10/26/2024

A Medieval Saga Told of a Man Thrown in a Well

Scientists found him

An 800-year-old Norse saga makes a glancing mention of a dead man tossed in a drinking well after a raid on a castle in Norway, almost as an aside. The poor guy doesn't even get a name.

Scientists now believe they have found him. In the journal iScience on Friday, researchers report the results of radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA analysis and a detailed study of a skeleton discovered decades ago at the bottom of a well outside Sverresborg castle near Trondheim. They make the case that this “Well-man” is the same person briefly mentioned in Sverris saga, a 182-verse story about an early Norwegian king who came to power during the last half of the 12th century.

To be clear, the dead guy in the well was not a major figure in the annals of medieval Norwegian history. He gets a single line: "They cast a dead man into a well, and then filled it up with stones."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.