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Orkney is a group of around 70 islands lying off the north coast of Scotland. For 600 years Orkney belonged to Norway, before being pawned to Scotland in 1468 by King Christian I of Norway and Denmark as a part payment of his daughter Margaret’s dowry when she married James III. The story of the powerful Earls of Orkney is told in the Orkneyinga Saga, written in Iceland c.1200 AD. It is a highly cosmopolitan saga, set not only in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland but in Norway, Sweden, Russia, Continental Europe and the Holy Land. The saga is closely linked to Norway, as the Earls of Orkney were involved in the political intrigue of the kings of that country. Earl Rognvald Brusason was the foster-son of King Olaf the Saint, and fought at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030. After the battle he saved the life of the future King Harald Hardrada who had been badly wounded. At the heart of the Orkneyinga Saga is the story of Earl Magnus Erlendson, better known as Saint Magnus. He ruled Orkney with his cousin Hakon Paulson in the early 12th century. The two Earls and their supporters had fallen out, and a peace meeting was organized for Easter c.1117. Magnus arrived on the island of Egilsay with two longships, as had been agreed, but Hakon broke his promise and arrived with eight ships. The chieftains refused to serve two earls, saying that one of them must die. Hakon said that he’d rather live, and so Magnus’s fate was sealed. Ofeig, Hakon’s standard bearer, was ordered to carry out the killing, but he refused angrily. So the job of killing the earl was given to Lifolf the cook. He wept at the prospect, but Magnus forgave him, saying that he was not responsible for his murder as he did it against his will. Magnus prayed, and offered his soul to heaven. He asked Lifilf to strike him a great blow on his head with the axe, as it was not fitting for a chieftain to be behead like a thief. Lifolf swung the axe, and Magnus was struck dead. |
| Later Hakon went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he bathed in the River Jordan. On his return he built a round church at his estate at the Bu in the West Mainland parish of Orphir. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Hakon had visited while on his pilgrimage. This unique little church survived intact until 1757 when it was largely demolished and its masonry used to build a new parish church. This later church has since been demolished to give a better view of the surviving part of the earlier church. The remains of the Earl’s estate can also be seen here, along with the Orkneyinga Saga Centre, where panels and a video presentation gives the visitor a flavour of the saga. On the island of Egilsay a new church, dedicated to St. Magnus, was built in the 12th century on what is thought to be the site of the small church where Magnus spent his last night. It has a magnificent round tower that dominates the small island. |  |
St. Magnus’s nephew, Rognvald Kolson, claimed half of the Earldom of Orkney from Hakon’s son Paul. Paul refused, but was later abducted and murdered in exile. Rognvald had made a vow to ‘build a stone minster at Kirkwall more magnificent than any in Orkney...’ Magnus’s body had been buried in the West Mainland parish of Birsay before his bones were removed to Kirkwall after he had ordered it in a dream. In 1137 the foundations of the great red sandstone cathedral dedicated to St. Magnus were laid in Kirkwall. It was the seat of the Bishop of Orkney, who had his hall built next to the cathedral. The cathedral has grown over the centuries, and still looms large over the heart of the town of Kirkwall. The Bishop’s Palace, later enlarged and with a round tower that was added in the mid 16th century, was also the place where King Hakon Hakonson died in 1263 after his defeat at the Battle of Largs. He was temporarily buried in St. Magnus Cathedral before being transported back to Norway to lie beside his ancestors in Bergen. | 
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| There are more 12th century churches and monasteries in Orkney, but there are also secular buildings, the finest of them being Cubbie Roo’s Castle on the small island of Wyre. It was built by the 12th century chieftain Kolbein Hruga (heap), a huge man who actually became a giant in Orkney Folklore. Huge stones embedded in hillsides are said to have been missiles thrown by Cubbie Roo at other giants, while points of land jutting into the sea are said to be his attempts to build bridges between the islands. The name Kubbie or Kobbie is an Old-Norse nickname for Kolbein. It is a square tower, surrounded by other buildings and defended by ditches and ramparts. It was written in Hakonar Saga that this castle was used by the murderers of Earl Jon who hid there in 1231, and that it proved to be ‘a very unhandy place to attack.’ |
These amazing monuments and the stories behind them are being brought to life by the Destination Viking - Sagalands project. Orkney Heritage are planning to erect 10 interpretation panels at key saga sites, so that both locals and tourists alike can enjoy these stirring tales from Orkney’s past. A shorter Orkneyinga Saga, aimed at children, is also part of the project, as well as a highly illustrated book that not only covers Orkneyinga Saga, but also the other sagas that relate to Orkney. It is hoped that the Sagalands project will help to bring our sagas to a wider audience, and to show that the sagas in general are not just stories of local interest, but are truly transnational. |
Written by Tom Muir, Exhibitions Officer, The Orkney Museum.
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