Editing Ragnar Lodbrok (section)

=== Anglo-Saxon and Irish accounts of the father of Ivar and Halfdan ===
According to the contemporary ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' and [[Asser]]'s ''Life of Alfred'', in 878 the "brother of Hingwar and Healfden", with a naval fleet, a contingent of the Great Heathen Army invaded [[Devon]] in England and fought the [[Battle of Cynwit]]. There the Vikings lost, their king slain and many dead, with few escaping to their ships. After the battle the [[Saxons]] took great plunder, and among other things the banner called "Raven".<ref>Garmonsway, G.N. (1972), ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. London: Dent, p. 75-7.</ref> The early 12th century ''[[Annals of St Neots]]'' further state that "they say that the three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba, daughters of Lodebroch (Lodbrok), wove that flag and got it ready in one day. They say, moreover, that in every battle, wherever the flag went before them, if they were to gain the victory, a live crow would appear flying on the middle of the flag; but if they were doomed to be defeated, it would hang down motionless, and this was often proved to be so."<ref>Garmonsway, G.N. (1972), ''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. London: Dent, p. 77.</ref> This is among the earlier references to the legendary hero Ragnar Lodbrok.

The Irish {{lang|ga|[[Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib]]}} from the 12th century, with information deriving from earlier annals, mentions king Halfdan (d. 877) under the name "mac Ragnaill".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/cogadhgaedhelreg00todd|title=Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh = The war of the Gaedhil with the Gaill, or, The invasions of Ireland by the Danes and other Norsemen : the original Irish text, edited, with translation and introduction|first=James Henthorn|last=Todd|date=28 February 1867|publisher=London : Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer|access-date=28 February 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> The form Ragnall may refer to either Ragnvald or Ragnar and the entry is a strong indication that the name of Ivar's and Halfdan's father was really Ragnar or a similar name.<ref>Smyth, Alfred P. (1977) ''Scandinavian kings in the British Isles 850–880''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 263 & 279</ref> The early 11th century ''[[Three Fragments]]'' contains a passage that gives a semi-legendary background to the capture of York by the Vikings in 866. The two younger sons of Halfdan, King of [[Lochlann]], expelled the eldest son, Ragnall, who sailed to the [[Orkney islands]] with his three sons and settled there. Two of the sons later raided the English and [[Franks]], proceeding to plunder in the Mediterranean. One of them learned from a vision that Ragnall had fought a battle where the third son had been slain and in which he himself had most likely perished. The two Viking sons then returned home with a lot of dark-skinned captives.<ref>Smyth, Alfred P. (1977) ''Scandinavian kings in the British Isles 850–880''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 62</ref> It has been hypothesized that this is an Irish version of ''Ragnar Lodbrok's saga'', the Mediterranean expedition being a historical event taking place in 859-61.<ref>Smyth, Alfred P. (1977) ''Scandinavian kings in the British Isles 850–880''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 64-5.</ref>