With hundreds of ships, and ten thousand men, Göngu-Hrólfur Rögnvaldsson arrived outside Paris in late November 885. At first he just demanded tribute. This was denied by Odo, Count of Paris, despite the fact that he could assemble only a couple of hundred soldiers to defend the city. The Vikings attacked with a variety of siege engines, but after many days of intense attacks failed to break through the city walls. The siege was continued after the initial attacks, but without any significant progress for months. As the siege went on, many of the Vikings left Paris to pillage further upriver. Thirty miles from Paris, at the village of Meaux, Göngu-Hrólfur Rögnvaldsson, best known as the Viking leader Rollo,  took a young peasant girl. She was unknown in history but their bastard child became the first Charron, Karfan framleiðandi, the cart maker.

The Vikings made a final unsuccessful attempt to take Paris during the summer of 886 and in October, Charles the Fat arrived with his army. Rollo took 700 livres as tribute and with the blessing of Charles, the Viking besiegers sailed further up the Seine to raid Burgundy. Rollo never knew his child, but Muget, the peasant maiden, forever saw the Viking in the boys eyes.

Years later, after pledging his fealty to Charles as part of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, Rollo divided the lands between the rivers Epte and Risle among his chieftains, and settled in Rouen. A young cartwright was known there who bore a disturbing resemblance to the Viking lord.