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Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney
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 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.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
Joseph Anderson
21 booksJoseph Anderson (1832-1916), was a Keeper of the National Museum of the Antiquaries of Scotland.
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December 27, 2018At the back of this edition there is a map. And you can see that if you start from Bergen and take a big step to the west you stand on Shetland , a further half step to the south-west and you are on the Orkneys, from there you can step directly on to northernmost Scotland - Caithness, off to the west are the Hebrides and from there you can skip down the coast as far as Wales or over to Ireland and that broadly speaking is the world of this book, it shows the Orkneys in a web of contacts, densely interwoven with the Shetlands, Caithness and Norway, some connections with the Hebrides and intermittently Viking Dublin, over time there are more and more connections with the rest of Scotland (but the most respected crowned head is the one in Bergen), there are limited connections with Denmark and Sweden, as Christianity takes hold Jerusalem comes on to the mental horizon of the participants of these stories, but when a party goes to the Holy Land in addition to swimming in the river Jordan we see Viking-Pilgrim-Tourists getting drunk and pushed over or even murdered in a manner reminiscent of contemporary cases.
The basis of their way of life was not much like that of typical twenty somethings today, raiding was a crucial supplement to the farming and fishing, given the frequent fighting I imagine that slave raiding was particularly important to maintain a labour force to do the ploughing, manuring, milking, sheering and fish gutting.
Curiously the saga is said to have been composed in Iceland, yet Iceland is noticeable by it's absence, nobody in the sage sails north for cod, whale, narwhal tusk, or gyrfalcons. In common with Icelandic stories there is an intense emphasis on names and family connections so I expected some relationship to a patron or the composer of this work, but none was made explicit. A common technique of the author is to dump all the names and interrelationships of an entire generation of Orcadian power players into the text and then slowly fold them into the saga with a long spoon over the following dozen pages.
Mostly the saga is the sorry tale of the Earls of Orkney. They hold their title from the King of Bergen, their obligations to him seem to be none and for the most part the Kings of Norway are not terribly fussed about who is knitting what in Fair isle or whether a cathedral is built in Kirkwall or not.
For the first half of the saga we mostly have an unfolding intergenerational conflict, Earls of Orkney will have children and will insist on dividing their territory between them, occasionally there is fraternal peace, but mostly there is fraternal violence, or uncles versus nephews, with three earls battling for mastery over Scapa Flow etc. This stage of the book moves quickly: fight, botched house burnings, skirmish, flee to Norway, beg the King for a couple of ships and men, rapidly repeated. About the middle of the book there is the makings of a life of saint Magnus who gets caught up in conflict (surprise, surprise) with his second cousins. We know he is a saint because (a) he never consummates his marriage and (b) he prays as an athlete trains with pre-prayers in place of warm-ups. We also know that he is a saint because he is caught out by a cousin and martyred by the cousin's cook (no one else can be persuaded to murder so holy a man) and thereafter there are miracles associated with his grave despite the disapproval of his cousins and the Bishop.
The remainder of the book is taken up by the life of Saint Magnus' nephew, Earl Rognvald Kali, shortly after which the saga ends abruptly.
For the most part it is a watery saga of men who drink too much and quarrel even more, particularly with their relatives. The arrival of Christianity seems to make no difference, though afterwards we are occasionally told of odd men who still worship spirits and tell fortunes or say soothes. Doorways we learn are narrow - so take your shield off your back first or else you will get stuck going into a church. There are tricks and traps and lots of poetry.
The basis of their way of life was not much like that of typical twenty somethings today, raiding was a crucial supplement to the farming and fishing, given the frequent fighting I imagine that slave raiding was particularly important to maintain a labour force to do the ploughing, manuring, milking, sheering and fish gutting.
Curiously the saga is said to have been composed in Iceland, yet Iceland is noticeable by it's absence, nobody in the sage sails north for cod, whale, narwhal tusk, or gyrfalcons. In common with Icelandic stories there is an intense emphasis on names and family connections so I expected some relationship to a patron or the composer of this work, but none was made explicit. A common technique of the author is to dump all the names and interrelationships of an entire generation of Orcadian power players into the text and then slowly fold them into the saga with a long spoon over the following dozen pages.
Mostly the saga is the sorry tale of the Earls of Orkney. They hold their title from the King of Bergen, their obligations to him seem to be none and for the most part the Kings of Norway are not terribly fussed about who is knitting what in Fair isle or whether a cathedral is built in Kirkwall or not.
For the first half of the saga we mostly have an unfolding intergenerational conflict, Earls of Orkney will have children and will insist on dividing their territory between them, occasionally there is fraternal peace, but mostly there is fraternal violence, or uncles versus nephews, with three earls battling for mastery over Scapa Flow etc. This stage of the book moves quickly: fight, botched house burnings, skirmish, flee to Norway, beg the King for a couple of ships and men, rapidly repeated. About the middle of the book there is the makings of a life of saint Magnus who gets caught up in conflict (surprise, surprise) with his second cousins. We know he is a saint because (a) he never consummates his marriage and (b) he prays as an athlete trains with pre-prayers in place of warm-ups. We also know that he is a saint because he is caught out by a cousin and martyred by the cousin's cook (no one else can be persuaded to murder so holy a man) and thereafter there are miracles associated with his grave despite the disapproval of his cousins and the Bishop.
