Ásbjǫrn skerjablesi facts for kids

Ásbjǫrn's name as it appears on an old book called Möðruvallabók: "Asbiorn".

Ásbjǫrn skerjablesi (died 874) was an important leader in the Hebrides. He was also known as Ásbjǫrn jarl skerjablesi. We know about him from old Norse books like Landnámabók and Droplaugarsona saga.

His special name, skerjablesi, means "skerry blaze". A "skerry" is a small, rocky island. One idea is that his name meant "the man with a bright mark from the Skerries". Another idea is that "blesi" was his nickname, and "sker" referred to a place he often visited.

According to Landnámabók, Ásbjǫrn died in 874. He was killed by two men, Hólmfastr Véþormsson and Grímr. After his death, his wife, Álof, and his daughter, Arneiðr, were taken captive.

See also

• Gilli (Hebridean earl), a tenth-century Hebridean earl