placenorse

Mousa

Mousa is a small island off the mainland of Shetland, notable for containing what the Orkneyinga Saga describes as "the best preserved specimen of the 'towers of defence,' which were the strongholds of the native inhabitants previous to the Norse invasion" .

1 citations1 sources1 traditions4 relationships

Mousa is a small island off the mainland of Shetland, notable for containing what the Orkneyinga Saga describes as "the best preserved specimen of the 'towers of defence,' which were the strongholds of the native inhabitants previous to the Norse invasion" (The Orkneyinga Saga, Mousa and the Pictish Towers). The saga notes that the Pictish tower of Mousa "is mentioned twice in the sagas as a refuge for lovers" (The Orkneyinga Saga, Mousa and the Pictish Towers), giving the site a dual significance as both a pre-Norse defensive structure and a romantic landmark in the saga tradition.

Mousa is connected to Erlend, Harald, and Margaret as associated figures, and to Shetland as its surrounding archipelago.