we (viking) ship Earl Rognvald & Queen Ermingerd.
After completing the Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney , we couldn't help but notice that at Earl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson's stop in Narbonne how he composes court-like but still Heathen-like battle imagistic poetry to celebrate their Queen Ermingerd's beauty. In verse Rögnvald declares his adoration of her, and of the personal attention that she gives him as a guest in her realm. And even far after Rögnvald insists on leaving to complete his Mediterranean adventure, despite Ermingerd's courtiers strongly suggesting he marry her , he and the more poetically disposed of his men still continue to sing of her worth, hoping that she will hear these tales of their deeds as they head eastwards, and in their words she becomes a paragon of beauty that inspires their actions, an unforgettable ideal . Yet it's never explained why Earl Rognvald doesn't return to southern coastal France and reconnect with his favoured Queen (well, t...