Earl Rögnvaldr Brúsason, 1036–1046, was the son of earl Brúsi Sigurðarson and an unknown mother, and the nephew of earl Þorfinnr hinn ríki. The fríðastr, most handsome of all men; hárit mikit ok gult sem silki, much hair, yellow as silk; snimma mikill ok sterkr, manna var hann gjörfiligastr bæði fyrir vits saker ok svá kurteisi, tall and strong, the most perfect man was he both in wits and courtesy; fríðastr sjónum, most handsome in face; atgervi-maðr mikill svá at eigi fanst hans jafningi, an accomplished man without an equal. Arnórr jarlaskáld said that he was the bezt menntr af Orkneyja-jörlum, the most accomplished and best bred of the earls of Orkney. From this description one would imagine that his unknown mother and grandmother had both been Norwegians. It is not stated whether he was married or had any children.
Earl Páll Þorfinnsson, 1064–1098, was the son of earl Þorfinn hinn ríki and Ingibjörg, a Norwegian, after whom he took—handsome and modest. He was thus 19/32 Norse and 13/32 Gael in descent.
He married a daughter of earl Hákon Ívarsson and Ragnhildr, daughter of king Magnús hinn góði. Their children were earl Hákon, and four daughters, Herbjörg (ancestress of bishop Biarni), Ingiriðr, Ragnhildr (ancestress of Hákon kló), and Þóra.
He was banished to Norway, in 1098, where he died.
From 1098 to 1103, Sigurðr (afterwards king Sigurðr Jórsalafari), the eighty-year-old son of king Magnús berfœttr, was earl of Orkney.
Earl Erlendr Þorfinnsson, 1064–1098, was the son of earl Þorfinnr hinn ríki and Ingibiörg, a Norwegian, and so was 19/32 Norse and 13/32 Gael in descent. He married Þóra Sumarliðadóttir, whose mother and grandmother are not mentioned, but her father was the son of an Icelander. The earl was banished to Norway, in 1098, where he died.
His children were, earl St. Magnús, Gunnhildr, who married Kolr Kalason, whose son Kali became earl Rögnvaldr, and Cecilia who married Ísak, a Norwegian, whose sons were Kolr and Eindriði. He had a thrall-born illegitimate daughter called Játvör (fem. of Játvarðr, the Norse form of Edward), who had a son called Borgar,—the earliest record of this name, which, however, occurs in Norwegian place-names; they were both, mother and son, rather disliked, úvinsæl.
Earl Hákon Pálsson, 1103–1122, was the son of earl Páll Þorfinnsson and a Norwegian mother, and was 51/64 Norse and 13/64 Gael in descent.
He was ofstopamaðr mikill, a very overbearing man, mikill ok sterkr, great and strong; and vel menntr um alla hluti, well-bred, accomplished in every way. He would be the fyrirmaðr, leader, over his cousins, and thought himself better born, being the great grandson of king Magnús hinn góði. He always wanted the largest share for himself and his friends, and was öfund, jealous, of his cousins. When abroad he suffered from landmunr, home-sickness, and wanted at sækja vestr til Eyja, to seek west to the Isles (Orkney). He consulted a wizard as to his future. He murdered his cousin, St. Magnús, in order to get the whole earldom, and then made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He ended by being a good ruler, and died in the Isles.
It is not known whom he married, if he was wedded at all; but his son, earl Páll, appears to have had a mother other than his father’s known frilla or concubine. She was a Gael, Helga, daughter of Moddan, a nobleman rolling in wealth, göfugr maðr ok vell-auðigr, who lived in Dalir, or Dalr, in Katanes. The Gaelic name Moddan may be connected with the Irish O’Madadhain. This man’s family of daughters was a disgrace even to the morals of the twelfth century. After earl Hákon’s death, Helga, aided by her sister Frakök, attempted to murder her step-son, earl Páll, by means of a bewitched garment, white as snow, línklœði hvitt sem fönn, which they had sewn and embroidered with gold, but which her own jealous son donned and paid the penalty. Earl Páll, who naturally deemed that this precious article, gersemi, had been intended for him, promptly cleared them, and their family and dependents, skulda-lið, out of the islands.