Earl Torf-Einarr, 875-910, was the illegitimate son of the Norwegian
earl Rögnvaldr, by a thrall mother who was thrall born on all sides,
_í allar ættir þrælborinn_. He was therefore half Norse and half
thrall. His mother was probably of the pre-Norse small dark race, the
Finnar or Lappir, which may account for her son being ugly, _ljótr_,
one-eyed, _einsýnn_, but keen-sighted, _skygnstr_, an expression which
latterly meant second-sighted, and capable of seeing elves, etc. He
saw, what others did not, Hálfdán há-leggr, the self-appointed “king of
Orkney,” bobbing up and down on another island, and had a _blóð-örn_,
blood-eagle, carved on him.
His poetic genius may have been the result of the mixture of Norse and
Finn. He died of sickness, _sótt-dauðr_, equivalent to _strá-dauðr_,
straw-dead, died in bed, an ignominious death for a víkingr.
Nothing is known of his wife, but, as he had children before he left
Norway, she was, probably, a Norwegian.
His children were earls Þorfinnr, Arnkell and Erlendr, and two
daughters, Þórdís, born in his youth, in Norway (she was brought up
by her grandfather, earl Rögnvaldr, and married Þórgeirr klaufi,
whose son Einarr went to Orkney to his kinsmen, and as they would not
receive him, he bought a ship and went to Iceland), and Hlíf, who had
descendants in Iceland.
Earl Þorfinnr hausakljúfr (skull-cleaver), 910-963, was the son of earl
Torf-Einarr and an unknown mother, probably Norwegian, so that he would
be three-fourths Norse and one-fourth thrall in descent. He married
Grelöð, a daughter of Dungað (Gaelic _Donnchadh_, Duncan), Gaelic earl
of Caithness, and Gróa, daughter of Þorsteinn rauðr.[1]
[1] Hkr.
He is described as a great chief and warrior, _mikill höfðingi ok
herskár_, and died of sickness, _sótt-dauðr_, and was buried in a
mound, _heygðr_, in Rögnvaldsey _á Haugs-eiði_, at Hoxa. The Saga
reads _á Hauga-heiði_, wrongly; this isthmus would have been called
_Haugs-eið_, how’s isthmus, because the Norse found on it a large
mound, which covered the ruins of a pre-Norse round tower, in which the
earl may have been buried.
His children were earls Arnfinnr, Hávarðr ár-sæli (of prosperous
years), Hlöðver, Ljótr or Arnljótr, and Skúli, and two daughters. Three
of his five sons married, in turn, the murdress Ragnhildr, daughter
of king Eiríkr blóðöx and the notorious Gunnhildr. She killed her
first husband herself. The second husband was killed by his nephew
Einarr klíningr (butter), at the instigation of his aunt, who promised
to marry him, and for which deed he was thought to be a _níðingr_,
dastard. Preparatory to marrying the third brother, she got rid of
Einarr at the hands of his cousin Einarr harðkjöptr (hard-jawed), who
was in turn slain by the third and last husband.
One cannot wonder at the character of Ragnhildr, considering the
antecedents of her mother Gunnhildr, the reputed daughter of Özurr
toti, a lord in Hálogaland. She, probably a Finn, was found in a
Finmark cot, studying wizardry, and was brought to Eiríkr blóðöx, who,
struck with her great beauty, obtained her in marriage. She was held
guilty of having poisoned king Hálfdán svarti. Her life was spent in
plotting and mischief. She is described in _Heimskringla_: the fairest
of women, wise and cunning in witchcraft; glad of speech and guileful
of heart, and the grimmest of all folk. Fortunately, her daughter left
no descendants in Orkney.
Earl Hlöðver (Ludovick or Lewis), 963-980, was the son of earl
Þorfinnr hausakljúfr, and Grelöð, who was half a Gael, and so he was
five-eighths Norse, one-eighth thrall and two-eighths Gael. He is
described as a mighty chief, _mikill höfðingi_, and died of sickness,
_sótt-dauðr_. He married Eðna (Eithne), daughter of the Irish king,
Kjarvalr (Cearbhall). She was learned in witchcraft, _margkunnig_,
and wove a magic banner, _merki_, in raven form, _hrafns-mynd_, for
her son; and predicted that those before whom it was borne should be
victorious, _sigrsæll_, but it would be deadly, _banvænt_, to the
bearer.
Their children were earl Sigurðr hinn digri, and a daughter, Nereiðr or
Svanlaug, who married earl Gilli of Kola (Coll).
