Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1964, Blaðsíða 151

Norn in Shetland
159
into the second millennium before the birth of Christ. The
various peoples and cultures who made their way from
Britain or Ireland followed the general British pattern;
some, like the builders of brochs or towers in Roman times,
were relatively highly advanced. But the Norse invasion
and exploration, which initiated present*day Shetland, Faroe
and Iceland alike, was a reversal in Shetland of all previous
race movements.
About 1150 years ago, then, Shetland was colonised from
Norway, and the result of that change will be felt, with
lessening effect, for tnany more generations. For the Norse
settlement was so overwhelming that all trace of the pre«
vious inhabitants was lost. Except for ordinary trade, the
evidence seems to indicate that no Scot set foot in Shetland
until after 1379, when the islands were restored1) to the Earl
of Orkney, having been under the control of Norway since
the battle of Florevaag in 1194. Duke Hákon, who became
king of Norway in 1299, had control over Shetland and
Faroe from 1273, administration being carried on from the
ancient capital of Skallowa in Shetland.
In the 13th and 14th centuries such names of officials as
have survived are Norse. In the 15th century Scots had
begun to infiltrate, relatives of the earl or factors of the
bishop, but others had still native names. After the mortí
gage of Shetland to Scotland in 1469 and the transfer of
the bishopric of Orkney from the see of Trondhjem to St
Andrews in Scotland in 1472, a Scots archdeacon and Scots
clerics replaced native clergy; and the earliest immigrants
are the relatives of these and of the Sinclair earls. They
were the first to introduce the Lowland Scottish language.
The time lag between Orkney and Shetland is consider*
able. Norse manuscripts end in Orkney in 1426, but occur
in Shetland as late as 1608, a difference of 181 years. In
*) The Earl’s position in Shetland is uncertain. Shetland was reuni-
ted to Orkney only in 1469 under the Scottish Crown, and had many
of her own laws until 1611.