Housecarls

The housecarls of earl Haraldson

Housecarls are the personal retainers of a Norseman, be he a powerful farmer, an earl, or jarl. The housecarls of a king is called the hird. The word is derived from the Old Norse huskarl, which simply means "houseman." These men have volunteered to join a household in exchange for payment, food, weapons, and protection.

Notable housecarls

• Svein (deceased) (For Jarl Haraldson) 
• Olafur (deceased) (For Jarl Haraldson)  
• White Hair (deceased) (For Ivar)
• Torstein (deceased) (For Ragnar) 
• Leif (deceased) (For Ragnar)
• Arne (deceased) (For Ragnar)
• Thorvard (deceased) (For King Horik)
• Tostig (deceased) (For Ragnar) 
• Erik Thorvaldsson (deceased) (For Bjorn)

Trivia

• Orginally housecarls where simply free men who joined a household as a workforce. Fighting and protecting their master was not their primary function, but an unspoken expectation. Eventually the military role took over completely.
• Housecarls could be loved as family members in the household they served, as evident by runestones raised by lords after their housecarls and housecarls after their lords.
• After the invasion of the Danes in the early 11th century, the concept and name of the housecarls became co-opted by the Anglo-Saxon nobility.