Earl Sigurðr hinn digri, 980-1014, was the son of earl Hlöðver and
an Irish Gael, and was 5/16 Norse, 1/16 thrall, and 10/16 Gael. He
was a mighty chief, _höfðingi mikill_, and a great warrior.[2] He was
killed in the battle of Clontarf, _Brjáns-bardagi_, in Ireland in
1014, with the fatal _hrafns-merki_ wound around him, as no one else
would bear his _fjándi_, fiend. He was converted to Christianity by
the sword-baptism of king Ólafr Tryggvason, although he expressed his
preference for the religion and carved gods of his Norse forefathers,
notwithstanding any Christian teaching he may have received from his
Irish mother beyond witchcraft. He gave up the confiscated óðul to
the Orkney bœndr (for one generation) in return for military services
rendered against the Scots. The name of his first wife is unknown,
and his second one was a daughter of Malcolm, the Scot king. His
children by his first wife were Hundi or Hvelpr (Gaelic, _Cuilen_, who
was baptised with the name of his grandfather, earl Hlöðver), Einarr
rang-muðr, stern, grasping, unfriendly, and a great warrior, Brúsi,
meek, kept his feelings well in hand, humble and ready-tongued, and
Sumarliði.
[2] Hkr.
Earl Þorfinnr hinn ríki, 1014-1064, was the son of earl Sigurðr digri
and his second wife, a Gael, and was 5/32 Norse, 1/32 thrall, and 26/32
Gael in descent. He was _bráðgjörr í vexti, manna mestr ok sterkastr_,
early in reaching full growth, tallest and strongest of men; _svartr
á hár_, black hair; _skarpleitr ok skolbrúnn_, sharp features and
swarthy complexion; _ljótr_, ugly; _nefmikill_, big nose; _kappsmaðr_,
an energetic man; _ágjarn bæði til fjár ok metnaðar_, greedy of wealth
and honour; _sigrsæll_, lucky in battle; _kænn í orrostum_, skilful in
war; _góðr áræðis_, of good courage. King Ólafr found that Þorfinnr
was _miklu skapstærri en Brúsi_, much more proud of spirit than his
brother, Brúsi. Þorfinnr gladly agreed with all the king’s proposals,
but the king doubted that he meant to go back on them, whereas he
thought that Brúsi, who drove a hard bargain, would keep his word,
and would be a _trúnaðar-maðr_, faithful liegeman. The earl married
Ingibjörg, jarla-móðir, daughter of Finnr Árnason. He made a pilgrimage
to Rome, got absolution from the Pope, and built the first cathedral in
Birsa, Orkney, where he died.
He was liberal, in that he did that _frama-verk_, honourable deed, by
which he provided his _hirð_, bodyguard, and many other _ríkis-menn_,
mighty men, all winter through, with both _matr ok mun-gát_, food and
ale, so that no man required to put up at a _skytningr_, inn; whereas,
kings and earls in other lands, merely made a like provision only
during Yule. Arnórr jarlaskáld sang to his praise in his _Þorfinns
drápa_, and noted his liberal fare.
His children were earls Páll and Erlendr, who were _miklir menn ok
fríðir_, mickle men and handsome, and so took after their Norwegian
_móðurætt_, mother’s kin, and were _vitrir ok hógværir_, wise and
modest; taking after their mother, a Norwegian, is in contrast to their
father, who was almost a pure-bred, black-haired, swarthy Gael.
Earl Rögnvaldr Brúsason, 1036-1046, was the son of earl Brúsi
Sigurðarson and an unknown mother, and the nephew of earl Þorfinnr
hinn ríki. The _fríðastr_, most handsome of all men; _hárit mikit ok
gult sem silki_, much hair, yellow as silk; _snimma mikill ok sterkr,
manna var hann gjörfiligastr bæði fyrir vits saker ok svá kurteisi_,
tall and strong, the most perfect man was he both in wits and courtesy;
_fríðastr sjónum_, most handsome in face; _atgervi-maðr mikill svá at
eigi fanst hans jafningi_, an accomplished man without an equal. Arnórr
jarlaskáld said that he was the _bezt menntr af Orkneyja-jörlum_, the
most accomplished and best bred of the earls of Orkney. From this
description one would imagine that his unknown mother and grandmother
had both been Norwegians. It is not stated whether he was married or
had any children.
Earl Páll Þorfinnsson, 1064-1098, was the son of earl Þorfinn hinn ríki
and Ingibjörg, a Norwegian, after whom he took--handsome and modest. He
was thus 19/32 Norse and 13/32 Gael in descent.
He married a daughter of earl Hákon Ívarsson and Ragnhildr, daughter
of king Magnús hinn góði. Their children were earl Hákon, and four
daughters, Herbjörg (ancestress of bishop Biarni), Ingiriðr, Ragnhildr
(ancestress of Hákon kló), and Þóra.