The remainder of the book is taken up by the life of Saint Magnus' nephew, Earl Rognvald Kali, shortly after which the saga ends abruptly.
For the most part it is a watery saga of men who drink too much and quarrel even more, particularly with their relatives. The arrival of Christianity seems to make no difference, though afterwards we are occasionally told of odd men who still worship spirits and tell fortunes or say soothes. Doorways we learn are narrow - so take your shield off your back first or else you will get stuck going into a church. There are tricks and traps and lots of poetry.
September 29, 2024
One of the duller sagas. This is designed to be more a history of a dynasty than an overarching story about a particular struggle, person, or quest, and so the narrative power is necessarily rather episodic and disjointed.
But while the story itself is never particularly engaging, it's really interesting context for Orkney as a place. In these tales we see the Orkney islands not – as we see them today – as a northern extremity of Scotland, but rather as a central outpost in a Viking world that stretched from Ireland to Norway, and north to the Faroes and Iceland.
The King of the Scots, down beyond Caithness (which belonged to Orkney in this period), is a distant presence here. The King of Norway – from whom the Earls of Orkney derived their authority – looms much larger, and the earls are forever beetling back over the North Sea to shore up support or try to do down a rival.
It's around those rivalries that most of the narrative here revolves: brothers inherit the earldom, argue about how to divide it, go to war, rinse and repeat through subsequent avenging generations. Sometimes the chronicler includes scraps of poetry composed for specific battles or encounters, and these were actually my favourite part of the saga:
One episode sees a journey all the way to Byzantium and back, which is a fascinating insight into how these kind of trips were made back in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Overall, there's plenty of historical interest here, but ultimately little beyond that.
But while the story itself is never particularly engaging, it's really interesting context for Orkney as a place. In these tales we see the Orkney islands not – as we see them today – as a northern extremity of Scotland, but rather as a central outpost in a Viking world that stretched from Ireland to Norway, and north to the Faroes and Iceland.
The King of the Scots, down beyond Caithness (which belonged to Orkney in this period), is a distant presence here. The King of Norway – from whom the Earls of Orkney derived their authority – looms much larger, and the earls are forever beetling back over the North Sea to shore up support or try to do down a rival.
It's around those rivalries that most of the narrative here revolves: brothers inherit the earldom, argue about how to divide it, go to war, rinse and repeat through subsequent avenging generations. Sometimes the chronicler includes scraps of poetry composed for specific battles or encounters, and these were actually my favourite part of the saga:
At Loch Vatten my leader
left marks of lordhood;
great perils I passed through
with that warrior-prover.
Sharply from the ships
was borne the shieldwall,
over the wounded, agape
walked the grey wolf.
One episode sees a journey all the way to Byzantium and back, which is a fascinating insight into how these kind of trips were made back in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Overall, there's plenty of historical interest here, but ultimately little beyond that.
October 25, 2015
Introduction
--Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney
Genealogy of the Earls of Orkney
Glossary of Personal Names
Glossary of Place Names
Maps
--Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney
Genealogy of the Earls of Orkney
Glossary of Personal Names
Glossary of Place Names
Maps
March 17, 2021
I bought this book because of my family history (Gunn clan originating on the Orkney isles). Having heard about some of this stuff through the media and through Norse mythology, I was expecting the Norse to be tamer in historical records. Well, they weren't. Some of these people were really nasty! Brother-brother conflicts occurred on a regular basis as they fought over who should control the Orkney islands. They killed each other, decieved each other, and stole from each other. And they did it all while writing poetry, apparently. Often, a ship going pillaging would bring a guy dedicated to documenting it in verse. Men would compete during feasts to see who could come up with the best verse. There were a few "good" people--they all seemed to be into raiding, but some were, apart from that, people who distributed wealth fairly and were well-loved. If anyone tried to harm them or steal from them, commoners (and sometimes even kings of Scotland they'd befriended) would gladly come to their aid. Interesting read. A historical record, so a big boring sometimes, but cool nonetheless to read about real immigrants and their descendents.
May 13, 2017
Bought this during a holiday as a student at the St Magnus Festival, where I fell for the place (and the cheeky, chunky owner of the music shop in Kirkwall), but been putting it off for twenty years because I feared, deep down, it'd be really boring. It truly was. Despite my adoration for Orkney and lust for Vikings, I'm no historian. I suspect I should've tried to find a picture book version... Two stars, though, because its deadpan gore threw up some unintentionally hilarious passages, such as:
P.S. I recently took another trip to Orkney, and was just as enchanted by it. I was gutted, however, to find that the music shop is no more, let alone run by its previous owner...
The night was pitch dark, and it was hard frost. During the night he came to another farm. His feet were very much frostbitten, and some of his toes fell off.
