a good description of the Viking raiders in the 9th century. They sacked cities, sold stolen goods, traded in slaves, and largely lived off the land, so to speak, but traveled by the sea.

The English were well aware of the Norse raiders. The Vikings had been sacking English towns since 793 when they looted the monastery at Lindisfarne. The king of East Anglia, Edmund the Martyr, assumed that these raiders could be paid off as others had been in the past. So he rushed out to welcome them, taking selfies with Ivar the Boneless, while Viking onlookers posted to their Faceberg page. OK, I made that up, but Edmund did make a deal with the Vikings. He paid the Norse what they demanded so they would go away.

One of the demands made by the Vikings was an unusual one. They wanted horses, lots of horses. These were people willing to trade in anything, but transporting horses by sea is not easy and it requires special skills. They wanted a lot of horses, enough to equip an army, so the task of transporting these animals for sale would have been daunting. Horses are big animals and prone to panic. A large animal thrashing around on your long-ship would be a bad result.

There’s some debate as to how they did it or even if they did it. The next time history notes the Viking horses is in the fall of 866 when they turned up in Northumbria, a kingdom about 150 miles north of East Anglia. Maybe they went over land, but there are no records of this. Maybe they build barges to carry the animals. They were great seamen so that’s plausible. They could also have kidnapped some locals who would help them handle the animals in transit.

On All Saints Day 866, the people of Eoforwic were doing what was common in the Middle Ages, which was partying like it was 866. In that time, the fall was when you celebrated and relaxed. The harvest was in, food stores were topped off and the bulk of the farm work was done for the year. Townfolk were the middle-class of the day. Land owners, minor royalty, merchants and traders lived in the city, so they were better off than the peasantry and could afford to cut loose a little.

The Northumbrian kings Aelle and Osbert were enjoying the good life in their capital when reports arrived about dragonships landing north of the Humber. Unlike prior raids in Northumbria, this one was not just a raid on some coastal towns. The Vikings, led by Ivar and Halfdan, were leading an army on horseback as well as on foot. More important, there were thousands of them, maybe tens of thousands. This was the largest army to set foot on the island since the Romans.

This was an enormous army and it was quickly on top of Eoforwic. History from this period is not always reliable, but the best sources suggest the Vikings led a night raid on the city, which was another amazing trick for a people known as sailors. The unprepared Northumbrians were no match for the Great Heathen Army and Eoforwic fell in the fall of 866. Aelle and Osbert escaped, but, Northumbria was now a Norse kingdom. Eoforwic would remain the capital of the Danelaw until the last independent Northumbrian monarch, Erik Bloodaxe, died in 954

The city of Eoforwic is a mouthful to say, even for modern sophisticates. The Norse really struggled with it. The name comes from the Roman name for the settlement which meant “place with alder trees.” The “wic” was tacked on after the Romans left and it means “village.” The Norse eventually shortened it to Jorvik and then finally to York. Place name drift is nothing new but in this case we have a clear understanding of how and why it happened. The Vikings simply could not or would not pronounce the town name correctly.

Today, England and Scotland are being invaded by Muslims. London is now a Muslim city. You could, if you wished to be accurate, call it the capital of the Western Caliphate. In Scotland, the native populations are now converting to Islam in large enough numbers to suggest a trend. The Norse invaders converted to Christianity, but this new wave of invaders is determined to convert the local population to their faith. Mosques are springing up all over blighty, while Christian churches sit empty.

If your summer vacation plans take you to England, pay attention to what the Muslim invaders are calling the local cities and towns. In a generation, those will be the official names, just as we currently call the old capital of Northumbria “York” instead of Eoforwic. This may seem far fetched, but just a few generations before the Great Heathen Army landed in England, everyone would have thought Norse dominance of England was far-fetched as well.

40 thoughts on “The Great Heathen Army

  1. @ theZman – You might enjoy the “Vikings” series. Pretty close to historical accuracy, with some events shifted to accommodate the characters and the obvious.

  2. Britain through the ages has been an excellent example of the saying “immigration without assimilation is invasion”. I know I read it long before Bobby Jindal said it but can’t remember where.

