General Notes

bk&q chart 27, NB5, pp 425, 441, 444, 446
Earl of Orkney c894-?920.
He was known as Torf-Einar because he introduced turf as a fuel to the isl
anders.  He was the brother of the disgraced Hallad who had been unab
le to control the Danish pirates in the western seas.  Einar pleaded wi
th his father to let him have the responsibility.  He was given one longsh
ip and crew.  He sailed first to the Shetlands to recruit more men and th
en advanced on the leaders of the Danish Vikings, Thori Treebeard and Ka
lf Skurfa, whom he killed, regaining control of the Orkneys.  Soon after t
he Orkneys were invaded by Halfdan Haaleg, the son of the Norwegian kin
g.  Halfdan had already killed einar's father, Ragnald, and seemed inte
nt on wiping out Ragnald's family.  Einar escaped but conducted a surpri
se raid and captured Halfdan, whom he killed by carving an eagle shape o
ut of his body in revenge for the death of his father.  He sacrificed t
he remains to Odin.  Harald Finehair brought his fleet to the Orkneys a
nd exacted compensation from Einar for the death of his son, but he allow
ed him to retain his title as earl of Orkney.  Although Einar is describ
ed as ugly, with one blind eye, he was remembered as a strong leader who p
rotected his islanders, though in return confiscated their independent ten
ure and treated them as tenants.  He apparently ruled much of the territo
ry conquered by Sigurd and Thorstein, which included Caithness and Sutherl
and and parts of Ross.  The date of his death is not recorded, though t
he sagas note that he ruled for a long time and died of a sickness.  Allow
ing for the ages of his sons to succeed him he must have ruled to at lea
st the year 920 or even later.