Vikings

Following in the footsteps of Vikings in Sunnhordland

Sunnhordland is the land of the Vikings. There are many Viking traces and relics on the islands and in the area between Ryvarden, the Folgefonna glacier and Reksteren. Moster, Fitjar, Njardarlog, Etne and Sveio are all place names that bear witness to a rich Viking history.

This article will give people who are interested in this period of Norwegian history a brief insight into interesting places to visit and important events in Viking history.

Moster in Bømlo municipality was the arena for important historical events in ancient times. This beautiful village is situated just a short distance from the Triangle Connection (Trekantsambandet) road system, and its harbour has been important throughout the ages.

Here, pilgrims and tourists find their way to Moster Old Church, which was built at the end of the 11th century using local soapstone and marble.

Moster Amfi © Nils Tore Sele

Moster Amfi is nearby, a modern amphitheatre built into the marble quarry and modelled on the ancient Greek amphitheatres. The background to both these attractions is the Icelandic historian Snorre Sturlason, who writes in his kings' sagas that Olav Tryggvason sailed to Moster when he returned to Norway from Russia in the year 995 to claim the throne.

In Moster, he proclaimed his intention, tore down the pagan temple and ordered the people to renounce their belief in the Norse gods and convert to Christianity. He had a wooden church built on the site where the temple had stood and appointed the brutal Irish priest Tangbrand as leader of the church. In AD 997, Tryggvason returned to sort out the heathens of Moster who continued to make sacrifices to the wooden Asatru gods. Some people in Moster had prepared speeches to make to the king in which they demanded the right to keep their old faith, but, in the king's presence, they could not find the words and were ridiculed. The king nevertheless listened to the people's complaints about the mad Tangbrand and exiled the priest to Iceland. Moster Old Church is situated on the site where Tryggvason built the wooden church in AD 995, and it is said to be Norway's oldest church.

The Mostraspelet pageant

In 1024, a new Viking king visited Moster. This time, St Olav came to the Mostratinget assembly together with Bishop Grimkjell and established Christian law.

I slik ei natt © Magne Langåker

The Mostraspelet pageant is based on these milestones in Norwegian history, and makes reference to both the Gulating laws and Snorre's kings' sagas.

Tora Mostrastong statue © Samarbeidsrådet for Sunnhordland

Almost 100 years prior to this, a young woman ensured that Moster would go down in history. Tora Mostrastong was the name of the young girl from Moster who, in AD 917, became pregnant by the 70-year-old King Harald Fairhair who spent the night at the royal estate there. The king brought both Tora and her son, whom he called Håkon, to live with him, despite the fact that Tora was considered a frille, or mistress. When he was ten years old, Håkon was sent to live with King Æthelstan in England, where he grew up and was educated. During his reign from 933 to 961, he did not succeed in his attempts to introduce Christianity to Norway, but he did succeed in introducing the leidang coastal fleet system. There is a statue of Tora  at Moster, in memory of the girl who became the mother of one of the great kings of the Norwegian sagas.

Fitjar and Håkon the Good

Fitjar, situated in the north of the island of Stord, lies on flat and fertile agricultural land between the sea and Fitjarfjellet mountain. Håkon Adalsteinfostre (the Good) died in AD 961 at Håkonshella where he was born, after receiving a fatal wound in a sea battle against the sons of Eric Bloodaxe off the coast of Fitjar. According to the saga, his golden helmet fell overboard during the battle. There is a statue of Håkon in the Håkonar Park and the Håkonarspelet pageant is staged to commemorate this story.

The island Tysnes

Tysnes is Sunnhordland's ancient island of the gods. You cannot help but feel a sense of awe when you arrive, whether at the ferry quays at Hodnanes and Våge or by car across the Lukksund bridge. The roads wind their way around this green island, and as soon as you have left the lively municipal centre Våge behind, a spring-time drive becomes a nostalgic trip past beautiful farm clusters where time seems to have stood still. Njardarlog (Njord's island) is the old Norse name for the island, which was dropped during the Reformation in favour of the name Tysnes. The island also has many other place names that originate from a pre-Christian cult. At Årbakkavollen rampart at Onarheim, there are several standing stones from the early Iron Age that bear witness to this period of history. Onarheim was one of the most important court and assembly sites in Western Norway in Norse times, and throughout the middle ages the Olavsgildet guild at Onarheim was a hub of culture in Hordaland.

Etne and Erling Skakke

Etne was the home of Earl Erling Skakke Ormsson and King Magnus Erlingsson. Erling Skakke lived at Stødle in Etne, but went on crusades to countries around the Mediterranean in the middle of the twelfth century. He acquired the name Skakke after being hit with a sword in Sicily, making one side of his neck shorter than the other ('skakk' means 'squint'). Skakke was married to the daughter of Sigurd the Crusader. Their son Magnus was crowned king in Bergen in 1161, when he was only five years old. In 1184, King Magnus fought Sverre Sigurdsson at Fimreite and lost his life alongside 2,000 of his men. The church at Stødle was built around 1160. It is said to have been Erling Skakke's private chapel when he resided at Stødle. Skakke also ordered the building of Halsnøy Monastery in 1163-64.

The home of Ramnafloke

Sveio was the home of the famous Viking Ramnafloke. Floke Vilgjerdsson acquired the nickname Ramnafloke because he used three ravens as guides on his journey across the ocean to Iceland in AD 869/870. The reason for this journey was that he opposed the rule of Harald Fairhair, who ruled over people and property with an iron hand. Before Ramnafloke left for the then unpopulated island he was to name Iceland, he built a cairn at the site where Ryvarden Lighthouse stands today. According to the Icelandic book Landnåmabok, Ramnafloke was the first person to settle permanently in Iceland. One of the standing stones Ramnafloke erected in connection with the sacrificial feast he held before sailing to the new country can still be seen on the farm Straumen at the entrance to the Viksefjord.

Noble family at Ænes

Ænes in Kvinnherad municipality is situated at the mouth of the exceptionally beautiful Ænesdalen valley, where the river gently meanders down to the sea. The little stone church from 1190 is well worth a visit, and the valley up to the Folgefonna glacier is ideal for walkers. This is the seat of the Ænes family, one of the great noble families of Sunnhordland and Norway during the 1500s. Their ancestor is said to be Gaut at Ænes, one of Magnus Erlingsson's lendermenn (officials) in the middle of the twelfth century.

You can find more interesting information about the Viking Age if you visit the Nordvegen History Centre at Avaldsnes near Haugesund.