    Those Anglo-Saxon-Jutes ran Northumbria because their ancestors showed up after the Romans left and took the place with numbers and force. The Romanized Britons generally assimilated, the Celts were booted to outskirts of the island. Yet the decedents of those original invaders were shocked when Danes showed up and took the place – just like we are when Muslims show up and take over – and governments don’t lift a finger to stop it.

    Does every generation think history ended right before they were born and it couldn’t possibly get repeated on them?

  3. Liberals: the problem with putting Muslims at the top of your victimhood hierarchy is that THEY WANT TO KILL EVERYONE ELSE ON THE LIST.

    Milo Yiannopoulos

  4. Pingback: Monday morning links - Maggie's Farm

  5. I’ve always wondered why so many Jews remained in Germany despite Hitler’s rhetoric that their days were numbered. The Nazi party was shutting down Jewish owned stores and shops, making people wear cloth Stars of David in public, public beating by the brown shirts were open for all to see – the message was clear and unmistakable.

    And yet some Jews refused to leave thinking it wouldn’t happen to them. While that was understandable given many German Jews had served in the German army in WW1 defending their homeland, it remains anyone’s guess why the thought “It won’t happen to me” could even spark in someones thought process knowing and seeing what was going on. I supposed we can look back in history and see any number of examples of people who didn’t think it would happen to them, despite their enemies being very specific about who they were after and what they intended to do – Zman’s earlier post on the Vikings is a good one.

    I would argue the greatest threat in the last century was communism; everyone feared it and millions suffered or died under it. Yet it has faded and/or morphed into something Chairman Mao and Comrade Stalin would probably not recognize today. However Islam hasn’t changed in nearly 1,400 years. Its purpose and goals are the same today as they were then. The difference is today they have the means to realize their goals, something the west handed them on a plate with technology, engineering and science and a move away from Christianity and western culture that now embraces all things non-Christian and tolerates all things perverse and illogical in the name of their liberal god called diversity.

    • “… the message was clear and unmistakable.” That is the crux of the problem. People are too naive and get too comfortable with their “material world” thinking that mankind has advanced and surely nothing could disrupt such a good thing. Probably because they have insulated themselves in a bubble where everyone and everything feeds back to them that they will be fine.

      The most recent example of this is in America where our Clown-in-Chief, Obozo, stated very clearly, very emphatically, and on many occassions before and after his election that he was dedicated to “the fundamental transformation” of America. Did anyone stop to ask him what exactly he meant by that statement? Nooooo! That would require too much thinking, research, understanding and interpretation of what this man-child was taught by his mentors (who were well documented). Instead, that might lead to the realization that rainbows and unicorns were not real and free stuff might come with strings attached. It is the same now as it was then. People want to believe in a fairy tale. Even as they went to the gas chamber or faced the firing squad, many probably thought it was all a bad dream.

      • I’m surprised more people have not taken him to task on that statement. But after 8-years, it seems very clear that he said what he meant, and meant what he said… “fundamental transformation” indeed. Hopefully your next president (and future EU leadership) can reverse the course western civilization seem to be on. But then, while there are still a few critical thinkers who can see past the smoke and mirrors, the lemmings of our respective countries remain oblivious even as they approach the edge.

        • Lot of people ignore the fact the leader of the human extinction movement gets up every day, brushes his teeth, and gets on with his day of destroying civilization. It’s not rocket science the musloids are waging existential war against the west, and he is their number 1 ally, and has opened the borders. What kind of dark evil sickness resides in the head and heart of him and Merkel is almost incomprehensible, to possess such hate and hubris and become “leaders” of the free world is prologue.

          • @ Doug – It’s not fair to put all the blame on Frau Merkel. France, the UK and Sweden are way ahead of the rest of Europe in their Muslim immigration policies that go way back more than 10-20 years. Merkel’s original intent last year was not pro-immigration of Muslims into Germany; it was only to provide a temporary refuge for Syrian civilians (Muslim and Christian) who through no fault of thier own, were caught in a horrible situation.

            I would agree her plan was poorly thought out and even worse in its implementation. No argument there! But there’s a big difference between what Frau Merkel had intended from a perspective of humanitarianism for people in desperate need and what Brussels (EU) wants to shove down our throats.

