Orkneyinga Saga: the History of the Earls of Orkney
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Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus show more the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds. show lessTags
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there are several interesting threads in the Orkneyinga, and the literary quality is higher than the Faroe Islander Saga. The sad tale of Rognvald and his dog being the most intrusive in my memory. The Norse influence in Scots history is far too often downplayed, and this is a restorative dose for those who believe in the "Celticness" of the Scots' heritage. A fine read.
Ill-fortune followed
when the Earls fought,
many a hard lesson learned,
many a life lost;
where the spear-shower fell,
there fought our friends;
many a dear on that day
lay dead at Roberry.
Written in Iceland around 1200 AD and thought to have been updated in 1234-5 when some prominent men from Orkney were visiting Iceland, this is the story of the Earls of Orkney, from the 9th century to the early 13th century.
The Earls of Orkney were subject to both the Scottish and Norwegian kings, since the earldom included Caithness in the far north of Scotland as well as the Orkneys and Shetland, which were ruled by Norway. There were usually two or more earls competing to increase their share of the land, while also co-operating uneasily in the defence show more of the whole earldom, and the Earls went to whichever king seemed most sympathetic to their cause when they needed someone to arbitrate about how the islands should be split between various uncles and nephews, brothers or cousins.
As well as farming, trading, making and breaking alliances and burning their enemies alive in their farmhouses, the Earls were viking raiders. Their summers were often spent raiding in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and Norway, as well as the islands around the coast of Britain from the Isle of May and the Hebrides to the Isle of Man, Anglesey and even the Scilly Isles. Earls of Orkney were present at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 fighting for the Norwegian king, and a later Earl went on a pilgrimage to the holy land, sailing his ships as far as Constantinople and fighting against Saracens and Africans when his men plundered a large cargo ship in the Mediterranean. show less
when the Earls fought,
many a hard lesson learned,
many a life lost;
where the spear-shower fell,
there fought our friends;
many a dear on that day
lay dead at Roberry.
Written in Iceland around 1200 AD and thought to have been updated in 1234-5 when some prominent men from Orkney were visiting Iceland, this is the story of the Earls of Orkney, from the 9th century to the early 13th century.
The Earls of Orkney were subject to both the Scottish and Norwegian kings, since the earldom included Caithness in the far north of Scotland as well as the Orkneys and Shetland, which were ruled by Norway. There were usually two or more earls competing to increase their share of the land, while also co-operating uneasily in the defence show more of the whole earldom, and the Earls went to whichever king seemed most sympathetic to their cause when they needed someone to arbitrate about how the islands should be split between various uncles and nephews, brothers or cousins.
As well as farming, trading, making and breaking alliances and burning their enemies alive in their farmhouses, the Earls were viking raiders. Their summers were often spent raiding in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and Norway, as well as the islands around the coast of Britain from the Isle of May and the Hebrides to the Isle of Man, Anglesey and even the Scilly Isles. Earls of Orkney were present at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 fighting for the Norwegian king, and a later Earl went on a pilgrimage to the holy land, sailing his ships as far as Constantinople and fighting against Saracens and Africans when his men plundered a large cargo ship in the Mediterranean. show less
Striking for the grim intensity with which warriors fought for control of these little islands. Yet the author clearly also respected some figures who tried to maintain the peace.
Also contains: Legenda de Sancto Magno -- Magnuss saga skemmri -- Magnuss saga lengri -- Helga þattr ok Ulfs
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- Canonical title
- Orkneyinga Saga: the History of the Earls of Orkney
- Original publication date
- 1978 (English: Palsson & Edwards) (English: Palsson & Edwards); 1873 (English) (English); 1200 (circa, original manuscript) (circa, original manuscript)
- People/Characters
- Harald Fairhair; Sigurd the Stout; Sweyn Asleifsson; Magnus the Martyr; Haakon Paulsson; Sigurd the Mighty
- Important places
- Iceland; Orkney, Scotland, UK; Caithness, Highland, Scotland, UK (historic); Norway; Shetland, Scotland, UK; Highland, Scotland, UK
- Epigraph
- [May] he who wrote this record, he who has told it, and all who listen to it enjoy from that holy knight of God, Earl Magnus, blessings and the answer to their prayers for the remission of their sins and for everlasting joy.<... (show all)br>
Orkyeyinga Saga, chapter 57
(Hermann Palsson & Paul Edwards translation, 1978) - Dedication
- To George Mackay Brown
(Hermann Palsson & Paul Edwards translation, 1978) - First words
- INTRODUCTION
Orkneyinga Saga, or 'The History of the Earls of Orkney', to give it its alternative title, is a unique historical document without which much of our knowledge of the Northern Isles and Caithness wo... (show all)uld be irretrievably lost.
(Hermann Palsson & Paul Edwards translation, 1978)
There was a king called Fornjot who ruled over Finland and Kvenland, the countries stretching to the east of what we call the Gulf of Bothnia, which lies opposite the White Sea.
(Hermann Palsson & Paul Edwards t... (show all)ranslation, 1978) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)he brothers Jon and David ruled the earldom jointly after their father, till David died of a sickness in the same year as Hakon Madcap in Norway, and then Earl Jon became sole ruler in Orkney.
(Hermann Palsson & Paul Edwards translation, 1978) - Original language
- Old Norse
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- Genre
- Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 839.68 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Old Norse, Old Icelandic, Icelandic, Faroese literatures Miscellany
- LCC
- PT7281 .O7 .E513 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures Old Norse literature: Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian Individual sagas and historical works
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