Aud the
Deep Minded

Auðr djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir (Unn, Unnur, or Aud the Deep Minded) was a Norwegian woman of nobility: child of, spouse of, and mother of warlords in the 9th century.

When her son was betrayed and killed by his men, Auðr had a ship built secretly in the forest. Packing into it her seven grandchildren, twenty crew, and many of her possessions, she sailed from Caithness first to the Orkneys, then to the Faroe islands, settling a granddaughter in each place, and finally settling in Iceland.

She freed her crew, set up a homestead, and by all accounts lived peacefully to the end of her days.

In a brutal culture, at a brutal time, she was generous, clever, and unwavering on her morals.

Her stories are told in the Laxdaela Saga, Eyrbyggja Saga (as Auth), Eiríks saga rauða, and Grettis Saga, among others.