General Notes

According to the medieval historian, Snorri Sturluson, Finn lived for a time at Austratt in the district of Yrjar in western Norway. He had been on several viking expeditions. He was a well-liked steward of King Harald Sigurtharson in Norway. The king had Finn intercede for him and make reconciliation with his enemies who were angered about some slayings. In one reconciliation attempt, an enemy by the name of Hkon agreed to be reconciled to the king if he was given Ragnhild, a relative of the king, in marriage. The king agreed, but said, "Neither you nor any else will find it advisable to obtain Ragnhild in marriage unless it be with her own consent." Ragnhild did not want to marry a man who was not of princely rank. The king would have granted the title of earl to Hkon, but there was a long-standing practice of having just one earl at a time, and he did not want to take the title away from the current Earl Orm. (Later after Earl Orm died, Hkon was given the title and Ragnhild married him.) Some other events and the death of Finn's brother caused Finn to be so angered at the king that he left Norway. He joined with King Svein in Denmark, and was given the title of earl and ruled the province of Halland, where he was in charge of defense against the Norwegians.