The Downfall of Sigurd the Mighty

Sigurd Eysteinsson was a Viking Earl of Orkney in the 9th Century who launched devastating raids on the surrounding natives, conquering swathes of northern Scotland in the process. His ferocious exploits gained him the title Sigurd the Mighty, but this terrifying warrior had a particularly embarrassing death.

From his base on Orkney, Sigurd and his warriors spread ever deeper into the Scottish mainland through Caithness and Sutherland. They were legendary fighters, but the Scots weren’t just going to roll over and accept these Scandinavian invaders. When the Vikings reached the southern border of Sutherland, they finally met their match.

A local leader called Máel Brigte, descended from the ancient Pictish Kings of Moray stood in the way. His prominent buckteeth resulted in the less flattering nickname of Máel Brigte the Tusk but that didn’t affect his fighting skills in any way. The Scot dedicated himself to constantly harassing Sigurd and the Viking’s attempts at securing the northern part of the country.

It was clear that Máel Brigte couldn’t muster enough men to defeat the seemingly never-ending stream of Vikings, but he could make life very difficult for them. In the end, the two opposing commanders decided to settle things once and for all with an even, fair fight. They agreed on a time and place for the showdown, where each man could lead no more than 40 horses and the loser would be forced to leave for good.

Sigurd hadn’t got this far by meekly following the rules though. He brought 40 horses as agreed, but with two warriors on each of their backs. Unfortunately, honourable Máel Brigte was left with only half as many men and quickly lost both the fight and his head. The Scotsman might have been dead, but he wasn’t finished quite yet.

Sigurd the Mighty strapped the head of Máel Brigte the Tusk to his saddle as a trophy. As the victorious Earl rode along the rough track home, the head was bouncing up and down, again and again. The unclean tooth that formed Máel Brigte's "Tusk" and protruded from his decapitated head was constantly rubbing into Sigurd’s leg.

Sigurd didn't realise that the rubbing was starting to open a little cut in his thigh. The dirty tusk then led to that small wound getting badly infected. Before long, where hundreds of warriors had failed, Sigurd the Mighty was taken down by a tiny scratch.

Máel Brigte the Tusk had bitten him to death from beyond the grave.