Has only recently come to Bjartey because she was fostered by Garðar Blackmantle in [Sweden], a rich and powerful jarl. Her foster-father and her father had decided it was time for her to “come home” so she can marry someone in Bjartey — mainly to increase her father’s influence. She doesn’t feel at home at all in Bjartey and she doesn’t feel at home at her parents’ house, although it was fun to meet all the family again and they threw her a big welcome feast.

Brought several servants with her and spends hours talking to them about what she feels is her real home, not “this desolate skerry”. At the same time demands to be treated like a princess and refuses to do any dirty work.

Likes:

  • the new horse her father gave her as a welcome present: She even agreed to brush and saddle him herself
  • riding around her parents’ farm, finding nice spots to rest and pick berries or watch birds
  • embroidering her horse’s saddlecloth while being asked questions about her time in [Sweden] by members of the household
  • to be the center of attention
  • knowing that she knows so much more about everything than everybody else, because she was well brought up and educated by masters in their field

Dislikes:

  • that there is no chivalric tradition in Bjartey, that there are no knights to court her and no tournaments being held
  • the restricted diet in Bjartey, she misses banquets
  • not having her own room
  • most of the guys her father has envisioned her to marry, although one is quite dashing. But they’re all farmer’s sons and expect her to run their farm, now that’s ridiculous

Notes

About the use of country names

„This desolate skerry“ is a quote from Vatnsdæla saga. It is used by Ingimundr who hasn’t been to Iceland and clearly doesn’t want to go (although he does so in the end, of course). He is mocking his best friend Sæmundr, who in the (historical) 👉 battle at Hafursfjörðr chose not to side with a guy named Harold — who later became known as King Harold Fairhair — but to stay neutral, something the king then holds against him, forcing him into exile. Ingimundr suggests to Sæmundr to sail to Iceland, far away from the king, and Sæmundr says that he will follow his friend’s advice, to which Ingimundr responds:

Ok hefði betr farit at þú hefðir fylgt mér í Hafrsfirði ok þurfa nú ei at fara í eyðisker þetta.

It would have gone better for you had you followed me at Hafursfjörðr, then you wouldn’t need to head to that desolate skerry now.

(Normalized Old Norse text from 👉 AM 942 4to, my own translation)

I loved this catchphrase so much I had to make one of my characters use it. Like Ingibjörg, Ingimundr in Vatnsdæla saga is wealthy, well-connected, and a bit of a snob, so it was a nice fit.