This is the saga of the raid on Hiltonshire by the foul pagan Ragnar of Orkney. It was a Warhammer game in which the defending Saxons started weak, but received reinforcements at random times and table edges until they became much stronger than their opponents. The Viking raiders scored victory points by looting as many key locations as they could, and by having their leaders engage in as much hand to hand combat as possible. The higher the rank of the participants, the more points they accumulated. The Saxons won by denying them loot and glory.

In the course of the game the Saxon dice rolls for reinforcements were very fortunate. It was starting to look like, for once, the Fyrd had responded effectively to the heathens. The Viking player had two options; run for his ships knowing that the total accumulated loot was probably too low to give him the victory, or he could strike boldly at the Saxon leader and his hearthtroop.

If he pesonally killed the Saxon he might still fight his way back to the ships and would certainly have his deeds sung of in mead halls throughout the North. To make a long story short, Ragnar chose to run for the ships. He and his battle hardened warriors had only to blow through a rabble of Lesser Fyrd that blocked their path to reach the beached ships.

Odin must have been watching because, while the Vikings were scattering their overmatched opponents, one very low class churl drove his spear right into Ragnar. He died with the unpleasant sound of laughing Valkeryes ringing in his ears. So you don't lose faith, I should mention that the same wargamer did come back a few weeks later to clobber the Saxons. Now he wants to show the Bishop of Hiltonshire some sort of party trick he ca~s the 'Blood Eagle', but that's another saga.

I asked myself what the Vikings would have done about a chieftain who chose safety over glory and was killed by a churl. They, of course, would have written a poem mocking him, and sung it for years. Without further ado, I give you:

'The Song of Ragnar'

Ragnar, Orkney Northman master
Sitting in his mead hall drinking
Hears of Harald Saxon war man
Songs of Harald christian shield

Ragnar swears an oath to Odin
Swears before his heathen Hearthtroop
"I shall slay this christian warrior
And hang his head on yonder doorframe"

Then the ships of Orkney island
Dragons of the northern waters
Sailed forth upon the whaleroad
Filled with seawolves bright blades gleamin'

Landing on the Saxon seastrand
Ragnar roared out "Bring me Harald
All he owns shall fall to Ragnar
Open handed ring bestower"

Then did Ragnar burn the christhouse
Burn the place where christians gather
While he lingered overlong there
Saxon Harald showed his swordblade.

Came to Ragnar Ravenfeeder
Woman feeling unaccustomed
Fear of death on Harold's swordpoint
Nevermore to see the sunrise

"To the ships" he bade his seawolves
"My people cannot do without me
Else I would face yon grim slayer
And put my life in Odin's keeping"

Odin watching from Valhalla
Wept to see his shieldman running
"Ragnar shall not sit at table
With the keepers of my meadhall"

Reaching down he placed a churl
In the path of mighty Ragnar
No warriors death then met the Northman
When the spearpoint pierced his bosom

How came this Viking to his finish
Slain like a barnyard chicken
By a man who never listened
To the songs of Odin's Daughters

Too long in meadhall, not on shipdeck
A tankard handy, not a tiller
His eyes were dimmed by smoky cookfires
And not by smoke of burning foe's land.