The Story of St Magnus

For many, visiting the ancient rose-red Cathedral in the heart of Kirkwall is one of the highlights of their Orkney holiday. St Magnus Cathedral is quite beautiful, both inside and out, and its spire still dominates the modern town that surrounds it today.

By 1102, Hakon had been named Earl of Orkney and returned home to rule. Shortly afterwards, Magnus sailed back to Orkney to take his place as Earl alongside his cousin. Hakon was initially furious, but eventually accepted joint rule, and the two Earls watched over the islands in peace. However, this was not to last.

We thought we would offer a quick guide to Magnus Erlendsson – the Viking who inspired the Cathedral’s creation…

Back when Orkney and Shetland were part of Scandinavia, the islands were ruled by Norse Earls. Usually only one person was given this job, but Earl Erlend and Earl Paul were twins, and they ruled Orkney together in peace.

The Earls had many children, and among them, Paul had a son named Hakon, and Erlend had a son called Magnus.

Hakon was strong, tall, and talented, but he was also arrogant. As they reached adulthood, rivalry between Hakon and Magnus’s brother Aerling created resentment between their fathers, so Hakon was sent away from Orkney for a peedie while. During this time, Hakon met a soothsayer in Sweden, who foretold that Hakon would end up as the sole ruler of Orkney.

In 1098, the King of Norway was keen to gain control of the Hebrides – this would make is easier for Vikings to raid Ireland and Scotland! So, like a wild sea wind from the east, the King arrived in Orkney with a powerful force, sent Earl Erlend and Earl Paul to Norway (where they perished) and journeyed south with the Earl’s sons in his army.

The King’s expedition eventually reached the Welsh coast, but during the assault (known as the Battle of Menai Strait) and under a black cloud of arrows, Magnus refused to arm himself and fight, saying that he had no quarrel with the people of Wales. This greatly angered the King, so Magnus fled and went into hiding. He did not return to Orkney whilst the King was alive.

By 1102, Hakon had been named Earl of Orkney and returned home to rule. Shortly afterwards, the King of Norway died in Ireland, so Magnus sailed back to Orkney – to take his place as Earl alongside his cousin. Hakon was initially furious, but eventually accepted joint rule, and the two Earls watched over the islands in peace. This was not to last.

Magnus was well-liked and described in the Sagas as being tall, with an intelligent look about him. As an Earl, he was sound with advice, agreeable to most, severe to criminals but gentle to the poor.

However, Hakon was jealous of Magnus’s popularity. Some of Hakon’s malicious friends started stirring up trouble between the two Earls, and by 1114, armies of their men were launching heavy attacks upon each other. There were bloody fights and burning buildings whenever their paths crossed.

With the people of Orkney suffering because of their feud, a meeting between the two Earls to discuss peace took place by the shore in Tingwall, Rendall. Though the meeting came close to ending in battle, the Earls eventually reached a reconciliation. Another meeting to ratify the peace treaty was organised – to be held on the island of Egilsay in spring.

As agreed, Magnus set off with two boats and a small number of men – carefully selecting friends to both Earls who would improve matters between the cousins. However, as they sailed to Egilsay, a great wave rose out of the glittering calm sea and crashed down on the spot where Magnus was sitting. He took this to be a sign of his imminent death.

Hakon meanwhile set sail with eight ships and a great force of men ready for battle. He wanted to end joint rule once and for all. One of the men on board, Havard Hunnason, was loyal to both Earls. When he learned of Hakon’s betrayal, Havard threw himself overboard and swam to an uninhabited island.

Egilsay is a low island, dwarfed by nearby Rousay and covered in wildflowers. Magnus and his men arrived first, and when they saw Hakon’s ships descend like hawks on Egilsay, Magnus understood his cousin’s intentions. He walked inland with his men and sought sanctuary overnight in a church.

The following morning Hakon’s men ransacked the church but could not find Magnus – he was elsewhere on the island. After a short time, Magnus gave himself up to Hakon, on the agreement that his men would not be harmed.

In front of an assembly of local chieftains Magnus offered Hakon three choices – his concern being for his cousin’s immortal soul, which would be condemned to hell if Hakon killed an innocent man. Magnus suggested that he could be exiled on the Scottish Mainland, or be sent to Rome and the Holy Lands, or could be blinded and locked in a dungeon.

