Ann Naddodsdóttir

Ann Naddodsdóttir (Old Norse: Ann Naddoðsdōttir; mid 9th century, Faroes? - early 10th century, Bressay, Shetland) was likely a daughter of Naddoddr, the Viking attributed with the discovery of Iceland.

At the cemetery of a church in Bressay, Shetland there was in 1864 found a grave from the early 10th century with Christian crosses and decorations of Scandinavian origins.

Katherine Forsyth from Harvard University managed in 1996 to decipher the text.

In the front it says: "CRROSCC: NAHHTVVDDAddS: DATTRR: Ann" and on the back: "BEN (s) iSESMEQQDDRoANN"

According to Dr. Forsyth (and other previous scientists) it can be translate in Old Norwegian to in the front: "HER: KROSSUR: NADDODDSDÓTTIR: ANN" and on the back: "(AV) BEINIR SONUR DRÓIN"

Descendant theory

Forsyth says that this Ann Naddodsdóttir was a Faroese Viking. The son Beinir Dróinsson (MacDroan) who raised the grave might be identical to Beinir Sigmundsson who according to Færeyinga saga was the brother of Brestir Sigmundsson who together ruled their own half of the Faroe Islands. Brestir's son Sigmundur Brestisson apparently introduced Christianity to the Faroe Islands in 999. If this is true Sigmundur was of Christian faith already at birth.

Sources

Katherine S. Forsyth: The Ogham Inscriptions of Scotland. An Edited Corpus. Harvard University Dissertation, Cambridge, Mass. 1996

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