The
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney
and Jarls' Saga) is an historical narrative of the history of the
Orkney

Orkney and
Shetland

Shetland islands and their relationship with other local
polities, particularly
Norway

Norway and Scotland. The saga has "no parallel
in the social and literary record of Scotland"[1] and is "the only
medieval chronicle to have
Orkney

Orkney as the central place of action".[2]
The main focus of the work is the line of jarls who ruled the Earldom
of Orkney, which constituted the Norðreyjar or
Northern Isles

Northern Isles of both
Orkney

Orkney and
Shetland

Shetland and there are frequent references to both
archipelagoes throughout.[3][a]
The narrative commences with a brief mythical ancestry tale and then
proceeds to outline the Norse take-over of the Norðreyjar by Harald
Fairhair - the former event is not in doubt although the role of the
latter King of
Norway

Norway is no longer accepted by historians as a
likelihood. The saga then outlines, with varying degrees of detail,
the lives and times of the many jarls who ruled the islands between
the 9th and 13th centuries.[4] The extent to which the earlier
sections in particular can be considered genuine history rather than
fiction have been much debated by scholars.
There are several recurring themes in the Orkneyinga saga, including
strife between brothers, relationships between the jarls and the
Norwegian crown, and raiding in the Suðreyjar - the Hebrides.[5] In
part, the saga's purpose was to provide a history of the islands and
enable its readers to "understand themselves through a knowledge of
their origins"[6] but even where its historical veracity is lacking it
provides modern scholars with insights into the motives of the writers
and the politics of 13th century Orkney.
Contents
1 Development and versions
2 Narrative
2.1
Harald Fairhair

Harald Fairhair and the voyage to the west
2.2 Torf-Einarr
2.3 Sigurd the Stout
2.4
Earl

Earl Thorfinn
2.5 St Magnus
2.6
Sweyn Asleifsson and
Earl

Earl Rögnavald
2.7 Later Earls
3 History or fable
3.1 Who was Karl Hundason
4 Themes
4.1 Gender
4.2
Orkney

Orkney and Norway
4.3 Kinstrife
4.4 Religion and morality
4.5 Other elements
5 Modern significance
6 References
6.1 Notes
6.2 Citations
6.3 Bibliography
6.3.1 Primary sources
6.3.2 Secondary Sources
6.4 Other primary sources
7 External links
Development and versions[edit]
An early 19th century illustration of "Mount
Hekla

Hekla from Odde"
This
Norse saga

Norse saga was written around in the early thirteenth century
(three centuries after some of the earliest events they record) by an
unknown Icelandic author who was probably associated with the cultural
centre at Oddi.[2]
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga belongs to the genre of "Kings’
Sagas" within Icelandic saga literature, a group of histories of the
kings of Norway, the best known of which is Heimskringla, written by
Snorri Sturluson.[7] Indeed Sturluson used
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga as one of
his sources for Heimskringla[8] which was complied around 1230 (and
then
Heimskringla

Heimskringla became in turn a source for later versions of the
Orkneyinga saga).[9]
As was generally the case with
Icelandic language

Icelandic language writing of this
period, the aims of the saga were to provide a sense of social
continuity through the telling of history combined with an
entertaining narrative drive.[9] The tales are thought to have been
compiled from a number of sources, combining family pedigrees, praise
poetry and oral legends with historical facts. In the case of the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga the document outlines the lives of the earls of Orkney
and how they came about their earldom.[7] Woolf (2007) suggests that
the task that the Icelandic compiler was faced with was not dissimilar
to trying to write a "history of the Second World War on the basis of
Hollywood movies".[7] He also notes that a problem with medieval
Icelandic historiography in general is the difficulty of fixing of a
clear chronology based on stories created in a largely illiterate
society in which "AD dating was probably unknown" at the time.[7]
As the narrative approaches the period closer to the time it was
written down, historians have greater confidence in its accuracy.[9]
For example, there are significant family connections between Snorri
Sturluson and
Earl

Earl
Harald Maddadsson

Harald Maddadsson (d. 1206) and the original saga
document was probably written down at about the time of Harald's
death.[8][b]
Vigassun (1887) identifies several different components to the saga,
which may have had different authors and date from different
periods.[10] These are:
Fundinn Noregr chapters 1-3
Iarla Sogur chapters 4-38 (of which the sections regarding
Earl

Earl Einarr
are the oldest texts in the saga as a whole[11])
St Magnus saga chapters 39-55
Iarteina-bok ("Miracle book") chapter 60
The History of
Earl

Earl Rognwald and Swain Asleifsson chapters 56-59 and
61-118.[c]
A Danish translation dating to 1570 indicates that the original
version of the saga ended with the death of Sweyn Asleifsson, who was
killed fighting in Dublin in 1171. Various additions were then added
circa 1234-5 when a grandson of Asleifsson and a lawmaker called Hrafn
visited Iceland.[8] The oldest complete text is found in the late 14th
century Flateyjarbók[14] but the first translation into English did
not appear until 1873.[2]
Narrative[edit]
The first three chapters of the saga are a brief folk legend that sets
the scene for later events. It commences with characters associated
with the elements -
Snaer (snow), Logi (flame), Kari (storm) and
Frosti (frost) and also gives a unique explanation for how
Norway

Norway came
to be named as such, involving Snaer's grandson Nór. There is also a
reference to claiming land by dragging a boat over a neck of land
(reprised in chapter 41 when
Magnus Barefoot

Magnus Barefoot uses the same trick) and
the division of the land between
Nór and his brother Gór, which is a
recurring theme in the saga.[15]
Having dealt with the mythical ancestry of the earls, the saga then
moves on to topics that are apparently intended as genuine
history.[16]
Harald Fairhair

Harald Fairhair and the voyage to the west[edit]
Magnus Barefoot's army in Ireland. Magnus' actions in the west clearly
form the basis of the saga narrative about the submission of Orkney
and
Shetland

Shetland to Harald Fairhair's fleet.[17]
The next few chapters deal with the creation of the Earldom of Orkney;
they are brief and contain much less detail than the later events the
saga describes.[9]. The saga states that
Rognvald Eysteinsson

Rognvald Eysteinsson was made
the
Earl

Earl of Møre by the King of
Norway

Norway Harald Fairhair. Rognvald
accompanied the king on a great military expedition. First the islands
of
Shetland

Shetland and
Orkney

Orkney were cleared of vikings who had been raiding
Norway

Norway and then they continued on to Scotland,
Ireland

Ireland and the Isle of
Man. During this campaign Rognvald's son Ivarr was killed and in
compensation Harald granted Rognvald
Orkney