          • @K.Horst:”It’s not fair to put all the blame on Frau Merkel.”
            You need to review the Myth of Pandora’s Box.
            Merkel should be burned at the stake as a warning to other leaders, present and future.
            Dan Kurt

          • Karl, it seems to us in the UK that Berlin pretty much runs the EU, even if only because they have the biggest wallets. It is hard for us to think it is all Belgian incompetence when Frau Merkel’s bark makes the EUSSR jump that little bit quicker and a lot higher.

            The tragedy of Germany is not what they intended to do, but if as you say my country, Sweden and other nations in Europe have let in more muslims, she and her government failed to see the damaging effect it was doing elsewhere. That is neglect of evidence. There is also the question of whether the welcoming arms of Germany took in too greater number of islamic young men than intended in too short a time frame.

            Discuss.

          • I think you are too lenient with Merkel. Humanitarian aid is one thing. The sudden mass migration of ME people’s, more than just Syria (thank you Hillary Clinton!), was a planned and well orchestrated strategy that was aided and abetted by the leaders of all said countries. It used to be you “sent” aid to those in need where they lived. How did that all of a sudden change to “come live with us, we will take care of you … forever?”

    • A revenge story would be good.

      I know my husband really enjoys action movies which center on revenge by the just.

      Only, now, it seems stories or rather movies don’t seem to portray the bad guys as, you know, the real bad guys. Don’t you think it’d be a good idea, catharsis somehow, to watch a movie in which the jihadi gets his ?

      • I agree completely. The well-told revenge story is hugely compelling. It’s a primal thing that we can all relate to. In my opinion it’s the main reason why the Godfather movies are so unbelievably popular. I would love to see more stuff where the jihadis are exposed for what they are (pure evil) and dealt with accordingly.
        There is a lot of “revenge as motive” in my novels. Here is a short piece inspired by Benghazi:

        http://jlepore.fineartstudioonline.com/blog/99207/man-killers

  6. Despite having two (liberal) universities, York for now remains almost entirely devoid of muslims. The muslims hordes are in Bradford (to the west), Oldham and south Lancashire (further west) and of course to the south west in Rotherham. London remains a long way off, and Yorkies would like to keep it that way.

    But London is not 100 per cent muslim, at least not yet. There are shenanigans in the Tower Hamlets district and there are those who think that Liebore helped the muslims to get a greater hold with extra postal votes for the recent election of the muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan. The truth is however is that Khan’s large win means Corbyn’s Comrades will never put up anyone but a muslim in London from now on. The deranged socialist bubble-inhabitants of the cosy London borough of Islington (Corbyn’s stamping ground) see nothing wrong in this, though for now they sit outside cafes reading the Guardian and sipping exotic coffees while the third-worlders who are around them are quietly sweeping up, both figuratively and literally. Once Tower Hamlets starts exporting trouble to places like Islington, there may be a shift in their comfy, wealthy bubble thinking and they could begin to wonder why they were so enthusiastic about letting islam gets grip on their little paradise. But note the word ‘may’ here… Most socialists are able to continually talk themselves out of seeing the obvious.

    It’s a skill that will eventually bite them, though they might not notice the teeth marks.

    • Thanks for that sad and sorry inside look at London. Once that city, with her strong adventurous men, ruled over a vast empire. Look at her now. Teardrop.

  7. I keep asking myself why a few tens of thousands of the barbarians don’t board freighters, sail to Antwerp or Marseilles, take over the city hall and the local police stations, and declare the European Wilayat of the Caliphate. Who would stop them? Who would evict them? They over-estimate the will of our elites and probably under-estimate just how hobbled (neutered? gutted? emasculated?) the country class (using Codevilla’s terms) has been by the governing class in most nations.

    • That requires a level of organization they lack. Those smart enough to pull it off can make big money other ways. That’s the problem with a small “smart fraction.” The smart ones are outweighed by the rest so rather than sink they become an exploitative class. In sub-Saharan Africa you get the big man economy. In the ME you get kleptocracy.

