
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Gunnhild, known from the series Vikings as Bjorn Ironside's wife, contrasts sharply with her historical counterpart. Renowned for sorcery and beauty, Gunnhild was the wife of Erik Bloodaxe, son of Harald Fairhair and King of Norway. She earned the title 'Mother of Kings' as her sons rose to power in Norway.
Gunnhild is depicted in over five Norse and Icelandic sagas, often as a villain. Erik Bloodaxe, hardly mentioned in the Heimskringla (Saga of the Norwegian Kings), was unpopular—many believed Gunnhild, with her influence, steered his rule. Snorri Sturleson noted, "Of Eirik Blood-axe's five years' reign there is no separate saga. He appears not to have been beloved by the people and his queen Gunhild seems to have had a bad influence on him."
In these sagas, Gunnhild is a formidable character—admired for beauty and generosity but feared for her magic, cunning, and ambition. She is remembered as powerful and ruthless, captivating yet dangerous.
This is the story of Gunnhild.
Music by Noel Malekar
Listen here
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
By Ollie5
22 ratings
Gunnhild, known from the series Vikings as Bjorn Ironside's wife, contrasts sharply with her historical counterpart. Renowned for sorcery and beauty, Gunnhild was the wife of Erik Bloodaxe, son of Harald Fairhair and King of Norway. She earned the title 'Mother of Kings' as her sons rose to power in Norway.
Gunnhild is depicted in over five Norse and Icelandic sagas, often as a villain. Erik Bloodaxe, hardly mentioned in the Heimskringla (Saga of the Norwegian Kings), was unpopular—many believed Gunnhild, with her influence, steered his rule. Snorri Sturleson noted, "Of Eirik Blood-axe's five years' reign there is no separate saga. He appears not to have been beloved by the people and his queen Gunhild seems to have had a bad influence on him."
In these sagas, Gunnhild is a formidable character—admired for beauty and generosity but feared for her magic, cunning, and ambition. She is remembered as powerful and ruthless, captivating yet dangerous.
This is the story of Gunnhild.
Music by Noel Malekar
Listen here
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7,700 Listeners

3,192 Listeners

5,381 Listeners

4,805 Listeners

368,687 Listeners

47,858 Listeners

3,206 Listeners

14,446 Listeners

15,966 Listeners

1,821 Listeners

2,032 Listeners

1,330 Listeners

1,059 Listeners

28 Listeners

145 Listeners