Orkney and Shetland. Rognvald
thereafter returned to Norway, giving these islands to his brother
Sigurd Eysteinsson.[18][19] Sigurd had been the forecastleman on
Harald's ship and after sailing back east the king "gave Sigurd the
title of earl".[19]
Sigurd "the Mighty" then died in a curious fashion, following a battle
with Máel Brigte of Moray. Sigurd's son Gurthorm ruled for a single
winter after this and died childless.[20][21] Rognvald's son Hallad
then inherited the title. However, unable to constrain Danish raids on
Orkney, he gave up the earldom and returned to Norway, which "everyone
thought was a huge joke."[22]
First written down in the early 13th century, the saga is informed by
the Norwegian politics of the day. Once, historians could write that
no-one denied the reality of Harald Fairhair's expeditions to the west
(recounted in detail in the Heimskringla), but this is no longer the
case. Thomson (2008) writes that Harald's "great voyage is so
thoroughly ingrained in popular and scholarly history, both ancient
and modern, that it comes as a bit of a shock to realise that it might
not be true."[23] The Norwegian contest with the
Kings of Scots

Kings of Scots over
the
Hebrides

Hebrides and the
Isle of Man

Isle of Man in the mid 13th century is the
backdrop to the saga writer's intentions[24] and in part at least the
sagas aim to legitimise Norwegian claims to both the Northern Isles
and the
Kingdom of the Isles

Kingdom of the Isles in the west.[17]
It may be that the saga writers drew on a genuine tradition of a
voyage by Harald to the west, or that they simply invented it
wholesale for political purposes, but it is clear that there are
elements included in the narrative that are drawn from the much later
expeditions undertaken by Magnus Barefoot.[17] The situation faced by
Earl

Earl
Harald Maddadsson

Harald Maddadsson of
Orkney

Orkney in 1195, shortly before the time that
the sagas were first written down, when he was forced to submit
himself to royal authority after an ill-judged intervention in
Norwegian affairs would have made legendary material of this nature of
considerable interest in
Orkney

Orkney at the time.[25] Nonetheless, the view
that the
Orkney

Orkney earldom was created by "members of the Møre family"
continues to receive academic support.[26]
Torf-Einarr[edit]
Hallad's failure led to Rognvald flying into a rage and summoning his
sons Thorir and Hrolluag. He asked which of them wanted the islands
but Thorir said the decision was up to the earl himself. Rognvald
predicted that Thorir's path would keep him in
Norway

Norway and that
Hrolluag was destined seek his fortune in Iceland. Einarr, the
youngest of his natural sons, then came forward and offered to go to
the islands. Rognvald said: "Considering the kind of mother you have,
slave-born on each side of her family, you are not likely to make much
of a ruler. But I agree, the sooner you leave and the later you return
the happier I'll be."[27] Despite his father's misgivings, on arrival
in the Scottish islands, Einarr fought and defeated two Danish
warlords who had taken residence there. Einarr then established
himself as earl[28][29][30] and founded a dynasty which retained
control of the islands for centuries after his death.
The scene in which Einarr's father scorns him is a literary device
which often figures in
Old Norse

Old Norse literature. The dialogue between the
father and his sons has been interpreted as being about Rognvald's
desire to cement his own position as
Earl

Earl of Møre and an allusion to
the early history of Iceland, where the saga was written. Thorir is a
compliant son who Rognvald is happy to keep at home. Hrolluag is
portrayed as a man of peace who will go to Iceland. Einarr is
aggressive and a threat to his father's position so can be spared for
the dangers of Orkney.[31] (In the
Landnámabók version the equally
aggressive brother Hrolfr is also present, and his destiny is
anticipated to be in conveniently far-away Normandy.)[32][d]
"
Odin
.jpg/440px-Georg_von_Rosen_-_Oden_som_vandringsman,_1886_(Odin,_the_Wanderer).jpg)
Odin Rides to Hel" (1908) by W. G. Collingwood
Einarr is also provided with various characteristics associated with
Odin. Both have but one eye and the death of an opponent at Einarr's
hands is offered to the god—an act that contains a hint of Odin's
own sacrifice to himself in the Hávamál.[34] Einarr is a man of
action who is self-made, and he is a successful warrior who (unlike
his brothers) avenges his father's death. He leads a dramatic and
memomorable life and emerges as "ancient, powerful and
mysterious—but as a literary figure rather than a real person".[35]
He is also a heathen whose appearance at the commencement of the saga
contrasts with the later martyrdom of his descendent St Magnus which
marks a "moral high-point" of the story.[35]
Sigurd the Stout[edit]
The death of
Earl

Earl
Sigurd Hlodvirsson

Sigurd Hlodvirsson (980-1014) is the earliest known
contemporary reference to the earldom of Orkney.[36] The 12th-century
Irish source, the Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh, records the events of
the
Battle of Clontarf

Battle of Clontarf in 1014. The "foreigners and Leinstermen" were
led by Brodir of the
Isle of Man

Isle of Man and Sigurd, and the battle lasted all
day, but the Irishmen ultimately drove back their enemies into the
sea.[37][38] His death is corroborated by the Annals of Ulster, which
record that amongst the dead was "Siuchraid son of Loduir, iarla Innsi
Orcc" (i.e. of Sigurd, son of Hlodvir,
Earl

Earl of Orkney).[39]
King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, who is said to have forcibly
Christianised Orkney.[40] Painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo.
According to the Orkneyinga saga, the
Northern Isles

Northern Isles were
Christianised by King Olaf Tryggvasson in 995 when he stopped at South
Walls on his way from
Ireland

Ireland to Norway. The King summoned jarl Sigurd
and said "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you
refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage
every island with fire and steel." Unsurprisingly, Sigurd agreed and
the islands became Christian at a stroke.[41] However, when the sagas
were written down
Orkney

Orkney had been Christian for 200 years or more[42]
and the conversion tale itself has been described as "blatantly
unhistorical".[43] When the Norse arrived in the
Northern Isles

Northern Isles they
would have found organised Christianity already thriving there,
although there is no mention of this at all in the sagas.[43]
Earl

Earl Thorfinn[edit]
Virtually nothing about Thorfinn Sigurdsson's life is corroborated
from contemporary sources and the saga writer seems to have obtained
most of his material from the poem Þórfinnsdrápa, which was written
by his court poet Arnór immediately following his death.[39]
The Orkneyinga Saga says that a dispute between Thorfinn and Karl
Hundason began when the latter became "King of Scots" and claimed
Caithness, his forces successfully moving north and basing themselves
in Thurso.[44] In the war which followed, Thorfinn defeated Karl in a
sea-battle off Deerness at the east end of the
Orkney

