Finn Árnasson

 ( 1060s Deaths ) 

Finn Árnason (; died 1065) was a Norwegian nobleman and advisor to both King Olaf Haraldsson (later named Saint Olaf) and King Harald III of Norway and later served King Sweyn II of Denmark. He was the feudal lord ( lendmann) of Austrått. Finn Arnesson – utdypning, Store norske leksikon .

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Biography Finn was one of the eight children, seven brothers and a sister, of Árni Arnmódsson or Armódsson, a lendmann, and his wife Þora Þorsteinsdóttir (daughter of Thorstein Gallows). Finn was married to King Harald's niece Bergljót Halvdansdóttir, the daughter of Halfdan Sigurðsson ( Halfdan Hadafylke) and sister of Sigurðr Sýr.

The main source for Finn's life is Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla. Finn and his brothers Kálfr Árnason, Árni Árnason and all appear in the sagas. Snorri rendered an episode where Finn insists on King Olaf's behalf that Thorir Hund provide remedy for the murder of Karli, one of the king's courtiers. Kálfr governed Trøndelag under Olaf Haraldsson. Saint Olaf's Saga, Heimskringla, ch. 110.

In 1028, Finn and his brothers Árni and Þorbergr together with Rögnvald Brusason accompanied Olaf Haraldsson into exile in Kievan Rus. Saint Olaf's Saga, ch. 180. They returned with him, fighting at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, where Olaf was killed. Kálfr Árnason was one of the leaders of the opposing army. Kalv Arnesson – utdypning, Store norske leksikon . Saint Olaf's Saga, ch. 220–42.

Under King Harald, Finn held the manor and lands of Austrått on the Ørlandet peninsula in Trøndelag. Saga of Harald Sigurdsson, Heimskringla, ch. 45. In 1051, his brother Kálfr was killed in battle serving King Harald on the island of Funen. Finn believed King Harald had sent Kálfr to his death on purpose and turned against the king. He left for Denmark to serve King Sweyn, who made him a earl and appointed him to rule Halland. Saga of Harald Sigurdsson, ch. 52–53.

In 1062, Finn fought in the Battle of Niså off the coast of Halland between King Sweyn and King Harald. King Harald was victorious; King Sweyn escaped, but Finn, who refused to flee, was captured. King Harald spared his life and set him free in Halland.

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Children Finn's daughter Ingibjörg Finnsdóttir married Thorfinn the Mighty, Earl of Orkney, and Malcolm III of Scotland, King of Scots. Orkneyinga saga, ch. 33. Another daughter, Sigrið Finnsdóttir, married the earl Ormr Eilifsson, grandson of Haakon Sigurdsson through his daughter Ragnhild. Saga of Harald Sigurdsson, ch. 46.

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Notes

• Anon., Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, tr. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Penguin, London, 1978.
• Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway, tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas Press, Austin, 1992.

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