Remains of man whose death was recorded in 1197 saga uncovered in Norway

Researchers believe that a skeleton recently retrieved from a well may belong to a man who was “cast headfirst” into it by the besiegers of Sverresborg castle, located near present-day Trondheim, Norway. This intriguing possibility arises from a saga dating back to 1197, which details the events of the siege.

Michael Martin, a researcher from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and co-author of a study published in the journal iScience, remarked, “While we can never be 100% certain that the remains in the well are those of the man described in the saga, the circumstantial and scientific evidence is quite compelling. In a hypothetical trial, I feel confident that a jury would be convinced we have indeed found the victim.”

The saga recounts the life of Sverre Sigurdsson, an ambitious Norwegian king who rose to power amidst a turbulent period of political unrest and civil war that persisted long after his death in 1202. The 182-verse narrative, believed to have been written around the time of the events it describes—partly under Sverre’s supervision—was crafted by an Icelandic abbot closely associated with the king. It stands out for its rich descriptions of the many battles he faced.

One particularly vivid passage recounts the 1197 siege of Sverresborg by the king’s Roman Catholic adversaries, who raided the castle and demolished its structures while Sverre was away in Bergen. The attacking forces, known as the Baglers, managed to breach the castle through a hidden entrance while the Birkebeiner defenders were occupied. The saga states, “They took all the goods that were in the castle, and then they burned every single house that was there. They took a dead man, and cast him headfirst into the well. Then they piled stones into it until it was full.”

For years, historians speculated that if the incident indeed occurred, the deceased was likely a Birkebeiner, aimed at humiliating Sverre or potentially poisoning the water source in an early act of biological warfare. However, in 1938, archaeologists digging in the well uncovered a human skeleton about seven meters down, but the dig was interrupted by World War II, leaving the remains undisturbed for decades.

In 2014 and again in 2016, a team led by archaeologist Anna Petersén resumed the excavation, uncovering additional layers of debris from Nazi occupation. A partial exhumation revealed that the remains belonged to a man aged between 30 and 40. Petersén noted the “high probability” that he was indeed the man from the saga. This individual stood approximately 1.75 meters tall and had been thrown into the well wearing just one leather shoe, missing a foot and a left arm. His skull had suffered blunt force trauma and sharp cuts, likely inflicted before death.

Martin and his fellow researchers sought to support their findings with a blend of literary, historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence. They discovered through radiocarbon dating that the skeleton’s age was consistent with when the Baglers attacked Sverresborg castle. Although attempts to sequence the man’s genome were unsuccessful due to poor DNA preservation, DNA from his tooth revealed he had blond or light brown hair and blue eyes. When compared with modern Norwegian genomes, it appeared that the skeletal remains originated from southern Norway, presenting an unexpected twist, since Sverre’s supporters were predominantly from central Norway. This raised the possibility that the besiegers could have thrown one of their own into the well.

“It’s remarkable that we may have recovered genomic information from someone mentioned in a saga,” Martin explained. “This research underscores that sagas aren’t purely fictional, a notion some may have held while historians maintained otherwise. Our findings could foster a deeper understanding of the sagas’ content.”

Martin added, “Through advanced scientific analyses, we’ve unveiled previously unknown details of a story told for nearly 900 years. The man who was thrown into the well was a mere side character, briefly mentioned in the text, but our work has provided him with a background and physical description.”