History Characters / TheSaxonStories

* GenerationXerox: She's uncannily like Gisela, right down to the {{Seer}} tendencies, though she inherited her father's [[BloodKnight more bloodthirsty instincts]]. It's enough that looking at her as a grown woman is sometimes painful for her father, because she looks that much like her mother.

* AppropriatedAlias: Rather enjoys being known as 'Uhtredaewe' - Uhtred the Wicked.

** And insulting Gisela after her passing.

* GlorySeeker: As a young man. Possibly what angers Uhtred the most in ''The Pale Horseman'' is that Alfred refuses to give him the glory for killing Ubba - mostly because someone else claimed it first (though it is hinted that Alfred knew what happened). As he gets older, it wears off - though it never entirely goes away.

* RedBaron: He acquires many nicknames - the Shield of Mercia, the Sword of the Saxons, and the Warlord of England. One he takes as an AppropriatedAlias is 'Uhtredaewe' - Uhtred the Wicked. This is partly because of his paganism, and partly because he one of his other nicknames is Uhtred Priest-Killer.

* GoodIsNotNice: To a greater extent than his grandfather, Athelstan proves capable of committing very ruthless acts when the situation calls for it, while still acting as the BigGood. [[spoiler: An example of this is when he personally executes his wicked half-brother Aelfweard, who would have been a threat for as long as he continued to live. This is notably something that Alfred could never bring himself to do with Aethelwold]].

* TookALevelInJerkass: He becomes notably more arrogant, Machiavellian, and untrustworthy [[spoiler: after ascending to the throne]]. Uhtred, in particular, feels deeply betrayed that [[spoiler: Aethelstan breaks an oath he had sworn not to invade Northumbria and not to dispute his family's claim to Bebbanburg. Aethelstan was acting on bad intel from treacherous advisors, fearing that Uhtred was planning to ally with the Scots, and eventually he is brought to his senses]].

* HandicappedBadass: Cross-eyed, club footed, palsied hand doesn't stop him from going where Alfred and God send him and leaping into danger.

* BadassPreacher: He was a warrior before he was ordained, and still fights, even though he probably shouldn't. He also reckons that he could kill Uhtred if it came to it, pointing out that for all that he is a Welshman and a Priest (for which Uhtred should hate him twice over), Uhtred likes him and would be reluctant to kill him. And while that would only give him three or four strokes of the sword, [[BadassBoast those are all he needs.]] Notably, Uhtred, who's touchy about his reputation and is already one of the greatest warriors in Britain, doesn't dispute this at the time, or in the narration.
* BigEater: He likes his food - when he first appears, he suddenly turns to Iseult and speaks to her in fluent Welsh, and Uhtred grouchily assumes he's preaching at her. Then he turns back, grins, and explains that he was explaining a recipe.

* GoodShepherd: Even to Uhtred, staunch pagan and priest-killer that he is, which takes some doing. His EstablishingCharacterMoment is to take over Iseult's preparations for lunch, reconcile Uhtred - who was utterly determined to hate him and grieving his son's death - to her conversion to Christianity, and sincerely comfort him over said son's death by sharing his own story of OutlivingOnesOffspring. And he makes Uhtred like him. He manages all this in the space of a single, relatively short, conversation.

* BadassPreacher: He was a warrior before he was ordained, and still fights, even though he probably shouldn't. He also reckons that he could kill Uhtred if it came to it, pointing out that for all that he is a Welshman and a Priest (for which Uhtred should hate him twice over), Uhtred likes him and would be reluctant to kill him. And while that would only give him three or four strokes of the sword, [[BadassBoast those are all he needs.]] Notably, Uhtred, who's touchy about his reputation, doesn't dispute this at the time, or in the narration.
* BigEater: He likes his food - when he first appears, he suddenly turns to Iseult and speaks to her in fluent Welsh, and Uhtred assumes he's preaching at her. Then he turns back, grins, and explains that he was explaining a recipe.

* TheConscience: Serves as this to Uhtred on more than one occasion, usually being the one to remind him of his oath to Alfred.

* GoodShepherd: Even to Uhtred, staunch pagan that he is, which takes some doing.

* OddFriendship: He's a Welshman and a Priest, two things Uhtred - a Saxon and a staunch pagan - hates, but he's irrepressibly likeable.

* AlmightyJanitor: Far more qualified to lead the fleet than any commander he's given, but he can't read.

