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Ivar the Boneless: Did a Disease Cripple the Infamous Viking


Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that causes unusually broad joint mobility. EDS also weakens the joints and may increase the likelihood of developing painful joint conditions.

Whereas Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects connective tissues, Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic defect that weakens the bones themselves. Although Osteogenesis imperfecta can cause damage to the joints and muscles, the most common symptom is fragile bones that are prone to break and fracture “from little or no apparent cause.”

It has also been suggested that Ivar was nicknamed “Boneless” because he was impotent. Although there is little, if any, evidence that Ivar the Boneless suffered from erectile dysfunction, he is not known to have fathered any children.

If Ivar the Boneless had a disease that left him physically deformed, it did not deter him from becoming a powerful and ruthless warrior. As reported by English Monarchs, some sources describe Ivar as a “giant” who “dwarfed all his contemporaries.” He was also labeled as a “berserker” who had a reputation for “exceptional cruelty.”

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