Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye Ragnarsson was a legendary Viking warrior and chieftain. According to Viking Age traditional literature, he was a King of Denmark as well as an ancestor of an English king. He is believed to be one of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, the near-mythical Danish and Swedish Viking hero and ruler, and his third wife, Aslaug. He and his siblings grew up in Sweden and later set out to conquer Zealand, Reidgotaland, Gotland, Öland and all the minor islands. During their stay at Lejre in Zealand, Sigurd and his brothers heard of the deaths of their half-brothers and attacked Sweden for retribution. As a boy, he joined his father in an expedition through Rus' to the Hellespont. After their father was executed by Ælla, the King of Northumbria, England, Sigurd and his siblings launched a successful campaign against him. Ultimately, Ælla was taken captive and the blood eagle was performed on him. The brothers subsequently distributed their vast territory among themselves. Sigurd received Zealand, Scania, Halland, the Danish islands, and Viken. According to the sagas, following the death of his brother, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd became the king of Denmark in about 877. He was supposedly an ancestor of Sweyn Forkbeard, the king who ruled both Denmark and England from 986 to 1014.