Aud the Deep-Minded

Aud the Deep-Minded (Icelandic: Auður djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir; also known as Unn or Aud Ketilsdatter) (834-900 CE) was the second daughter of Ketil Flatnose and Yngvid Ketilsdóttir. She married Olaf the White of Dublin, "King" of Ireland. After Olaf's death, the audacious Aud travelled the British Isles, marrying off her daughters to important landowners, until she finally settled near her brothers in Iceland, herself founding Hvammur í Skeggjadal (commonly translated as "Hvamm").

Unlike most other Icelandic settlers Aud was a Christian and raised crosses on her land and prayed regularly on hills now called Krosshólaborg.

References

• Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages, by Vicki León (1998, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0–471–17004–6)
• The Saga of Eric the Red
• Grettir's Saga
• The Laxdaela Saga