A Saxon warrior and friend of Uhtred

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Despite his appearance, he's a kind soul, a dog lover, and does not like Danes or bullies.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Doesn't say much, especially at first, but he's one of the few men who have a good chance of killing Uhtred in his prime.

* GrumpyOldMan: when he comes back in ''The War Lord'' he is ''way'' snarkier towards Uhtred than he was when the two were younger. For his part, Uhtred just rolls with it.

* Ambition is Evil: [[spoiler: Allies with Sveinn to become his candidate for PuppetKing of Wessex. ]]

An Ealdorman of Wessex tasked with guarding the Danish hostages and Aetholwold

Commander of Uhtred's household troops.

* FightingIrish: An Irish warrior, and one of the best and quickest fighters in the series.

* HeterosexualLifepartners: Often described as Uhtred's companion, and closest friend.

* LightningBruiser: Known as Finan the Agile, and one of the fastest and most deadly swordsmen in the series.

* ProudTraderRace: During peace time.
* ProudWarriorRace: The Proudest. Somehow, though, Uhtred manages to outdo them by being "more Danish than the Danes."

* LikeASonToMe: What Uhtred becomes. End's up calling him his second son after Rorik dies.

* CoolTeacher: Teach's Uhtred, Brida and Rorik about the Norse religion and life. Also teaches Brida "spells".

* FriendlyEnemy: When Alfred's oath drafts Uhtred back into his service, he's pretty easygoing about it - though considering the value he places on his own oaths, and that both probably got it from Ragnar the Elder, this isn't entirely surprising.

* NiceGuy: He's as friendly and affable as you get, save only when dealing with Kjartan, to the point where he even takes to Pyrlig (though ''everyone'' likes Pyrlig), Steapa - who hates Danes - comes to like him, and Alfred trusts his word to come back after rescuing an enslaved Uhtred.
* OddFriendship: With ''Steapa'', of all people, who ''hates'' the Danes.

* TraumaCongaLine: Is molested by Sven at a young age, her betrothed is killed in front of her, her family (save her brothers, by blood and adoption) is killed in a hall-burning, she is kidnapped by Sven, raped repeatedly over the better part of a decade, left in terrible conditions and driven mad while her brother and adopted brother (in her eyes) take no care to her plight.

* EyeScream: Ragnar the Fearless turns his eye to pulp for molesting Thyra, he only takes half his eyes because she was only "half-naked".

* TeensAreMonsters: His cruelty as a young boy is only the beginning

* AffablyEvil: Zig-Zagged between this and FauxAffablyEvil, with interactions between him and Uhtred coming off like two old friends bantering away at each other.

* ManipulativeBastard: Despite his ChronicBackstabbingDisorder, he ''always'' manages to slither his away back into power.
* SmugSnake: He only narrowly fails to be a MagnificentBastard because he schemes don't ''quite'' come off - however, stopping him always takes a great deal of effort, and it takes decades for his KarmaHoudiniWarranty to wear off. If it wasn't for Uhtred, he'd probably be ruling Britain.

* BloodKnight: He loves fighting, particularly as a young man, though as he gets older, he gains a much greater appreciation for the peaceful life.

* DentedIron: Slowly accumulates a large amount of wounds as he ages.
* TheDreaded: Becomes this as his reputation grows.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Uhtred is infuriated by Aethelred's abuse of Aethelflaed and later terrifies him into not raising a hand to her again. As it turns out, he isn't at all fond of DomesticAbuse in general and punishes his men if they beat their wives.

* FamedInStory: He becomes this, to his delight - as he repeatedly notes, reputation is all.

* GeniusBruiser: Most people take him to be little more than a large, violent, and generally bloodthirsty pagan savage - and, to be fair, that's a large part of it. However, he also speaks both Saxon and Danish fluently, learns to read and write very quickly as an adult and acquires a surprisingly extensive knowledge of Christian scripture (which he hates), is an excellent tactician, and when he wants to be, a highly accomplished political schemer.
* GlorySeeker: Particularly as a young man. Possibly what angers Uhtred the most in ''The Pale Horseman'' is that Alfred refuses to give him the glory for killing Ubba - mostly because someone else claimed it first (though it is hinted that Alfred knew what happened).