He was banished to Norway, in 1098, where he died.
From 1098 to 1103, Sigurðr (afterwards king Sigurðr Jórsalafari), the
eighty-year-old son of king Magnús berfœttr, was earl of Orkney.
Earl Erlendr Þorfinnsson, 1064-1098, was the son of earl Þorfinnr
hinn ríki and Ingibiörg, a Norwegian, and so was 19/32 Norse and
13/32 Gael in descent. He married Þóra Sumarliðadóttir, whose mother
and grandmother are not mentioned, but her father was the son of an
Icelander. The earl was banished to Norway, in 1098, where he died.
His children were, earl St. Magnús, Gunnhildr, who married Kolr
Kalason, whose son Kali became earl Rögnvaldr, and Cecilia who
married Ísak, a Norwegian, whose sons were Kolr and Eindriði. He had
a thrall-born illegitimate daughter called Játvör (fem. of Játvarðr,
the Norse form of Edward), who had a son called Borgar,--the earliest
record of this name, which, however, occurs in Norwegian place-names;
they were both, mother and son, rather disliked, _úvinsæl_.
Earl Hákon Pálsson, 1103-1122, was the son of earl Páll Þorfinnsson and
a Norwegian mother, and was 51/64 Norse and 13/64 Gael in descent.
He was _ofstopamaðr mikill_, a very overbearing man, _mikill ok
sterkr_, great and strong; and _vel menntr um alla hluti_, well-bred,
accomplished in every way. He would be the _fyrirmaðr_, leader, over
his cousins, and thought himself better born, being the great grandson
of king Magnús hinn góði. He always wanted the largest share for
himself and his friends, and was _öfund_, jealous, of his cousins. When
abroad he suffered from _landmunr_, home-sickness, and wanted _at sækja
vestr til Eyja_, to seek west to the _Isles_ (Orkney). He consulted a
wizard as to his future. He murdered his cousin, St. Magnús, in order
to get the whole earldom, and then made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
He ended by being a good ruler, and died in the Isles.
It is not known whom he married, if he was wedded at all; but his son,
earl Páll, appears to have had a mother other than his father’s known
_frilla_ or concubine. She was a Gael, Helga, daughter of Moddan, a
nobleman rolling in wealth, _göfugr maðr ok vell-auðigr_, who lived in
Dalir, or Dalr, in Katanes. The Gaelic name _Moddan_ may be connected
with the Irish _O’Madadhain_. This man’s family of daughters was a
disgrace even to the morals of the twelfth century. After earl Hákon’s
death, Helga, aided by her sister Frakök, attempted to murder her
step-son, earl Páll, by means of a bewitched garment, white as snow,
_línklœði hvitt sem fönn_, which they had sewn and embroidered with
gold, but which her own jealous son donned and paid the penalty. Earl
Páll, who naturally deemed that this precious article, _gersemi_, had
been intended for him, promptly cleared them, and their family and
dependents, _skulda-lið_, out of the islands.
It was the opinion of earl Rögnvaldr that Frakök was an old hag who
would not do anybody good, _kerling er til einkis er fær_. She was
burnt alive in her house by Sveinn Ásleifarson, for having instigated
her grandson Ölver rósta to burn Svein’s father in his house.
Moddan’s carlines and their offspring wormed themselves into Orkney
society. Frakök (a Gaelic name?) married Ljótr níðingr (the dastard)
of Sutherland, and their daughter married Þorljótr of Rekavík (in
Orkney). Another daughter married Þorsteinn fjaranz-muðr (dreadful
mouth). Þorleif Moddansdöttir was the mother of Auðhildr, the frilla
of Sigurðr slembi-djákn (the slim or tricky deacon), by whom he had an
illegitimate daughter, who married Hákon kló. Sigurðr himself, was the
illegitimate son of a priest, Aðalbrigð. When he and Frakök came to
Orkney a great faction, _sveitar-dráttr mikill_, took place. He took
part in the slaughter of Þorkell fóstri, a man much beloved in Orkney,
for which the deacon was promptly deported as an undesirable alien. As
the pretended son of king Magnús berfœttr, he, however, met a terrible
death with remarkable fortitude. Earl Hákon’s children were: earls
Haraldr slétt-máli (smooth-speaking) and Páll úmálgi (the silent),
Margrét, who married Maddadh, the Gaelic earl of Atholl, and Ingibjörg,
who married Ólafr bitlingr (the morsel), king of Suðreyjar.