P.S. I recently took another trip to Orkney, and was just as enchanted by it. I was gutted, however, to find that the music shop is no more, let alone run by its previous owner...
November 25, 2018
Well, what to say about this? It's difficult to review.
I'd have to start by saying I enjoyed it much less than other Icelandic Sagas that I've read. There again, I recognise its importance as a quasi-historical document and to the Orcadians' sense of their identity, and their Norse inheritance in particular. Certainly, in Hermaan Palsson and Paul Edwards' translation (the former is surely not the son of the latter?), it read well enough. From a modern reader's perspective, though, there was plenty to object to.
Firstly, it was incredibly repetitive. In essence, two Norse earls would somehow end up ruling half of Orkney each, having visited either the King of the Scots or the King of Norway first. Before long, they would fight each other over the remaining half, the result depending on who was first to put an axe through the other's skull. Repeat ten times over... Sometimes, Caithness would be thrown in for good measure as something else to fall out about. Did nothing else happen in the Orkneys during the centuries of Norse occupation?
Secondly, I know it's judging the past by modern standards, but it's hard to accept the characters presented here as tragic/heroic/saintly as the anonymous hagiographer would have us believe. They spend their time terrorising innocent yeomen and peasants and killing each other in the most brutal fashion, living off the proceeds of looting and their tenants' hard work. It's equivalent to being asked to think of terrorists or armed bank robbers as admirable. There again, I suppose some of our contemporaries try to persuade us of just this.
Thirdly, it was pretty incoherent in terms of its chronology and genealogy. Scores of names were bandied around, characters coming and going to meet their maker then re-appearing again. This made it hard to follow at times and difficult to remember who was who between one reading session and another.
And fourthly, as much as I love Norse history, the more I read, the less sympathetic I find myself towards its main characters. The society the Sagas describe is elitist and hierarchical, one where heritage is everything and those without it count for nothing. The narratives deal in Manichean simplicities, the actors either presented either as out-and-out treacherous villains or men of holy virtue (though not averse to the odd skull splitting).
I'm going to read George Mackay Brown's 'Magnus' next, a novel drawing directly on these accounts. Hopefully, it'll prove more entertaining.
I'd have to start by saying I enjoyed it much less than other Icelandic Sagas that I've read. There again, I recognise its importance as a quasi-historical document and to the Orcadians' sense of their identity, and their Norse inheritance in particular. Certainly, in Hermaan Palsson and Paul Edwards' translation (the former is surely not the son of the latter?), it read well enough. From a modern reader's perspective, though, there was plenty to object to.
Firstly, it was incredibly repetitive. In essence, two Norse earls would somehow end up ruling half of Orkney each, having visited either the King of the Scots or the King of Norway first. Before long, they would fight each other over the remaining half, the result depending on who was first to put an axe through the other's skull. Repeat ten times over... Sometimes, Caithness would be thrown in for good measure as something else to fall out about. Did nothing else happen in the Orkneys during the centuries of Norse occupation?
Secondly, I know it's judging the past by modern standards, but it's hard to accept the characters presented here as tragic/heroic/saintly as the anonymous hagiographer would have us believe. They spend their time terrorising innocent yeomen and peasants and killing each other in the most brutal fashion, living off the proceeds of looting and their tenants' hard work. It's equivalent to being asked to think of terrorists or armed bank robbers as admirable. There again, I suppose some of our contemporaries try to persuade us of just this.
Thirdly, it was pretty incoherent in terms of its chronology and genealogy. Scores of names were bandied around, characters coming and going to meet their maker then re-appearing again. This made it hard to follow at times and difficult to remember who was who between one reading session and another.
And fourthly, as much as I love Norse history, the more I read, the less sympathetic I find myself towards its main characters. The society the Sagas describe is elitist and hierarchical, one where heritage is everything and those without it count for nothing. The narratives deal in Manichean simplicities, the actors either presented either as out-and-out treacherous villains or men of holy virtue (though not averse to the odd skull splitting).
I'm going to read George Mackay Brown's 'Magnus' next, a novel drawing directly on these accounts. Hopefully, it'll prove more entertaining.
October 24, 2023
This is excellent. True, there is a huge cast and it is often confusing to keep track of them all. At the beginning of a section, a large number of people are enumerated and we are told they will play a role later on – often much later on, by which time you have forgotten who is who and – most importantly – what are the blood connections with the other characters. And they are all connected by blood: either because they are related, or because someone killed someone else’s friend or relative in the past and therefore is targeted for a bloody revenge. (There is a useful list of names with potted biographies at the back of the book which I needed to refer to constantly).
Although Saint Magnus is praised for his unusually holy life, it is clear that Christianity had only a nominal hold. Even when some of the characters make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, they do a great deal of killing and plundering along the way. One of them, though still scarcely more than a boy, swims across the River Jordan with his chief, and both of them pause on the other bank to compose pious poetry. And yet the same youth has also played a distinguished role in killing others – whether they are Galician bandits whose castle is assaulted, or a Muslim treasure ship which is attacked and destroyed. My Gap Year between school and university, though it had its moments, was never quite like this.
