My Own Man Cave

Harald of Norway with Halfdan the Black, from Flateyjarbok.

1,880 words

My recent adventure took me to the Northern Isles of Shetland and Orkney. During my trip, I visited the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, the Bronze Age settlement of Jarlshof, and the Viking Age sites described in the Orkneyinga Saga. As I visited these locations, I was reminded of all the hours I spent growing up in the man cave that was my room. In many ways, our ancestors traveled, fought, and survived the harshest environments to have their own sanctuaries and man caves. Just like our ancestors, we must continue surviving and fighting against the harshest conditions of anti-white propaganda so that our people can have their own resources, sovereignty, and man caves.

I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in my room listening to heavy metal and reading fantasy novels. I also spent countless hours playing computer role-playing games such as Might & Magic III, Ultima VII, and The Bard’s Tale Trilogy. The Bard’s Tale was set in the medieval-themed world of Skara Brae, which was named after the Neolithic site in Orkney, Scotland. I became more interested in Orkney as a teenager when I started reading the Norse sagas. My favorite Norse saga was the Orkneyinga Saga.

The Orkneyinga Saga tells the history of the Norse earls (jarls) of the Orkney and Shetland islands between the 9th and 13th centuries. After a brief introduction that connects the earls to their alleged mythological ancestors, the Orkneyinga Saga follows the lives and adventures of the earls as they navigate the political struggles between Norwegian kings, Scottish adversaries, and local rivals. The overall themes of the saga include the conflicts between relatives, the power balance between the earls and the Norwegian kings, and the transformation of the earls from pagan Vikings to Christian landowners. While the Orkneyinga Saga covers a large amount of medieval history, most of the narrative focuses on a few infamous earls.

After being banished to Orkney, Einarr Rognvaldarson (Torf-Einarr) became a successful earl and followed Odin’s path as a wanderer and a one-eyed warrior. Sigurd Hlodvirsson (Sigurd the Stout) was a successful earl who carried his raven banner into battles throughout Scotland and the Hebrides. Thorfinn Sigurdsson (Thorfinn the Mighty) was one of the most powerful earls and was influential in bringing Orkney and Shetland into the greater sphere of Christendom. The final chapters of the Orkneyinga Saga follow the tumultuous relationship between Rognvald Kale Kolsson (St. Ronald) and his bodyguard Sweyn Asleifsson. Whereas Rognvald is a pious earl, Sweyn is a quintessential Viking who causes more problems for Rognvald than he prevents.

These stories captivated me as a teen as I could relate to the rebellious nature of Torf-Einar and Sweyn Asleifsson. Since then, I have always wanted to visit the Northern Isles to see the locations that were described in the Orkneyinga Saga. Thus, I made plans to fly into Aberdeen and then sail to both Shetland and Orkney. After a short walk around Aberdeen, I took an overnight ferry to Lerwick, Shetland.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived in Shetland was the wind. It was the coldest and strongest wind I have ever experienced. I spent three full days sightseeing around Shetland and the wind never seemed to let up or stop. Nevertheless, I was amazed by the geologic contrasts between the lush mountains of Unst, the volcanic cliffs of the western Mainland, and the scenic beaches along the southern shores. The landscapes throughout Shetland were filled with rolling hills, freshwater lakes, croft houses, and Shetland ponies. I found quite a few ruins where Viking longhouses once existed. On my last day in Shetland, I finally visited Jarlshof.

Jarlshof is an archeological site near Sumburgh, Shetland. The remains of the site date back to 2500 BC and include Iron Age roundhouses, Pictish wheelhouses, and a Viking longhouse. A medieval farmhouse was eventually turned into a manor house, and Walter Scott visited this manor house in 1814. He coined the term Jarlshof (earl’s mansion) and wrote about a similar site in his 1821 novel The Pirate. The site remained hidden until the late 19th century when a storm revealed parts of an ancient settlement. Excavations started in 1925 and ended in the early 1950s. Jarlshof has become one of the most important archeological sites in the British Isles and it was one of the top highlights of my time in Shetland.

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I greatly enjoyed my time in Shetland and felt a unique connection to the land. Despite the harsh wind, I enjoyed the remote areas outside Lerwick. I often pictured myself living in a small house with a dog in one of these sparsely populated islands. I could see myself writing historical fiction during the day and walking with my dog in the evenings to collect peat for my nightly fire. This may seem like mere daydreaming, but I was truly inspired by the nature, history, and atmosphere of Shetland. As I departed the Lerwick harbor and sailed to Orkney, I continued thinking about what my life would be like if I had my own man cave in Shetland.