* HappilyMarried: With Gisela. With Mildrith, not so much, not after the honeymoon phase wore off. In the latter case, it was unhappy enough that his narration is consistently sympathetic towards her, noting that he was a bad husband and completely wrong for her (she was a pious CountryMouse and he was an arrogant pagan warrior who was angry at the world and hungry for glory).
* HatesEveryoneEqually: As both a young and an old man, he hates just about everyone - though in the latter case, it's more a case of being old, tired, and somewhat bitter. In between, he mellows out.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's not a nice person (as in, it's rare that he can get through a chapter without insulting, killing or threatening someone), and gets even less so after the love of his life dies. However, he is a good person at heart, his narration expresses a surprising amount of sympathy for his first wife in retrospect (it was an ArrangedMarriage that quickly went sour), and generally kind to children in a gruff sort of way.

* TheKingmaker: As early as ''Lords of the North'', he's experimenting with being the ManBehindTheMan to King Guthred, who he helps rise to power, a position he cements by helping Ragnar take Dunholm and keep Guthred on a close leash. By the time of Alfred's death, he is one of the foremost powers among the Saxons, deciding the succession of Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria on multiple occasions.

* MadeASlave: In ''Lords of the North''. Cue RoaringRampageOfRevenge against the slavers, though not so much against Guthred - as he notes, his enslavement was NothingPersonal. It was both Guthred's means of getting Aelfric's allegiance, and a product of Uhtred's encouragement to be more ruthless.
* {{McNinja}} : Attempts to be a shadow-walker in his youth. For such a big man, he is surprisingly stealthy.

* MoralityPet: Father Beocca, after a fashion - Uhtred, while sometimes irritated by him, is notably kinder to him than he is to most people, especially priests. However, [[TheGadfly he does enjoy winding him up.]]

* OldSoldier: He is at least eighty by "War Lord."
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Outlives his first son

** Later, his ward, Aethelstan, becomes his favourite.
* ParentsAsPeople: He's got a mixed record as a father at best, as he freely admits, one that gets a lot worse after the love of his life dies. He's excellent with [[DaddysGirl Stiorra,]] mixed with the second Uhtred, and terrible with Father Judas - when the latter tearfully says that Uhtred was a good father when Uhtred is on his deathbed, Uhtred's immediate, irritated thought is that no, he wasn't, he was terrible at it.
* StealthMentor: To Edward.

[[folder:Father Judas[=/=] Bishop Oswald]]
!!! '''Appearances:''' Sword Song|

* BadassPreacher: He might not be a fighter, but as even his father grudgingly notes, he's got the family courage and he inherited willpower from both parents, as shown by his accepting the name Judas from his father.
* TheGoodChancellor: He's an honest adviser to Aethelstan, amidst all the flatterers and liars.

* TheUnFavourite: At first as a result of his being a soft, quiet child when Uhtred wants a brash warrior in the making, then later as a result of converting to Christianity, then finally as a result of becoming a Priest, which by Uhtred's own account, broke his heart. Uhtred later laments that his eldest child was arguably the best of his children.

* GenerationXerox: Going by his POV section and his appearances in his father's sections, he's basically evolved into a young version of his father - albeit a less brash one, a Christian (mostly), and with a less forceful will.

* InterfaithSmoothie: He's mostly Christian, but still semi-pagan, occupying the middle ground between his older brother, who's a priest and later bishop, and his sister, who's defiantly pagan.
* NiceGuy: He's the gentlest of his siblings, and while he's got his father's brash cockiness, he doesn't have the boderline psychotic edge his father did as a young man.

* ActionDad: To Aethelflaed and Edward, among others.

* TheChessMaster: When narrating ''The Last Kingdom'', Uhtred notes (using a chess metaphor) with the benefit of hindsight that when Alfred gives him a fine suit of armour, an attractive heiress, and getting him to swear an oath of loyalty that this wasn't any sign that he really liked/valued Uhtred (who was at that point a brash, if talented warrior and landless noble). By his own admission, Uhtred hadn't done anything to earn such gifts. Instead, it was merely a way of tying Uhtred to him, for his potential value in the future (and in the case of the heiress, Mildrith, to saddle someone with a massive debt to the church).

* ManipulativeBastard: How he controls Uhtred, to the latter's resentment - specifically, he knows Uhtred's buttons (his HonourBeforeReason tendencies, primarily), and precisely how to press them to get the desired result.
* OddFriendship: A devoutly Christian, mild-mannered WisePrince and a brash, openly pagan BloodKnight. Not two people you'd think would get on - and most of the time, they don't. Yet he and Uhtred develop one, first during ''The Pale Horseman'' when Alfred is a King on the run and relies heavily on Uhtred to survive, leading to a far greater informality in their dynamic, and later when Uhtred's mellowed out somewhat and Alfred has stopped seeing him as an attack dog to be a) kept where he can see him, b) then unleashed at appropriate moments. The end result is a deep mutual respect.

