Paging Wombat. It was Raud the Strong

[Christopher A. Lee]

Here's the timeline.

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.physics/msg/dd0d7775180a992c?dmode=source

Scroll down to Raud and you find...

#1000
#Christians kill Viking chieftain as a witch for sailing against the
wind
As late as 1000, sailing effectively against the wind in northern
European waters is so unusual that when a Viking chieftain named Raud
the Strong makes use of this method to escape from Olaf Trygvasson,
the bloodthirsty and fanatical Christianizing king of Norway, the King
is sure that Raud must be using witchcraft. This so enrages the pious
king that when he finally catches Raud, he has him killed by the
unusual method of suffering a viper down his throat

Followup searches give...

King Olaf Trygvason's Saga

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/heim/07olaftr.htm

Scroll down to Raud

There was a bonde, by name Raud the Strong, who dwelt in Godey
in Salten fjord. Raud was a very rich man, who had many house
servants; and likewise was a powerful man, who had many Fins in
his service when he wanted them. Raud was a great idolater, and
very skillful in witchcraft, and was a great friend of Thorer
Hjort, before spoken of. Both were great chiefs. Now when they
heard that King Olaf was coming with a great force from the south
to Halogaland, they gathered together an army, ordered out ships,
and they too had a great force on foot. Raud had a large ship
with a gilded head formed like a dragon, which ship had thirty
rowing benches, and even for that kind of ship was very large.
Thorer Hjort had also a large ship. These men sailed southwards
with their ships against King Olaf, and as soon as they met gave
battle. A great battle there was, and a great fall of men; but
principally on the side of the Halogalanders, whose ships were
cleared of men, so that a great terror came upon them. Raud
rode with his dragon out to sea, and set sail. RAUD HAD ALWAYS A
FAIR WIND WHERESOEVER HE WISHED TO SAIL, WHICH CAME FROM HIS ARTS
OF WITCHCRAFT; and, to make a short story, he came home to Godey.

[me]

He was a preist of Seid, a pre-Christian Norse religion that
Christians considered witchcraft. So they attributed his being able to
sail against the wind as being witchcraft.

When Olaf converted all his subjects were supposed to as well, and he
was pretty vicious in imposing this.

When he finally captured him, he refused to convert and was executed
by having a snake forced down his throat. It took several attempts
before the inserted a horn and "persuaded" the snake to go down it
with fire. It gnawed its way out from inside.