Brodir
Encyclopedia
Bróðir and Óspak of Man were two Danish brothers who were active in the Isle of Man
and Ireland
in the 11th century. They are mentioned in the 12th century Irish Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh and the 13th century Icelandic Njal's Saga
as key leaders who fought on opposite sides in the Battle of Clontarf
in 1014. The latter account names Bróðir as the killer of Brian Boru
, the High King of Ireland
. Both Boru and Bróðir died in the battle, although accounts differ as to who killed whom. Óspak fought on the side of Boru, and was injured, and lost his two sons in the battle.
. According to Njál's saga
, Óspak was a heathen
, described as "the wisest of all men." Bróðir had been "a Christian man and a mass-deacon
by consecration", but he had apostatised
and become "of all men most skilled in sorcery." Bróðir was tall and strong, with long black hair that he wore tucked in under his belt, and he was clad in a coat of mail
"which no steel could bite." Between them, they had thirty ships, and were described by Gormflaith
as "men of such hardihood that nothing can withstand them".
Some time in the 1010s, Brian Boru divorced his second wife, the thrice married Hiberno-Norse
Queen Gormflaith
, and she began engineering opposition to the High King. Around 1012, relations between Brian and Leinster
had become so strained that revolt broke out among the Leinstermen. Gormflaith sent her son, the King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard
, to win first the support of Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and then of Bróðir and Óspak, at any price. Sigtrygg went to Man, where he persuaded Bróðir to come to Dublin by Palm Sunday
. Sigtrygg promised both Sigurd and Bróðir separately that, if successful, they would be allowed marry Gormflaith and become High King of Ireland; the terms of this agreement, however, were to be kept secret. Óspak was dissatisfied with the arrangement, and refused to "fight against so good a king".
The events leading up to the Battle of Clontarf
became part of a heroic tale in subsequent tradition, both Irish and Norse, and evil portents were recorded throughout the Norse world
. According to Njál's Saga, one night a great din passed over Bróðir and his men on the Isle of Man, so that they all sprang up from sleep and dressed themselves. Until dawn, this din was accompanied by a shower of boiling blood, which scalded many of them even though they covered themselves with their shields. As a result, "a man had died on board every ship." On the second night, they awoke to a ghostly assault on their ships by flying swords, axes and spears. Again, this lasted till dawn, and a man died on every ship. On the third night, they were attacked by ravens with iron beaks and claws, once again causing a death in every ship.
Bróðir consulted his brother Óspak, who believed that the signs indicated that much blood would be shed on both sides, that Bróðir's would all die speedily, that there would be a battle, and all his men would be dragged "down to the pains of hell." Bróðir was so angered by this that he planned to slay Óspak's men the next day. Seeing this plan, Óspak deserted his brother during the night with ten ships. He sailed around Ireland to Connaught
, and up the River Shannon
, to join Brian Boru as an ally. He told King Brian all that he had learned, took baptism, and gathered his men to come to Dublin with Brian's forces a week before Palm Sunday.
, King Brian would fall but win the battle; but if they fought on any day before, all who opposed Brian would be killed. Brian was unwilling to fight on Good Friday, as he would not fight on a fast day
, but the Danes forced the battle to the Friday, which fell that year on 23 April.
Thus, the two brothers, Bróðir and Óspak, met again at the Battle of Clontarf
, on diagonally opposite wings. Bróðir had brought with him 1000 mail-clad Norsemen, and led the "murderous foreign Danes" alongside Earl Sigurd of Orkney. On the wing directly opposite Bróðir was Wolf the Quarrelsome
, one of Brian's followers. Bróðir drove deep into the opposite wing, "and felled all the foremost that stood there", as his mail protected him from swordblows. When Wolf turned to meet him, however, he "thrust at him thrice so hard that Bróðir fell before him at each thrust", and Bróðir "fled away into the wood at once." The two sides were very evenly matched, and the battle raged all day, from high tide
at sunrise to sunset. However, Bróðir's absence reduced the morale of his men, and the Manx Vikings began to flee back to their ships after they were broken by the personal bodyguard of Murchad, the son of Brian, ending in an eventual victory for Brian's allies.