Hakon chose to imprison Magnus but the chieftains refused, saying that there was to be no more joint rule, and that one of the Earls must die that day. Hakon decided then that his cousin must be killed, and Magnus accepted his fate.

Hakon first asked Ofeig, his standard bearer, to kill Magnus, but he refused angrily. Then his cook Lifolf was summoned from his pot and fire, and given the task. Magnus told him, “Don’t be afraid, you’re doing this against your will. I’ve prayed that God grant you His mercy.”

As he kneeled to pray before his death, Magnus told Lifolf to stand in front of him and strike him hard on the head – an earl was not to be beheaded like a thief. Sure enough, Lifolf lifted the axe and, weeping, drove it into Magnus’s skull.

Hakon refused to give Magnus a Christian burial – he was buried where he fell – not even the poorest man in Orkney was so shamed in death.

Later, there was to be a feast to celebrate the peace treaty, laid out by Magnus’s mother Thora. Instead, she had to serve food and drink to the men who had killed her son. As she did so, Thora pleaded to Hakon to allow Magnus a proper burial. Hakon relented, and the slain Earl’s body was brought to Christchurch in a lovely area of Orkney – Birsay – where the sea laps around a steep green isle.

Magnus was killed on 16th April 1117, aged just 37, and very soon after his death, miracles began to occur in Orkney. The spot where Magnus was murdered was rocky but became a grassy field. Next winter, a heavenly light shone over his grave in Birsay. The sick began to flock to the Holy Earl Magnus’s grave, and they would be cured of their ailments:

• A blind Shetland farmer called Bergfinn kept vigil at Magnus’s grave and afterwards, was able to see again.
• Thorkel, a farmer from Orkney, fell and injured one side of body. After being carried to Magnus’s shrine he recovered his health.
• Thord Dragon-Jaw went out of his mind, but was completely cured after silver was left at the shrine of Earl Magnus.
• Sigurd from the Faroes had a disabled hand – all his fingers were bent into his palm. It was healed after a visit to Magnus’s shrine.
• Hafdan from Shetland had leprosy but was cured after the Holy Earl Magnus appeared to him in a dream.

After Magnus’s death, Earl Hakon ruled Orkney in peace and harmony. He briefly travelled to Rome and Jerusalem, and when he returned, the isles prospered. Great care was taken to ensure that rumours of miracles at Magnus’s grave did not reach Earl Hakon’s ears! Bishop William in Birsay also refused to believe such superstitions.

All that changed when Bishop William experienced two miracles. First, whilst voyaging home during a raging storm, the bishop only arrived safely after praying to Magnus. Then the Bishop was struck blind in Christchurch, and after finding his way to Magnus’s grave, he regained his sight. So – Bishop William tested Magnus’s relics in consecrated fire and discovered the bones wouldn’t burn. It was decided that the day of his death should be celebrated, and Magnus’s remains were moved east, to a church in Kirkwall.

Hakon died in his bed in Orkney and his son Paul followed as another popular Earl. However, Rognvald Kali Kolsson, the son of Magnus’s sister, Gunhild, wished to claim his rightful share of the Earldom, and was met with fierce resistance from Earl Paul and the men of Orkney. Once again, two Earls confronted each other, axes drawn.

Rognvald’s father Kol recommended that his son find favour with the men of Orkney by other, more subtle means: “Make a vow to the holy Earl Magnus, your uncle, that should he grant you your family inheritance, and should you come to power, then you’ll build a stone minister at Kirkwall more magnificent than any in Orkney, and provide it with the funds it will need to flourish. In addition, his holy relics and the episcopal seat must be moved there.”

This won the men of Orkney over, and so, the first stones of St Magnus Cathedral were laid in 1137.

In 1919, a wooden box was discovered in a pillar of St Magnus Cathedral. It contained bones, and a skull which has been cleaved in two by an axe. These were the remains of St Magnus, and they were carefully returned to the building that bears his name.

By Magnus Dixon
Orkney and Shetland enthusiast, family man, loves walks, likes animals, terrible at sports, dire taste in music, adores audiobooks and films, eats a little too much for his own good.

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