The “Saracen” captain of the treasure ship – who has observed his companions slaughtered and his ship and its valuable contents burn and sink – is kept alive on account of his noble bearing and eventually set free. He says to the Orkney men, “I hope we never meet again.” This is something most of us would echo, were we to be transported back in time to meet any of these bloodthirsty pirates. But meeting them in the pages of a book was a deeply rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Although Saint Magnus is praised for his unusually holy life, it is clear that Christianity had only a nominal hold. Even when some of the characters make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, they do a great deal of killing and plundering along the way. One of them, though still scarcely more than a boy, swims across the River Jordan with his chief, and both of them pause on the other bank to compose pious poetry. And yet the same youth has also played a distinguished role in killing others – whether they are Galician bandits whose castle is assaulted, or a Muslim treasure ship which is attacked and destroyed. My Gap Year between school and university, though it had its moments, was never quite like this.
The “Saracen” captain of the treasure ship – who has observed his companions slaughtered and his ship and its valuable contents burn and sink – is kept alive on account of his noble bearing and eventually set free. He says to the Orkney men, “I hope we never meet again.” This is something most of us would echo, were we to be transported back in time to meet any of these bloodthirsty pirates. But meeting them in the pages of a book was a deeply rewarding and enjoyable experience.
September 28, 2021
What I thought would be just boring, repetitive and blandly written historical document ended as absolutely captivating adventure of the many earls from Orkney and beyond. If only somebody made this into Netflix series....it doesn't lack a thing - blood, sex, pillaging, praying, drinking, family reunions, treasons - its all there. These Icelandic guys who wrote this did know their business, that's for sure! I am looking forward to reading some other of the sagas.
February 28, 2014
Extraordinary insight into Viking Life. Written in the 1200s by an Icelandic poet (skald). I am related to most of the Viking Earls of Orkney so reading this was an amazing experience.
February 8, 2021
Not my favourite saga as it gets a little repetitive and lacks a real driving plot, but definitely an interesting read from a historical perspective!
October 29, 2016
3.5
"Orkneyinga Saga" is an interesting read, however, it is not one of my favorite Norse sagas.
In general I would probably not suggest "Orkneyinga Saga" to someone who has never read a Norse saga before. Like with other sagas, the first half of the book sets up the events of the second half. That it takes so long to get to the primary characters may be frustrating to many modern readers. There are also a lot of characters with the same or similar names which can be confusing, especially since characters tend to only last a few pages before they are killed off. My edition of this book had a family tree, and it was much needed.
"Orkneyinga" is a little different from other sagas; most of it takes part in Orkney and other parts of modern day Scotland, it takes place later than most of the other sagas, when Christianity has started to be established, and it is very focused on warring, rather than mixing fighting with domestic issues. Unlike in most of the other sagas, women hardly have a role except to be mentioned as the wife, mother, or sister of someone. This gives "Orkneying" a unique perspective, showing the transition in their culture, and giving readers an idea of the harsh life the Norse men lived -- there is lots of betraying, house burning, and, of course, killing.
Unfortunately for me, what "Orkneying" lacks is what generally interests me most in Norse sagas. While the battling is interesting it can get repetitive. Wile it is interesting to see a culture in transition, the elements of the original Norse religion are really interesting to me, and I missed it. There are a few hints of it, such as in a scene where a women and her sister make a beautiful shirt for one of her two sons. Against protest the other son puts the shirt on and dies. That is the scene in which both the old religion and women are most prominent in the book, and it was probably my favorite. Other hints of the old religion can be found in small elements, such as the man who is missing and eye and has a connection with crows. Sadly these are very small hints, however. There are also small peeks at the men's domestic lives, such as how they would schedule their raids to fit between the planting and harvesting of their farms. Here again, the reader only gets to see small bits and pieces of this element of the Norse life.
Overall, fans of Norse sagas will probably find interest in "Orkneyinga Saga." However, it is different from other sagas, and it wasn't my favorite.
"Orkneyinga Saga" is an interesting read, however, it is not one of my favorite Norse sagas.
In general I would probably not suggest "Orkneyinga Saga" to someone who has never read a Norse saga before. Like with other sagas, the first half of the book sets up the events of the second half. That it takes so long to get to the primary characters may be frustrating to many modern readers. There are also a lot of characters with the same or similar names which can be confusing, especially since characters tend to only last a few pages before they are killed off. My edition of this book had a family tree, and it was much needed.
"Orkneyinga" is a little different from other sagas; most of it takes part in Orkney and other parts of modern day Scotland, it takes place later than most of the other sagas, when Christianity has started to be established, and it is very focused on warring, rather than mixing fighting with domestic issues. Unlike in most of the other sagas, women hardly have a role except to be mentioned as the wife, mother, or sister of someone. This gives "Orkneying" a unique perspective, showing the transition in their culture, and giving readers an idea of the harsh life the Norse men lived -- there is lots of betraying, house burning, and, of course, killing.
