Ásbjǫrn skerjablesi (died 874), also known as Ásbjǫrn jarl skerjablesi, was a ruler of the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

attested by ''

Landnámabók (, "Book of Settlements"), often shortened to , is a medieval Icelandic written work which describes in considerable detail the settlement () of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. is divided into five parts and ov ...

'' and ''

Droplaugarsona saga Droplaugarsona saga () is one of the Icelanders' sagas, probably written in the 13th century. The saga takes place near Lagarfljót in the east of Iceland about 1000 AD. It tells the story of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), sons of ...

''. His

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

, ''skerjablesi'', translates to "skerry blaze". One possibility is that this name means "the man with a blaze from the Skerries", although the particular

skerry A skerry ( ) is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low stack (geology), sea stack. A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, ...

which this might refer to is unknown. Another possibility is that, whilst the word element ''blesi'' ("blaze") refers to Ásbjǫrn's

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, the element ''sker'' ("skerry") refers to his hangout. According to ''Landnámabók'', Ásbjǫrn was slain in 874 by Hólmfastr Véþormsson and Grímr (a nephew of Hólmfastr's father). Ásbjǫrn's killers are stated to have enslaved Ásbjǫrn's wife, Álof (daughter of Þórðr vaggagði), and his daughter Arneiðr. Wyatt (2007b) pp. 120, 141, 153 n. 437; Pálsson; Edwards (2006) pp. 112 ch. 278, 144 ch. 388; ''Landnámabók I–III'' (1900) pp. 89 ch. 240, 121 ch. 342, 204 ch. 278, 229 ch. 388.

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* * {{refend 874 deaths 9th-century rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles Rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles Vikings killed in battle

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