      That said, the muzzies in the West are clearly figuring out how to punch way above their weight. It’s a bit of paradox, in that they could figure out how to pull of 9/11, but could not see how easy and effective shooting up a club, mall or school would be. The ROI on 9/11 was tiny compared to these low-grade assaults. Starting tomorrow every night club in America is getting turned into a bunker. Many will go bust.

      Years ago I pointed out that a band of twenty or so Muslims could shut down 20 airports on the same day and cripple the air traffic system for a week. They would not have to fire a bullet or explode. They just needed to run in with some fake bombs strapped to them and hold out for an hour or two. They’d get ten years in jail, but they would be heroes to their cause.

      What comes next, I bet, is they start shooting up grammar schools. At some point, the normies will have to hang the current leaders of “our government” and put in some tough guys who will expel the Muslims. What our “leaders” have done to us is treason and unforgivable.

      • “What our “leaders” have done to us is treason and unforgivable.”

        So should I take that as a Trump endorsement?

        God, I hope so.

        • Some of these a-holes need to hang! Their crimes have been so obvious, long-endured, and of high office that anything less would be a crime.

      • I think that they keep going after one-offs like gay bars. It plays well to the donors on the Arabian Peninsula, the pool of recruits, and the cadres in the fight without provoking Americans to genocide. If they were to pull a Beslan here, even the least patriotic globalist couldn’t withstand the gale of rage that would follow.

      • Actually ZMan, I think if you stop to really consider the situation today and the repercussions of 9/11, the “ROI” from that attack on the Twin Towers, Pentagon and Flight 93 were actually quite significant. What you say about the response of every night club in America DID happen all around the world, affected economies, and degraded liberties for the sake of security (Patriot Act, Dept. Homeland Security, etc.). Just think of the expense and lives affected tracking down OBL for almost a decade. I don’t think any of this was “tiny.”

        • Yeah………The ROI on 9-11 was yuge (all the direct and indirect costs you list are still with us today.) Then again, 9-11 DID take a lengthy and significant amount of tactical planning…flight training schools, et al. No small enterprise. Low grade Orlando events can be carried out at the drop of a hat, by any nitwit, for the cost of a few fresh clips.

          • You are right about the possibilities of “mass targets” small and varied across the land wreaking havoc of a different scale. I was just responding to your use of the word “tiny” regarding 9/11 ROI.

            But as with any attack like this, rather than blaming the AR-15 as the gun haters are doing, why not ask, “Now just how did this guy manage to get into the bar with a fricking rifle in the first place, regardless of what kind it was?” But of course, the left isn’t interested in stopping these kinds of attacks, not really. They only want to use these kinds of events to push their anti-gun agenda.

    • Ugh, nightmare in the mode of the book Camp of the Saints.

      Oh, will the West please get stronger and push these cave men back?

      I have been thinking of the islamic jihad as analogous to the Vikings so the zman’s post really hit home.

  8. Zman – You are aware that the article on Scotland was written by Imran Azam (and Karin Goodwin)
    So, one may doubt how widespread this movement really is in Scotia.

    On the other hand the Scots may just be nutz:
    Police Scotland ‘adds hijab to uniform’ to encourage Muslim women to join force
    http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14541196.Police_Scotland__adds_hijab_to_uniform__to_encourage_Muslim_women_to_join_force/?ref=ar

    A headline you will not see:
    Registered Democrat Kills 50 and Wounds 53 More

    The Florida attack means another million or more votes for The Donald.
    The media and the libtards are trying to spin this story as gunz problem.
    Those Americans whose minds have not completely shut down, will know it for what it is –
    The religion of pieces, in action once again – Happy Ramadan!
    This Mohammedan was investigated twice by the FBI who of course, found nothing.

    “Diversity is our strength.”
    Both of Mateen’s parents are originally from Afghanistan, according to CBS News.

    “Mateen was born in New York. His father, Seddique Mateen, who has also been called Mir Seddique, once tried to run for the Afghan presidency and was heavily involved in politics, according to his Facbeook page, which includes photos inside a U.S. State Department office. He has also spoken out against the Pakistani government, and supported the Taliban.

