GEN-MEDIEVAL-L Archives

Subject: Re: More about BRUCE, the Norwegian connection
Date: 9 Jun 1995 10:36:38 GMT

This thread is moved from soc.genealogy.misc:

>Date: Tue, 6 Jun 1995 20:27:31 +0300
>From: Tom Camfield <>
>Subject: More about BRUCE, the Norwegian connection
>
>>Anders Berg wrote, quoting "Heimskringla," that "He [Sigurd] married the
>>daughter of King Melkolm of Scotland. Their son was Thorfinn. Sigurd jarl's
>>elder sons were Sumarlide, Bruse and Einar."
>>This sounds to me as if Bruse was born in a marriage prior to Donada. Thorfinn
>was THEIR son but Bruse was an elder son of Sigurd. . ."
>I would say much depends on context, and I do not have access to
>"Heimskringla."
>If the writer had been talking of Thorfinn prior to that comment (that is,
>if Thorfinn was the main topic of the moment), then I would say "no
>problem." Or if the discussion was about to continue through Thorfinn as
>the next generation, also "no problem."
>If Thorfinn just suddenly comes into the discussion of Sigurd at this
>point, and does not become the main subject of text immediately following,
>then I would suspect you are right.
>However, even without Donada in the Brusse ancestry, one can trace back
>from Sigurd the Stout to Torv-Einar, illegitimate half-brother of Rollo
>(passing Torfinn Skull-Cleaver along the way)...or proceed back through
>Groa Torsteinsdatter, sister of Eystein Foul-Fart, etc. :-))
>Tons of great ancestry for the Bruces...

Yes, the context is important, I agree. This particular part of _Heimskringla_ is paragraph
96 of St Olav's Saga. It deals with the history of Orkney and lists the rulers from the
first Norse jarl, Sigurd, down to the sons of Sigurd the Stout. Then paragraph 97 goes
on to, in detail, tell the story of these four brothers.
The outline is chronological. Sigurd the Stout's sons are not mentained earlier in the
paragraph, and the following text including par. 97 deals with all brothers. The three
elder brothers Sumarlide, Bruse and Einar were elected to share the earldom when
their father Sigurd had fallen in the Clontarf battle in 1014. Torfinn, however, is
said to have been sent to his grand-father, the king of Scotland.
Apparantly the age-difference between the brothers was significant. Torfinn is said
to be 5 when his father dies in 1014, the other three were all old enough to take
over the rule of Orkney.

Taking all this into account, I still find it more likely that Torfinn was half-brother
rather than brother to Bruse. However, there may be other first-hand sources that
say differently, I have only consulted Heimskringla.

Anders

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