for their weekend pleasure.
Maximus ruled for some 30 years or more until he and his entire crew were lost at sea in a terrible storm. After his death the Vikings decided that having six kings was not practical, so they united under the leadership of Maximus's son Olaf, who became known as Olaf the Awful.
In fact, he was so awful that they threw him out of office and the son of Causticus, Oleg was made king in his place.
From the original story published on the Internet as Burdett's, the Universe and everything. Copyright © L S Burdett 17 February 1997
This story version Copyright © L S Burdett 25 November 2022
Norris
Generations passed and Vikings became feared throughout northern Europe. In the ninth century the Viking king, Thorbadd the bad, eager to expand the territory they could plunder, sent his armies south, to France. The leader of the army was none other than Norris, a direct descendant of Maximus.
Norris was to take six longboats south down the coast for four days before landing to assess the area. He called together all the crews to explain where they were going, so that in the event a longboat got separated from the others they would all know where to go, and they would also know the way home if they got lost on the return journey.
“Okay men,” Norris said, “please pay attention to this map, one will be sent with each longboat. At the top, just here, is home, and down here, right at the bottom, is where we are going. For this mission sail for four days keeping the coast on your left, when you see the rest of the longboats tied up, you'll know that’s where we have landed. When we return keep the coast to your right and you will find your way home. If you lose sight of land, remember that the North Star will point the way home.”
The small fleet of longboats kept just in sight of land so they could spot any villages to plunder as the army travelled south. After four days at sea, they spotted a nice looking beach with a large village close by and decided it would be a good place to land.
The armies landed, unloaded all the tents and deckchairs, then set up camp on the beach, then they posted guards to keep watch for the night.
The French peasants, never having seen men dressed in fur, or
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