[[folder:Father Judas]]

* BadassPreacher: He might not be a fighter, but as even his father grudgingly notes, he's got the family courage, accepting the name Judas from his father.

* TheUnFavourite: At first as a result of his being a soft, quiet child when Uhtred wants a brash warrior in the making, then later as a result of converting to Christianity, then finally as a result of becoming a Priest, which by Uhtred's own account, broke his heart.

* GenerationXerox: Going by his POV section and his appearances in his father's sections, he's basically evolved into a young version of his father - albeit a less brash one, and with a less forceful will.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Ends up with this opinion of Uhtred's ServileSnarker tendencies.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Again, this is the man who comes to dominate Saxon controlled Britain, and manages to control Uhtred.

* OddFriendship: A devoutly Christian, mild-mannered WisePrince and a brash, openly pagan BloodKnight. Not two people you'd think would get on - and most of the time, they don't. Yet he and Uhtred develop one, first during ''The Pale Horseman'' when Alfred is a King on the run and relies heavily on Uhtred to survive, leading to a far greater informality in their dynamic, and later when Uhtred's mellowed out somewhat and Alfred has stopped seeing him as an attack dog to be a) kept where he can see him, b) then unleashed at appropriate moments.

* HeritageFaceTurn: Played with.

* {{Jerkass}}: Can't get through a chapter without insulting, killing or threatening someone.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's not a nice person, and gets even less so after the love of his life dies, but he is a good person at heart, and generally kind to children in a gruff sort of way.

* LoveAtFirstSight : With Gisela. "I saw her, and I was stricken."
* MadeASlave: In ''Lords of the North''. Cue RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

* OddFriendship : With Fathers Pyrlig, Willibald, Beocca, and Cuthbert (who he finds hilarious), for various different reasons - all priests of a religion that he hates.

* ReallyGetsAround: He ends up with a ''lot'' of girlfriends over the years, never mind visits to the brothel (as Gisela, his wife, accusingly points out at one point, when they're staying in a tavern/brothel in Winchester, they know him ''very'' well there. Uhtred's somewhat weak defence is that it's not ''just'' a brothel) in early books. However, with the exception of the thoroughly unhappy ArrangedMarriage with Mildrith, he's always entirely faithful to his girlfriend of the time.

* ServileSnarker : To Alfred, who particularly in later life, thinks it's ActuallyPrettyFunny.

Uhtred's father.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The author typically plays with this trope, but Uhtred believes his death was magic.

* GroinAttack: [[spoiler: is castrated by Brida. ]]

* ActionPolitician: Is a political genius literally decades ahead of his time.

* GoodParents: Zig-Zagged. Even Uhtred at his most cantankerous notes how gentle and playful he is with his children, and how fond he is of them - which actually raises him in Uhtred's estimation somewhat. However, by modern standards, his refusal to intervene in Aethelred's DomesticAbuse of Aethelflaed would firmly disqualify him - even if [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation he might have been]] [[BatmanGambit pretty certain that Uhtred, who angrily brought it to his attention, was going to do something violent about it.]]

* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: His introductory scene is him prayer with Father Beocca about this at the age of 19

* AmbiguouslyGay: By the time he [[spoiler: takes the throne of the nascent Englaland]], Athelstan's neglect of having taken a wife, extravagent sense of fashion, and seeming preference for the company of his male advisors leads to rumors about his sexuality, although nothing is ever confirmed about this one way or another. Historically, he never married or had children, which certainly raises some questions.

* OldSoldier: He is at least sixty-seven by "Sword of Kings."

* InfantImmortality: Averted. He dies choking on a pebble by a river, at roughly the same time as a magical ritual heals Edward the Aetheling.

* Ambadassador: Of the, 'listen to what my friend is saying because I'm scary' type

* AmbiguouslyGay: By the time he [[spoiler: takes the throne of the nascent Englaland]], Athelstan's neglect of having taken a wife, extravagent sense of fashion, and seeming preference for the company of his male advisors leads to rumors about his sexuality, although nothing is ever confirmed about this one way or another.

