The Poisoned Shirt: A Norse Tale of Murder and Miscalculation

In the rugged Norse-dominated world of 12th-century Orkney, where bloodlines and ambition clashed like swords at sea, the tale of The Poisoned Shirt stands out as a chilling anecdote of familial betrayal and tragic irony. Centered around the doomed Earls of Orkney, Harold and Paul, this story combines Norse politics, domestic treachery, and what may be one of the earliest documented instances of a “fashionable” murder.

The story begins with the death of Earl Haco, the ruler of Orkney. His estate, as was customary in that period, was divided between his two sons: Paul, from an earlier marriage, and Harold, born of his second wife Helga. What should have been a gesture of equity instead ignited long-standing animosities between the half-brothers, as they struggled over territory, titles, and ultimately, dominance over the Northern Isles.

To complicate matters, Helga—Harold’s mother—and her sister Frakirk were no passive matriarchs. They were deeply involved in the political maneuverings of the time, and, as many accounts suggest, willing to go to astonishing lengths to ensure Harold emerged as sole ruler of Orkney.