Meanwhile, Brian, now in his seventies, had been advised to await the outcome of the battle in a tent not far from the field, and it is said that a traitor in the Irish camp, possibly Tadhg O Ceallaigh, King of Uí Maine, had pointed out Brian's position to Bróðir at some point during the battle. Accounts differ over whether Bróðir was the killer of Brian Boru. According to one Irish account, Bróðir overcame Brian's guard, only to be killed by the High King who then killed himself. Njal's saga records that Bróðir killed Brian and cried out: "Now let man tell man that Brodir felled Brian." Two of Brian's followers, Wolf and Kerthialfad, returned to the king, and captured Bróðir and the remainder of his men. According to the saga, "Wolf the Quarrelsome cut open his belly, and led him round and round the trunk of a tree, and so wound all his entrails out of him," while Bróðir's men were "slain to a man". The modern Irish medievalist historian Donnchadh Ó Corráin
, however, merely states that Bróðir was killed on the day of the battle and that Brian was killed in his tent "by Norsemen fleeing from the scene".
According to Njal's Saga, Óspak was on the wing opposite King Sigtrygg Silkbeard. Óspak went through the entire battle on this wing, and was sorely wounded and lost both his sons before Sigtrygg fled. However, that Óspak engaged Sigtrygg contradicts the historical opinion that Sigtrygg did not actually take part in the battle but was instead holding the garrison in reserve in Dublin.
" — may be an amalgamation of the Irish
element "Ó" ("grandson of") and the Norse name Brodir. However, although Norse origins are often claimed for the surname, it has been on record in Ireland for centuries before the Anglo–Norman invasion
. The name occurs most commonly in Munster and south-east Leinster.
An article on the historicity of the Icelandic sagas notes that "Brodir" is not a Norse proper name at all, and is itself derived from the Irish name variously written as Bruattar, Bruadar or Brodur. According the article, the name first appears in the Annals of Ulster
in the year 853, when a princeling of south-east Ireland named Bruattar mac Aeda was involved in the murder of a rival before being slain himself. The name only appears in Norse context twice — at the Battle of Clontarf, and in 1160 for the King of Dublin, Brodur son of Porkel — and had a longer circulation in Irish literature. The same article also suggests that while the there is no doubt about the historical truth of the Battle of Clontarf, the name "Ospakr", along with other names in the Njál's saga account of the Clontarf episode, may have been borrowed from the Landnámabók
.
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the 11th century. They are mentioned in the 12th century Irish Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh and the 13th century Icelandic Njal's Saga
Njál's saga
Njáls saga is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The most prominent characters are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnarr Hámundarson, a formidable warrior...
as key leaders who fought on opposite sides in the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
in 1014. The latter account names Bróðir as the killer of Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
, the High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
. Both Boru and Bróðir died in the battle, although accounts differ as to who killed whom. Óspak fought on the side of Boru, and was injured, and lost his two sons in the battle.
Life
Bróðir (also Brodir or Brodar) and Óspak (also Óspakur, Ospakr or Ospak) were two Danish brothers who lived on the west coast of the Isle of ManIsle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. According to Njál's saga
Njál's saga
Njáls saga is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The most prominent characters are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnarr Hámundarson, a formidable warrior...
, Óspak was a heathen
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, described as "the wisest of all men." Bróðir had been "a Christian man and a mass-deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
by consecration", but he had apostatised
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
and become "of all men most skilled in sorcery." Bróðir was tall and strong, with long black hair that he wore tucked in under his belt, and he was clad in a coat of mail
Mail (armour)
Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
"which no steel could bite." Between them, they had thirty ships, and were described by Gormflaith
Gormflaith
Gormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
as "men of such hardihood that nothing can withstand them".