* GoodIsNotNice: To a greater extent than his grandfather, Athelstan proves capable of committing very ruthless acts when the situation calls for it, while still acting as the BigGood. [[spoiler: An example of this is when he personally executes his wicked half-brother Aelfweard, who would have been a threat for as long as he continued to live. This is notably something that Alfred could never bring himself to do with Aethelwold.

* GoodIsNotNice: To a greater extent than his grandfather, Athelstan proves capable of committing very ruthless acts when the situation calls for it, while still acting as TheBigGood. [[spoiler: An example of this is when he personally executes his wicked half-brother Aelfweard, who would have been a threat for as long as he continued to live. This is notably something that Alfred could never bring himself to do with Aethelwold.

[[folder: Æthelstan]]

!!Æthelstan Of Wessex

* AmbiguouslyGay: By the time he [[spoiler: takes the throne of the nascent Englaland]], Æthelstan's neglect of having taken a wife, extravagent sense of fashion, and seeming preference for the company of his male advisors leads to rumors about his sexuality, although nothing is ever confirmed about this one way or another.

* EducatedBadass: Received a formal education from the monks he grew up among, and learned the ways of war from Uhtred.
* GoodIsNotNice: To a greater extent than his grandfather, Æthelstan proves capable of committing very ruthless acts when the situation calls for it, while still acting as TheBigGood. [[spoiler: An example of this is when he personally executes his wicked half-brother Ælfweard, who would have been a threat for as long as he continued to live. This is notably something that Alfred could never bring himself to do with Aethelwold.

[[folder: Aethelstan]]

!!Aethelstan Of Wessex

* AmbiguouslyGay: By the time he [[spoiler: takes the throne of the nascent Englaland]], Aethelstan's neglect of having taken a wife, extravagent sense of fashion, and seeming preference for the company of his male advisors leads to rumors about his sexuality, although nothing is ever confirmed about this one way or another.

[[folder: Aethelwold ]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' The Last Kingdom | The Pale Horseman | Sword Song

Alfred's nephew, son of King Aethelred, was a boy when his father dies. A drunk and philanderer who has designs on the crown of Wessex, he and Uhtred were friends for a time, united in their dislike for Alfred.

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Her husband is an abusive and jealous {{Jerkass}}, only prevented from raping and beating her by Uhtred's threats of violent murder. As a result, her affairs with Uhtred and [[spoiler: Erik Thurgilson]] are portrayed quite sympathetically.

* ActionSurvivor: Isn't a man for the front of a shield wall, but has to be held down by multiple priests to be kept from the fight at Ethandun

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Her husband is an abusive and jealous {{Jerkass}} her affairs with Uhtred and [[ spoiler: Erik Thurgilson]] are portrayed quite sympathetically.

* PregnantBadass: Kidnapped and threatened with gangrape while at most fifteen and pregnant. Doesn't show a hint of fear during the rescue battle.

* RapeAsDrama : Aethelred "rapes her like a boar" on their wedding night. She is seen crying and being comforted by the women of the court the next day. Her personality when seen a month later suggests it was a continuous theme. She's fourteen. Later threatened with being whored and gangraped when captured by Norsemen.

* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: with Erik Thurgilson once she's captured by the Northmen thanks to her husband's screw ups. ]]

Alfred's nephew, son of King Aethelred, was a boy when his father dies. A drunk and philanderer he has designs on the crown of Wessex.

* DitchTheBodyguards: Frequently did this to drink and whore
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Aethelwold aethling

Bastard son of Alfred by a serving girl, and of all Alfred's children, the most like him.

* BadassPreacher: He's not ordained, but he has the knowledge, which Uhtred occasionally exploits (to assuage the worries of some of his Christian followers), and he's an excellent fighter.

* GenerationXerox: By ''War of the Wolf'', he could quite easily ''be'' Alfred, which comes at the cost of his sense of humour.
* HeroicBastard: Alfred's bastard son, and entirely loyal to him and to his legitimate siblings, who he gets on with very well - at least at first, in the case of Edward. By ''War of the Wolf'', their relationship has soured, though Edward is largely a drunken wreck.

* BadassPreacher: Rides along with Uhtred, [[spoiler: exorcises Thyra after leaping into a pack of rabid dogs. ]]
* GoodShepherd: Perhaps the kindest priest Uhtred ever met. Does not approve of Bishop Erkenwald's public sermon justifying Aethelflaed's DomesticAbuse

* BadassPreacher: He was a warrior before he was ordained, and still fights, even though he probably shouldn't. He also reckons that he could kill Uhtred if it came to it, pointing out that for all that he is a Welshman and a Priest (for which Uhtred should hate him twice over), Uhtred likes him and would be reluctant to kill him. And while that would only give him three or four strokes of the sword, those are all he needs.
* BigEater: He likes his food.

