Alfred Wintle Johnston

“ The Gaelic earls were succeeded, in the female line, by the Lowland-Norman family of St. Clair, bearing a hereditary surname, about the time of whose arrival began the Lowland-Scottish settlement [33] of Orkney, to the influence of which must be attributed the assumption of the Lowland Scottish language and the adoption of place-surnames, and not fixed patronymics, in Orkney, by the Norse-Gaelic inhabitants. Shetland, being far removed from the seat of government and fashion, continued the use of patronymics until the nineteenth century, when they became fixed. ”

“ It must be remembered that these comparative characteristics are the observations of the Norsemen themselves, who wrote the saga, probably Icelanders, and therefore, presumably, exaggerated in their own favour. They are valuable, however, in placing beyond doubt the large strain of non-Norse people who lived in Orkney.
It has been shown that the Gaelic earls, 1139–1350, adopted Norse patronymics, and that all persons in Orkney and Shetland before 1350 used Norse patronymics, including the numerous Gaelic families, which must have settled in the islands. ”

“ They readily adopted Icelandic patronymics and names, and gave up their Christianity for the Norse religion. Their presence is commemorated there to this day in Irish place-names and in the continued use of Irish person-names.
The Scottish Gaels who settled in Orkney were, in accordance with the Saga, in some cases undesirable adventurers, of evil reputation, loose habits, glib, mischief-makers, oath-breakers, witches and wizards. They do not appear to have endowed their offspring with traits other than their own, combined with a personal appearance which is usually described as unattractive. ”

“ His son, the next earl, married a Gael, and after this, through repeated Gaelic marriages, the succeeding earls in the Norse male line were never more than a cross between Norse and Gael, [5] sometimes almost approaching pure-bred Gaels, if the rules of a modern breeding society are to be observed. The same holds good of earl St. Rögnvaldr, a Norwegian, who succeeded on the distaff side, his mother being of Gaelic extraction. The Gaelic conversion of the earls was completed on the succession of the Gaelic earls in 1139. ”

“ The Gaelic bòrlum, royal castle lands, borlanachd, compul [17] sory labour for a landlord, must also come from the same source.
Boardland in Orkney is, therefore, a translation of Old Norse veizlu-jörð, land granted in fief for military service and for the entertainment of the superior when on circuit. In accordance with the Hirðskrá of king Magnús Hákonsson, the earl, while prohibited from disposing of the earldom lands, was permitted to grant earldom lands at veita or at veizlu, i.e., in return for military service and entertainment. ”

“ As the Gaels did not give up patronymics and begin to assume permanent surnames (usually those of their chiefs) , until after 1350, those who settled in Orkney before that, and became Norse in language and customs, of course adopted the Norse, in place of the Gaelic, patronymic, i.e., -son for mac-. This was done by the Gaelic earls in Orkney, in precisely the same way as had been done by the Irish settlers in Iceland. ”

“ Margrét, daughter of earl Hákon Pálsson and Helga Moddansdóttir, was 51/128 Norse, 77/128 Gael, and is described as fríð kona ok svarri mikill, a beautiful woman and very proud. She married Maddadh, the Gaelic earl of Atholl, as his second wife, and was the mother of Haraldr Maddaðarson, who became earl of Orkney. After her husband’s death she returned to Orkney and had an illegitimate son by Gunni, Svein’s brother, for which he was outlawed. ”

“ She is described in Heimskringla: the fairest of women, wise and cunning in witchcraft; glad of speech and guileful of heart, and the grimmest of all folk. Fortunately, her daughter left no descendants in Orkney.
[8]
Earl Hlöðver (Ludovick or Lewis) , 963–980, was the son of earl Þorfinnr hausakljúfr, and Grelöð, who was half a Gael, and so he was five-eighths Norse, one-eighth thrall and two-eighths Gael. He is described as a mighty chief, mikill höfðingi, and died of sickness, sótt-dauðr. He married Eðna (Eithne) , daughter of the Irish king, Kjarvalr (Cearbhall) . ”

“ Eyvind schemed to make his kinsman Sveinn Ásleifarson quarrel with his namesake, Sveinn brjóstreip, and having succeeded in this, he then plotted with Sveinn to kill Sveinn, and arranged an artful manœuvre, by which the second Sveinn, before he died, killed his own relative, Jón, the only other witness of the murder. Magnús Eyvindsson, by Eyvind’s arrangement, took Sveinn by horse and boat to Damsey, where Blánn sheltered him, and took him afterwards secretly to the bishop. ”

“ We find the earls had children by thralls, and intermarriage [34] between the bœndr and thralls, especially the freed thralls, must also have taken place.
Persons of mixed racial descent are usually very loud in an exaggerated appreciation of the heroic line of their ancestry, especially when it is on the distaff side, usually coupled with an inverse depreciation of the other ascent which is represented by an inappropriate and inconvenient surname.
There would be no necessity for a genuine Norse islander to crow himself hoarse on his native rock ”

“ The nearest coast to Clouston is that of Ireland, which is quite unsuited for shipping, owing to its exposed position, shallow water, extensive beach at low water—a place to be avoided by sea-going craft. ”

“ Circumstantial evidence is against Hákon kló, a gœðingr, with the uppkvöð of the leiðangr, levy of ships and men, being landlocked in one of the very few inland townships in Orkney, situated from two to three miles from the nearest easy landing place. ”

“ While the leading people must have been bilingual, speaking Norse (the court language) , and Gaelic, the almúgi, or common people, appear to have maintained their native Gaelic. This is indicated in two striking instances in the Saga. In 1158, earls Haraldr and Rögnvaldr went from Þórs-á up Þórs-dalr and took gisting, night quarters, at some erg, which “we call setr.” The local Gaelic name of such a shieling was àiridh, E. Ir. ”

“ Their son was Ölvir rósta (the unruly) ; a great and powerful man, manna mestr ok ramr at afli, turbulent, uppivöðslumaðr mikill, and a great manslayer, vígamaðr mikill. He, at the instigation of his grandmother, Frakök, burnt Ólafr, Svein’s father, in his house. Their other children were Magnús, Ormr, Moddan (Gaelic) , Eindriði, and a daughter, Auðhildr. The whole of this nest [28] left Orkney with Frakök, in her repatriation, under whose evil influence they were reared.
Notices of Shetland, in the Saga, are to all intents and purposes nil. ”

“ He asked the earl for lið, assistance, and got five ships, of which the captains were Þorbjörn klerkr (a grandson of Frakök and a brother-in-law of Sveinn) , Hafliði son Þorkels flettis, Dufnjáll son Hávarðs Gunnasonar, Ríkgarðr (Richard) Þorleifsson and Sveinn himself. However, Holdboði judiciously fled, but they slew many men in Suðreyjar and plundered wide and burnt and got much booty, fé. ”