A DNA analysis of a skeleton found in a well at the ruins of Sverresborg in Norway has confirmed details from the medieval Sverre Saga. The skeleton is believed to belong to a man killed during the 1197 siege of Sverresborg and thrown into a well, as described in the historical saga. Through modern analysis, researchers have established the man’s age, appearance, and region of origin, offering new insights into this dramatic event.
Sources indicate that the analysis supports the accuracy of these medieval accounts, marking the discovery as significant evidence that the saga’s episode may have been a real historical event.
The Sverre Saga, which recounts the life of King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway (who reigned from 1177 to 1202), describes how Sverresborg, located in Trondheim, was besieged. During a raid in 1197, one of the king’s men was reportedly thrown into a well, likely in an attempt to poison the water supply for Sverre’s Birkebeiner forces, a faction of peasant fighters opposing the elite-backed Baglers.
"The Baglers took all the goods in the fortress and then burned all the houses there. They took a dead man and threw him head-first into the well, brought stones, and filled it up", the saga recounts.
Discovered in the 1930s
The skeleton was discovered in 1938 in the same well described in the saga but was left undisturbed. It was not until 2014 that an assessment of the skeleton’s condition was conducted, revealing it to belong to a man in his 30s. Two years later, in 2016, the skeleton was retrieved from the well.
Researchers have since conducted a more in-depth analysis of the remains through a collaboration involving institutions such as the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) and the NTNU University Museum in Norway.
The results, published in the journal iScience, date the skeleton to the same period as the events described in the saga.
– It’s rare to be able to compare physical remains from archaeological excavations with specific characters from sagas, says excavation project manager Anna Petersén at NIKU to forskning.no.
"A rare convergence"
When the skeleton was retrieved, the left arm was missing, and the skull was found separately from the torso. The man’s right shoe was still intact, making it the only clothing item recovered. DNA analyses further revealed details about the man’s appearance.
– When he died, he was in his late 30s and likely between 175 and 180 centimeters tall, which would have been quite tall for the time. This could indicate that he had a good upbringing, says Hanne Ekstrøm Jordahl, osteoarchaeologist and human remains expert at NIKU.
The man had blue eyes, blonde hair, a pronounced brow, and a prominent nose. He suffered from skeletal diseases and tuberculosis. However, researchers were surprised to discover that he was originally from Agder in Southern Norway rather than Trondheim. This raises questions about whether he was truly a Birkebeiner or if the group comprised individuals from various geographic regions. Despite this uncertainty, researchers believe the analysis confirms that the saga’s episode genuinely occurred.
– Our man is a rare convergence between reality and a historical description of an event. Whether he belonged to the Birkebeiner or Bagler factions, or was a random victim, remains unknown, Petersén concludes.
Originating in 1174, the Birkebeiner were a group of mostly peasant rebels who supported Sverre Sigurdsson’s claim to the Norwegian throne. Initially dismissed as impoverished insurgents (hence their name, meaning “birch legs”), they became a powerful military faction, notably defending Sverre against rival forces.
Formed around 1196, the Baglers were backed by the Norwegian church and aristocracy, seeking to depose Sverre. Their name is thought to derive from “bagall” (staff or crozier), symbolizing church backing. They were composed largely of elite and clerical supporters from southern Norway.
The Birkebeiner and Baglers engaged in repeated conflict, marked by deep political and religious divides. Battles between them shaped Norwegian politics for decades, each faction representing different social and geographical groups until the eventual unification of Norway under Haakon Haakonsson.
