Who Was Unn Ketilsdottir?

Who was Unn? Why write about her?

Unn’s saga is in part a ghost story. The ghost and many of her family and friends existed in the ninth century. All the 20^th century characters are fictional. Here is what we know of her life from the sagas and cultural/historical study:

Unn the Deep-Minded was a real woman.  She is a key founding ancestor of Iceland, and her story is told at the beginning of the Laxdala Saga. As far as we know, she grew up in western Norway, one of five children of a Viking chief, Ketil Flatnose and his wife Ynghild.

Unn lived in a  privileged household, but that still meant everyone had to work. Vikings raided and traded, but they also had to farm and fish. A man like Ketil had to look after the families under his protection and was responsible for their welfare both physically and spiritually. He was expected to share wealth with them also, as they were free agents.

The wife of a chief had to manage the farms and the people who worked on them when the chieftain was away. She was the host for guests and saw to the management of food supplies. Her ring of keys was always on her belt. Girls had to spin and weave, help with the dairy work and the gardens.  This would be the kind of life Unn expected.

Unn’s marriage was probably arranged by her parents. She was married to a man called Olaf the White in the sagas, and he was one of the founders of Dublin. They had one living son, Thorstein. At some point Olaf and Unn lived apart, and Olaf married an Irish princess.

Thorstein became a king over a large portion of very northern Scotland. Unn came to live with him and help manage his lands after his wife died. She was a good grandmother to their many children.  Thorstein was murdered by his Scottish allies and then they came after the family. Unn masterminded the escape of the household by means of a hastily built ship.

The family went first to Orkney for shelter. There, Unn married off her oldest granddaughter. They sailed on to Shetland and the Faroes before reaching Iceland. Unn took a large area of land for herself in the West Fjords. She generously gave farms to her  followers.

Unn lived to a relatively old age. She gave her grandson her farm on his wedding day. It is said that she then went to rest during the wedding feast, and died peacefully.  She was much celebrated, including being given an elaborate ship burial—an honor for a leader.

She is truly a hero worth knowing!