21. Sigurd Was Killed by an Enemy He Had Already Slain
Sigurd the mighty was a great warrior, and an even greater jerk. Karma eventually caught up with him, and brought him to a bizarre end. It began during the course of his conquest of northern Scotland. Sigurd challenged a local chieftain, Mael Brigte the Bucktoothed, head of the Mormaerdom, or kingdom, of Moray, to a 40 man per side battle. However, Sigurd cheated and showed up with 80 men. Outnumbered, the Scots were defeated and massacred, and Sigurd personally beheaded Mael Brigte.
Cheating on the challenge might have been underhanded and dishonorable, but it worked – which is probably all that mattered to Sigurd. Tying the defeated leader’s head to his saddle as a trophy, he rounded up his men and rode back home to celebrate the victory. On the way back, as the severed head tied to the saddle bounced around, the bucktooth that gave Mael Brigte his nickname cut Sigurd’s leg. The cut became inflamed and infected, and Sigurd died of the infection before he got back home.
