Egilsay
Egilsay is a small farming island among Scotland's Orkney Islands, set just east of Rousay. In 1117, a man on the island died from a single blow of an axe to the head. His name was Magnus. Was there any truth behind that death, or was it only a story told down the years? And what has become of the island since?
The Orkneyinga saga is where this story survives, and for hundreds of years it read as little more than folklore. Then a skull turned up in the walls of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. It showed a large crack consistent with an axe wound. That discovery turned a doubted legend into something closer to fact. On Egilsay itself, the local church, now called St Magnus Church, is dedicated, or re-dedicated, to the man killed there. In past centuries, the island was also known by the anglicized name Eagleshay.
At first glance, Egilsay reads as simply 'Egil's island,' built from Egil, a common Norse personal name. Scholars have suggested it may partly be Gaelic instead. The proposed root is eaglais, related to the Celtic eccles, both meaning church. That fits, since a church with roots older than the Norse settlers still stands on the island. Just to the north, the small island of Kili Holm carries a name that may preserve cille, the Gaelic word for a monastic cell.
The 2011 census counted 26 people living on Egilsay, a drop of almost a third from the 37 counted in 2001. During that same decade, Scotland's island populations as a whole grew by 4%, reaching 103,702 people. By 2022, Egilsay's population had fallen further, to just 17. Orkney Ferries still connects the island to Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland, sailing via Wyre and Rousay.
Common questions
Where is Egilsay located?
Egilsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland, lying just east of Rousay.
Who was killed on Egilsay in 1117?
Magnus was killed on Egilsay in 1117 by a single axe blow to the head. His death is recorded in the Orkneyinga saga and is honored by the island's St Magnus Church.
What evidence supports the story of Magnus's death on Egilsay?
A skull with a large crack, consistent with an axe wound, was found inside the walls of St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. For hundreds of years before that discovery, the account had been treated mainly as folklore.
What does the name Egilsay mean?
Egilsay may mean 'Egil's island,' using the Norse personal name Egil, but it may also derive partly from the Gaelic eaglais, meaning church, since a church older than the Norse settlers stands on the island.
What is the population of Egilsay?
Egilsay's population was 26 at the 2011 census, down from 37 in 2001, and had fallen to 17 by 2022.
How do you get to Egilsay?
Orkney Ferries sail to Egilsay from Tingwall on the Orkney Mainland, via Wyre and Rousay.
All sources
1 references cited across the entry