The Pagan Lord characters

Appears from the start

Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Northumbrian-born warlord in his fifties who was raised by Danes and remains a pagan in a Christian age. Master of the sword Serpent-Breath, he has spent his life fighting for the house of Alfred against the Danes while longing to reclaim Bebbanburg, the great sea fortress his uncle stole from him in boyhood. Blunt, proud, and scornful of priests, he owes an uneasy service to Mercia and Wessex.

Appears from the start

An Irish exile and Uhtred's closest friend and second-in-command, a swift and deadly swordsman who has stood at his shoulder through years of war. Loyal, dry-humoured, and utterly reliable in a shield wall, he leads Uhtred's household warriors.

Appears from the start

Alfred's eldest daughter and the estranged wife of Aethelred of Mercia. Strong-willed and devout, she commands the true loyalty of Mercia's warriors and is Uhtred's ally and lover, sharing his resolve to hold the Danes back from the Saxon lands.

Appears from the start

The Lord of Mercia and Aethelflaed's estranged husband, a proud and resentful ruler who hates Uhtred and covets a crown of his own. His feud with his wife and his hunger for a great victory over the Danes drive much of the year's trouble.

Appears from the start

Alfred's son and King of Wessex, cautious and mindful of his late father's legacy. He guards the fragile peace between Wessex, Mercia, and the Danes, and is wary of both his sister Aethelflaed's independence and Uhtred's unruly ways.

Appears from the start

Uhtred's second son, Osbert, whom his father renames Uhtred after disowning the elder son for becoming a Christian priest. A capable young warrior eager to prove himself, he rides north with his father and earns his place in the shield wall.

Also known as Cnut Longsword

First appears in chapter 2

Cnut Ranulfson, called Longsword, one of the most feared Danish warlords in Britain and wielder of the sword Ice-Spite. Cunning and swift, he is provoked toward war when his wife and children are seized by a man he is led to believe is Uhtred.

First appears in chapter 2

A treacherous Danish chieftain who has schemed against Uhtred for decades, forever changing sides to serve himself. Diminished but still dangerous, he attaches himself to the greater Danish lords and works his familiar mischief.