“Remarkable historical find at Sverresborg. Skeleton at the bottom of the old well. Could it be the Baglers’ victim, thrown into the well in 1197, as the saga claims?”
This was the headline in Adresseavisen on December 2, 1938. The manager of Sverresborg Folk Museum, Sigurd Tiller, and architect and self-taught archaeologist Gerhard Fischer found the skeleton while investigating the castle ruins. Three doctors were called in to confirm it was indeed a human skeleton. Despite the uproar caused by the discovery, Tiller was cautious with the press.
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“Thorough and lengthy investigations are required before science can provide definitive insights into the find’s true significance.”
The skeleton was found and cleaned in 1938. Photo: T365, National Antiquities
Forgotten for 80 Years
In this, Tiller proved more correct than anyone anticipated. Now, however, science has uncovered details about the well man that even the reserved Tiller would have found astonishing. We’ll get back to that.
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In 1939, the well investigation continued, and in June, Gerhard Fischer confidently told Adresseavisen: “Yes, the Birchleg in the well is genuine!” But World War II abruptly halted the excavation. After the war, the skeleton remained in the well, seemingly forgotten.
It would take almost 80 years before anyone again sought answers to the mystery of the man in the well. We’ll return to those answers shortly, but first, a brief historical look back.
The Baglers and the Birchlegs
When King Sigurd Jorsalfare died in 1130, a struggle for the Norwegian throne began, lasting on and off for a hundred years, commonly called the Civil War Era. Sverre Sigurdsson was one of the contenders for the throne, and Sverre’s Saga recounts his path to the crown and his reign.
The contenders had support from various groups of nobles, warriors, and rebels, the most famous being the Birchlegs (Birkebeinere) and the Baglers. The Birchlegs were based in Trøndelag, loyal to King Sverre, while the Baglers, led by Bishop Nikolas Arnesson, were based in Viken (the Oslofjord area) and advocated for the church’s political and economic interests in Norway.
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On the inside of the ribs, the researchers found a coating called pleural plaque. This has led to theories that, for example, he may have been a stonemason or similar, Photo: Åge Hojem, NTNU Science Museum
The Baglers Attack Sverresborg
In 1197, the Baglers attacked Sverre’s men at Sverresborg fortress in Nidaros. The saga recounts how the Baglers coerced the fortress steward, Torstein Kugad, to leave a door unlocked. They surprised the men in the fortress during supper and raided the place. Although the inhabitants’ lives were spared, as Torstein Kugad had negotiated, a significant event followed:
“The Baglers took all the valuables in the fortress, burned down all the buildings, then threw a dead man headfirst into the well, covering it with stones until it was full.”
The Norwegian royal sagas are often full of propaganda and exaggerations, but Sverre’s Saga was written relatively soon after these events, making it a closer-to-reality account than other sagas. It’s therefore no surprise that Gerhard Fischer confidently referred to the skeleton from Sverresborg as “the Birchleg,” covered with stones at the bottom of the well.
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A Powerful Experience
In the 2000s, Fischer’s discovery resurfaced, and in 2014 and 2016, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), initiated a new investigation of the well.
Apart from a few photos and some sketches, documentation from the 1938 excavation was lost, leaving archaeologists uncertain about where to dig or whether the skeleton had even survived the intervening decades. The practical challenges were immense.
“It was muddy, slippery, and deep, and the small opening was filled with large stones we had to lift out one by one,” said Anna Petersén, an archaeologist at NIKU who led the excavation.
One Friday afternoon, there was a shout about bones. Deep down, hidden under large stones and mud, lay the skeleton, in better condition than anyone had dared to hope.
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“It’s one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had as an archaeologist,” Petersén said. “To see the remains of a person thrown into the bottom of a well, with a story attached to him, was something special.”
This is what the well man may have looked like. We now know that the man in the well was blue-eyed with fair skin and blond or light brown hair. And surprisingly enough from Agder. Drawing: Inga-Lill Røsberg
Not Just Any Stone
The archaeologists did not enter the excavation intending to verify the saga’s story. But as they examined the skeleton, several elements fit the tale. It was confirmed that the bones belonged to a single person, a man. Carbon-14 dating showed he lived in the late 1100s.
“I would say it’s highly likely this is the man from the saga, not only based on dating but also because everything matches the written account: Not only is his body in a well under large stones, but the stones are also from the same period as the skeleton,” explained Petersén.
The stones covering the body were finely cut soapstone from the fortress’s construction, suggesting Sverresborg was an “exclusive” structure by medieval standards.
Almost the Entire Skeleton Found
In 2016, the entire skeleton was lifted from the well, or nearly all of it. Parts of the face and left side were missing, but the rest was well-preserved enough to reveal much about the well man’s life.