Unfortunately for me, what "Orkneying" lacks is what generally interests me most in Norse sagas. While the battling is interesting it can get repetitive. Wile it is interesting to see a culture in transition, the elements of the original Norse religion are really interesting to me, and I missed it. There are a few hints of it, such as in a scene where a women and her sister make a beautiful shirt for one of her two sons. Against protest the other son puts the shirt on and dies. That is the scene in which both the old religion and women are most prominent in the book, and it was probably my favorite. Other hints of the old religion can be found in small elements, such as the man who is missing and eye and has a connection with crows. Sadly these are very small hints, however. There are also small peeks at the men's domestic lives, such as how they would schedule their raids to fit between the planting and harvesting of their farms. Here again, the reader only gets to see small bits and pieces of this element of the Norse life.
Overall, fans of Norse sagas will probably find interest in "Orkneyinga Saga." However, it is different from other sagas, and it wasn't my favorite.
April 8, 2018
Vikings are the best. Reading about Vikings is even better. You have it all: adventure, the high seas, plunder, pilgrimages, romance (Ermergarde of Narbonne is apparently quite the pretty lady), you have feuds and battles and poetry:
"Once the wine-serving/wench understood me/the touches of my tongue/I was content/I loved that good lady/but lime-bound stones/crumble: now I cram/the hawk with carrion."
Picturesque, don't you think? The 'Orkneyinga' is prime storytelling. I love the simplicity of it, the strait to the facts, the foreboding and the idea that nothing is out of your reach as long as your ship is strong, winds are at your back, and you have the bigger axe. There is humor: "Amundi so arranged things that Earl Harald and Svein had to use the same bed."
I really liked that my main man, Macbeth aka Thorfinn Sirgurdsson is a major player in this book and showcases to be one of the most powerful Earls of Orkney. He is my all time fave and I loved reading his stories.
"Earl Thorfinn ruled all his lands till he died, and it's said on good authority that he was the most powerful of all the Earls of Orkney."
It is like most Viking sagas go, where no man lives long and fights from the moment of his birth to the end of his life. They tell of his sons, sometimes of their daughters. There is magic and miracles and it is so easy to read these stories and imagine them spoken out loud by bards by firelight with a mug of mead in hand. There is a luster of adventure and blood lust in every story and it was difficult to put these characters away. There is brutality yes, but there is friendship and high seas, and these stay with you.
"Once the wine-serving/wench understood me/the touches of my tongue/I was content/I loved that good lady/but lime-bound stones/crumble: now I cram/the hawk with carrion."
Picturesque, don't you think? The 'Orkneyinga' is prime storytelling. I love the simplicity of it, the strait to the facts, the foreboding and the idea that nothing is out of your reach as long as your ship is strong, winds are at your back, and you have the bigger axe. There is humor: "Amundi so arranged things that Earl Harald and Svein had to use the same bed."
I really liked that my main man, Macbeth aka Thorfinn Sirgurdsson is a major player in this book and showcases to be one of the most powerful Earls of Orkney. He is my all time fave and I loved reading his stories.
"Earl Thorfinn ruled all his lands till he died, and it's said on good authority that he was the most powerful of all the Earls of Orkney."
It is like most Viking sagas go, where no man lives long and fights from the moment of his birth to the end of his life. They tell of his sons, sometimes of their daughters. There is magic and miracles and it is so easy to read these stories and imagine them spoken out loud by bards by firelight with a mug of mead in hand. There is a luster of adventure and blood lust in every story and it was difficult to put these characters away. There is brutality yes, but there is friendship and high seas, and these stay with you.
November 21, 2017
The people in this book are literally my ancestors, from Norway and Shetland and they seem to have been very stupid, although good at making tools, boats, and weapons, and drinking. Numerous references to "they spent the day sitting in a great hall drinking", followed by "he mistook his brother Jon for Svein Stone Brains, and split his head down the middle with an ax, after which Jon fell down on the ground." My ancestors were drunk idiots. A fun read though, and lots of references to the Auld Rock, so kinda cute.
April 3, 2020
Loved this book, a fascinating insight to the Earls of Orkney.
June 21, 2025
This was the first saga I ever read and I find it difficult to review it as I have little to compare it to. So rather, I will stick to some thoughts and observations I had.
- It was fascinating to read a story that places a group of islands -what seems to us still- far north at its centre. Though I was aware that the island's inhabitants were not just isolated pockets and you can look at Shetland and Orkney as 'stepping stones' between Scandinavian countries and the British Isles, the extent of seafaring was surprising. And fot the same reason, the journey to Jerusalem was fascinating to read.
- I had read in another book on Neolithic monuments about the passage tomb of Maes Howe and the viking runes found inside it, but I was caught off guard when in the saga suddenly a group of vikings took shelter there.
- It was interesting to realize that though the Orkneyan population became christian, this in no way inhibited them to keep on going on 'viking' in mostly the British Isles, and probably raiding fellow christians there. It must have been terrifying for those people to see the longboats appearing on the horizon.
