NORTH WINDS: FAROE AND ORKNEY ISLANDS

“Far out in the radiant ocean glinting like quicksilver there lies a solitary little lead-coloured land. The tiny rocky shore is to the vast ocean just about the same as a grain of sand to the floor of a dance hall. But seen beneath a magnifying glass, this grain is nevertheless a whole world.” -William Heineson (Faroese writer, 1900-1991), The Lost Musicians

Soaring cliffs of the Faroe Islands

At each port, our ship flies the flag of our host. So, as we arrived at Torshavn in the Faroe Islands, I expected to see the Danish flag, given that the Faroes are a self-governing possession of Denmark. But, instead, the flag was a red cross with a white background. Of course, there is a story behind this.

During WWII, Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, but the Faroes were not. The British, eyeing the islands as a possible northern stronghold, instead moved in and started to build a defense system there. But there was a problem: when Faroean ships were at sail, the allies sometimes attacked them because they mistook the Danish-flagged ships for those controlled by the Nazis. So, the Faroe Islands developed its own flag in order to distinguish itself from Denmark. And, today, as a largely autonomous region, it has retained that flag as a symbol of their quasi-independence.

A Faroean inlet

A village in the Faroes, full-time population 33 (but some are vacation homes)

Soaring cliffs, waterfalls upon waterfalls, tiny villages, and sheep everywhere characterize the landscape of the Faroe Islands. Gray skies covered our day there, but the beauty of the islands nevertheless shined through.

Fish farming, a major industry of these northern islands

Gray skies also were the umbrella of our visit to the Orkney Islands, a set of Scotland’s northerly islands. Steeped in history dating back 5,000 years, the Orkney Islands are a treasure trove of archaeological sites, with Neolithic villages being uncovered seemingly every time someone turns a spade to the earth. Most famous for its standing stones, it is believed that the pattern of standing stones on the north island were placed deliberately, as, taken together, they are in the same pattern as the belt of Orion constellation, and are comprised of stones that have been found to originate from the various villages around the area.

Standing Stones of Stennes, on the north island of Orkney

An interesting tale from the area’s history is that of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney in the early 1100s.  A rival earl insisted that there could be only one ruler of the islands. Preparing for a battle, the two earls agreed to terms of battle, but the other earl, Haakon, betrayed the terms by appearing with quadruple the forces agreed to. Haakon, deciding that Magnus must be killed, ordered his aides to do the deed, but none would agree to it, until his cook was finally forced into the act. Magnus told the cook that he forgave him, and asked that he kill him by a blow to the head with an axe, so that he could die as a warrior, rather than by beheading, the fate accorded to criminals. The cook agreed, and thus ended Magnus’ life. However, wherever Magnus’ bones were buried, miracles were reported to occur. Thus, Magnus’ remains were moved all over the islands, so that many could share in the miracles.