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In the northern islands, an earldom is won by the sword—and shared rule offers no promise of peace.
The Orkneyinga Saga follows the Norse earls of Orkney and Shetland from the first settlers to the late twelfth century. Its opening legends reach back to kings and giants. Then generations of one ruling family struggle over land and power, in a world where the sea connects Norway, Scotland, Ireland and the Hebrides.
There is no single hero here. Thorfinn Sigurdsson becomes an earl while still a child. Cousins Magnus Erlendsson and Haakon Paulsson share rule amid bitter strife. Rognvald Kali Kolsson claims his uncle’s earldom, while Svein Asleifarson brings the farmer’s life and the raider’s life together. Plain prose and dry humour give these lives their edge.
What you’ll discover
- Legends before history Follow the earls’ ancestry into a northern world of old kings and giants.
- A child becomes earl Meet Thorfinn the Mighty as his story grows into the rule of a sea kingdom.
- Cousins divided by power Watch Magnus and Haakon struggle with shared rule, family ties and open conflict.
- A poet with a claim Discover Rognvald, the poet who claims an earldom and builds a cathedral for his uncle.
- The farmer who raids Enter Svein Asleifarson’s world, where life on Gairsay includes a summer of raiding.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy Viking raids and feuds, true tales of medieval rulers, sea voyages, battle poetry, or the history of Scotland's northern isles.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Power begins with force and land
- Baptism does not settle loyalty
- Thorfinn grows through friendship and battle
- Hospitality can offer protection against revenge
- Ambition invites a king to intervene
- Magnus answers betrayal with forgiveness
- Planning and promises support a claim
- Pilgrimage brings faith into adventure
- Family rule keeps producing new rivals
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The Orkneyinga Saga
by Anonymous · 1200
Orkney's earls burn halls, kill kin and sail to Jerusalem in a saga of feud, faith and Viking raids.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“Be firm, and you shall have my clothing, according to the custom and laws of the men of old.”
In short
What happens when a family of Viking chiefs rules a scatter of windy islands for three hundred years? Blood, mostly.
The Orkneyinga Saga at a glance
- Reading time
- About 8 h 30 min6 h 45 min fast, 10 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 121,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1200by Anonymous
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Harald Fairhair clears the sea and creates an earldom
The Orkney Islands are a Viking station before they are an earldom. Raiders based there harry Norway in summer and rest on their plunder in winter.
King Harald Fairhair brings an army west and sweeps the pirates out. He gives the isles to Rögnvald of Moeri as payment for a son killed in the fight. Rögnvald passes them to his brother Sigurd, the first Earl of Orkney. Later Torf-Einar, a son of Rögnvald, rules. When Harald's son Halfdan seizes the islands, Einar kills him on North Ronaldsay. Harald comes west to avenge his son, and the two make peace for sixty marks of gold.
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Details
- First published
- 1200
- Language
- English
- Level
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Cite this edition
The Orkneyinga Saga. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-orkneyinga-saga.
The Orkneyinga saga. (2026). Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-orkneyinga-saga (Original work published ca. 1200)
The Orkneyinga Saga. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-orkneyinga-saga.
@book{anonymous2026orkneyinga,
title = {The Orkneyinga Saga},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-orkneyinga-saga},
note = {First published ca. 1200}
}
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What is the Orkneyinga Saga about?
It tells the history of the Norse Earls of Orkney, from their founding under Harald Fairhair of Norway through feuds, sea battles, pilgrimages and murders, down to the burning of Bishop Adam in Caithness in the early thirteenth century.
Who was Earl Thorfinn the Mighty?
Thorfinn was a son of Earl Sigurd the Stout and a Scottish princess. He became earl as a child, won battles against a Scottish king, ruled Orkney and Caithness for many years, and later built Christ's Kirk at Birsay.
Who was St. Magnus in the Orkneyinga Saga?
Magnus Erlendsson was an earl of Orkney, praised in the saga as wise and gentle. His cousin Hákon had him killed on the island of Egilsey, and the people later honoured him as a saint.
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