From the Isle of Man to Ireland
| Hún sagði að víkingar tveir lágu úti fyrir vestan Mön og höfðu þrjá tigu skipa " … og svo harðfengir að ekki stendur við. Heitir annar Óspakur en annar Bróðir. Þú skalt fara til móts við þá og lát ekki að skorta að koma þeim í með þér hvað sem þeir mæla til." She said there were two Vikings lying off the west of Man; and that they had thirty ships, and, she went on, " … Thou shalt fare to find them, and spare nothing to get them into thy quarrel, whatever price they ask." |
| Njál's saga Njál's saga Njáls saga is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The most prominent characters are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnarr Hámundarson, a formidable warrior... , 13th century |
Some time in the 1010s, Brian Boru divorced his second wife, the thrice married Hiberno-Norse
Norse-Gaels
The Norse–Gaels were a people who dominated much of the Irish Sea region, including the Isle of Man, and western Scotland for a part of the Middle Ages; they were of Gaelic and Scandinavian origin and as a whole exhibited a great deal of Gaelic and Norse cultural syncretism...
Queen Gormflaith
Gormflaith
Gormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
, and she began engineering opposition to the High King. Around 1012, relations between Brian and Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
had become so strained that revolt broke out among the Leinstermen. Gormflaith sent her son, the King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
, to win first the support of Earl Sigurd of Orkney, and then of Bróðir and Óspak, at any price. Sigtrygg went to Man, where he persuaded Bróðir to come to Dublin by Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
. Sigtrygg promised both Sigurd and Bróðir separately that, if successful, they would be allowed marry Gormflaith and become High King of Ireland; the terms of this agreement, however, were to be kept secret. Óspak was dissatisfied with the arrangement, and refused to "fight against so good a king".
The events leading up to the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
became part of a heroic tale in subsequent tradition, both Irish and Norse, and evil portents were recorded throughout the Norse world
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
. According to Njál's Saga, one night a great din passed over Bróðir and his men on the Isle of Man, so that they all sprang up from sleep and dressed themselves. Until dawn, this din was accompanied by a shower of boiling blood, which scalded many of them even though they covered themselves with their shields. As a result, "a man had died on board every ship." On the second night, they awoke to a ghostly assault on their ships by flying swords, axes and spears. Again, this lasted till dawn, and a man died on every ship. On the third night, they were attacked by ravens with iron beaks and claws, once again causing a death in every ship.
Bróðir consulted his brother Óspak, who believed that the signs indicated that much blood would be shed on both sides, that Bróðir's would all die speedily, that there would be a battle, and all his men would be dragged "down to the pains of hell." Bróðir was so angered by this that he planned to slay Óspak's men the next day. Seeing this plan, Óspak deserted his brother during the night with ten ships. He sailed around Ireland to Connaught
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, and up the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
, to join Brian Boru as an ally. He told King Brian all that he had learned, took baptism, and gathered his men to come to Dublin with Brian's forces a week before Palm Sunday.
Battle of Clontarf
According to Njal's saga, Bróðir tried by sorcery to predict the outcome of the battle against Brian. He augured that if the battle were on Good FridayGood Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, King Brian would fall but win the battle; but if they fought on any day before, all who opposed Brian would be killed. Brian was unwilling to fight on Good Friday, as he would not fight on a fast day
Fast Day
Fast Day was a holiday observed in some parts of the United States between 1670 and 1991."A day of public fasting and prayer", it was traditionally observed in the New England states. It had its origin in days of prayer and repentance proclaimed in the early days of the American colonies by Royal...
, but the Danes forced the battle to the Friday, which fell that year on 23 April.
Thus, the two brothers, Bróðir and Óspak, met again at the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
, on diagonally opposite wings. Bróðir had brought with him 1000 mail-clad Norsemen, and led the "murderous foreign Danes" alongside Earl Sigurd of Orkney. On the wing directly opposite Bróðir was Wolf the Quarrelsome
Wolf the Quarrelsome
Ulf the Quarrelsome, or Ulf Hreda, is described in Njals Saga as a brother to Brian Boru, High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014...