- So many battles, levies of men and though I realize that most of these battles probably didn't have more than a hundred men, especially as I was nearing the end of the sage I wondered of there were any men left in Orkney and I started to think about the survival rate of these men.
- The closer I got to the end of the saga, the more confused I got about the characters. So many Hakons and Erlends and Haralds, I started to get lost in all the family feuds and probably the inhabitants there and then as well? What side are we on now and why?
- I was struck by how little embellishement in describing the battles and also other events there was in the saga, but rather the telling was quite matter-of-factly and I was not expecting these relatively short chapters. At the same time as reading this saga, I am reading the Táin Bó Cualigne or the Ulster Cycle, where regularly a lot of time is given to describe hero's, their attire, their feats etc. and you can easily recognize stylistic and formulaic elements like certain repetitions. But perhaps there are also stylistic elements and I just didn't spot them (apart from the verses). And though I understand the purpose of both stories is very different, it was interesting nonetheless to read the two side by side.
- It was fascinating to read a story that places a group of islands -what seems to us still- far north at its centre. Though I was aware that the island's inhabitants were not just isolated pockets and you can look at Shetland and Orkney as 'stepping stones' between Scandinavian countries and the British Isles, the extent of seafaring was surprising. And fot the same reason, the journey to Jerusalem was fascinating to read.
- I had read in another book on Neolithic monuments about the passage tomb of Maes Howe and the viking runes found inside it, but I was caught off guard when in the saga suddenly a group of vikings took shelter there.
- It was interesting to realize that though the Orkneyan population became christian, this in no way inhibited them to keep on going on 'viking' in mostly the British Isles, and probably raiding fellow christians there. It must have been terrifying for those people to see the longboats appearing on the horizon.
- So many battles, levies of men and though I realize that most of these battles probably didn't have more than a hundred men, especially as I was nearing the end of the sage I wondered of there were any men left in Orkney and I started to think about the survival rate of these men.
- The closer I got to the end of the saga, the more confused I got about the characters. So many Hakons and Erlends and Haralds, I started to get lost in all the family feuds and probably the inhabitants there and then as well? What side are we on now and why?
- I was struck by how little embellishement in describing the battles and also other events there was in the saga, but rather the telling was quite matter-of-factly and I was not expecting these relatively short chapters. At the same time as reading this saga, I am reading the Táin Bó Cualigne or the Ulster Cycle, where regularly a lot of time is given to describe hero's, their attire, their feats etc. and you can easily recognize stylistic and formulaic elements like certain repetitions. But perhaps there are also stylistic elements and I just didn't spot them (apart from the verses). And though I understand the purpose of both stories is very different, it was interesting nonetheless to read the two side by side.
March 8, 2025
Son Ben’s genealogical researches uncovered some possible connections of some of our family’s forebears to the people who are the subject of these ancient tales, probably written by an Icelandic bard in the 13th century—families competing for the rule of Orkney and other islands off the far northeast coast of Scotland from the tenth to twelfth centuries. Though somewhat repetitive in the many stories of quarrels, killings, peacemaking followed by renewed frictions and violence, raiding and plundering voyages from Norway to Ireland, and drinking in festive halls (and names!), there are also many interesting views of the context and settings in which all these events took place and how people and communities lived amidst them long ago. A very smooth and readable translation, surprisingly interesting and enjoyable.
September 17, 2024
Just mind blowing to read detailed accounts of the goings on between Orkney, Shetland, Norway and Scotland - even Aberdeen gets a mention - between 900 and 1200 AD. An utterly wonderful text
January 8, 2021
I found it a bit hard to keep up with all the names, but I did still enjoy the simple, matter of fact writing style.
June 19, 2023
A really interesting historical document, that is not without merits as a narrative as well. Presented as an account of the Earls of Orkney, this saga is packed with all the bloodshed, Viking raids, sibling rivalries, house burnings and drunken feasts that you could possibly want in a medieval tale. There are three rather distinct sections to the book; the first third-to-half recounts the older history of the isles; starting from semi-mythical characters and rapidly working our way through the generations. The next segment looks at the life, death, and subsequent miracles of Saint Magnus. Finally we take an extended look at the life of earl Rognvald and the members of his court and lands as we approach the present day of the author.
The first section was by far the most enjoyable; the stories here have that beautiful lilt of myth to them, and you can just hear them being told and retold in grand longhouses as wood crackles on the fire, the winter wind battering the walls. This particular translation by Palsson and Edwards really keeps that feeling of oral storytelling; there are some great turns of phrase and an overall rhythm to the book that keeps it driving forwards. There is a lot of poetry included though, and only in translated English. I wish this was also provided in the original Norse, perhaps phonetically, just so that we could get a feel for the language and the real poetry of it. The book sketches out families that ruled over the isles, and the various ways their allegiances had changed over the years; painting a great picture of a culture that is deeply connected with Norway, with Scotland and England and Ireland.