Orkney Mainland. Then
Karl's nephew Mutatan or Muddan, appointed to rule
Caithness

Caithness for him,
was killed in
Caithness

Caithness by Thorkel Fosterer. Finally, a great battle
at "Torfness" (probably
Tarbat Ness

Tarbat Ness on the south side of the Dornoch
Firth[45]) ended with Karl either being killed or forced to flee.
Thorfinn, the saga says, then marched south through
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland as far as
Fife, burning and plundering as he passed.[45] As a result of his
military exploits Thorfinn became Mormaer of
Caithness

Caithness and during the
first twenty years of his long earldom he was often based there.[46]
He was thus a vassal of both the King of
Norway

Norway and the King of Scots,
a status and title that was held by many of his successors.[e]
Thorfinn also became King of the Isles from 1035, which title was only
held amongst the earls of
Orkney

Orkney by
Sigurd Eysteinsson

Sigurd Eysteinsson before him, and
after him possibly by Einar Sigurdsson[30] and for a brief period by
Sigurd Magnusson as the under-age son of Magnus Barefoot.[48]
St Magnus[edit]
Magnus Erlendsson, Thorfinn's grandson had a reputation for piety and
gentleness, which the Norwegians viewed as cowardice. Having been
taken hostage by King Magnus Barefoot, he refused to fight in a Viking
raid in
Anglesey

Anglesey because of his religious convictions, and instead
stayed on board the ship during the Battle of Menai Straits, singing
psalms. His brother Erling died while campaigning with King Magnus,
either at that same battle or in Ulster.[49]
The ruins of St Magnus Church, on the island of Egilsay
Magnus was obliged to take refuge in Scotland, but returned to Orkney
in 1105 and disputed the succession with his cousin Haakon
Paulsson.[50] Having failed to reach an agreement, he sought help from
King Eystein I of Norway, who granted him the earldom of
Orkney

Orkney and he
ruled jointly and amicably with Haakon until 1114.[50] Eventually
however, the followers of the two earls fell out, and the sides met at
an assembly on the
Orkney

Orkney mainland in 1117. Peace was negotiated and
the Earls arranged to meet each other on the island of
Egilsay

Egilsay at
Easter, each bringing only two ships. Magnus arrived with his two, but
then Haakon treacherously turned up with eight ships.[51]
Magnus took refuge in the island's church overnight, but the following
day he was captured and an angry Haakon made his cook Lifolf kill
Magnus by striking him on the head with an axe. It was said that
Magnus first prayed for the souls of his executioners.[51] William the
Old, Bishop of Orkney, was struck blind in his church but subsequently
had his sight restored after praying at the grave of Magnus and
subsequently sanctified the murdered Earl. St Magnus Church, Egilsay,
was constructed on the island shortly afterwards, at or near the
supposed site of the murder.[52]
Magnus's nephew, Rognvald Kali Kolsson, laid claim to the Earldom of
Orkney, and was advised by his father Kol to promise the islanders to
"build a stone minster at Kirkwall" in memory of his uncle the Holy
Earl, and this became St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. When the
cathedral, begun in 1137, was ready for consecration the relics of St
Magnus were transferred there.[53]
Sweyn Asleifsson and
Earl

Earl Rögnavald[edit]
The interior of St. Magnus Cathedral, which was constructed in the
12th century under the supervision of Kol, father of
Earl

Earl Rögnvald
Kali Kolsson[53]
As this part of the saga was written only a few decades after
Asleifsson's death it is reasonable to suppose these chapters more
accurately reflect the events they describe than the histories of
earlier times. Asleifsson is depicted as the quintessential Viking, a
freebooter whose activities include drunkenness, murder and plundering
and whose support is crucial to the politics of the
Orkney

Orkney earldom.
Although he was not an earl his activities take up fully one quarter
of the saga and the oldest version ends with his death.[8][54]
His tale is closely bound up with that of
Earl

Earl Rögnvald, a more
rounded character who is also a troubadour and, like his uncle Magnus,
ultimately a saint, and it may be that the saga writers were seeking
to portray them as exemplars of the
Viking

Viking lifestyle. However, there
may also be a more complex moral to the story. Although Ásleifsson's
dying words are "Be it known to all men... that I belong to the
bodyguard of Saint Rögnvald the Earl", he also blackmailed Rögnvald
and caused him a great deal of trouble. It is possible that the saga
intends to cast Rögnvald as a weak leader who was unable control his
nobles.[54]
Another interpretation of the narrative is that rather than seeing
these two men as protagonist and antagonist that together they live in
a golden age where the earl is a cultured ruler and primus inter pares
but who owes his position in part to his band of "worthy warriors" and
is by no means a despot who rules by divine right. In this case the
whole story may be seen as a reaction to the Norwegian royal
propaganda of the age that sought to promote the central authority of
the crown.[55]
If the height of the earls' military strength was during the 11th
century time of Thorfinn "the Mighty", the reign of
Earl

Earl Rögnvald
Kali Kolson marks the 12th century cultural high point of the
saga.[56]
Later Earls[edit]
Earl

Earl Harald "the Old" Maddadsson (c. 1134 – 1206) ruled jointly with
Earl

Earl Rognvald for part of his long tenure. When King Eystein
Haraldsson undertook a raiding expedition from
Norway

Norway against Orkney
he encountered Harald near
Thurso

Thurso and captured him. Harald was freed
in return for a ransom in gold and by giving his oath to Eystein.
Eystein then went on to raid the coasts of
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland and
England.[57][58]
Possibly as a result of Eystein's activities, King David I granted
half of
Caithness

Caithness to Harald's cousin, Erlend Haraldsson.[59] The
result was a political struggle which ended with Erlend's murder in
1154.
Sweyn Asleifsson was again heavily involved in this dynastic
conflict.[60] In 1153 King David died and was succeeded by his young
grandson, Malcolm IV. King Eystein too died in a war with his brothers
Ingi and Sigurd.[61] As a result, by 1158
Harald Maddadsson

Harald Maddadsson was
undisputed
Earl

Earl of Orkney, with neither the King of Scots nor the King
of
Norway

Norway in a position to contest his power.
The final, brief chapters of the later version of the saga depict the
lives of Harald's four successors who ruled until the murder of Jon
Haraldsson in 1231, bringing the line of specifically Norse earls of
Orkney

