The first historian of the dukes of Normandy, Dudo of St Quentin (c. 965 – before 1043) wrote his monumental compilation on the basis of the oral historical tradition preserved by the descendents of Rollo, the founder of the future dukedom. This tradition was however scant especially when dealing with the origin and the youth of Rollo. By using current motifs and retellings about the deeds of the Vikings, Rollo’s descendents and Dudo following them managed to rearrange vague remembrances of a few known facts into Rollo’s adventurous life-story reminiscent of the later Icelandic ‘viking sagas’. The deeds of Rollo were further replenished with Christian topoi which helped Dudo to implement his major goals, the substantiation of the legitimacy of the rule of the Rollonides over Normandy and England and the glorification of the dukes of Normandy.