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TORFINN,
known as ' The Mighty ', succeeded his father Jarl Sigurd in the year
1014. As a youngster
he would have had the company of Macbeth and Duncan, for both were
also under the protection of Malcolm, who just happened to be their
grandfather also. Thorfinn was schooled
in all the manly arts of his position and grew strong mentally as
well as physically. He would need all that training as these were
troubled times and grandfather Malcolm was about to spring a surprise
on all the hopefuls at court. Duncan was to be given the throne much
to the anger and frustration of the other contenders. This left Torfinn
with his Caithness and Orkney domain and an ambitious eye on Sutherland,
however Macbeth had avenged the killing of his father and was now
the Mormaer of Moray and he also had a strong claim to Sutherland. |
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| Twice king Duncan gave battle to Thorfinn and was soundly beaten, let alone the numerous skirmishes Macbeth's men had with the men of Caithness. Thorfinn was proving to be a formidable leader well liked by his people. Time by now, was running out for Duncan as certain nobles were conspiring against him, and, after a disastrous defeat outside Durham, history tells us that he met his end whilst on his way north at a place called Pitgaveny near Elgin. Whether this was in a major battle or just a skirmish we don't know for sure. Whether by Thorfinn alone or in combination with Macbeth we don't know either, but history gives the latter the blame whilst certain Norse legends give the former the blame. It doesn't really matter for Scotland was rid of a bad king, who with his impetuosity had cost the land many losses in blood and wealth. |
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Macbeth was now declared sovereign and an on- off relationship between the Norseman and the Celt played out in the north. Thorfinn had the knowledge that Duncan's young sons who had fled to the court of Siward of Northumbria would always preoccupy Macbeth's mind plus the constant viking raids along the coastline would keep him active elsewhere. But nonetheless we know that one sea battle was fought between the two and that Thorfinn was victorious once again. For all this, Thorfinn did manage a pilgrimage to Rome for the expected ' Second Coming ' but only after a hostage arrangement with Macbeth, who also just happened to be going, had been agreed. Whether they went together we don't know, but it is possible they at least met whilst there. On his return, Thorfinn, who was obviously affected by the experience, but not the event, for it never happened as we all know, set about building a magnificent church on his beloved Birsay in Orkney. |
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As time passed Macbeth was killed by the vengeful Malcolm Canmore, one of the sons who had fled south years earlier. This now gave Scotland two men as king, for Lulach, the stepson of Macbeth, assumed the title as Malcolm did also. Lulach had only a few months of kingship before Malcolm caught up with him and so ended the Macbeth era. Malcolm now turned his mind on Thorfinn and over the next few years was to engage in open hostilities against our northern ruler. Thorfinn proved once more he would be no pushover as time after time he beat back Malcolm's incursions into his territory. Thorfinn died in Orkney and was laid to rest in the building he had so lovingly created. His Norse blood had obviously passed strongly into his offspring, for, his sons were to join Harald Hardrada on his unsuccessful invasion of England some years later, but that is another story. Shakespeare must have known a fair amount about Thorfinn from his studies of the works of John of Fordun and of Andrew Wyntoun, those chroniclers who tended to down the achievements of Macbeth. |
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If the legends are correct and Thorfinn was the one who actually killed Duncan then how much different the play would have had to be. I think Shakespeare spotted the milleage in the Macbeth angle moreso than the Thorfinn one, and so we have the play, wrongly, becoming the true history, well, so the public believe. |
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