Eric Bloodaxe

Eric Bloodaxe was a tenth-century Norse ruler associated with Norway and the Viking kingdom of York. His career belongs to the turbulent world of Scandinavian kingship, exile and conflict in the North Sea zone.

In Cecelia Holland’s The Soul Thief (the Life and Times of Corban Loosestrife), the search draws Corban into Jórvík during the troubled rule of Eric Bloodaxe and Gunnhild, and then into the wider Scandinavian world. In Tim Hodkinson’s The Raven Banner, the search draws Einar through Norse settlements and the competing claims of rulers including Eric Bloodaxe. Other novels featuring Eric Bloodaxe include Tim Hodkinson’s The Wolf Hunt, Tim Hodkinson’s The Serpent King, and Tim Hodkinson’s The Bear’s Blade.