Orkney and Shetland still owed allegiance to Norway after the Western Isles were ceded to Alexander III in 1266 AD. But Norse power was losing ground there too; the earldom passed out of Norse hands and was held by men of Scottish origin. By 1469 the Norwegian kings were subjects of the kings of Denmark, who were not interested in Norse territories overseas.
The Scots King James III married Margaret, the king of Denmark’s daughter, in 1468. In part payment of her dowry, Orkney and Shetland were transferred to Scotland. No more money was paid, and the islands remained in Scottish hands.
Norwegian law was not abolished in Shetland till 1611, and the Viking language (Norn) lived on into the 18th century. In March 1858, a young boy discovered a Viking treasure hoard at the Bay o' Skaill in Sandwick. He had been chasing a rabbit down its hole when he found some pieces of silver rings.
In 1991 a Viking boat burial was excavated on the beach at Scar on the island of Sanday. It has been dated to between 875 and 950 AD. Among the finds were human remains, grave good including a quiver with eight arrows, bone combs, gaming pieces, two spindle whorls and a whalebone plaque featuring two dragon heads known as the Scar Dragon Plaque.
The Viking boat burial finds are on display at the Orkney Museum, Kirkwall.
The fire festival of Up-Helly-Aa, held in Lerwick each January, celebrates Shetland’s Viking past. The ancient Norse festival of Uphalliday marked the end of their long, midwinter celebrations.
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Listen to a shepherd's dance played on the lyre and shepherd's pipe.
A video clip from BBC Learning Zone on why the Brough of Birsay was chosen as a settlement by Vikings. Now only ruins remain which include longhouses, a church and a sauna.
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