Viking Age in the Faroe Islands

The Viking Age in the Faroe Islands lasted from Grímur Kamban's conquest of the country around 825 until the death of Tróndur í Gøtu, the last Viking chieftain on the Faroe Islands in 1035, and the rise to power of Leivur Øssursson in the same year. While the Norse settlement in the Faroe Islands can be definitively traced back to sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries, with the first Norsemen on the islands arguably around the late 8th century, accounts from Irish priests such as Dicuil claim monks were there for "nearly a hundred years" (in centum ferme annis) beforehand.

The biggest historical break in this period was the Christianization of the Faroe Islands by Sigmundur Brestisson in 999, which heralded the end of the Viking Age and at the same time the end of the Faroe Islands as a free settler republic.

Unfortunately for historians, many sources from this period have been lost in the various devastations of libraries and archives. The most important source we have today is therefore the Færeyinga saga and statements in other external sources that can support the stories there and allow us to date them.

Although the dates and events mentioned in this article are generally regarded as indisputable in the Faroe Islands and form part of the national founding myth, they should always be viewed with a certain degree of caution, as the Faroese saga is not a chronicle in the true sense of the word, but a historical novel. Very clear myths that appear completely unrealistic are labeled as such (usually in the further articles on individual episodes of the saga).

There have been numerous archaeological investigations on the Faroe Islands in recent decades so our picture of that time is becoming increasingly clear. Most of the archaeological finds from this period can be found in the National Museum of the Faroe Islands.