, one of Brian's followers. Bróðir drove deep into the opposite wing, "and felled all the foremost that stood there", as his mail protected him from swordblows. When Wolf turned to meet him, however, he "thrust at him thrice so hard that Bróðir fell before him at each thrust", and Bróðir "fled away into the wood at once." The two sides were very evenly matched, and the battle raged all day, from high tide
High Tide
High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...
at sunrise to sunset. However, Bróðir's absence reduced the morale of his men, and the Manx Vikings began to flee back to their ships after they were broken by the personal bodyguard of Murchad, the son of Brian, ending in an eventual victory for Brian's allies.
Meanwhile, Brian, now in his seventies, had been advised to await the outcome of the battle in a tent not far from the field, and it is said that a traitor in the Irish camp, possibly Tadhg O Ceallaigh, King of Uí Maine, had pointed out Brian's position to Bróðir at some point during the battle. Accounts differ over whether Bróðir was the killer of Brian Boru. According to one Irish account, Bróðir overcame Brian's guard, only to be killed by the High King who then killed himself. Njal's saga records that Bróðir killed Brian and cried out: "Now let man tell man that Brodir felled Brian." Two of Brian's followers, Wolf and Kerthialfad, returned to the king, and captured Bróðir and the remainder of his men. According to the saga, "Wolf the Quarrelsome cut open his belly, and led him round and round the trunk of a tree, and so wound all his entrails out of him," while Bróðir's men were "slain to a man". The modern Irish medievalist historian Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin
Donnchadh Ó Corráin is an Irish historian and Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at University College Cork. He is an early Irish and mediaeval historian and has published on the Viking Wars, Ireland in the pre-Hiberno-Norman period and the origin of Irish language names.-Works:Ó Corráin's...
, however, merely states that Bróðir was killed on the day of the battle and that Brian was killed in his tent "by Norsemen fleeing from the scene".
According to Njal's Saga, Óspak was on the wing opposite King Sigtrygg Silkbeard. Óspak went through the entire battle on this wing, and was sorely wounded and lost both his sons before Sigtrygg fled. However, that Óspak engaged Sigtrygg contradicts the historical opinion that Sigtrygg did not actually take part in the battle but was instead holding the garrison in reserve in Dublin.
Historicity and legacy
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography notes that the Irish surname Ó Bruadair — frequently anglicised as "Broder" or "BroderickBroderick
Broderick is a surname which is derived from both the Irish and Welsh languages. In some cases it is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Bruadair, meaning "descendant of Bruadar". The name has been thought to have been derived from a Norse personal name . However according to Benjamin Hudson, the...
" — may be an amalgamation of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
element "Ó" ("grandson of") and the Norse name Brodir. However, although Norse origins are often claimed for the surname, it has been on record in Ireland for centuries before the Anglo–Norman invasion
Norman Invasion of Ireland
The Norman invasion of Ireland was a two-stage process, which began on 1 May 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights landed near Bannow, County Wexford...
. The name occurs most commonly in Munster and south-east Leinster.
An article on the historicity of the Icelandic sagas notes that "Brodir" is not a Norse proper name at all, and is itself derived from the Irish name variously written as Bruattar, Bruadar or Brodur. According the article, the name first appears in the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
in the year 853, when a princeling of south-east Ireland named Bruattar mac Aeda was involved in the murder of a rival before being slain himself. The name only appears in Norse context twice — at the Battle of Clontarf, and in 1160 for the King of Dublin, Brodur son of Porkel — and had a longer circulation in Irish literature. The same article also suggests that while the there is no doubt about the historical truth of the Battle of Clontarf, the name "Ospakr", along with other names in the Njál's saga account of the Clontarf episode, may have been borrowed from the Landnámabók
Landnámabók
Landnámabók , often shortened to Landnáma, is a medieval Icelandic written work describing in considerable detail the settlement of Iceland by the Norse in the 9th and 10th centuries AD.-Landnáma:...
.