Orkneyinga saga The Orkneyinga saga ( also called the History of the Earls of Orkney ) is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands , from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200 . The saga has " no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland " . Overview . The Norse saga was written around 1230 ( three centuries after the events they record ) by an unknown Icelandic author and , as was generally the case with Icelandic language writing of this period , the saga is as much a fictional story as a historic document . It is thought to have been compiled from a number of sources , combining oral legend s with historical facts to tell the lives of the earls of Orkney and how they came about their earldom . After three chapters dealing with the mythical ancestry of the later earls , the saga ' s adventurous account begins with the semi - mythical tales of the conquest of Orkney by Harald Fairhair , the King of Norway before moving on to more factual matters . The first three chapters cover text that provide the supposed origins for the Swedish and Norwegian ( January / February ) " torsmånad " after Thorri and ( February / March ) " göjemånad " after Gói . In modern Icelandic Gói is referred to as Góa and is also used as a female name . The first two chapters also give a unique explanation for how Norway came to be named as such , involving Thorri ' s sons Nór and Gór and their division of the land . Throughout the story , a number of characters who are both historical and legendary are introduced : Sigurd the Powerful , Hákon Paulsson , Sigurd the Stout , Ragnvald , Earl of Møre , Earl Magnus Erlendsson later styled the saint , Ragnvald Kali Kolsson and Harald Maddadsson . One or two of these characters are still part of Orcadian folklore today . There are examples of obviously fictional elements – such as Earl Sigurd ' s raven banner , the poisoned shirt of Earl Harald , and elements of the " Hrolf Ganger saga " . The saga shows how one would typically become an earl in medieval Orkney , and the problems that would ensue if more than one person shared the earldom . ( for example , chapters 12 – 19 : Sigurd Hlodvisson ' s sons ) Sigurd Hlodvisson ' s sons . Earl Sigurd Hlodvisson ( also known as Sigurd the Stout ) had four sons : Sumarlidi , Brusi , Einar Wry - Mouth , and Thorfinn ( the youngest ) by the daughter of King Malcolm II of Scotland . When Sigurd was killed , the earldom was divided among Sumarlidi , Brusi , and Einar ( Thorfinn was only 5 years old at the time ) . Soon after , Sumarlidi died and his share was given to Thorfinn . Einar was a ruthless earl , and imposes harsh taxes which severely hurt the farmers . A farmer ' s son , Thorkel , pleads to Earl Einar to lower the taxes , but to no avail . Fearing that his pleas were only making things worse , Thorkel flees to Caithness and fosters Thorfinn for some time . When Thorfinn is old enough to claim his share of the islands , he sends Thorkel to gather tributes at the islands . While there , however , Einar , who blames Thorkel for the uprising of the farmers , tries to kill him . Thorfinn and Thorkel sail to Norway to visit and gain the friendship of King Olaf . Upon their return , Earl Brusi attempts to reconcile Thorkel and Einar by having them throw feasts for one another . At the first feast , Thorkel learns that Einar plans to ambush him . In response to this news , Thorkel kills Einar and flees to King Olaf of Norway , who is pleased to hear that Einar is dead . After Einar is killed , Brusi takes over his share , making him hold 2 / 3 of the earldom . Thorfinn demands to split claim of the islands with Brusi so that they each control half , but Brusi refuses . Knowing that Thorfinn has more power and can easily overtake him , Brusi visits King Olaf to try to gain his support in helping him maintain his control over his share . King Olaf points out that the islands were originally a fiefdom and actually belong to him , but lets Brusi continue to control his share as long as he serves him . Essentially , Brusi has surrendered his earldom to King Olaf . When Thorfinn hears that Brusi has gone to appeal to King Olaf , he decides to do the same . While there , King Olaf gets Thorfinn to also surrender his share to him . Olaf then proclaims that Brusi and Thorfinn will each have 1 / 3 of the islands in fee , and Einar ' s share will stay in Olaf ' s possession . Earl Rognvald ' s Pilgrimage . In chapter 85 of the saga , while spending a summer with King Igni in Norway , Earl Rognvald was convinced by Eindridi the Young , who had just returned from time as a mercenary in Constantinople , to visit the Holy Land . Other landowners also encouraged the Earl to make the pilgrimage and agreed to go with him , and preparations began for the trip . It was agreed that Rognvald should have the most ornate ship . Rognvald returned to Orkney ( after stopping in Shetland for a time ) for two years as the preparations continued .