Olaf the White: A Northman on the Throne of Dublin

Olaf the White (Old Norse Óláfr hvíti) was, around the mid-9th century, one of the Viking kings of Dublin. The Norwegian-Irish Northmen had built there a fortified trade and war base (longphort) from which they dominated Ireland and the Irish Sea.

King in the west

The Icelandic sources (Landnámabók, Laxdæla saga) call Olaf a great war lord who subjected Dublin and large parts of Ireland. He allied himself with other powerful Northmen of the region and belongs to the world of the great Viking leaders who in the 9th century built realms from Ireland to England.

The marriage to Aud the Deep-Minded

Olaf married Aud the Deep-Minded (Auðr/Unnr), daughter of the chieftain Ketill Flatnose of the Hebrides. From this marriage came Thorstein the Red – who later conquered parts of Scotland. So Olaf stands at the beginning of a family story reaching from Norway via Dublin and Scotland to the settlement of Iceland.

"Wits must he have who wanders wide, but all is easy at home."Hávamál 5, after Henry A. Bellows 1923 (public domain)

Olaf the White stands for the Viking world beyond Scandinavia – a Northman who ruled over Dublin and founded a dynasty that reached as far as Iceland. Continue with his son Thorstein the Red.

Read more with us

Thorstein the Red · Aud the Deep-Minded · Ragnar Lodbrok · Erik the Red · Hedeby.

Sources & literature

Landnámabók; Laxdæla saga; Irish annals; quote public domain (Bellows 1923).

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