Scandinavian-Britain

'254 SCANDINAVIAN BRITAINMargaret, widow of Maddadh and Harald's mother, tothe broch of Mousa, and not only defended itagainstthe young jarl, but, with the support of King Eysteinof Norway and Svein Asleifarson the viking, madegood his claim to the greater part of Orkney andCaithness. When Ragnvald returned there werethree jarls, who met in battle at Knarrarstad (Knarstoun)in 1 156: Erlend, however, did not long survive,and Ragnvaldfell at Kalfadal (Calder, in Caithness)shortly afterwards. His father Kol and he had founded(about 1137) and partlybuilt the cathedral of St.Magnus at Kirkwall, completing the choir, accordingto -Dietrichson and Meyer, before 1153. To providemoney for the building Ragnvald restored full odalrights to the Orkneymen, and as jarl Sigurd hadalready made a similar restitution, it isthought that onthe first occasion the rights were restored only for theowner's lifetime, while Ragnvald granted them inperpetuity. By his "pilgrimage" and church-buildingthis poet-jarl, no saintly person, died in odour ofsanctity, and was canonised in 1192.At his death, about 1158, the Cistercian abbey onEyin helga (Enhallow) may have been already founded,and during this period Kolbein Hruga built his smallstone keep on the island of Weir, where "CobbieRow," according to tradition, used until moderntimes to haunt the ruins. His son was Bjarni, bishopof Orkney 1188-1223, wno continued the building ofthe cathedral, and according to Dr. J6n Stefansson(Orkney and Shetland Old Lore, April 1907) wrote theJarla-sogur, which we know as Orkneyinga-saga.