Orkney to an end[62][f] although
Orkney

Orkney and
Shetland

Shetland remained part of
Norway

Norway until the 15th century.
History or fable[edit]
Orkney

Orkney and
Shetland

Shetland at centre, in relation to nearby territories
There is clearly doubt about the historicity of many of the claims in
the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga amd the extent to which euhemerism may be an
appropriate approach. Just as the backdrop to the supposed great
expedition to the west undertaken by King
Harald Fairhair

Harald Fairhair that led to
the founding of the
Orkney

Orkney earldom was the mid-13th century Norwegian
contest with the
Kings of Scots

Kings of Scots over the Hebrides,[24] so also events
that have been included in the saga as embellishments to the life of
Earl

Earl Thorfinn have a number of parallels with the life of Harald
Maddadsson.[39] Woolf (2007) speculates that aspects of Thorfinn's
story may have been included to legitimise the latter's
adventures.[64]
Early in the narrative in particular, there are examples of obviously
fictional elements such as
Earl

Earl Sigurd's raven banner and also in some
later events such as the effects of the poisoned shirt that killed
Earl

Earl Harald Haakonsson.[16] Furthermore there is the regular use of
standard Norse dramatic sitations. For example the story of the
killing of
Rognvald Brusason

Rognvald Brusason by
Earl

Earl Thorfinn "is saga-fiction, and it
contains some stock-episodes which are repeated elsewhere in the
saga".[65] Another example of the saga writer's fictional devices is
found in the tale of Haakon Paulsson's travels through Scandinavia
where he meets a fortune teller. The sooth-sayer's predictions are in
effect a "table of contents" for his later travails with his cousin
Magnus and an example of "the frequent need to disentangle the
historical Magnus from the saga's story-telling techniques".[66]
However there are also examples of events depicted in the saga that
have been thought of as essentially fictional that have later been
shown to have some basis in fact. For example, towards the end of his
reign as earl,
Sigurd Eysteinsson

Sigurd Eysteinsson is said to have challenged a native
ruler, Máel Brigte the Bucktoothed, to a 40-man-a-side battle.
Treacherously, Sigurd brought 80 men to the fight and Máel Brigte was
defeated and beheaded. Sigurd strapped the head to his saddle as a
trophy, but as Sigurd rode home, Máel Brigte's buck-tooth scratched
his leg. The leg became inflamed and infected, and as a result Sigurd
died. He was buried in a tumulus known as Sigurd's Howe, or
Sigurðar-haugr. The location of Sigurd's Howe is most probably
modern-day Sidera or Cyderhall near Dornoch, which discovery was not
made until the late 19th century.[67][g] Another example concerns a
King of Scots, apparently named Karl Hundason.
Who was Karl Hundason[edit]
The identity of Karl Hundason, unknown to Scots and Irish sources, has
long been a matter of dispute. His existence rests solely on the
Orkneyinga saga, and more particularly on those elements of
Þórfinnsdrápa which are preserved within it.[h]
Robertson (1862) proposed that Hundason should be identified with
Duncan I.[70]
William Forbes Skene

William Forbes Skene suggested that Karl (or Kali)
Hundason should be identified with "Malcolm MacKenneth", a son of
Kenneth III.[71] Another candidate is MacBeth whose father may be
called "jarl Hundi" in Njál's saga.[72] Woolf (2007) proposes that
Hundason, rather that being some hitherto unknown Scots king, was the
son of Thorfinn's brother Hundi.[73] However, Thomson (2008) notes
that both the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga and St Olaf's saga suggest Hundi only
lived "a short while" and was unlikely to have had a son himself.[74]
Anderson (1990) suggested that this is "a fabulous story" and
concluded that "[n]o solution to the riddle seems to be
justified".[75]
Muir (2005) points out that a literal translation of "Karl Hundisson"
is "peasant son-of-a-dog", an insult that would have been obvious to
Norse-speakers hearing the saga and that "we can assume this wasn't
his real name".[76] The implication is that there is no purpose in
seeking phonetic parallels with known Scots personages. Thomson points
out that both "Karl" and Hundi" are names used in other contexts
without disparaging intentions although the combination is otherwise
unknown.[77]
Thomson also notes that the war with Hundasson seem to have taken
place between 1029 and 1035 and that the
Annals of Ulster

Annals of Ulster record the
violent death of Gillacomgain, son of Mael Brigte and Mormaer of Moray
in 1032. He too is thus a candidate for Thorfinn's Scots foe—and the
manner of his death by fire bears comparison with Arnór's poetic
description of the aftermath of the battle at Torfness.[78]
Whoever Karl son of Hundi may have been, it appears that the saga is
reporting a local conflict with a Scots ruler of Moray or Ross:
[T]he whole narrative is consistent with the idea that the struggle of
Thorfinn and Karl is a continuation of that which had been waged since
the ninth century by the
Orkney

Orkney earls, notably Sigurd Rognvald's son,
Ljot, and Sigurd the Stout, against the princes or mormaers of Moray,
Sutherland, Ross, and Argyll, and that, in fine, Malcolm and Karl were
mormaers of one of these four provinces.[79][80][i]
It is therefore entirely possible that Thorfinn's campaign was not
fought against the Scottish crown as such but that rather the Scots
may have been his allies in a struggle they both had against the power
of Moray.[82]
Themes[edit]
Gender[edit]
It is evident that the main characters of the saga are the exclusively
male jarls and kings and their male supporters and antagonists.
Nonetheless, it is believed that women enjoyed a relatively high
status during the
Viking

Viking Age, possibly due to the high degree of
mobility in society[83] and they regularly appear in supporting roles.
Amongst them are Gunnhild "Mother of Kings" Gormsdóttir; Ingibiorg
"the Earls'-mother" Finnsdottir, wife of
Earl

Earl Thorfinn; Frakokk, whose
poisoned shirt supposedly led to the death of
Earl

Earl Harald Haakonsson;
Helga Moddansdottir, sister of Frakkok and mother of Ingibjörg
Hakonsdóttir who married King Olaf Godredsson; and Gunnhild, sister
of
Magnus Erlendsson and mother of
Earl

Earl Rognvald. On the other hand
the idea of "courtly love" plays a much more prominent part in the
literature of continental Europe for the same period than in the sagas
in general.[84]
Orkney

Orkney and Norway[edit]
Woolf (2007) argues that the "saga’s main theme, in so far as it can
be said to have one, seems to have been to tie in the history of the
earldom with that of the kings of
Norway

Norway and to establish clearly the
history of the relationships between the two polities." Crawford
(1987) observes several sub-themes: "of submission and of
overlordship; the problem of dual allegiance and the threat of the
earls looking to the kings of Scots as an alternative source of
support; the Norwegian kings' use of hostages; and their general aim
of attempting to turn the
Orkney