Earl St. Magnús Erlendsson, 1108-1116, was the son of earl Erlendr
Þorfinnsson and Þóra Sumarliðadóttir. In descent, 51/64 Norse 13/64
Gael. In personal appearance he was, great of growth, _mikill at
vexti_; manly, _drengiligr_; intellectual in appearance, _skýligr
at yfirlitum_. The saga is voluminous in a description of his
good qualities, etc., _e.g._, he was a most noble man, _ágætastr_;
of good morals in life, _siðgóðr í háttum_; fortunate in battle,
_sigrsæll í orrostum_; a sage in wit, _spekingr at viti_; eloquent
and high-spirited and generous, _málsnjallr ok ríklundaðr_; liberal
of wealth and magnanimous, _örr af fé ok stórlyndr_; wise in counsel
and more beloved than any other man, _ráðsvinnr ok hverjum manni
vinsælli_; gentle and of good speech, with kind and good men, _blíðr
ok góðr viðmælis við spaka menn ok góða_; hard and unforbearing with
robbers and víkingar, _harðr, ok úeirinn við ránsmenn ok víkinga_;
he let murderers and thieves be taken and punished, high and low,
for robbery and theft and all bad deeds, _lét hann taka morðingja ok
þjófa, ok refsaði svá ríkum sem úríkum rán ok þyfsku ok öll úknytti_;
impartial in judgment, _eigi vinhallr í dómum_; he valued godly
justice, _guðligan rétt_, more than rank, _mann-virðingar_; munificent,
_stórgjöfull_, with _höfðingjar ok ríkis-menn_; but ever showed great
solicitude and comfort, _huggan_, for poor men, _fátækir menn_.
Along with his cousin, earl Hákon, he burnt a Shetlander, Þorbjörn í
Borgarfirði, in his house, and they slew their cousin Dufnjáll, without
any reason being assigned in either case.
St. Magnús, as a youth, accompanied king Magnús on his expedition in
1098, but refused to fight, because he said he had no quarrel against
any man there, and he took a psalter, _saltari_, and sung during the
battle. He married an unknown Scotswoman of noble family, he had no
children, and was murdered by his cousin, earl Hákon, on April 16th,
798 years ago.
Earl Rögnvaldr Kali hinn helgi, 1136-1158, was the son of Gunnhildr,
earl Erlends dóttir and Kolr Kalason, a Norwegian, and thus 115/128
Norse and 13/128 Gael in descent. He is described as a most promising
man, _efniligasti maðr_; of average growth, _meðal-maðr á vöxt_;
well set, _kominn vel á sik_; best limbed man, _limaðr manna bezt_;
light chestnut hair, _ljósjarpr á hár_; a most accomplished man,
_atgervi-maðr_. He numbered nine accomplishments, _iþróttir_, viz.,
_tafl_, chess, _rúnar_, runes, _bók_, book (reading and writing),
_smíð_, smith work, _skríða_, _á skíðum_, sliding on snow-shoes,
_róðr_, rowing, _hörpu-sláttr_, harp-playing, _brag-þáttr_,
versification, to which may be added a tenth, _sund_, swimming, as he
frequently _lagðist yfir vatnit_, in dangerous places. The king gave
him the name of earl Rögnvaldr Brúsason, because his mother said that
he had been the most accomplished, _görviligasti_, of all the earls of
Orkney, and that was thought to bring good luck, _heilla-vænligr_.
In 1134, he plotted with his disreputable Gaelic relative, Ölver rósta,
to oust earl Páll, but was not successful. Like a good víkingr he was
slain in 1158, and was briefly described as _íþrótta-maðr mikill ok
skáld gott_, a very accomplished man and a good skáld.
The name and race of his wife are unknown. He had a daughter, Ingigerð,
who married Eiríkr stagbrellr, in Sutherland (a grandson of one of
Moddan’s carlines, and whose mother had been the frilla of the slim
deacon), and their children were, earl Haraldr ungi, who was slain
in 1198, Magnús mangi (nobody; _Mangi_ is also a contracted form of
_Magnús_, which is sometimes spelt _Mangus_ in Orkney documents),
Rögnvaldr, Ingibiörg, Elin, and Ragnhildr.
Margrét, daughter of earl Hákon Pálsson and Helga Moddansdóttir, was
51/128 Norse, 77/128 Gael, and is described as _fríð kona ok svarri
mikill_, a beautiful woman and very proud. She married Maddadh, the
Gaelic earl of Atholl, as his second wife, and was the mother of
Haraldr Maddaðarson, who became earl of Orkney. After her husband’s
death she returned to Orkney and had an illegitimate son by Gunni,
Svein’s brother, for which he was outlawed. After that she eloped with
Erlendr ungi, of whom nothing is known.[3]
[3] He has been unaccountably confused with earl Erlendr, who would
thus have run off with his own aunt.