"Sweyn Forkbeard (Ethelred the Pious)"@en . . . . . . . "Sweyn Forkbeard was and remains a powerful symbol of Scandinavia's transitional era at the turn of the Eleventh Century. Besides being King of Denmark, he became the unifier and first King of England, building upon its Saxon and J\u00F3rvikish foundations to create the medieval English state. Sweyn was born in 960, the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark, and his Queen, Gunhild. Though a baptized Christian, Sweyn saw faith as a very fluid thing. He did not allow his newfound salvation to temper either his ruthlessness or his practice of the religion of his ancestors. He would readily turn to both Odin and Jesus when it suited his purpose. He could behave as a pagan among pagans and a Christian among Christians. He was an ally of the religious leaders of both faiths in his realms in Denmark, England, and Ireland."@en . "Sweyn Forkbeard was and remains a powerful symbol of Scandinavia's transitional era at the turn of the Eleventh Century. Besides being King of Denmark, he became the unifier and first King of England, building upon its Saxon and J\u00F3rvikish foundations to create the medieval English state."@en . . . . . . .