As we get closer to the time of the author though, the book begins to slow and ultimately grinds to a halt. What was previously a sweeping, generational story; the real highlights and greatest hits of the Earls of Orkney; now becomes a tedious play-by-play of Rognvald’s entire life. I’m sure there’s still a lot here to interest the keen historian but for this reader the detail was bogging down the story. There’s far too often that we find ourselves going on a fishing trip, or staying at some small lord’s house on their island or visiting family for Christmas and we are treated to the names and genealogies of all twelve of their companions, only two of whom will ever enter the narrative again. Most likely the author was actually able to speak with people who were there for these events, but this then reveals a very different taste for editing than a modern reader might have. In one particularly memorable moment, a character lets out a hearty sneeze; another character comments “what a big sneeze!” and then the narrative continues. Hilarious attention to bizarre detail.
A read that begins as enjoyable myth/history before slowing down into overexamined recounting. Still a fun read and sheds a lot of really interesting light onto a different time and culture.
The first section was by far the most enjoyable; the stories here have that beautiful lilt of myth to them, and you can just hear them being told and retold in grand longhouses as wood crackles on the fire, the winter wind battering the walls. This particular translation by Palsson and Edwards really keeps that feeling of oral storytelling; there are some great turns of phrase and an overall rhythm to the book that keeps it driving forwards. There is a lot of poetry included though, and only in translated English. I wish this was also provided in the original Norse, perhaps phonetically, just so that we could get a feel for the language and the real poetry of it. The book sketches out families that ruled over the isles, and the various ways their allegiances had changed over the years; painting a great picture of a culture that is deeply connected with Norway, with Scotland and England and Ireland.
As we get closer to the time of the author though, the book begins to slow and ultimately grinds to a halt. What was previously a sweeping, generational story; the real highlights and greatest hits of the Earls of Orkney; now becomes a tedious play-by-play of Rognvald’s entire life. I’m sure there’s still a lot here to interest the keen historian but for this reader the detail was bogging down the story. There’s far too often that we find ourselves going on a fishing trip, or staying at some small lord’s house on their island or visiting family for Christmas and we are treated to the names and genealogies of all twelve of their companions, only two of whom will ever enter the narrative again. Most likely the author was actually able to speak with people who were there for these events, but this then reveals a very different taste for editing than a modern reader might have. In one particularly memorable moment, a character lets out a hearty sneeze; another character comments “what a big sneeze!” and then the narrative continues. Hilarious attention to bizarre detail.
A read that begins as enjoyable myth/history before slowing down into overexamined recounting. Still a fun read and sheds a lot of really interesting light onto a different time and culture.
June 22, 2025
I've never read a saga before, and maybe that's where I've gone wrong with this one. It feels very 'and then this guy died, and then this guy killed the next guy' and on, and on for 200 pages.
It was interesting have it feature Orkney where I am currently on holiday, and have a few trips to Banff in the mix as well. But my goodness these vikings spent a lot of time killing each other!
So, overall, not exactly a thrilling read.
It was interesting have it feature Orkney where I am currently on holiday, and have a few trips to Banff in the mix as well. But my goodness these vikings spent a lot of time killing each other!
So, overall, not exactly a thrilling read.
July 14, 2008
Orkneyinga Saga chronicles the history of Orkney during the Viking Age from the ninth to thirteenth century. Located between Scotland and Norway, the islands of Orkney were a base from which vikings looted and pillaged the British Isles. This saga focuses on the Earls of Orkney who sometimes ruled peacefully, but all too often fought amongst each other for control of the islands.
This book's accounts of various claimants to the throne killing each other and fighting over which gets to rule make you realize how repetitious history can be. However there are several interesting bits.
Towards the beginning when not as much historical details are known, the stories have more of a mythic quality to them. A Christian influence is apparent as a crusade to the holy lands is described as well as miracles performed by a couple local saints.
It's interesting to discover how different people's mindsets were back then. Reading this book takes the reader back to a time when vikings would kill each other in bar brawls over small disagreements and people who murdered and robbed were considered national heroes.
This book's accounts of various claimants to the throne killing each other and fighting over which gets to rule make you realize how repetitious history can be. However there are several interesting bits.
Towards the beginning when not as much historical details are known, the stories have more of a mythic quality to them. A Christian influence is apparent as a crusade to the holy lands is described as well as miracles performed by a couple local saints.
It's interesting to discover how different people's mindsets were back then. Reading this book takes the reader back to a time when vikings would kill each other in bar brawls over small disagreements and people who murdered and robbed were considered national heroes.
October 28, 2018
A very enjoyable read although a bit repetitious. Vikings drink, go on raids, kill each over power/land, repeat. It is also amazing that all the names, stories, and poems (yes, the Vikings have a softer side) have come down to us at all after about 1000 years. It must have taken a lot of memorization to get all the family members, places, events, etc. straight. Some of the names are a bit more memorable than others. I just loved reading about Thorfinn Skull-Splitter, Eirek Blood-Axe, and Thorbjorn the Black. However, there were men who were less-intimidating sounding but probably were pretty tough anyway: Thorarin Bag-Nose, Einar Belly-Shaker, and Einar Buttered-Bread. I also enjoyed reading about how Orkney was becoming Christian but the bishops went on raids with them. How did the bishops justify that what they were doing would have been accepted by the Church? This was a good story about viking women as well (although their roles in the story were not very prominent). Recommend to anyone interested in Viking history.
