WHENCE AND WHITHER, ÓLÁFR? ON THE LOCATION OF THE VIKING REALM OF ‘LAITHLIND’
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-02-06

In 853, Óláfr, son of the king of ‘Laithlind’, came to Dublin and became one of the most powerful Viking kings in the Irish Sea, before, according to one account, returning to his native land of ‘Laithlind’, about 872. For a short but important period, this kingdom had a profound influence on events in Ireland and north Britain. Vexingly, however, extremely little is known about it, making it impossible to properly assess its role in 9th-century Irish Sea history: We do not even know its geographical location. This issue turned into the subject of lively scholarly debate, with scholars discussing whether this mysterious realm was to be taken as a kingdom in the Vikings’ homeland, in west Norway, or rather as a Viking colony in south-west Scotland. But due to very limited evidence, neither theory could be proven or even considered superior to the other. Thus, stuck between two possibilities, the question remained unanswered. In 2018, two new – and mutually exclusive – hypotheses emerged, providing fresh ideas for tackling the old problem. One of them is argued in this paper, and by following the footsteps of king Óláf and viewing ‘Laithlind’ in the context of the king’s objectives and politics during a period of Viking expansion in the Irish Sea area and beyond, it favours a location in west Scotland.


The paper by Dirk H. Steinforth, Whence and Whither, Óláfr? A short conjecture about the location of 'Laithlind', was published in Northern Studies 51, 2020, 15–33.


Author(s): Steinforth, Dirk (Independent Researcher)