“He was in his late 30s when he died. He had a robust build, a masculine face, and was likely between 1.75 and 1.8 meters tall—considerably tall for his time,” said Hanne Ekstrøm Jordahl, an osteoarchaeologist at NIKU.
Struck in the Head
Jordahl’s analysis also revealed a possible cause of death. On the left side of his skull, she found a small crater, likely caused by a blunt blow to the head. She consulted a pathologist, who believed the injury was unlikely fatal but would have knocked him unconscious. Inside the skull, she found signs of brain aneurysms, which might have ruptured due to the injury, causing a fatal brain hemorrhage.
Parts of a face and the left side of the skeleton were not found. Photo: Åge Hojem, NTNU University Museum
A Hellish Puzzle
Martin Ellegaard, a PhD candidate in population genetics and archaeological DNA, attempted DNA extraction from the well man’s bones as part of his doctoral work. After countless tries, he succeeded. He determined the man had blue eyes, fair skin, and blond or light brown hair.
Surprising Origins
While the saga didn’t specify his identity, he was assumed to be a Birchleg. DNA analysis, however, showed he was actually from Agder, a region in southern Norway.
“The DNA analysis shows, unequivocally, that he is from Agder,” Ellegaard said, adding that Norway’s population structure has remained stable over the last 800 years.
A Rare Opportunity to See the Skeleton
“We still have a hundred questions about who this man was. What we do know is that he lived in Trondheim during one of the most dramatic periods in Norwegian history,” said Petersén.
Currently, you have the unique opportunity to see the skeleton firsthand at NTNU’s Museum of Natural History, in an exhibition about the man in the well.
The article, “Corroborating written history with ancient DNA: The case of the Well-man described in an Old Norse saga,” by Martin R. Ellegaard, S. Sunna Ebenesersdóttir, Kristjan H.S. Moore, Anna Petersén, Åshild J. Vågene, Vanessa C. Bieker, Sean D. Denham, Gianpiero L. Cavalleri,Edmund Gilbert, Thomas Werge, Thomas F. Hansen, Ingrid Kockum, Lars Alfredsson, Tomas Olsson, Eivind Hovig, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Kári Stefánsson, Hans K. Stenøien, Agnar Helgason, Michael D. Martin, is published in iScience. Click here to read it.
Article courtesy The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
By Frid Kvalpskarmo Hansen
“Remarkable historical find at Sverresborg. Skeleton at the bottom of the old well. Could it be the Baglers’ victim, thrown into the well in 1197, as the saga claims?”
This was the headline in Adresseavisen on December 2, 1938. The manager of Sverresborg Folk Museum, Sigurd Tiller, and architect and self-taught archaeologist Gerhard Fischer found the skeleton while investigating the castle ruins. Three doctors were called in to confirm it was indeed a human skeleton. Despite the uproar caused by the discovery, Tiller was cautious with the press.
“Thorough and lengthy investigations are required before science can provide definitive insights into the find’s true significance.”
The skeleton was found and cleaned in 1938. Photo: T365, National Antiquities
Forgotten for 80 Years
In this, Tiller proved more correct than anyone anticipated. Now, however, science has uncovered details about the well man that even the reserved Tiller would have found astonishing. We’ll get back to that.
In 1939, the well investigation continued, and in June, Gerhard Fischer confidently told Adresseavisen: “Yes, the Birchleg in the well is genuine!” But World War II abruptly halted the excavation. After the war, the skeleton remained in the well, seemingly forgotten.
It would take almost 80 years before anyone again sought answers to the mystery of the man in the well. We’ll return to those answers shortly, but first, a brief historical look back.
The Baglers and the Birchlegs
When King Sigurd Jorsalfare died in 1130, a struggle for the Norwegian throne began, lasting on and off for a hundred years, commonly called the Civil War Era. Sverre Sigurdsson was one of the contenders for the throne, and Sverre’s Saga recounts his path to the crown and his reign.
The contenders had support from various groups of nobles, warriors, and rebels, the most famous being the Birchlegs (Birkebeinere) and the Baglers. The Birchlegs were based in Trøndelag, loyal to King Sverre, while the Baglers, led by Bishop Nikolas Arnesson, were based in Viken (the Oslofjord area) and advocated for the church’s political and economic interests in Norway.