Orkney earls into royal officials bound to
them by oaths of homage, and returning tribute to them on a regular
basis."[85]
An example is the passing of the title of
Earl

Earl of
Orkney

Orkney from Rognvald
Eysteinsson, who received it from the Norwegian crown, to his brother
Sigurd. The notion that Rognvald could hand over his title in this way
has been interpreted in various ways. It may be that Rognvald
considered the gift from the king as a mixed blessing,[86] but this is
an instance in which the writer of the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga attempts to
reconcile the conflicting themes of independence from
Norway

Norway (Rognvald
gifts the islands to Sigurd) and dependence on royal authority (King
Harald formalises the process by confirming Sigurd as earl).[87]
Beuermann (2011) speculates that Rognvald's transfer of power to his
brother may have been an attempt by the saga writers to imply that the
Orkney

Orkney earldom had more independence from
Norway

Norway than that of
Rognvald's earldom of Møre[88] and that the earl's holdings in
Caithness

Caithness may have allowed for an even greater degree of freedom of
action. Such implications are more likely to be rooted in the writer's
interest in emphasising Orcadian independence at the time of writing
rather than the 9th/10th century events they purport to describe.[89]
Similarly, the story of Torf-Einar in the next generation touches on
this theme. The writer of the saga established Einarr's status in two
contradictory ways. Although in the Historia Norvegia Rognvald of
Møre's family are described as "pirates" the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga provides
them with a legally established earldom instated by the king. On the
other hand Einarr success is largely down to his own efforts and he
negotiates with King Harald rather than offers blind obedience. The
author is thus able to emphasise both the legitimacy and independence
of his house.[90]
Kinstrife[edit]
Joint earldoms were a frequent feature of the Norse earldom and
Thomson (2008) identifies a different intention at the heart of the
saga. This joint rulership was "inherently unstable and usually ended
in violence".[91] He identifies these family feuds as being the main
theme, culminating in the martyrdom of St Magnus c.1115, and that the
writer is emphasising the doom of "kin-slaying".[91] Examples include
the fratricidal strife that engulfed the sons of
Earl

Earl Thorfinn in
which they were abetted by Ragnhild Eriksdotter,[92] the deaths of
Einar Sigurdsson

Einar Sigurdsson and his nephew
Rognvald Brusason

Rognvald Brusason at the hands of
Thorkel Fosterer, the henchman of Thorfinn[93] as well as the
homicidal dispute between the cousins
Haakon Paulsson

Haakon Paulsson and Magnus
Erlendsson itself that led to the latter's canonisation. Indeed, the
rivalry between the two families that Paul and Erlend founded were
still alive four generations later when the Orkneyinga Saga was
written down.[49]
Although the saga frequently mentions placenames it is largely silent
on the subject of how the joint earldoms functioned on a geographical
basis. It is possible that Brusi Sigurdsson's share, described as the
"northernmost part of the isles", was those islands lying north of the
Orkney

Orkney mainland, that his brother Einar "Wry-mouth" Sigurdsson's was
originally the east Mainland and the south isles and that Sumarlidi
Sigurdsson's was the west Mainland.[j] However, it is also possible
that Brusi's share was Shetland, which formed part of the earldom
throughout the Norse period. This possibility is supported by a later
reference to his son Rognvald as "Lord of the Shetlanders" and
Thompson (2008) is in "no doubt " that
Shetland

Shetland was in Brusi's
possession.[3][95] It is likely that
Fair Isle

Fair Isle marked the boundary
between these shares both then and during later joint earldoms.[96][k]
Religion and morality[edit]
Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry, showing a Norman knight carrying what
appears to be a raven banner
The accuracy with which the saga addresses the conversion of Orkney
and
Shetland

Shetland to Christianity has been touched on above and the weight
of archaeological evidence suggests that Christian burial was already
widespread in
Orkney

Orkney by Sigurd Hlodvirsson's time.[98] The intention
may have been to disown the influence of indigenous elements of
Orcadian and Shetlandic culture (such as the existence of this
religion prior to the arrival of the Norse) and emphasise that
positive cultural developments came from Scandinavia, whilst at the
same time critiquing the unduly blunt method of Norwegian interference
in this case.[99] The inclusion of the tale of the raven banner in the
saga material may convey the idea of a revival of heathenism in
Orcadian society and a reaction to Norwegian attempts to control the
islands. However, in the Orkneyinga Saga there is a vivid contrast
between Sigurd's death clutching the raven banner and the later career
of his son Thorfinn, who is credited with several achievements in
bringing
Orkney

Orkney into mainstream Christendom. Taken as a whole the
intention may be to draw attention to this transition.[42]
Rögnvald Kali Kolsson's pilgrimage to
Jerusalem

Jerusalem has a different
flavour from the politicking and violence that permeates much of the
rest of the saga. There are romantic touches and the earl's poetry is
emphasised. There is a case for regarding this episode as the "central
quest"[100] of the saga and the poetry emphasises some of the
contradictions at the heart of the medieval Orcadian world. Society is
both pagan and Christian, violence goes hand-in-hand with maganimity,
kinstrife is frequent yet "the bonds of sworn friendship cannot be
broken".[101]
Other elements[edit]
Another recurring theme in the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga is raiding in the
Hebrides,[5] which is touched on during the saga's coverage of
Rognvald Eysteinsson's life and times in the earliest part of the
story and on several other occasions up to the last chapters and Sweyn
Asleifsson's exploits. Remarkably, neither the Orkneyinga Saga nor any
other Kings' Sagas refers to the
Irish Sea

Irish Sea campaign by Magnus
Haraldsson in 1058, which is the first such event attested in
contemporary sources in the British Isles. The authors of the sagas
may have believed these events were easily confused with Magnus
Barefoot's later invasion and that as the earlier Magnus had no royal
descendants at the time the stories were committed to writing no-one
of importance would lose face by omitting them. Woolf (2007) suggests
this shortcoming in the historical record "serves as a warning" about
the saga's reliability in general.[102]
At the time the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga was first written down Haakon
Paulsson's grandson, Harald Maddadsson, was
Earl

Earl of
Orkney

Orkney and the
writer clearly had some difficulty in portraying the kin-slaying of
Magnus Erlendsson. Thomson (2008) concludes that the "assembly" that
sentenced Magnus was either invented or heavily emphasised in order to
"divert some of the blame from Hakon".[103] Furthermore, in reporting
on
Earl

