Sigurd Eysteinsson and Maelbrigte Tooth
In the Orkneyinga Saga, there is a story about a battle between two earls. The Orcadian earl Sigurd Eysteinsson (Sigurd the Powerful) was an enemy of
the Scottish earl Maelbrigte Tooth. There was a big tooth sticking out of Maelbrigte’s mouth. It was like the tusk of a wild boar.
The two men met in Moray. Each man was going to take forty men with him. But Sigurd took eighty men with him. He put two men on each horse.
When the two groups were near each other, Maelbrigte saw that Sigurd had eighty men. At the end, Maelbrigte and his companions were dead.
But Maelbrigte got his revenge on Sigurd. How? Well, the Norsemen beheaded the Scots. They tied the heads to their saddles. Sigurd tied Maelbrigte’s
head to his own saddle.
Sigurd’s horse was going slowly. Sigurd dug his spur into it. But he hit his calf on the tooth that was sticking out of Maelbrigte’s mouth. He
sustained a wound. The wound was poisoned. Sigurd died on the road home.
A story like this explains how the Kirkwall Ba’ Game started. That’s a game that hundreds of people play. It happens on the day before Christmas and on
New Year’s Day every year. Each team tries to get a ball to the other side of the town.
A young lad from Orkney went to the mainland of Scotland. He wanted to fight a man called “Tusker”. The young lad defeated Tusker. He cut his head off.
He died his head to his saddle.
On the road home, the big tooth made a wound in the lad’s leg. Poison went through the lad’s body. The lad reached Kirkwall. Many people were waiting for
him. He threw the head to the crowd. Shortly after that, he died. The crowd was angry. They kicked the head through the streets. And that’s how, if you
believe it, the Kirkwall Ba’ Game got started!
Sigurd Eysteinsson agus Maelbrigte Fiacail
Anns an Orkneyinga Saga, tha stòiridh ann mu dheidhinn batail eadar dà iarla. Bha an t-iarla Arcach, Sigurd Eysteinsson (Sigurd Cumhachdach), na
nàmhaid don iarla Albannach Maelbrigte Fiacail. Bha fiacail mhòr a’ stobadh a-mach à beul Mhaelbrigte. Bha i coltach ris an fhiacail mhòir aig torc.
Bha an dithis a’ coinneachadh ann am Moireibh. Bha gach duine a’ dol a thoirt ceathrad fear leis. Ach thug Sigurd ochdad fear leis-san. Chuir e dithis air
gach each.
Nuair a bha an dà bhuidhinn faisg air a’ chèile, chunnaic Maelbrigte gun robh ochdad fear aig Sigurd. Aig an deireadh, bha Maelbrigte agus a chompanaich
marbh.
Ach rinn Maelbrigte dìogh-altas air Sigurd. Ciamar? Uill, gheàrr na Lochlannaich cinn nan Albannach dhiubh. Cheangail iad na cinn do na dìollaidean aca.
Cheangail Sigurd ceann Mhaelbrigte don dìollaid aige fhèin.
Bha an t-each aig Sigurd a’ dol gu mall. Chuir Sigurd a spor an sàs ann. Ach bhuail e a chalpa anns an fhiacail a bha a’ stobadh a-mach à beul Mhaelbrigte.
Fhuair e lot. Bha an lot air a phuinnseanachadh. Chaochail Sigurd air an rathad dhachaigh.
Tha sgeulachd mar seo a’ mìneachadh mar a thòisich an Kirkwall Ba’ Game. ’S e sin gèam a tha na ceudan a’ cluich. Tha e a’ tachairt air an latha
ron Nollaig agus air Latha na Bliadhn’ Ùire gach bliadhna. Bidh gach sgioba a’ feuchainn ri ball a thoirt gu taobh thall a’ bhaile.
Chaidh fear òg à Arcaibh gu tìr-mòr na h-Alba. Bha e airson sabaid le fear air an robh “Tusker”. Bha fiacail mhòr aig Tusker. Rinn an gille òg a’ chùis air
Tusker. Gheàrr e a cheann dheth. Cheangail e a cheann don dìollaid aige.
Air an rathad dhachaigh, rinn an fhiacail mhòr lot ann an cas a’ ghille. Chaidh puinnsean tro bhodhaig a’ ghille. Ràinig an gille Kirkwall. Bha mòran a’
feitheamh ris. Thilg e an ceann don t-sluagh. Goirid às dèidh sin, chaochail e. Bha an sluagh feargach. Bhreab iad an ceann tro na sràidean. Agus ’s ann
mar sin, ma tha thu ga chreidsinn, a thòisich an
Kirkwall Ba’ Game
!
