Kolbeinn hrúga

Cubby Roo's Castle

Kolbeinn hrúga was a Viking chief on Orkney in Scotland . In the Orkneyinga saga, chapter 84, he is described as "the most outstanding of all men". Kolbeinn hrúga was born in Sunnfjord, in western Norway . He was undoubtedly a strong man, as evidenced by his nickname "hrúga", which means "hill" in Old Norse.

Around 1145 AD, shortly after his arrival in Orkney, Kolbeinn was responsible for building the castle on the west side of the Isle of Wyre , which is one of the oldest stone structures of its kind in Scotland . At that time Harald Maddaðarson was Earl of the Orkney. Kolbein's fortress, the remains of which are known today as "Cubbie Roo's Castle", are considered to be the best preserved from this period. The original structure was a stone tower, around eight meters square, with walls 1.7 meters thick. The castle walls survive up to a height of about two meters. Given the lack of an entrance in the preserved walls, it seems likely that the entrance was on the first floor.

It is mentioned in the “Haakon Saga”: “Kolbeinn hrúga had a fine stone fort built there, a really solid stronghold”. From the Orkneyinga saga one can see that Kolbeinn was a man of influence, because with his help the 17-year-old Øystein II won his part-kingship in Norway in 1142.

See also

• Viking Age on Orkney

literature

• Walter Baetke (ed.): The stories of the Orkaden, Denmark and the Jomsburg (= Thule. Old Norse poetry and prose. 19, ZDB -ID 516164-2 ). Diederichs, Jena 1924, pp. 21–392, (reprint: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft et al., Darmstadt et al. 1966).