- Grímur Kamban
Grímur Kamban was, according to the
Færeyinga saga , the first man to set foot in theFaroe Islands . The name was written "Grímr" inOld Norse and is often referred to as "Grim" in the English literature.The saga says, he was a Norwegian
Viking escaping the tyranny of the Norse king Haraldur Hárfagri. However, this is an error in this saga, because Harald's age was in the late9th century , while the first Norse settlers reached the Faroes after825 .Furthermore, the name "Kamban" indicates a
celt ic origin. Thus he could have been a man fromIreland ,Western Isles orIsle of Man , where the vikings had already settlements. Another theory says, he could have been an early Christianized Norwegian under the influence ofIrish monks there.:"According to the
Faereyinga Saga ... the first settler in theFaroe Islands was a man named Grímur Kamban - "Hann bygdi fyrstr Færeyar", it may have been the land taking of Grímur and his followers that cauysed the anchorites to leave... the nickname Kamban is probably Gaelic and one interpretation is that the word refers to some physical handicap, another that it may point to his prowess as a sportsman. Probably he came as a young man to the Faroe Islands by way of Viking Ireland, and local tradition has it that he settled atFunningur inEysturoy ." [Schei, Liv Kjørsvik & Moberg, Gunnie (2003) "The Faroe Islands". Birlinn.]It were also Irish monks, who settled in the Faroes from about
625 , which is today proved by botanical researches. According toDicuil , those monks left the islands before825 after Viking raids. Thus Grímur Kamban is supposed to be the first man, who "re-settled" the Faroes.It's said, he settled down in
Funningur onEysturoy . The name "funningur" means "finding". Excavations have shown Viking houses in this area, as well as all over the Faroes."See also:"
Janus Kamban , leading Faroese sculptor.References
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