Earl Haakon's death the saga reports that this was "felt to be a
great loss, his later years having been very peaceful".[104]
Commenting on the complex relationship between history and invention
in the saga Jospeh Anderson wrote:
When great events and mighty deeds were preserved for posterity by
oral recitation alone, it was necessary that the memory should be
enabled to retain its hold of the elements of the story by some
extraneous artistic aid, and therefore they were welded by the
wordsmith’s rhymes into a compact and homogenous “lay”. Thus,
worked into the poetical setting (as the jeweler mounts his gems to
enhance their value and ensure their preservation), they passed as
heirlooms from generation to generation, floating on the oral
tradition of the people”.[105]
There are therefore many facets to this saga and, in part at least,
its purpose was to "explore such social and psychological tensions as
these in the history of the people of Orkney, and to help them
understand themselves through a knowledge of their origins".[6]
Modern significance[edit]
The saga is not only of importance to scholars attempting to
understand the
Viking

Viking Age in the islands and their neighbouring lands,
it is also plays a significant part in the modern culture of the
Northern Isles. The vivid stories of life in Scandinavian Scotland
invite the "people of
Orkney

Orkney and
Shetland

Shetland to recognise themselves as
the inheritors and custodians of a dual culture, both Norse and
Scottish".[2]
References[edit]
Notes
^ The original saga was referred to as Earl's Saga more often than
Orkneyinga Saga by medieval Icelanders and it has been argued that the
latter name tends to obscure both
Shetland

Shetland and Shetlander's prominent
roles.[3]
^ Woolf (2007) states that a version "was clearly circulating as early
as the 1220s."
^ There are small differences in the chapter numbers used by Vigassun
(1887) and by Pálsson and Edwards (1981) e.g. Pálsson and Edwards
chapter 12 "Death in Ireland" is split into two chapters by
Vigassun.[12][13]
^ In the
Heimskringla

Heimskringla Hrolfr is banished by King Harald.[33]
^ There is no other example in the history of either
Norway

Norway or of
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland in which a dynasty of earls owed their allegiance to two
different kings.[47]
^ It is frequently stated that the death of
Jon Haraldsson

Jon Haraldsson brought the
line of Norse earls of
Orkney

Orkney to a close.[62] An argument in favour of
this view is that he was the last apparently direct descendant of
Torf-
Einar Sigurdsson

Einar Sigurdsson to hold the title with the subsequent Angus
earls possibly succeeding via marriage to a female descendant of the
earls. However it has also been pointed out that Harald Maddadson was
the son of a Scottish earl - Matad,
Earl

Earl of Atholl - and a female
heiress of
Orkney

Orkney - Margaret, a daughter of Haakon Paulsson. It may be
that the brief reference to the succession of
Earl

Earl Jon in the last
line of the later version of the
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga has tended to distort
modern perceptions of the issues.[63]
^ Crawford (1986) credits Joseph Anderson with the discovery, who
mentions a 13th century document that corroborated a local tradition
about Sigurd's burial in his introduction to the 1873 translation of
the saga by Hjaltalin and Goudie.[68]
^ Arnór's poetry is quoted verbatim in the saga, interspersed with
various embellishments in the narrative. Arnór was in
Orkney

Orkney at or
about the time of this conflict and it is he who describes Thorfinn's
foe as "Karl" and "lord of the Scots". It is the saga writer who adds
the patronymic "Hundasson".[44][69]
^ There were only two Earls of
Orkney

Orkney named Sigurd. Taylor clearly
identifies Sigurd "the Stout" Hlodvirsson but the earlier Sigurd ("the
Mighty") was Rognvald Eysteinsson's brother, not his son.[81]
^ This theory, based on the Orcadian distribution of ouncelands was
originally researched by J. Storer Clouston in the 1920s and was
"enormously influential" but also "preposterous" according to Smith
(1988).[94]
^ Warriors from the
Northern Isles

Northern Isles (Øyskjeggs), led by Harald
Maddadson's brother-in-law Olaf fought on behalf of Sigurd Magnusson
against King Sverre Sigurdsson. Sverre and his force confronted the
Øyskjeggs in the spring of 1194, when the two fleets met north of
Bergen. In the ensuing battle the Norwegians claimed a decisive
victory. King Sverre appears to have believed that Harald Maddadson
was involved in the affair and he punished Harald by placing Shetland
under the direct rule of the Norwegian Crown, which was not returned
to the care of the
Orkney

Orkney earldom during his lifetime.[97]
Citations[edit]
^ Crawford (1987), p. 221
^ a b c d Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 9, Introduction
^ a b c Smith (1988), p. 21
^ "The Norse Takeover" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
^ a b Pálsson & Edwards (1981), pp. 15-16, Introduction
^ a b Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 19, Introduction
^ a b c d Woolf (2007), p. 277
^ a b c d Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 10, Introduction
^ a b c d Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 11, Introduction
^ Vigassun (1887), pp. ix-x, Preface
^ Vigassun (1887), pp. xii, Preface
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 12 "Death in Ireland"
^ Vigassun (1887), pp. 15-16
^ Jesch (1992), p. 337
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 12, Introduction
^ a b
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga Orkneyjar. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
^ a b c Thomson (2008), p. 27
^ Anderson (1990), pp. 332-334, Saga of
Harald Fairhair

Harald Fairhair c. 22:
"King Harald's Voyage To The West".
^ a b Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 9, c. 4 "To
Shetland

Shetland and
Orkney"
^ Thomson (2008), p. 28
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 9, c. 5 "A poisoned tooth"
^ Thomson (2008), p. 30: quoting chapter 5 of the Orkneyinga
saga.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 25
^ a b Crawford (1987), pp. 52-53
^ Thomson (2008), pp. 27-28
^ Helle, Knut (2006) "Earls of Orkney". The Vikings and
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland -
Impact and Influence.
Royal Society of Edinburgh

Royal Society of Edinburgh Conference 22-26
September 2006. Edinburgh. (Rapporteur: Andrew Heald). Retrieved 27
January 2014.
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 6 "Forecasts"
^ Sturlson (1992), Harald Harfager's Saga: c. 27 "Of
Earl

