The Tale of Ragnarr Loðbrók () is an Icelandic legendary saga of the 13th century about the Viking ruler Ragnarr loðbrók. It is first found in the same manuscript as Vëlsunga saga, which it immediately follows. The tale covers the origin of ÃÂslaug, Ragnarr's quest for the hand of ÃÂóra borgarhjërtr, his later marriage to ÃÂslaug, the deeds of their sons (and ÃÂslaug) in battle, and Ragnarr's death at the hands of king ÃÂlla of Northumbria.
Ragnarr Loðbrók is a great warrior, son of the Danish king Sigurðr hringr Randvérsson. Ragnarr's first achievement is bravely killing the serpent guarding the beautiful ÃÂóra borgarhjërtr. In order to win this battle, Ragnarr wears wolfskin trousers which he has boiled in pitch, hence his name: ("hairy trousers"). He then marries ÃÂóra, who, however, dies shortly afterwards. Later, Ragnar sails to Norway, and ends up at the farm called á Spangareiði. There he meets the beautiful ÃÂslaug, known as Kráka, and her foster-mother GrÃÂma. ÃÂslaug is the daughter of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and Brynhildr, but is in hiding and does not reveal her identity. She accompanies Ragnarr, becomes his concubine, and bears him four sons: Ivarr beinlauss, Bjërn járnsÃÂði, HvÃÂtserkr, and Sigurðr Ormr àauga. During a visit to Uppsala with King Eysteinn, Ragnarr is offered marriage to Eysteinn's daughter Ingibjërg. The two are betrothed, but when Ragnarr returns home, ÃÂslaug already knows about the betrothal. She now reveals her name and that she was the daughter of Sigurðr Fáfnisbani and Brynhildr. Ragnarr marries her. The breach of promise to Ingibjërg leads to war between Ragnarr and King Eysteinn. In this battle, Ragnarr's sons EirÃÂkr and Agnarr die first, and then King Eysteinn. On a war march in Northumbria, Ragnarr is captured by King ÃÂlla and dies in ÃÂlla's snake pit. Before dying, he sings of his deeds in the poem Krákumál, in which he invokes his sons, who later avenge their father.
The saga's sources include Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, with whose Gesta Danorum (book IX) it overlaps in the description of Ragnar's pursuit of Thora, his marriage to Aslaug, and the deeds of his sons. Ragnars saga is a sequel of sorts to the Vëlsunga saga, providing a link between the legendary figures of Sigurðr and Brynhildr and the historical events of the 9th to 11th centuries, as well as prestige to the Norwegian royal house by portraying Sigurðr as its ancestor.