Gorm the Old (Danish: Gorm den Gamle), died 958 or 959, the father of king Harold Bluetooth. Gorm, a Jutland chieftain, was born about 910. He became king of the Danes and as king he resided in Jelling, where he set up a monument for his wife Thyra.
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.
It is believed that it is his skeleton that has been found at the site of the first Christian church of Jelling. At the time of the reign of Gorm, the Danes believed in the Norse mythology, and it was not until Harold Bluetooth became king 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.