Earl Torfeinar's
Obtaining Orkney".
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 6 "Forecasts" and c. 7 "Vikings
and peat"
^ a b Thomson (2008), p. 73
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 13, Introduction
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 14, Introduction
^ Sturlson (1992), Harald Harfager's Saga: c. 24 "Rolf Ganger Driven
Into Banishment".
^ Thomson (2008), pp. 36-36
^ a b Thomson (2008), p. 38
^ Woolf (2007), p. 300
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 12 "Death in Iceland"
^ Crawford (1987), p. 80
^ a b c Woolf (2007), p. 243
^ Thomson (2008), p. 69
^ Thomson (2008): p. 69 quoting the Orkneyinga Saga c. 12 "Death in
Iceland".
^ a b Thomson (2008), pp. 66-67
^ a b Beuermann (2011), pp. 143–44
^ a b Crawford (1987), p. 72
^ a b Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 20 "Karl Hundason"
^ Smith (1988), pp. 27-28
^ Crawford (2003), p. 64
^ Gregory (1881), pp. 4-6
^ a b Thomson (2008), p. 88
^ a b "St. Magnus and his World", Foghlam AlbaArchived 2015-02-18 at
the Wayback Machine.
^ a b "Magnus - the Martyr of Orkney" Orkneyjar. Retrieved 10 March
2018.
^ "St Magnus Church: History". Historic Environment Scotland.
Retrieved 2016-12-06.
^ a b Callaghan (2003), p. 167
^ a b Beuermann (2011), pp. 148–49
^ Beuermann (2011), pp. 150-52
^ Thomson (2008), p. 101
^ Sturlson (1992), Saga Of Sigurd, Inge, And Eystein, The Sons Of
Harald: c. 20 "War Expedition Of King Haraldson"
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 91 "Events in Orkney"
^ Oram (2004), pp. 100-101
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), cc. 92–104
^ Sturlson (1992), Saga Of Sigurd, Inge, And Eystein, The Sons Of
Harald: c. 28 "Of King Sigurd's Fall" - c. 32 "King Eystein's Death"
^ a b Muir (2005), p. 127.
^ McGuigan (2011), p. 90
^ Woolf (2007), p. 244.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 84.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 90.
^ Crawford (1987), pp. 58-59
^ Crawford (1986), p. 39.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 76
^ Robertson (1862), pp. 477-479, II.
^ Skene (1902), 1 c. 5.
^ Crawford (1987), p. 73.
^ Woolf (2007), p. 309-10
^ Thomson (2008), pp. 75-77
^ Anderson (1990), p. 576, note 7.
^ Muir (2005), p. 47
^ Thomson (2008), p. 75.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 79.
^ Taylor (1937), p. 338.
^ Crawford (1987), pp. 71–74.
^ Crawford (1987), p. 54.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 80.
^ Crawford (1987), p. 216
^ Sävborg (2010), p. 361.
^ Crawford (1987), pp. 76-77
^ Muir (2005), p. 6
^ Thomson (2008), p. 31.
^ Beuermann (2011), p. 120
^ Beuermann (2011), p. 121
^ Thomson (2008), pp. 30-31
^ a b Thomson (2008), pp. 58-59
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), cc. 9-11
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 16 "Murder of an earl" and c. 30
"
Earl

Earl Thorfinn and King Magnus"
^ Smith (1988), pp. 23-24
^ Thomson (2008), pp. 70-73
^ Smith (1988), p. 32
^ Muir (2005): pp. 115-118 with reference to Sverris saga.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 64.
^ Beuermann (2011), pp. 143-44
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 16, Introduction
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 17, Introduction
^ Woolf (2007), p. 267.
^ Thomson (2008), p. 96
^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), c. 53 "Death of
Earl

Earl Hakon"
^ Anderson (1873), Introduction.
Bibliography[edit]
Primary sources[edit]
Anderson, Joseph, ed. (1873), The Orkneyinga Saga, translated by
Hjaltalin, Jón A.; Goudie, Gilbert, Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas,
retrieved 26 August 2013
Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, translated by
Pálsson, Hermann; Edwards, Paul Geoffrey, London: Penguin, 1981,
ISBN 0-14-044383-5
Sturluson, Snorri (1992), Heimskringla: History of the Kings of
Norway, translated by Hollander, Lee M., Austin: University of Texas
Press, ISBN 0-292-73061-6
Vigassun, Gudbrand, ed. (1887), "Orkneyinga Saga and Magnus Saga with
Appendices", Icelandic Sagas, 1, HMSO/Archive.org., retrieved 16 March
2018
Secondary Sources[edit]
Anderson, Alan Orr (1990), Early Sources of Scottish History A.D
500–1286, 1, Stamford: Paul Watkins, ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Beuermann, Ian (2011), "Jarla Sǫgur Orkneyja. Status and power of the
earls of
Orkney

Orkney according to their sagas", in Steinsland, Gro;
Sigurðsson, Jón Viðar; Rekda, Jan Erik; Beuermann, Ian, Ideology
and power in the viking and middle ages: Scandinavia, Iceland,
Ireland,
Orkney

Orkney and the Faeroes . The Northern World: North Europe and
the Baltic c. 400–1700 A.D. Peoples, Economics and Cultures. 52,
Leiden: Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-20506-2
Callaghan, Steve (2003), "St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall", in Omand,
Donald, The
Orkney

Orkney Book, Edinburgh: Birlinn,
ISBN 1-84158-254-9
Crawford, Barbara E. (1986), "The Making of a Frontier: The Firthlands
from the Ninth to the Twelfth Centuries", in Baldwin, John R.,
Firthlands of Ross and Sutherland, Edinburgh: Scottish Society for
Northern Studies
Crawford, Barbara E. (1987), Scandinavian Scotland, Leicester
University Press, ISBN 0-7185-1197-2
Crawford, Barbara E. (2003), "
Orkney

Orkney in the Middle Ages", in Omand,
Donald, The
Orkney

Orkney Book, Edinburgh: Birlinn,
ISBN 1-84158-254-9
Gregory, Donald (1881), The History of the Western Highlands and Isles
of
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland 1493–1625, Edinburgh: Birlinn. 2008 reprint: originally
published by Thomas D. Morrison., ISBN 1-904607-57-8
Jesch, Judith (1992), "Narrating "Orkneyinga Saga"", Scandinavian
Studies, University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Society for the
Advancement of Scandinavian Study/JSTOR, 64, No. 3: 336–355,
JSTOR 40919439
McGuigan, Neil (2011), "Review: The Northern Earldoms:
Orkney

Orkney and
Caithness

Caithness from AD 870 to 1470 by Barbara E. Crawford", Scottish
Archaeological Journal, 33 (1/2 Papers from the Scottish Theoretical
Archaeology Group ed.), Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press/JSTOR,
pp. 88–90, JSTOR 43923917
Muir, Tom (2005),
Orkney

