Units of History - The Jomsvikings Mercenaries DOCUMENTARY

We continue our Units of History documentary series by delving back into the world of the Vikings which we recently covered with the Saga of Harald Hardrada. But rather than focus on an individual, we seek to tell the tale of entire warband of legendary repute.

The animated history documentary begins by discussing the historicity of the Jomsvikings. This is important as there is much academic doubt surrounding their story. While they do seem to have existed, discerning fact from fiction in their story proves difficult given our meager written and archeological records. The main takeaway is that this episode should best be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. With this in mind, we do our best to stitch various narratives together in the most plausible manner for our presentation.

According to tradition, the Jomsvikings were founded in the late 900s AD by the Danish hero Palnatoke. However some sources point to Harold Bluetooth as the true founder of their legacy as the Danish King who first established their fort and appointed their commander. From this humble beginning, they would begin to raid their surroundings and establish a fierce reputation. This in turn attracted adventure seekers who would be put to the test for admission. All who joined the Jomsvikings were then subject to their strict codes meant to create a strong brotherhood of warriors whose bonds superseded any preexisting ties to society.

Our episode then delves into the equipment, organization, and service history of this Unit of History. We discuss the various battles and campaigns of the Jomsvikings which saw them fight across the far corners of the north. Famous examples include the battle of Fýrisvellir, the naval battle of Hjörungavágr, the invasion of Sweden and the Invasion of England. Ultimately however their ferocious reputation proved their undoing as kings became wary of their ability to threaten a monarch's rule. Yet the legend of the Jomsvikings would live on in the tradition of Englands Housecarl forces and in the sagas of the Viking age!

What Units of History should we cover next?

In the meantime, be sure to check out our other episodes on the medieval Scandinavians in anticipation for the new Netflix Valhalla series set in this era.

Sources and Suggested Reading:
"Saga of the Jomsvikings" translated by N.F. Blake
"Eyrbyggja Saga" by Anonymous
"Heimskringla" by Snorri Sturluson
"Jomsborg" by Leon Koczy
"Styrbiorn the Strong" by E. R. Eddison

Credits:
Research = Chris Das Neves
Script = Chris Das Neves
Narration = Guy Michaels
Artwork = Penta Limited
Editing = Penta Limited

#Units
#Vikings
#History

[InvictaHistory]

My favorite part of this tale is when the Sagas offhandedly describe the young recruit, Vagn, as "such an unruly fellow that by the time he was nine he had already killed three men". At the age of 12, he would go on to curbstomp the Jomsvikings during his initiation test, losing just 3 of his men but slaying 30 of his rival. Truly a badass

[fredhercmaricaubang]

The first time I ever heard of the Jomsvikings was when I watched the anime "Vinland Saga" & from there, my curiosity about them grew! And then I found this WONDERFUL video of yours detailing their history, gear & fate! TRULY educational! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

[tunch]

_These men aim to shatter_
_It's the way of vikings_
_This is how we battle_
_It's the way of the Jomsvikings_

[jeremy]

Loving this unit series. Have you considered videos on Gallowglass or Border Reivers?

[conanmcdonagh]

Fun fact: the Norse *probably* didn't wear lamellar armor, at least not commonly. Lamellar was a very Eastern & Greek thing. Lamellae (the metal scales themselves) have been found in Sweden, though it was most likely loot taken from a raid or a fallen foe, or possibly coming from the kit of a retired Varangian Guardsman

[dziesiatkojezus]

I would love to see Polish winged hussars AK wings of death or Numidian cavalry 🤔😁

[elefandados]

The "Joms" in "Jomsviking" is pronounced like the "Yom" in "Yom Kippur", only with a double o sound. I'm norwegian, I'd love to read the script for one of your videos to get the pronounciations right. I couldn't get over how this guy said "Joamsviking"

[xHASSUNAx]

It's crazy how much that arrow transforming into a javelin sounds like a medieval Chinese rocket. The part where it blinded them and caused an avalanche reminded me of the same scene in Mulan

[jsbb]

I have 3 video ideas for this series
1- Teutonic Knights
2- Polish Winged Hussars
3- Mongol Kheshig

[o.]

Immediately came here bc of Vinland Saga

[ISawABear]

23:17 Literally the opening scene in Vinland Saga

[solomonthefoolish]

I love the way y'all trade/interchange who narrarates the videos. It really brings life to the channel! When the super british orator voices the narrative, it feels like I'm watching a documentary from back when the history channel still actually was about history. Then, when the gentleman with the higher pitched voice narrarates, I love his passion and sincerity. It feels like I'm experiencing his excitement with him.

[GallowglassAxe]

I know this channel's main focus is on vikings and Roman but I really wish there were more videos on Irish units. You have the Ostmen (Irish vikings) also known as the Hiberno-Scandinavians which had the largest trading hub Western Europe known as Dublin. But you have the many Gaelic warriors as well like the fianna warbands, the hobelars cavalry, the kerns, of course the Gallowglass.

[inssjoseph]

Can you do a Unit Guide on Assyrian Bowmen.I don't know if there is a lot of information on them but they are an interesting unit

[justinbell]

For a band of famously ferocious warriors, they certainly did lose a lot...

[fatihk]

You should have mentioned JomsViking's famous leader Thors who didnt enjoy killing anymore and faked his death to live a peaceful life in Iceland. And of course Thorkell he can sink ships by throwing logs at them :)

[MartyBones]

I've always been fascinated by stories about Vikings and Northmen in general, unleashing spells, curses, and special abilities powered by their gods on the battlefield. I wonder how many of these stories are just fabrications of those who won the battle to inflict even more fear on their enemies, and how many are natural coincidences that surprised the Northmen as much as the enemy.
We have even seen meteors hit Roman battlefields. I can imagine a Druid doing spells in battle and suddenly an earthquake starts.

[ewokk]

Nascent Poland seemingly had some sort of deal with the Jomsvikings to protect the estuary of Oder from the sea invasion.

[bxzidffbxzidff]

This channel is very good at explaining why despite the sagas being very exaggerated and not exactly the most trustworthy they still offer significant insight in how Scandinavian society and culture worked at the time

[brokenbridge]

I actually had no idea that Jomsvikings ever existed. Until I played Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Glad to know they existed IRL. Great video.