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| Cliffs on Mainland Island, Orkney Islands, Scotland |
The Orkney’s, known to mariners as a truly ‘breezy’ place,
were our destination at ‘the top’ of Scotland. Our port was Kirkwall, in a
protected bay of one of the Orkney Islands with the odd name of Mainland. The Islands
are verdantly green, hardly ever see snow during winter despite their high
latitude (influence of the warming Gulf Stream), however they see enough rain,
fog and drizzle in a day to last anyone a lifetime. There are hardly any trees
to be seen (it is plainly too windy), but the islands boast their own vineyards,
and of course farms where every kind of vegetable one can imagine is produced
especially tatties (Potatoes). There are thousands of sheep and thousands of
beef cattle, definitely outnumbering the human population by a huge margin.
Instead of traffic signs for pedestrian crossings, there are signs for sheep
crossing.
As everywhere else in Scotland – whisky distilleries abound…
The most prominent feature of Kirkland is its coloured
sandstone cathedral. St Magnus cathedral was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald
(a Viking as so many of the earlier inhabitants of the Islands – still obvious
in the Nordic design of the local flag). After 1468 the Orkneys were part
of Scotland, and shortly after King
James III gave the cathedral to the people of Kirkland.
The Cathedral is dedicated to St Magnus (Magnus Erlendsson)
who lived in the early 1100s; he was the Earl of Orkney. He shared the Earldom
with his cousin Hakon – but as it happens in some families – discord raises its
ugly head. To settle their dispute the two agreed to meet on the Island of
Egilsay – unarmed. Hakon arrived armed – no less than eight ships filled with
armed men.
Magnus was definitely outnumbered. But instead of Hakon killing
Magnus himself, he delegated the ugly deed to Lifold. Magnus died praying, when
Lifold cleaved his head with an axe. That was enough to make Magnus a saint,
especially after ‘miracles’ happened at his grave in Birsay.
Magnus’ nephew Rognvald (also proclaimed a saint – it must run
in the family) came to Orkney to claim his uncle’s earldom, promising the
Orkney-ites to build a ‘great stone minster’ to honor Magnus – and eventually
himself. Rognald was killed in 1158 – sainthood comes at a price.
I was fortunate enough to enjoy a short but lovely
performance by a local choir in the ‘choir’ of the cathedral, definitely an
impressive introduction.
On some of the islands of Orkney, neolithic remains have
been unearthed. Well preserved villages and houses of early inhabitants show
the rather sophisticated living conditions of what we may consider ‘primitive’
people who populated the Islands even before the Norse had settlements here.
The artifacts and unearthed settlements and houses are more than 5000 years
old, and paint a haunting picture of daily life – beds, stoves, shelves, wells,
hearth….all beautifully preserved, and open to visitors in Skara Brae on
Mainland Island.
Even more ancient relics in the shape of stone rings (older
than Stonehenge) remain a mystery as to why and how were they built, who
constructed them with quarried stones, and what significance do they carry?
Until that has been resolved, one may walk around the ancient stones and on
occasion watch a ‘Druid inspired wedding’ take place – just alongside herds of
sheep and cattle who are totally unimpressed by the ancient wonders surrounding
them. More sites are being discovered each year, and archeological digs reveal
more and more of the ancient history of these remote and beautiful islands…
Natural beauty abounds with rolling hills, rugged coast
lines and precipitous cliffs. I braved chilling gale force winds to glance over
the edge of some of them watching the sea crash against the shores..