* UsefulNotes/AngloSaxons : The Kingdom of Wessex is the Kingdom of the Western Saxons.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Averted at first, Alfred won't given him command because he can't read. Later promoted to captain of his guard on merit alone in The Pale Horseman
* BloodKnight: Enjoys a fight almost as much as Uhtred

* TheCaptain: Of Heahengel, then Alfred's household guard
* LargeAndInCharge: Not as big as Uhtred
* NeverLearnedToRead: A severe handicap in his career

* BewareTheNiceOnes: A kind soul, dog lover, does not like Danes or bullies

* BootsOfToughness: Starts the trend of badass warriors wearing iron bars in their boots to protect from "the blow that comes below"
* DeathGlare: His passive expression is quite terrifying
* TheDreaded: His time in the shieldwall usually ends with "and none dared faced him"
* HeartbrokenBadass: His mother and dog were killed by the Danes
* IronicNickname: "Snotor" means clever. He is not.
* LargeAndInCharge: One of the tallest men in England, eventually commands Alfred's bodyguard
* OneHandedZweihander: His weapon of choice

Ealdorman of Defnascir

* ProudWarriorRace: The Proudest.

One of the three Lothbrok sons leading the Great Heathen Army

* DecompositeCharacter: With Sveinn of the White Horse

* BerserkButton: Desecrating Ubbe's corpse.

* SinkOrSwimMentor: Let's Uhtred kill his first man alone.

Ragnar the Fearless's son, a mighty Viking

* HotForPreacher: [[spoiler: She is for Father Beocca. ]]
* TraumaCongaLine: Is molested by Sven at a young age, her betrothed is killed in front of her, her family (Save her brother) is killed in a hall-burning, she is kidnapped by Sven, raped repeatedly over the better part of a decade, left in terrible conditions and driven mad while her brother and adopted brother (in her eyes) take no care to her plight.

* AndYourLittleDogToo!: Threatens to take Hild and two girls they're traveling with as sex slaves.

* EyeScream: Ragnar the Fearless turns his eye to pulp for molesting Thyra, he only takes half his eyes because she was only "half-naked"
* FedToTheBeast: [[spoiler: Thyra feeds him to his hounds. ]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Fed to the dogs he tormented others with by the woman he kidnapped and raped. ]]

* EvilCripple: Between Pyrlig and Osferth he's fairly crippled in the first third of Sword Song. Was evil before that.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Easily the nicest Northman Uhtred opposes in Sword Song. Still a badass. {{Viking}}.

* InertialImpalement: [[spoiler: On his brother's sword. ]]

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: Her husband is an abusive and jealous {{Jerkass}} her affairs with Uhtred and [[ spoilers: Erik Thurgilson]] are portrayed quite sympathetically.

* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Subjected to the trial of "dirty water" by Bishop Erkenwald, Aldhelm, and Aethelred to proved her baby is his. [[spoilers: It is. ]]

* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoilers: with Erik Thurgilson once she's captured by the Northmen thanks to her husband's screw ups. ]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoilers: Dies fighting in Ireland.]]

* FedToTheBeast: [[spoilers: Thyra feeds him to his hounds. ]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoilers: Fed to the dogs he tormented others with by the woman he kidnapped and raped. ]]

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoilers: Dies at Beamfleot. ]]

* DiscOneFinalBoss: The first BigBad Uhtred kills in his career, far from the last.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoilers: Killed by Steapa at the Battle of Ethandun after being unhorsed by Uhtred.]]

One of the three Lothbroksons and a leader of the Great Heathen Army.

[[hardline]]

* BigBadDuumvirate: With his brother's Halfdan and Ubbe.
* GiveMeASign: Martyrs King Edmund of East Anglia as a test to see whose deities are more powerful.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter:
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoilers: Dies fighting in Ireland.]]
* ReligiousBruiser: Very religious, and takes a test of faith seriously.

* RapeAsDrama : Aethelred "rapes her like a boar" on their wedding night. She is seen crying and being comforted by the women of the court the next day. Her personality when seen a month later suggests it was a continuous theme. She's fourteen.