July 19, 2019
Well worth reading for those who appreciate the contemporaneous historian. A lot of viking about in boats. A lot of sneaking overland to catch people unawares and set fire to their houses; letting women and children outside to escape immolation was the civilized option. A bit of legal reform. A good bit of farming. Trickery, deception, ambition, early Christianity and pagan traditions elucidated. Occasional details add warmth, such as author's noting certain offspring were "lovingly raised."
Can be hard to follow because everyone is named Harald, Sveign, or variations on Thor or Ingi. Footnotes would have been helpful here and elsewhere. Also, phonetic information about the poetry that would give some indication of the original meter and rhyme scheme. I will have to look it up.
Can be hard to follow because everyone is named Harald, Sveign, or variations on Thor or Ingi. Footnotes would have been helpful here and elsewhere. Also, phonetic information about the poetry that would give some indication of the original meter and rhyme scheme. I will have to look it up.
October 7, 2012
I can't really rate this on it's readability - I'll be the first to admit there is no real plot and I have difficulty keeping all of the names straight.
But I started reading this in Orkney and it is given extra cache to know that Viking ships hid in the bay we could see from our window waiting to attack passing boats on the way to Caithness..
There are also some classic literary scenes - the post-mortem revenge of the Earl of the Scots on the cheating Earl Sigurd..poisoned cloaks and fatal banners, and a 'blood eagle'. We travel not only around the Northern Isles and mainland Scotland, but to Ireland, France, Russia and Constantinople.
But I started reading this in Orkney and it is given extra cache to know that Viking ships hid in the bay we could see from our window waiting to attack passing boats on the way to Caithness..
There are also some classic literary scenes - the post-mortem revenge of the Earl of the Scots on the cheating Earl Sigurd..poisoned cloaks and fatal banners, and a 'blood eagle'. We travel not only around the Northern Isles and mainland Scotland, but to Ireland, France, Russia and Constantinople.
October 9, 2013
Now, you have to be in the right frame of mind to read this.
It is a terse narrative, rich in detail and names. It meanders along at it's own little pace and is a fascinating insight into a culture which thrived so long ago. The people in it feel real, a little twisted at times, but this is, after all, a story of people who lived possibly hundreds of years before the author was alive.
Read this if you love all things Viking and Norse or if you're interested in the history of early Scotland.
It is a terse narrative, rich in detail and names. It meanders along at it's own little pace and is a fascinating insight into a culture which thrived so long ago. The people in it feel real, a little twisted at times, but this is, after all, a story of people who lived possibly hundreds of years before the author was alive.
Read this if you love all things Viking and Norse or if you're interested in the history of early Scotland.
February 4, 2017
Orkneyinga Saga is not the most gripping of the sagas I have read so far, but it was still enjoyable. I found my interest flagging a little around the two-thirds mark, but then it picked up again for the end. It contains all the normal themes and events you'd expect in a saga of this genre and will therefore be familiar and easy read for those used to such works. However, I would not recommend it as a first read for those new to these books as it doesn't have the 'pop' and excitement of some of the others.
August 9, 2021
Having read a handful of Viking-related sagas, I can safely say this is the best by some way. By far the most accessible, both in terms of the translation and the fact it is more based on real-life event rather than fanciful and exaggerated accounts that cross over into supernatural and Norse mythology. That's not to say there isn't the usual hyperbole throughout, but that is also part of the saga charm.
On a personal level, I also found the historical elements of great interest as a Scot who has visited Caithness and Orkney and seen St Magnus's cathedral for example.
On a personal level, I also found the historical elements of great interest as a Scot who has visited Caithness and Orkney and seen St Magnus's cathedral for example.
December 12, 2008
The general concensus by many people is that the Vikings became instant pussies when they finally converted to Christianity. Well think again. This is an almost all post pagan epic and they are as bloodthirsty in this one as they are in any. Lots of inter family killings for the right to have domain over the Orkney Isles, lots of raiding, lots political skullduggery, everything you know and love about these Viking sagas.
November 5, 2021
This is an incredible record of the Earls of Orkney from the 9th to 13th centuries, written around 1200 AD. It is a historical record, not a drama (although there’s definitely at little myth, at least at the start) I find it astonishing so many of the places detailed still exist today & it’s fascinating to see the relationship between Orkney & Norway that is still evident in Orcadian culture. It’s definitely of it’s time, & there definitely isn’t enough focus on the women of Orkney.
April 10, 2016
Fascinating cultural history of Orkney under Norwegian/ Icelandic occupation but presented in an exasperating form (in my opinion, at least).
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