Orkney in the Sagas: The Story of the Earldom of
Orkney

Orkney as told in the Icelandic Sagas, Kirkwall: The Orcadian,
ISBN 0954886232
Oram, Richard (2004), David I: The King Who Made Scotland, Stroud:
Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-2825-X
Robertson, Eben William (1862),
Scotland
.svg/440px-Highlands_and_Islands_(Scottish_Parliament_electoral_region).svg.png)
Scotland Under Her Early Kings (to
1300), I, Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas
Sävborg, Daniel (2010), "The sagas and courtly love", in Sheehan,
John; Ó Corráin, Donnchadh, The
Viking

Viking Age:
Ireland

Ireland and the West.
Proceedings of the Fifteenth
Viking

Viking Congress, Dublin: Four Courts
Press, pp. 361–368, ISBN 978-1-84682-101-1
Skene, W. F. (1902), The Highlanders of Scotland, Stirling: Eneas
MacKay
Smith, Brian (1988), "
Shetland

Shetland in Saga-Time: Re-reading the Orkneyinga
Saga", Northern Studies, Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Northern
Studies, 25: 21–41
Taylor, A.B. (1937), "Karl Hundason: King of Scots", Proceedings of
the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, LXXI, Edinburgh,
pp. 334–340
Thomson, William P. L. (2008), The New History of Orkney, Edinburgh:
Birlinn, ISBN 978-1-84158-696-0
Woolf, Alex (2007), From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070, Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
Other primary sources[edit]
Original
Old Norse

Old Norse text:
Orkneyinga saga

Orkneyinga saga norse.ulver.com
English translation:
Orkneyinga Saga. Trans A.B. Taylor (1937). London.
The Orkneyingers Saga (Icelandic Sagas, and other historical documents
relating to the settlements and descents of the Northmen on the
British Isles, Volume III). Translated by
George Dasent (1894).
London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Reprinted 1964 by Kraus
Reprint. Text available at Sacred Texts and Northvegr.
"Fundinn Noregr" ('Discovery of Norway'), opening portion of The
Orkneyingers Saga. Trans. Chappell, Gavin (2004) Northvegr: The
Discovery of Norway.
External links[edit]
Proverbs and proverbial materials in Orkneyinga saga
v
t
e
Norse Earls of Orkney
Ragnvald Eysteinsson

Ragnvald Eysteinsson "the Wise" (9th century)
Sigurd Eysteinsson

Sigurd Eysteinsson "the Mighty" (to 892)
Guthorm Sigurdsson (893)
Hallad Rognvaldsson (893–895)
Torf-Einarr

Torf-Einarr Rognvaldarson (895–910)
Arnkel Torf-Einarsson (910–954)
Erlend Torf-Einarsson (910-954)
Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson

Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson "Skull-Splitter" (910–963)
Arnfinn, Havard, Ljot and Hlodvir Thorfinnsson (963–980)
Sigurd Hlodvirsson

Sigurd Hlodvirsson "the Stout" (980–1014)
Sumarlidi Sigurdsson

Sumarlidi Sigurdsson (1014–1016)
Brusi Sigurdsson

Brusi Sigurdsson (1014–1031)
Einar Sigurdsson

Einar Sigurdsson "Wry-mouth" (1014–1026)
Thorfinn Sigurdsson

Thorfinn Sigurdsson "the Mighty" (1025–1064)
Rögnvald Brusason

Rögnvald Brusason (1036–1046)
Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson
.jpg/640px-Arbo_-_Battle_of_Stamford_Bridge_(1870).jpg)
Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson (1064–1098)
Sigurd Magnusson "the Jerusalem-farer" (1098–1103)
Haakon Paulsson

Haakon Paulsson (1104–1123)
Magnus Erlendsson (1106–1116)
Harald Haakonsson

Harald Haakonsson (1123–1130)
Paul Haakonsson

Paul Haakonsson (1123–1136)
Rögnvald Kali Kolsson

Rögnvald Kali Kolsson (1136–1158)
Harald Maddadsson

Harald Maddadsson "the Old" (1138–1206)
Erlend Haraldsson

Erlend Haraldsson (1151–1154)
Harald Eiriksson

Harald Eiriksson "the Younger" (1191–1198)
David Haraldsson

David Haraldsson (1206–1214)
Jon Haraldsson

Jon Haraldsson (1206–1231)
Dates are approximate. Joint earldoms were frequent.
v
t
e
Scandinavian Scotland
Rulers
List of kings
Earls of Orkney
Crovan dynasty
Lords of Argyll
Mormaers of Caithness
Uí Ímair
Notable women
Aud the Deep-Minded
Bethóc, Prioress of Iona
Bjaðǫk
Cacht ingen Ragnaill
Gormflaith ingen Murchada
Gunnhild Gormsdóttir
Helga Moddansdóttir
Ingeborg of Norway
Ingibjörg the Earls'-Mother
Isabel Bruce
Máel Muire ingen Amlaíb
Margaret, Maid of Norway
Margaret, Queen of Norway
Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland
Ragnhild Eriksdotter
Other notable men
Caittil Find
Ingimundr
Ljótólfr
Olaf the White
Olvir Rosta
Páll Bálkason
Ragnall ua Ímair
Sweyn Asleifsson
Thorbjorn Thorsteinsson
Thorstein the Red
History
Kingdom of the Isles
Dál Riata
Gall-Ghàidheil
Lochlann
Orkney
Outer Hebrides
Shetland
Scottish–Norwegian War

Scottish–Norwegian War (1262-66)
Scotland
Norway
Archaeology
Bornish
Birsay
Bishop's Palace
Brough of Birsay
Camas Uig
Cubbie Roo's Castle
Earl's Bu
Jarlshof
Kirkwall

Kirkwall Castle
Linton Chapel
Maeshowe
Old Scatness
Port an Eilean Mhòir boat burial
Rubha an Dùnain
Scar boat burial
St Magnus Church
Artifacts and culture
Birlinn
Chronicles of Mann
Darraðarljóð
Galloway Hoard
Hogbacks
Lewis chessmen
Manx runestones
Orkneyinga saga
Ounceland
Sen dollotar Ulaid
St Magnus Cathedral
Udal law
Althings
Delting
Dingwall
Law Ting Holm
Lunnasting
Nesting
Sandsting
Tingwall
Tynwald
Language
Middle Irish
Norn
Old Norse
Pictish
Old Norwegian
Etymology
Scottish island names
Northern Isles
Hebrides
Battles and treaties
Bauds
Brunanburh
Clontarf
Dollar
Barry
Epiphany
Isle of Man
Largs
Renfrew
Skyhill
Tara
Vestrajǫrðr
Treaty of 1098
Treaty of Perth
Associated clans and septs
Gunn
Uí Ímair
Somhairle
Macaulay of Lewis
Mac Coitir
MacDougall
MacLeod