大象传媒

Anns an Orkneyinga Saga, tha st貌iridh ann mu dheidhinn batail eadar d脿 iarla. Bha an t-iarla Arcach, Sigurd Eysteinsson (Sigurd Cumhachdach), na n脿mhaid don iarla Albannach Maelbrigte Fiacail. Bha fiacail mh貌r a鈥� stobadh a-mach 脿 beul Mhaelbrigte. Bha i coltach ris an fhiacail mh貌ir aig torc.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Bha an dithis a鈥� coinneachadh ann am Moireibh. Bha gach duine a鈥� dol a thoirt ceathrad fear leis. Ach thug Sigurd ochdad fear leis-san. Chuir e dithis air gach each.

Nuair a bha an d脿 bhuidhinn faisg air a鈥� ch猫ile, chunnaic Maelbrigte gun robh ochdad fear aig Sigurd. Aig an deireadh, bha Maelbrigte agus a chompanaich marbh.

Ach rinn Maelbrigte d矛ogh-altas air Sigurd. Ciamar? Uill, ghe脿rr na Lochlannaich cinn nan Albannach dhiubh. Cheangail iad na cinn do na d矛ollaidean aca. Cheangail Sigurd ceann Mhaelbrigte don d矛ollaid aige fh猫in.

Bha an t-each aig Sigurd a鈥� dol gu mall. Chuir Sigurd a spor an s脿s ann. Ach bhuail e a chalpa anns an fhiacail a bha a鈥� stobadh a-mach 脿 beul Mhaelbrigte. Fhuair e lot. Bha an lot air a phuinnseanachadh. Chaochail Sigurd air an rathad dhachaigh.

Tha sgeulachd mar seo a鈥� m矛neachadh mar a th貌isich an Kirkwall Ba鈥� Game. 鈥橲 e sin g猫am a tha na ceudan a鈥� cluich. Tha e a鈥� tachairt air an latha ron Nollaig agus air Latha na Bliadhn鈥� 脵ire gach bliadhna. Bidh gach sgioba a鈥� feuchainn ri ball a thoirt gu taobh thall a鈥� bhaile.

Chaidh fear 貌g 脿 Arcaibh gu t矛r-m貌r na h-Alba. Bha e airson sabaid le fear air an robh 鈥淭usker鈥�. Bha fiacail mh貌r aig Tusker. Rinn an gille 貌g a鈥� ch霉is air Tusker. Ghe脿rr e a cheann dheth. Cheangail e a cheann don d矛ollaid aige.

Air an rathad dhachaigh, rinn an fhiacail mh貌r lot ann an cas a鈥� ghille. Chaidh puinnsean tro bhodhaig a鈥� ghille. R脿inig an gille Kirkwall. Bha m貌ran a鈥� feitheamh ris. Thilg e an ceann don t-sluagh. Goirid 脿s d猫idh sin, chaochail e. Bha an sluagh feargach. Bhreab iad an ceann tro na sr脿idean. Agus 鈥檚 ann mar sin, ma tha thu ga chreidsinn, a th貌isich an Kirkwall Ba鈥� Game!

In the Orkneyinga Saga, there is a story about a battle between two earls. The Orcadian earl Sigurd Eysteinsson (Sigurd the Powerful) was an enemy of the Scottish earl Maelbrigte Tooth. There was a big tooth sticking out of Maelbrigte鈥檚 mouth. It was like the tusk of a wild boar.

听听听听听听听 The two men met in Moray. Each man was going to take forty men with him. But Sigurd took eighty men with him. He put two men on each horse.

听听听听听听听 When the two groups were near each other, Maelbrigte saw that Sigurd had eighty men. At the end, Maelbrigte and his companions were dead.

听

听听听听听听听 But Maelbrigte got his revenge on Sigurd. How? Well, the Norsemen beheaded the Scots. They tied the heads to their saddles. Sigurd tied Maelbrigte鈥檚 head to his own saddle.

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听听听听听听听 Sigurd鈥檚 horse was going slowly. Sigurd dug his spur into it. But he hit his calf on the tooth that was sticking out of Maelbrigte鈥檚 mouth. He sustained a wound. The wound was poisoned. Sigurd died on the road home.

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听听听听听听听 A story like this explains how the Kirkwall Ba鈥� Game started. That鈥檚 a game that hundreds of people play. It happens on the day before Christmas and on New Year鈥檚 Day every year. Each team tries to get a ball to the other side of the town.

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听听听听听听听 A young lad from Orkney went to the mainland of Scotland. He wanted to fight a man called 鈥淭usker鈥�. The young lad defeated Tusker. He cut his head off. He died his head to his saddle.

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听听听听听听听 On the road home, the big tooth made a wound in the lad鈥檚 leg. Poison went through the lad鈥檚 body. The lad reached Kirkwall. Many people were waiting for him. He threw the head to the crowd. Shortly after that, he died. The crowd was angry. They kicked the head through the streets. And that鈥檚 how, if you believe it, the Kirkwall Ba鈥� Game got started!