After a few hours on the ferry, I arrived in Kirkwall, Orkney. Compared to Shetland, the weather was calm and moderate. The downtown area of Kirkwall was also larger and had more grocery stores and retail shops. I spent the first day exploring downtown Kirkwall and St. Magnus Cathedral. The cathedral began construction in the 12th century and was named after St. Magnus Erlendsson, one of the earls described in the Orkneyinga Saga. Magnus was known for his piety, and unlike his cousin Haakon Paulsson, Magnus preferred prayer and church life.

The struggle for power between the two cousins led to Haakon capturing Magnus and taking him hostage. Haakon then ordered his chef to kill Magnus and the chef used an axe to split his skull. The burial site of Magnus became associated with various miracles and Magnus eventually became a saint. In 1919, construction work within St. Magnus Cathedral revealed a box that contained a damaged skull. Many believed that this was the skull of St. Magnus. The remains were then put in a pillar inside the cathedral that locals and foreigners still visit today. I made a prayer to the old Gods and St. Magnus and asked for clear weather during my tour of Orkney the following day.

I booked a tour guide to drive me to the Viking Age and Neolithic sites around Orkney. We started with a 30-minute walk along the eastern coast to reach the Brough of Deerness. This was the site of a Viking longhouse and a medieval chapel. We then drove to the Broch of Gurness, which was an Iron Age settlement with structures dating back to 500 BC. The next stops were the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. Both were Neolithic sites that featured large stone monoliths in specific locations that could have been used for religious ceremonies and seasonal festivities. Between each site, we drove past various locations described in the Orkneyinga Saga. The final stop of the day was Skara Brae.

In 1850, a winter storm in western Orkney revealed the remains of a village consisting of a few stone houses. After a few excavations during the following decades, University of Edinburgh Professor V. Gordon Chide traveled to the site to start official excavations in 1927. He would eventually discover eight Neolithic houses dating back to 3000 BC. This Neolithic village would become known around the world as Skara Brae.

Skara Brae

The houses were built into the ground to provide shelter and insulation during the harsh winter climate. Although it is not clear how the Neolithic inhabitants made their fires, it is presumed that they used driftwood and animal dung. Each house has a doorway and most of the rooms have stone-built furniture such as beds, seats, shelves, cupboards, and pottery. Due to the different sizes of furniture in certain rooms, it is believed that the men and women had separate areas for their work and leisure time. It would make Skara Brae the world’s oldest man cave.

As I left Skara Brae, I realized that my travels through Shetland and Orkney had taken me on a journey back in time. I had seen the remnants of Viking longhouses, Pictish wheelhouses, Bronze Age settlements, and a Neolithic village. Each of these sites were the man caves and sanctuaries for the different groups that created them. The Orkney earls needed their own sovereignty and space away from the Norwegian kings. The Picts needed their own space away from the Vikings. The inhabitants of Jarlshof and Skara Brae needed their own space away from the harsh climate, competing tribes, and the opposite sex. Even I considered moving to a remote island in Shetland to live alone in my own man cave away from all the anti-white propaganda of the modern day.

Human beings are tribal, and all the tribes of the past have fought for land, resources, and sovereignty. The Dissident Right understands that to avoid tribal conflict, all the people and tribes of the world should have their own homeland. Yet only white people are told that we cannot have a homeland of our own. Only white people are told that we cannot organize as a racial group to stand up for our own collective interests. Only white people and white countries are expected to be tolerant, diverse, and inclusive.

Tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society. Diversity leads to division. Forced inclusion has excluded white people from having our own land, resources, and sovereignty. These liberal values have led to white people being beaten, raped, and murdered on an hourly basis while becoming minorities in our own countries. Forced inclusion is white genocide. Replacement migration is white genocide. Multiculturalism is white genocide. Enough is enough. We want the power to exclude, the power to separate, and the power to self-segregate. We want to collectivize as a group to stand up for our own land, resources, and sovereignty. Just like the Vikings, the Picts, and the Neolithic settlers of Skara Brae, we want our own man caves.

As I sailed back from Kirkwall to Aberdeen, I stood outside on the passenger deck and watched the Orkney coast fade into the distance. I hope I can return to the Northern Isles someday and buy property on a remote plot of land there. I would spend my days writing stories about all the different people that once lived on those amazing islands. I want to bring their sagas and adventures back to life. Just like the earls of Orkney and the inhabitants of Skara Brae, I am willing to endure the harshest elements and the greatest challenges.

Just to have my own man cave.

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