
A Jomsviking ritual duel
The Jomsvikings were an order of Viking mercenaries or brigands of the 10th and 11th centuries. The Jomsvikings were established by King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark when he conquered Julinum in the Baltics and gave control of the settlement (renamed to "Jomsborg") and a sizable private army to the Swedish prince Styrbjorn the Strong. Styrbjorn turned Jomsborg into a base for a new order of fierce Scandinavian and Eastern European warriors (many men from the "East land" came to Jomsborg). These warriors were men of proven valor between 18 and 50, and prospective members had to prove themselves in a ritual holmgang duel and adhere to a strict code of honor (defending and avenging fellow warriors, never speaking ill of or quarreling with one's comrades, never showing fear or fleeing in the face of an equal enemy, equally distributing the spoils of war, no Jomsviking was allowed to be absent from Jomsborg for more than three days without permission, and no women or children were allowed within the fortress walls, even as captives) in order to be initiated. They were also staunch pagans who dedicated themselves to Odin. The Jomsvikings suffered terrible defeats at the Battle of Fyrisvellir and the Battle of Hjorungavagr during the 980s, but their defection played a major role in the outcome of the Battle of Svold in 1000. The rise of Christianity in Scandinavia led to the further decline of the pagan Jomsvikings, and, in 1043, Magnus I of Norway sacked Jomsborg, destroyed the fortress, and killed many of its inhabitants, bringing an end to the Jomsvikings.