On the inside of the ribs, the researchers found a coating called pleural plaque. This has led to theories that, for example, he may have been a stonemason or similar, Photo: Åge Hojem, NTNU Science Museum
The Baglers Attack Sverresborg
In 1197, the Baglers attacked Sverre’s men at Sverresborg fortress in Nidaros. The saga recounts how the Baglers coerced the fortress steward, Torstein Kugad, to leave a door unlocked. They surprised the men in the fortress during supper and raided the place. Although the inhabitants’ lives were spared, as Torstein Kugad had negotiated, a significant event followed:
“The Baglers took all the valuables in the fortress, burned down all the buildings, then threw a dead man headfirst into the well, covering it with stones until it was full.”
The Norwegian royal sagas are often full of propaganda and exaggerations, but Sverre’s Saga was written relatively soon after these events, making it a closer-to-reality account than other sagas. It’s therefore no surprise that Gerhard Fischer confidently referred to the skeleton from Sverresborg as “the Birchleg,” covered with stones at the bottom of the well.
A Powerful Experience
In the 2000s, Fischer’s discovery resurfaced, and in 2014 and 2016, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), initiated a new investigation of the well.
Apart from a few photos and some sketches, documentation from the 1938 excavation was lost, leaving archaeologists uncertain about where to dig or whether the skeleton had even survived the intervening decades. The practical challenges were immense.
“It was muddy, slippery, and deep, and the small opening was filled with large stones we had to lift out one by one,” said Anna Petersén, an archaeologist at NIKU who led the excavation.
One Friday afternoon, there was a shout about bones. Deep down, hidden under large stones and mud, lay the skeleton, in better condition than anyone had dared to hope.
“It’s one of the most powerful experiences I’ve had as an archaeologist,” Petersén said. “To see the remains of a person thrown into the bottom of a well, with a story attached to him, was something special.”
Not Just Any Stone
The archaeologists did not enter the excavation intending to verify the saga’s story. But as they examined the skeleton, several elements fit the tale. It was confirmed that the bones belonged to a single person, a man. Carbon-14 dating showed he lived in the late 1100s.
“I would say it’s highly likely this is the man from the saga, not only based on dating but also because everything matches the written account: Not only is his body in a well under large stones, but the stones are also from the same period as the skeleton,” explained Petersén.
The stones covering the body were finely cut soapstone from the fortress’s construction, suggesting Sverresborg was an “exclusive” structure by medieval standards.
Almost the Entire Skeleton Found
In 2016, the entire skeleton was lifted from the well, or nearly all of it. Parts of the face and left side were missing, but the rest was well-preserved enough to reveal much about the well man’s life.
“He was in his late 30s when he died. He had a robust build, a masculine face, and was likely between 1.75 and 1.8 meters tall—considerably tall for his time,” said Hanne Ekstrøm Jordahl, an osteoarchaeologist at NIKU.
Struck in the Head
Jordahl’s analysis also revealed a possible cause of death. On the left side of his skull, she found a small crater, likely caused by a blunt blow to the head. She consulted a pathologist, who believed the injury was unlikely fatal but would have knocked him unconscious. Inside the skull, she found signs of brain aneurysms, which might have ruptured due to the injury, causing a fatal brain hemorrhage.
Parts of a face and the left side of the skeleton were not found. Photo: Åge Hojem, NTNU University Museum
A Hellish Puzzle
Martin Ellegaard, a PhD candidate in population genetics and archaeological DNA, attempted DNA extraction from the well man’s bones as part of his doctoral work. After countless tries, he succeeded. He determined the man had blue eyes, fair skin, and blond or light brown hair.
Surprising Origins
While the saga didn’t specify his identity, he was assumed to be a Birchleg. DNA analysis, however, showed he was actually from Agder, a region in southern Norway.
“The DNA analysis shows, unequivocally, that he is from Agder,” Ellegaard said, adding that Norway’s population structure has remained stable over the last 800 years.
A Rare Opportunity to See the Skeleton
“We still have a hundred questions about who this man was. What we do know is that he lived in Trondheim during one of the most dramatic periods in Norwegian history,” said Petersén.
Currently, you have the unique opportunity to see the skeleton firsthand at NTNU’s Museum of Natural History, in an exhibition about the man in the well.
The article, “Corroborating written history with ancient DNA: The case of the Well-man described in an Old Norse saga,” by Martin R. Ellegaard, S. Sunna Ebenesersdóttir, Kristjan H.S. Moore, Anna Petersén, Åshild J. Vågene, Vanessa C. Bieker, Sean D. Denham, Gianpiero L. Cavalleri,Edmund Gilbert, Thomas Werge, Thomas F. Hansen, Ingrid Kockum, Lars Alfredsson, Tomas Olsson, Eivind Hovig, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Kári Stefánsson, Hans K. Stenøien, Agnar Helgason, Michael D. Martin, is published in iScience. Click here to read it.
Article courtesy The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
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