    “Our brothers in Waziristan, our warrior brothers in Taliban movement and national Afghan Taliban are rising up,” he said in one YouTube video, according to the Washington Post. “Inshallah the Durand Line issue will be solved soon.”

    http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/omar-mateen-pulse-orlando-florida-shooting-gunman-attack-name-photos-facebook-motive-terrorism/

    Why are these Taliban supporting non-citizens allowed to live here?????

    • Diversity. And that seems to mean more restaurants. And if you read comments on the Net, you will learn that Christians are just like Islamists!!

      I like to tell them that I grew up in Oklahoma and to my knowledge, we didn’t have a single beheading there until they brought in Muslims.

    • I like to joke that the facts of life are Trumpian. The media, both Left and Right, put up this massive effort to paint Trump as a monster, only to have all their efforts undone by events. Normies look at this and think, “I know its wrong but Trump is right.”

      I’ll note that some homosexual groups are now coming out against the importation of Muslims. The gays were fine being pets for the Left because it was fun and they got to go outside and be outlandishly gay. Now, some of them seem to be figuring out that the Left likes Muslims more than homosexuals. Violent Muslims blowing shit up means loads of jobs in the security state. If a few homos have to die, the Left will not be troubled by it.

      Finally, I reserve the right to employ a bit of exaggeration in order to make a point. This is polemic, not watch making.

      • Funny how being a cultural marxist useful idiot works out like that. As they say you can’t fix stupid, and when your “cultural” cannon fodder for the human extinction movement, it tends to be a really terrible way to die for your perversions. Talk about walking into a trap eyes wide open. It is particularly demeaning when you figure out you been had in the worst way possible. It’s not rocket science, history is circular, in particular marxism is all about being circular, it’s infestation depends on the circular loss of historical memory of it’s constants and methods, and those who ignore that history, tend to take the dirt nap first. Marx’s whole system was dependent on the useful dupe. Without them, and a few handy Kulak’s to pogrom, it would all fall apart. It does eventually, but not before an awful lot of people end up with that dirt nap.

    • The article is just misleading shite, there is no trend nor is the U.k. going to become an Islamic state.i love this blog but sometimes it just becomes fantasy, do not count the English out.

          • He really is terrible in that format. I downloaded the first show and found myself fast forwarding through his portion. But, the homosexual who they have filling in for Clarkson is not much better. There’s an under study vibe to the whole thing, like this is the junior league crew filling in while the real cast is busy.

            I’ve watched my last show. I’ll download the new Clarkson vehicle off Amazon in the fall as that promises to be Top Gear without the PC nitwittery.

  9. A few months ago I took ZMan to task for writing something complementary about Islum.  

    I’m glad he didn’t this time. The point he makes is a salient one. 

    As far as the name-game, it matters not. As far as moslums are concerned it’s all “dar al-harb” (the house of war) to them.

    Where Islum goes, there goes destruction, death and misery.

    For the uninitiated, go here to read up on our common enemy:

    https://www.jihadwatch.org/islam-101

    • What is a ‘watch list’ ? I know their hands are tied, given the prez’s love of all things Islam, but some of these creeps need to disappear.
      FYI, I loved the article and your humor. Thanks Zman. Today we needed the smile.

  10. So in Florida, what will the Islamic name for Miami be? I imagine that (overnight) the Gay clubs will close down and be converted to mosques. Florida seems a little too hot and humid for those female bags the girls have to wear, but what can you do?

    Of course, it’s still early and even in Britain, if the government simply stopped suppressing those that want to fight back against the invasion and keeping them disarmed then this wave could be thrown back into the sea.

    In the interim; stay out of crowds, leave your electronic toys at home and remain alert to your surroundings, the enemy has strong friends in the western governments protecting them so STOP VOTING FOR THEM!

    • You would be surprised how many have settled in the land of sunshine and skeeters. The burkas actually help keep them safe from Zika. It started with the takeover of motels and cigarette stores. They are everywhere now. As if the carpetbaggers weren’t enough.

      • The motels and cigarette stores are run by the Hindus from India and are largely not a problem. The mooslem rag heads are another issue.

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