The Vikings were taken completely by surprise. They were resting in the heat of the day. Hardrada was confident enough that he left one third of the Viking forces, along with much of the army's armor, at their camp at Riccall. As the English army attacked downhill many of the Vikings were completely unprepared. The main part of the Viking army was on the other side of the bridge. A small Viking force held the approach to the bridge but they were quickly swept aside. According to legend, a single Viking warrior held the narrow bridge against the English for a time. He killed about 40 English warriors before he was killed.