Eric Bloodaxe - Eric in Modern Culture

Eric in Modern Culture

  • In his lyric poem Briggflatts, Basil Bunting refers several times to Eric Bloodaxe, his flight and death on Stainmore, as in the lines: “By such rocks / men killed Bloodaxe. // Fierce blood throbs in his tongue, / lean words. / Skulls cropped for steel caps / huddle round Stainmore.”
  • Chris Goggans, former hacker and present information security expert, had in his wilder days taken up the nickname "Erik Bloodaxe" in honour of the Viking king.
  • Poul Anderson, a Danish-American writer of science fiction and fantasy, wrote Mother of Kings, a fictionalized biography of Queen Gunnhild, including mythological elements as well as historical facts, and telling much of Eric, Gunnhild, and their children, especially their many efforts to regain the throne of Norway as well their long feud with Egill.
  • Bloodaxe is one of many historical personages who feature prominently in the Riverworld series of Bangsian science fiction novels by Philip José Farmer. On the Riverworld, Bloodaxe is sailing upriver with Samuel Clemens and his prehistoric friend, and engages in a power struggle with King John of England.
  • Eric Bloodaxe appears in the historical Yorkshire building "York Dungeons" where he talks of killing his relatives, the tour of the room ends when he shouts them to leave before he "changed his mind" (suggesting he would have been wanting to kill them).
  • Graffiti artist of Sheffield "Bloodaxe" chose his moniker based on the historical figure.

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