I can’t quite remember what inspired me to watch Our Flag Means Death . I have a vague recollection of watching a trailer on Facebook and then, eventually, picking up my phone and flicking through various streaming platforms, finally settling on that as my pick. What I was expecting was a farcical pirate romp. Maybe elements of The Muppets’ Treasure Island but with a little more adult content. Lots of hopeless pirates attempting swashbuckling tasks with comically poor results. Possibly a bit of Blackadder -esque historical humour. As anyone who has watched the series would be able to tell you, I was a little way off the mark. In fact, it is a delicious, hilarious and touching tribute to Wokeness. And I say this as a good thing: all people are welcome here. For me, watching it straight after finishing (or getting towards the end of, I can’t quite remember) my novel about Alexander the Great, the relationship between Stede and Blackbeard really resonated with me. What begins as a fascin...
This week, I'm delving a long way back in history to introduce you to March's historical figure...
A week ago I launched a collection of short stories called Have We Ever Been Alone? (You can find it here) Each one of these stories includes a meeting between mankind and another sentient form. The opening story is based on the bizarre death of Sigurd Eysteinsson, and he's the subject of today's blog post.
There is some dispute over whether Sigurd was the first or second Earl of Orkney, but the impact he left upon the islands was certainly immense. He was the man accredited with bringing Christianity to Orkney, although this was almost certainly only Sigurd paying lip-service in order to protect his earldom. When Olaf Trygvesson confronted him, his choice was a clear one: convert or have your whole lands and people destroyed.
Despite the fact Sigurd accepted these rather brutal terms, Olaf took his son hostage to ensure the earl's continued support. Sigurd's son died not long after, and Sigurd was at liberty to freely follow the old religion once more.
There is no evidence that Sigurd had a daughter, although she is the main character in the opening story of Have We Ever Been Alone? and befriends a Pictish seer, who has foreseen her father's death. But excusing her presupposed existence, Sigurd's portrayal is true to life. He was a born campaigner, the stuff of legends! But he was also a cheat - a fact which was going to cost him his life.
Aside from the conversion and campaigning in which he partook, Sigurd Eysteinsson (who was also called Sigurd the Mighty) is most famous for his death. Having fought several times against Máel Brigte, the Pictish lord of Moray, Sigurd proposed a 40-man-a-side battle to resolve their continued disagreements. Máel Brigte accepted but, unbeknownst to the pict, Sigurd brought twice as many men. Unsurprisingly, Sigurd was victorious, and the battle seemed to have been won. Without a second thought, Sigurd claimed his trophy: Máel Brigte's head.
Then, fate stepped in. His horse, anxious about crossing the river, shied. This sudden and unpredictable move caused Máel Brigte's severed head to bite down on Sigurd's leg. Apart from feeling angry, and no doubt embarrassed too, about this, Sigurd probably thought nothing of it. However, the wound became infected and, without medical care, poisoned Sigurd.
It was poetic justice, really, that Sigurd cheated to win the battle, only to finally lose his life to a freak accident.
Despite this trickery, it has to be said that Sigurd was known to have governed Orkney with real wisdom. He knew how to make the best of any situation and always loyally defended his people - by whatever means.
And he left an immortal legacy to Orkney. The Ba' game which take place at Christmas and New Year, has it's roots in Sigurd's unfortunate demise. The ba', representing Máel Brigte's head, is fought over and thrown toward one end of Kirkwall or the other and, while it is an overwhelming event, thankfully even that isn't as brutal as its legendary ancestry!
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