Thorir Rögnvaldarson facts for kids

Thórir 'the Silent' Rögnvaldsson (born around 862, died around 934) was an important Viking leader. He was known as "the Silent." Thórir became the second Jarl of Møre, a powerful ruler in a region of Norway.

Thórir's Family and Background

Thórir came from a very important family. His father was Rǫgnvaldr Eysteinsson. Rǫgnvaldr was the first jarl of Møre. A jarl was a high-ranking chief or nobleman in Viking times. Thórir's father was also a close friend of King Harald Fairhair, a famous king of Norway.

Thórir's mother was Hildr Hrólfsdóttir. She was also the daughter of a jarl. Hildr was known as a skald, which means she was a poet and storyteller.

Thórir's Brothers

Thórir had two full brothers:

• Ívarr
• Hrólfr

He also had three half-brothers from his father's other relationships:

• Hallað
• Einarr
• Hrollaugr

The Fate of Ívarr

Thórir's brother Ívarr fought alongside their father. They were helping King Harald Fairhair in battles. Sadly, Ívarr was killed in battle in the early 870s. To make up for this loss, King Harald offered the title of jarl of the Northern Isles to Thórir's father. However, Rǫgnvaldr did not take the title himself. Instead, he suggested his brother Sigurd become the Jarl of Orkney. King Harald agreed.

Later, Thórir's half-brother Einarr became the fourth Jarl of Orkney. He was also known as Torf-Einarr. His family line ruled Orkney for many centuries.

Hrólfr the Walker

Thórir's other brother, Hrólfr, became a very famous Viking warrior. He was known as Gǫngu-Hrólfr, which means 'Hrólfr the Walker'. This nickname came from his huge size. The historian Snorri Sturluson wrote that Hrólfr was so big that no horse could carry him. So, he walked everywhere he went!

Some stories say that this Hrólfr was the same person as Rollo. Rollo was a famous Norseman who became the first ruler of Normandy in France. He was the ancestor of the House of Normandy, a powerful family.

Becoming Jarl of Møre

Thórir's father, Rǫgnvaldr, was tragically killed. Two of King Harald Fairhair's sons, Hálfdan háleggr and Guðrøðr ljómi, were responsible. They trapped Rǫgnvaldr and sixty of his men in their longhouse and set it on fire.

After this terrible event, Gudrød took over Rǫgnvaldr's lands. Hálfdan sailed to Orkney to try and overthrow Torf-Einarr. King Harald was very upset by his sons' actions. He took away Gudrød's lands and gave them back to Thórir. In the year 892, Thórir officially became the jarl of Møre.

Thórir's Children

Thórir married Ólöf árbót Haraldsdóttir. She was a daughter of King Harald I of Norway (Harald Fairhair).

They had one daughter together:

• Bergljót Þórisdóttir (born around 914). She married Sigurð Hákonsson, who was the Jarl of Lade. Bergljót was the mother of Hákon Sigurðsson, another important leader.

Thórir also had other children mentioned in old Norse stories:

• Vigdís Þórisdóttir: She married Ingimundr Þorsteinsson and moved to Iceland.
• Jörundur háls Þórisson: He is mentioned as another of Thórir's children.