"Scientists Think a Skeleton Found in a Well Is the Same Man Described in an 800-Year-Old Norse Text"

But for a tooth, an old skeleton, found in a well outside of a Norwegian castle, may have remained the stuff of legends.

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-think-a-skeleton-found-in-a-well-is-the-same-man-described-in-an-800-year-old-norse-text-180985343/

Anderson, S. (2024, October 29). "Scientists Think a Skeleton Found in a Well Is the Same Man Described in an 800-Year-Old Norse Text: The remains were discovered during excavations in 1938. Now, researchers have learned new information about his identity by analyzing DNA from his tooth." Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-think-a-skeleton-found-in-a-well-is-the-same-man-described-in-an-800-year-old-norse-text-180985343/

Quotation from the original research: "A specific passage in Sverris Saga6 describes in detail how in 1197 CE, while King Sverre wintered in Bergen, the Baglers launched a sneak attack against the Birkebeiner stronghold at Sverresborg Castle built by Sverre around 1180 CE (63° 25′ 10.1922″, 10° 21′ 25.4298″) just west of Nidaros (now the present-day city of Trondheim, Norway). The Bagler army entered the castle through a secret door while the residents were dining. They plundered and raided the castle, burning every house inside, sparing the residents only the clothes they were wearing. Crucially for this study, they threw a dead man’s body down the local drinking well inside the castle, subsequently filling it with boulders."

Open Access Reference: Ellegaard et al., iScience, 111076, 2024 ª 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.isci.2024.111076