Grímur Kamban | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8/9th century |
| Died | 9/10th century |
| Occupation | Settler |
| Known for | FirstNorse to appear inFaroe Islands |
Grímur Kamban was, according to theFæreyinga saga, the first Norse settler in theFaroe Islands. The modern Faroese form of the name isGrímur, but it wasGrímr inOld Norse and is often anglicised asGrim.[1]
The saga says he was a NorwegianViking escaping the tyranny of the Norwegian KingHarald (Haraldr Hárfagri). However, this is an error in this saga, because Harald's age was in the late 9th century, while the first Norse settlers reached the Faroes after 825.[2]
It is said that he settled down inFunningur onEysturoy.[4] The namefunningur meansfinding. Excavations have shownViking Age houses in this area, as well as all over the Faroes.[5]
Grímr is an Old Norse name.The nameKamban indicatesCeltic origins. Thus he could have been a man from Ireland, theWestern Isles or theIsle of Man, where the Vikings already had settlements. Another theory says, he could have been an early Christianized Norwegian under the influence ofIrish monks there.
If Gaelic, the first part ofKamban would originate in the Old Gaeliccamb "crooked". The name Kamban is therefore most likely be derived fromcambán "crooked one" (cf. Modern Irishcamán, Scots Gaeliccaman and Manxcamane). The rootcamb is also found in the Gaelic names Campbell (originallycaimbeul) "crooked-mouth" and Cameron (camshròn) "crooked nose", as well as the sports termcambóg, which in Gaelic refers to the type of stick used in games like hurling, hockey and golf.
On 20 September 2004, the Faroese post office issued a stamp including honoring the poemGrímur Kamban by Faroese poetJanus Djurhuus (1881–1948).[6][7]
