The Olaf and Thyra Window in Lerwick Town Hall depicts the Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason (Óláfr Tryggvason) who officially brought Christianity to Shetland in 995. See item 624 for Thyra and…
Thyra of Denmark (Tyri Haraldsdatter) was daughter of Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, and final wife of Olaf Tryggvason, who she married against the will of the Danish King. More information about the window can be found at…
This window in Lerwick Town Hall depicts Magnus Erlendsson (later Saint Magnus) who ruled Orkney and Shetland from c. 1106 to 1115. On the right is Harald Sigurdsson (Haraldr Sigurðarson) more commonly known as Harald Hardrada (Haraldr harðráði),…
Magnus Erlendsson (later Saint Magnus) ruled Orkney and Shetland from c. 1106 to 1115. The Cathedral in Kirkwall was dedicated to him after his death at the hands of Hákon Pálsson.
Harald Sigurdsson (Haraldr Sigurðarson) more commonly known as Harald Hardrada (Haraldr harðráði) was King of Norway from 1046 until 1066 and led an unsucessful invasion of England in 1066. He was killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge. This…
Rögnvald Brusason shared the Earldom of Orkney with Thorfinn Sigurdsson from c. 1037 until his death in conflict with Thorfinn in 1046, and his eventful life is recorded in some detail in Orkneyinga saga. More information about the Oriel Window can…
This window in Lerwick Town Hall in Shetland depicts the early tirteenth-century King of Norway, Haakon Haakonsson (Hákon Hákonarson, Håkon Håkonsson, Haakon the Old), who died in Orkney and is buried in St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. The other…
Haakon Haakonsson (Hákon Hákonarson, Håkon Håkonsson, Haakon the Old) was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263, and died in Orkney and is buried in St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.
Rognvald Kali Kolsson (d. 1158), also known as Rognvald the Crusader, is one of the most important and colourful Earls of Orkney, and his exploits are depicted in Orkneyinga saga. He invaded Orkney in 1135, and promoted the cult of St Magnus with the…
This window in St Magnus Cathedral depicts Harald Hardrada (Haraldr Sigurðarson), King of Norway from 1046 until his death in the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Orkney was under Norwegian rule during his reign.
Orkney Smoked Cheddar from the Island Smokery in Stromness, Orkney. It includes the tagline ''The Way the Vikings Like It' and a cartoon image of a Viking, with an axe and horned helmet.
The Brough of Birsay was an important defensive site in Orkney from the earliest settlement. It was under Norse control from the ninth century, and most of the ruins on the Brough (ON Byrgisey, or 'Fort Island') date from this time. The causeway…
The Brough of Birsay was an important defensive site in Orkney from the earliest settlement. It was under Norse control from the ninth century, and most of the ruins on the Brough (ON Byrgisey, or 'Fort Island') date from this time. The causeway…
St Magnus Church, founded at the site of the killing of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney by an axe-blow to the head in ca. 1116 at the orders of his cousin Hákon Pálsson. This episode, referred to in Orkneyinga saga, is possibly corroborated…
It is quite common to find house names with references to Norse myth in areas with a strong connection to Norse heritage - this example is from Kirkwall in Orkney.