Gorm of Denmark

Gorm the Old (Danish: Gorm den Gamle) (died 958/959) was a Jutland chieftain. He became king of the Danes and as king he resided in Jelling, where he set up a monument for his wife Thyra. According to the Icelandic sagas, he was the grandson or perhaps great-grandson of Sigurd Snake-Eye, the son of Ragnar Lodbrok. His father is believed to have been a man named Harthaknut (Danish: Hardeknud), a Dane or descendant of Danish settlers who came to Denmark from Normandy in the early 10th century and claimed kingship in (parts of?) Jutland.

With king Gorm (or 'Kurm' as is the spelling on the Jelling stone, king Harold's memorial over his father and mother), the Danish line of kings officially begins. We know of earlier regents, at least some of whom probably ruled all of what is now Denmark and part of Sweden, but there are huge gaps in the sources of the time, and only with Gorm and his son Harold are we on completely safe ground, historically speaking.

His skeleton is believed to have been found at the site of the first Christian church of Jelling. During the reign of Gorm, the Danes believed in the Norse mythology, and it was not until the reign of Gorm's son, Harold Bluetooth, that the Danes converted to Christianity.

It is believed that Harold moved the skeleton of his father from the original grave into the church. Why he simply didn't build the church on top of his father's grave remains a mystery. Some historians have considered this a result of a dispute between Gorm and Harold.