Einar Wry-Mouth

Einar Sigurdsson (died 1020), also called Einarr rangmunnr Sigurðarson or Einar Wry-Mouth, was a son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson. He was jointly Earl of Orkney from 1014. His life is recorded in the Orkneyinga Saga.

When Earl Sigurd was killed at the Battle of Clontarf, he left four sons: Einar, Brusi, Sumarlidi, and Thorfinn. Thorfinn was only a child, whereas his three brothers were grown men, so the Earldom was divided between the three older brothers. Thorfinn, the only child by his fathers union with the daughter of Malcolm II of Scotland, was appointed to be titular ruler of the Mormaerdom of Caithness by his grandfather.

The Orkneyinga Saga describes Einar as ruthless and grasping, a hard and successful fighting man and that he made no compromises and stood no arguments. He was a great bully. Einar raided abroad often, calling on the farmers for levies and taxes. The raids brought little plunder and the frequent absences of the farmers caused shortage and famine in Einar's lands. His brothers Sumarlidi, who died soon after, and Brusi, were of a different character. The saga says that Brusi was "well liked by everyone". Discontent among the farmers led to a certain Thorkel Amundason going to Einar to protest the levies. Einar agreed to Thorkel's request the first year he was asked, but the second year he angrily refused, swearing "that only one of them would see the assembly the next spring." Thorkel, and many other notables, went into exile at Thorfinn's court in Caithness.

When Sumarlidi died, Thorfinn asked for his share of earldom. Brusi was willing to give him it, but Einar told Thorfinn that the lands in Scotland which Thorfinn already had were a fair share and took Sumarlidi's third of the islands for himself. Thorfinn began raising an army in Caithness, and when Einar heard the news, he set off to Scotland with an army. War between the brothers was avoided by Brusi's peacemaking. Einar was made chief earl, and he and Brusi would have two-thirds of the earldom, while Thorfinn, as he had wanted, received the remaining third.

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