One cannot wonder at the character of Ragnhildr, considering the antecedents of her mother Gunnhildr, the reputed daughter of Özurr toti, a lord in Hálogaland. She, probably a Finn, was found in a Finmark cot, studying wizardry, and was brought to Eiríkr blóðöx, who, struck with her great beauty, obtained her in marriage. She was held guilty of having poisoned king Hálfdán svarti. Her life was spent in plotting and mischief. 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.
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). She was learned in witchcraft, margkunnig, and wove a magic banner, merki, in raven form, hrafns-mynd, for her son; and predicted that those before whom it was borne should be victorious, sigrsæll, but it would be deadly, banvænt, to the bearer.
Their children were earl Sigurðr hinn digri, and a daughter, Nereiðr or Svanlaug, who married earl Gilli of Kola (Coll).
Earl Sigurðr hinn digri, 980–1014, was the son of earl Hlöðver and an Irish Gael, and was 5/16 Norse, 1/16 thrall, and 10/16 Gael. He was a mighty chief, höfðingi mikill, and a great warrior.[2] He was killed in the battle of Clontarf, Brjáns-bardagi, in Ireland in 1014, with the fatal hrafns-merki wound around him, as no one else would bear his fjándi, fiend. He was converted to Christianity by the sword-baptism of king Ólafr Tryggvason, although he expressed his preference for the religion and carved gods of his Norse forefathers, notwithstanding any Christian teaching he may have received from his Irish mother beyond witchcraft. He gave up the confiscated óðul to the Orkney bœndr (for one generation) in return for military services rendered against the Scots. The name of his first wife is unknown, and his second one was a daughter of Malcolm, the Scot king. His children by his first wife were Hundi or Hvelpr (Gaelic, Cuilen, who was baptised with the name of his grandfather, earl Hlöðver), Einarr rang-muðr, stern, grasping, unfriendly, and a great warrior, Brúsi, meek, kept his feelings well in hand, humble and ready-tongued, and Sumarliði.
Earl Þorfinnr hinn ríki, 1014–1064, was the son of earl Sigurðr digri and his second wife, a Gael, and was 5/32 Norse, 1/32 thrall, and 26/32 Gael in descent. He was bráðgjörr í vexti, manna mestr ok sterkastr, early in reaching full growth, tallest and strongest of men; svartr á hár, black hair; skarpleitr ok skolbrúnn, sharp features and swarthy complexion; ljótr, ugly; nefmikill, big nose; kappsmaðr, an energetic man; ágjarn bæði til fjár ok metnaðar, greedy of wealth and honour; sigrsæll, lucky in battle; kænn í orrostum, skilful in war; góðr áræðis, of good courage. King Ólafr found that Þorfinnr was miklu skapstærri en Brúsi, much more proud of spirit than his brother, Brúsi. Þorfinnr gladly agreed with all the king’s proposals, but the king doubted that he meant to go back on them, whereas he thought that Brúsi, who drove a hard bargain, would keep his word, and would be a trúnaðar-maðr, faithful liegeman. The earl married Ingibjörg, jarla-móðir, daughter of Finnr Árnason. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, got absolution from the Pope, and built the first cathedral in Birsa, Orkney, where he died.
He was liberal, in that he did that frama-verk, honourable deed, by which he provided his hirð, bodyguard, and many other ríkis-menn, mighty men, all winter through, with both matr ok mun-gát, food and ale, so that no man required to put up at a skytningr, inn; whereas, kings and earls in other lands, merely made a like provision only during Yule. Arnórr jarlaskáld sang to his praise in his Þorfinns drápa, and noted his liberal fare.
His children were earls Páll and Erlendr, who were miklir menn ok fríðir, mickle men and handsome, and so took after their Norwegian móðurætt, mother’s kin, and were vitrir ok hógværir, wise and modest; taking after their mother, a Norwegian, is in contrast to their father, who was almost a pure-bred, black-haired, swarthy Gael.