Yesterday as I was waiting for my bus to the pier to catch a ferry for Rousay, I stopped into the St. Magnus Center. This St. Magnus guy had quite an end. He was an earl in Orkney when it was the tradition to have several ruling at once. He and Hakon, another earl, were constantly at odds about how best to rule. They decided to have a peace meeting off of one of the remote islands. Each were to have 2 boats of men, of equal number.

When Magnus looked on the horizon, he saw Hakon had brought 8 ships and realized it was his execution. So, Hakon chose his cook, Lifolf, to execute Magnus. Lifolf began to weep, so Magnus told him not to because he had prayed for God's forgiveness for Lifolf. He instructed Lifolf to stand in front of him and strike him with one mighty blow to the head, with an axe. It seemed to do the job. Hence the Orkney Skull Splitter!! For anyone who has drank it, the Orkney Skull Spiller Ale is really good.

Magnus' bones were buried in honor.

Some years later, Magnus' nephew Ragnvold was trying to defeat Hakon's son, Earl Paul. He swore that if he could defeat Paul, he would built a huge cathedral to St. Magnus (who was considered a martyr). Well, he was successful and there is a church on the spot.

Magnus' bones were moved and placed in the church. Many hundreds of years passed and people forgot about the bones being in the wall. When the wall needed fixing, a box of bones was found in the wall. When the box was opened, a skull with a massively split skull was found in the box. It was then carbon dated to the right age, thereby proving the tale true.

Finally, after testing and records were made, the bones were finally replaced in the wall, for Magnus' final resting.