Ivar the, um, Boneless

I was about ready to go to bed early, tuckered out having worked a Saturday shift.

But I turned on the TV one a last time to see if there was anything remotely interesting on, something, like say, the History Channel, when I found a documentary about Ivar the Boneless.

I've come to dislike the History Channel, as it concentrates on ice road truckers and families of fat pawn brokers. These are people I know in real life without having to see them on TV.

But I was glued to Ivar the Boneless.

It turns out he was one of many Viking chieftains who understood the riches of the British Isles and sacked many a community. That, of course, is not so strange. Viking raids in the British Isles were so common you'll still find many children named Trevor Smorgasbord. OK, maybe not. But I'm exaggerating to make a point here.

The curious part about Ivar the Boneless is -- to be blunt here -- the boneless part. I watched a bit of the documentary, checked out some citations on line and found that he was considered a wise, fearless but ferocious leader -- who was carried around on a shield. Reports of the time said he had normal legs that were as soft and pliable as cartilage.

Other, more catty reports suggested that the "boneless" surname stemmed from impotence.

But a condition exists that matches the former, osteogenesis imperfecta, which, as the legend goes, forms cartilage rather bone in the legs and other parts of the body.

I, for one, salute Ivar the Boneless for overcoming his disabilities to slaughter strangers.