!!Danes


[[folder: In General]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ubba Lothbrokson ]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' The Last Kingdom |

One of the three Lothbrok sons leading the Great Heathen Army

* AnAxToGrind: Fights with a large waraxe and uses it to break Uhtred's shieldwall at Cynuit.
* TheDreaded: Never fight Ubba!
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The first BigBad Uhtred kills in his career, far from the last.

[[folder:Ivar the Boneless]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Halfdan Lothbrokson]]

[[folder:Sveinn of the White Horse]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ragnar the Fearless]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ravn]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ragnar the Younger]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Thyra]]

!!!'''Appearances:''' The Last Kingdom | The Lords of the North | Sword Song|

Ragnar the Elder and Sigrid's only daughter, abducted by Kjartan and Sven after the hall-burning.

* TheBeastmaster: The only person to really control Kjartan's hounds.
* ConvertingForLove: [[spoiler: converts to Christianity and marries Father Beocca. ]]
* DamselInDistress: Kidnapped by Sven and Kjartan for the better part of a decade. At first Ragnar didn't even know she was alive.
* HotForPreacher: [[spoiler: She is for Father Beocca. ]]
* TraumaCongaLine: Is molested by Sven at a young age, her betrothed is killed in front of her, her family (Save her brother) is killed in a hall-burning, she is kidnapped by Sven, raped repeatedly over the better part of a decade, left in terrible conditions and driven mad while her brother and adopted brother (in her eyes) take no care to her plight.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sven the One-Eyed]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' The Last Kingdom | The Lords of the North |

Son of Kjartan the Cruel, a bully from Uhtred's childhood.

* AndYourLittleDogToo!: Threatens to take Hild and two girls they're traveling with as sex slaves.
* TheDreaded: To the people who travel through his father's territory.
* EyeScream: Ragnar the Fearless turns his eye to pulp for molesting Thyra, he only takes half his eyes because she was only "half-naked"
* FedToTheBeast: [[spoilers: Thyra feeds him to his hounds. ]]
* GroinAttack: He tells Thyra to "touch it", Uhtred offers to touch it-with a sword. Sven's lucky he missed.[[spoiler: Thyra has dogs eat him "from groin up" ]].
* KarmicDeath: [[ Fed to the dogs he tormented others with by the woman he kidnapped and raped. ]]
* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Runs a slave trading operation out of Gyruum, takes pretty girls as young as thirteen as sex slaves.
* TeensAreMonsters: His cruelty as a young boy is only the beginning
* TooDumbToLive: Bullies his father's lord's son and adopted son, molests his daughter and expects it to end well.

[[folder:Kjartan the Cruel]]
!!!Appearances: The Last Kingdom | The Lords of the North |

Former shipmaster to Ragnar the Fearless, eventually rises to the Lord of Dunholm.

* AFateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler: Ragnar kills him without a sword in his hand. ]]
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Outlives Sven. [[spoiler: Not for long.]]

[[folder: Ivarr Ivarson]]

[[/folder]]

!! Norsemen

[[folder: Sigefrid Thurgilson]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' Sword Song |

A Norse (Norwegian) War lord who comes to Lundene with his brother Erik.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: He and his brother can kick the most ass so they get to be warlords
* BigBadEnsemble: Tries to form one with Haesten, his brother, and Uhtred
* EvilCripple: Between Pyrlig and Osferth he's fairly crippled in the first third of Sword Song. Was evil before that.
* Fingore: Father Pyrlig cuts off his thumb in their duel.
* HandicappedBadass: Little more than two months after his duel with Pyrlig he's fighting in the shieldwall with AnAxeToGrind

[[folder:Erik Thurgilson]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' Sword Song |

Sigefrid's younger and more charismatic brother.

* CoolShip: The Wind-Tamer, actually his brother's ship but he built it and describes it in detail.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sven the One-Eyed]]
!!!'''Appearances:''' The Last Kingdom | The Lords of the North |

Son of Kjartan the Cruel, a bully from Uhtred's childhood.

* GroinAttack: He tells Thyra to "touch it", Uhtred offers to touch it-with a sword. Sven's lucky he missed.[[spoiler: Thyra has dogs eat him "from groin up" ].

* Jerkass: Can't get through a chapter without insulting, killing or threatening someone.

[[folder:Erik Thurgilson]]

* Ambition is Evil:

* Fingore: Father Pyrlig cuts off his thumb in their duel

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ragnar the Fearless]