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Originally written down in Old Norse, about 1225 by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson. English translation by Samuel Laing (London, 1844).

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle conflated by Anne Savage (PaperMac)

 

87. King Harald now went on the land, and drew up his men. The one arm of this line stood at the outer edge of the river, the other turned up towards the land along a ditch; and there was also a morass, deep, broad, and full of water.

King Harold met him (Tostig) there (Scotland) with 300 ships, and Tostig bowed to him and became his man. They both went up into the Humber until they came to York, and fought with them there, eorl Edwin and eorl Moekere his brother; but the Norwegians had the victory

The river Ouse was one flank and there was a marshy on the other with a ditch or dyke dividing the forces

The earls let their army proceed slowly down along the ditch, with all their troops in line. The king's banner was next the river, where the line was thickest. It was thinnest at the ditch, where also the weakest of the men were.

 

Morcar and Edwin's troops line out along their bank of the ditch. The line was thin as there was little firm ground. The ground on the other bank was marshy and did not provide a suitable place to attack so the best troops were not deployed here.

When the earls advanced downwards along the ditch, the arm of the Northmen's line which was at the ditch gave way; and the Englishmen followed, thinking the Northmen would fly. The banner of Earl Morukare advanced then bravely.

Karl G. Johansson, who has made the most recent translation of Snorres Heimskringla, says that Snorre used the word díki which has the equivalents of both Swedish dike (ditch; dike) and Swedish kärr; sumpmark (marsh; swamp; fen).

Morcar makes progress near the ford. One translation indicates that he thought they were fleeing - a theme repeated at Stamford Bridge and Hastings.

88. When King Harald saw that the English array had come to the ditch against him, he ordered the charge to be sounded, and urged on his men. He ordered the banner which was called the Land-ravager to be carried before him, and made so severe an assault that all had to give way before it;

Unknown translation of Snorri Sturluson's saga quoted in MAP desk study on Battle of Fulford (P 17)

..but when Harald saw his men retreating along the ditch, he ordered a war-blast to be blown and urged them on. He had the standard 'Landwaster' carried forward and made so hard an attack that all were driven back. Morcar's brother had had his standard brought along the river, downwards against the army of Harald, but when the King hardened his attack, the Jarl and his men fled along the river.

This looks like a planned counter attack against Edwin's force alongside the river Ouse.

and there was a great loss among the men of the earls, and they soon broke into flight, some running up the river, some down, and the most leaping into the ditch, which was so filled with dead that the Norsemen could go dry-foot over the fen. There Earl Morukare fell.

 

From Heimskringla Online Medieval and Classical Library Release #15b

This song was composed by Stein Herdison about Olaf, son of King Harald

The gallant Harald drove along,

Flying but fighting, the whole throng.

At last, confused, they could not fight,

And the whole body took to flight.

Up from the river's silent stream

At once rose desperate splash and scream;

But they who stood like men this fray

Round Morukare's body lay."

Earl Morcar was probably not killed as Simeon of Durham records him as a fellow resistance leader working with Hereward to resist the Normans.

Interesting links

bullet Battle of Fulford
bullet Battle of Stamford Bridge
bullet Battle of Hastings
bullet English Heritage
bullet Battlefields Trust
bullet Young Archaeologists Club (CAB)
bullet York Archaeological Trust
bullet Regia re-enactors
bullet Viking re-enactors
bulletOnline documents

Events

bullet Riccall Rampage 24 July 2010
bullet Jorvik Festival (there will be another one in 2011!)
bullet Fulford Festival 2010
bullet Festival of archaeology 2010

 

 

 

 

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last updated 20 Julyy 2010