Ketill Flatnose facts for kids
Ketill Björnsson, often called Ketill Flatnose, was a famous Norse leader from the 800s. He was known as a Viking chief who became a King of the Isles. These islands are located west of Scotland, like the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. Ketill's story is mostly known from old Norse sagas. His nickname, Flatnose, comes from the Old Norse language, where he was called Flatnefr.
Learning About Ketill Flatnose
Most of what we know about Ketill comes from old stories called sagas. These sagas were written down long after Ketill lived. One of the first people to write about Ketill was Ari Þorgilsson from Iceland. He lived much later, from 1067 to 1148. Ari was actually a direct descendant of Ketill's daughter, Auðr. This means he heard some of these stories from his own family.
Ketill also appears in other famous sagas. These include the Laxdæla saga, Eyrbyggja saga, and the Saga of Erik the Red. His family tree is also detailed in the Landnámabók. It's important to remember that these stories were written hundreds of years after Ketill's time. So, they might not be perfectly accurate. There are almost no records from Ketill's own time that mention him.
Ketill's Life and Adventures
Ketill Björnsson was the son of Björn Grímsson. Some sagas say he came from a place called Romsdal in Norway. Others say he was from Sogn.
In the late 800s, a big battle happened in Norway called the Battle of Hafrsfjord. After this battle, many Vikings left Norway. Some of these Vikings started raiding Norway from islands like Orkney and Shetland. To stop these raids, Harald Fairhair, the King of Norway, sailed to these islands. He defeated the Vikings and took control of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man.
Different sagas tell slightly different versions of this story.
- The Eyrbyggja saga says Ketill led the trip instead of Harald. After winning, Ketill kept the islands for himself. He did not give them to King Harald.
- The Laxdaela saga says Ketill was one of the Vikings who fled Norway. He went to the Isles to escape Harald's rule.
- The Landnámabók says Harald first conquered the islands. But when he left, the raiders came back. So Harald sent Ketill to win the islands again. Ketill succeeded but did not pay tribute to Harald. Because of this, Harald took Ketill's possessions in Norway. He also sent Ketill's sons away.
Some old writings call Ketill the "King of the Sudreys." The Sudreys were the southern islands. However, there is not much proof that Ketill himself used this title. Ketill ruled over an area that already had Norse settlers. He did not leave any rulers behind him on the islands. There are few records of Norse activity in western Scotland for many years after him.
Most of Ketill's family eventually moved to Iceland. Ketill's wife was Yngvild Ketilsdóttir. They had several children. These included Björn Ketilsson and Helgi Ketilsson. His daughter, Aud the Deep-Minded, was very important. She married Olaf the White, who was the King of Dublin. Their son, Thorstein the Red, briefly took control of much of northern Scotland. This happened in the 870s and 880s. Aud and many of her family members later settled in the Laxdael area of Iceland.
Portrayal in Media
Ketill Flatnose is a character in the TV show Vikings. He is played by Adam Copeland. Adam Copeland is also known as the wrestler Edge. Ketill appears in the fifth and sixth seasons of the show.
