Sysa Hillock: Viking Astronomy in Folklore
Written by Ashley Cowie. First published 07 March 2017 – republished 14 May 2026.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6872-4759Abstract:
This study examines Sysa Hillock as a complex astronomical site, serving both as an observatory and a centre for solar and lunar worship. Its significance, rooted in the Neolithic period, is demonstrated by its alignment with celestial events. Sysa's influence continued into the Viking Age, as reflected in myths like the Prophecy of Audna, where twelve Valkyries weave a web of twelve sections. This myth is shown to enshrine Sysa's central role in both ancient astronomical practices and the organisation of territorial space.
Keywords: Sysa Hillock, Neolithic astronomy, Solar and lunar worship, Celestial alignments, Astronomical observatory, Viking Age mythology, Prophecy of Audna, Valkyries, Territorial organization. Ancient astronomy, Mythological symbolism.
Introduction
In my previous article, The Solar Secret of Scotland's Magic Piper, the myth of the Piper of Windy Ha' was examined, centered around a 9-meter-high (30 feet) grassy mound known as Sysa, located behind a cottage in Weydale, Caithness, on the northeast coast of Scotland. The hillock plays a pivotal role in a local Celtic legend in which a young farmer, lured by the Faerie Queen, disappears into Sysa Hillock, never to return.
Through a detailed analysis of the myth’s archetypes and motifs, a significant summer solstice sunrise alignment between Windy Ha’ farm, the summit of Olrig Hill and Sysa Hillock was uncovered. This alignment, potentially originating in the Neolithic period (6000 BP - 4500 BP), marks a key moment in the agricultural calendar.
In contrast to the seductive allure of the Celtic Faerie Queen, another layer of mythology associated with Sysa Hillock reveals a darker, more esoteric narrative rooted in ancient Norse beliefs. This tale introduces powerful otherworldly figures that weave in a hidden truth about the geography of ‘our world’ and the lunar cycles, further deepening the connection between ancient cosmology and landscape.
Figure 01. Sysa is located at Ordnance Survey grid reference ND169647.
Sysa in Audna’s Prophecy
Compiled at the turn of the 12th century, the Icelandic sagas provide crucial insights into Norse history, with The Orkneyinga Saga standing out for its focus on the ancient Earldom of Caithness, in the north east coast of Scotland. This saga chronicles the life of Jarl Sigurd Hlodvirsson, the semi-mythical Viking leader who ruled Orkney and Caithness in the 9th and 10th centuries. Sigurd is celebrated for his role in defending Caithness from Scottish incursions and for leading successful plundering expeditions across the Hebrides, western Scotland, and Ireland (Pálsson and Edwards). The saga is not only a historical document but also a rich narrative, blending myth and fact to depict the Viking Age's complex power dynamics in Northern Europe. [1]
Sigurd's history, as detailed in The Orkneyinga Saga, is intertwined with themes of magic, sorcery, and prophecy. In 1014 AD, Sigurd sailed to Ireland to aid a Norwegian chieftain in his conflict with Brian Boru, the King of Ireland. Norwegian annalists recount that before his departure, Sigurd's mother, Audna, gifted him a magical standard, crafted by her own hand. The standard depicted a raven, a sacred bird associated with Odin, the Norse god of war. Audna foretold that the bearer of the standard would achieve victory, though he himself was fated to fall in battle. This prophecy was tragically fulfilled during the Battle of Clontarf, where both King Brian and Sigurd were slain. [2]
Figure 02. Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry, showing a Norman knight carrying a banner with bird motif, assumed to be a raven banner. CC by SA 3.1
The Norse Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems and stories, compiled in the 13th century but reflecting much older traditional sources, offering a glimpse into Norse mythology and cosmology. Chapter 157 of Njáls Saga records a peculiar event observed at Sysa Hillock in Caithness, coinciding with the 1014 Battle of Clontarf in Ireland.
On the day of the battle a Caithness a man named Daraddus witnessed 12 women riding together into a hillock in Caithness (Sysa). Looking through a chink in the wall he saw 12 giant women spinning on a loom made with the heads of men as weights and the entrails of men are the warp and weft. The 12 women wove a web of fate and sang a mournful song foretelling the death of both King Brian and the Earl of Caithness at the battle in Ireland. When the bloody cloth was woven the Valkyries tore it into twelve pieces. Each took a piece and remounted her horse. Then the 12 rode furiously away, 6 to the north and 6 to the south. [3]
The final lines of the myth, “Then the 12 rode furiously away, six to the north and six to the south,” led to a deeper exploration of the astronomical and sacred geographical significance of Sysa Hillock. By applying principles of archaeoastronomy and sacred geography, it becomes clear that Sysa was more than a symbolic site; it functioned as a physical marker for lunar cycles, connecting celestial and terrestrial realms. This integration of myth and landscape reflects a sophisticated cultural system that mapped the cosmos onto the land.
Audna’s Archetypes of Mythology
Valkyries are often depicted as noble, graceful maidens, but this image distorts their more complex and ominous nature in pre-Christian Norse mythology. The Old Norse term valkyrie, meaning "choosers of the fallen" or "choosers of the slain," refers to powerful female spirits who served Odin. Unlike the benevolent figures often portrayed in modern adaptations, these spirits were associated with death and battle. Like Odin's ravens, Hugin and Munin, the Valkyries were semi-independent aspects of Odin’s being, tasked with selecting warriors to be taken to Valhalla. Their role in determining the fate of fallen warriors aligns with their connection to the underworld and their association with darker cosmic forces. [4]
By invoking powerful, ancient Nordic magic, the Valkyries ensured the manifestation of Odin's will. However, with the rise of Christianity, their status was diminished, and they were reinterpreted as shieldmaidens - mortal women granted the right to fight alongside men in battle. Else Mundal’s Norse Mythology and Religion 2000 describes this shift as marking the transformation of the Valkyries from otherworldly, semi-divine figures into human warriors, symbolizing the broader cultural changes that accompanied the Christianization of Scandinavia. [5]
In Norse mythology specific to Shetland, Orkney, and parts of Caithness, the Norns - Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld - were venerated as three divine beings wielding immense influence over the fate of all existence. These powerful figures were believed to dwell beside the Well of Urd (also known as the Well of Fate) beneath Yggdrasil, the world ash tree at the center of Norse cosmology. Yggdrasil's roots and branches were said to extend through the Nine Worlds, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all realms. Jesse L Byock’s work, The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, explains that it was from this sacred location, that the three Norns shaped the destiny of humans and gods alike by inscribing runes upon Yggdrasil’s trunk, symbolically weaving a vast tapestry that captured the cosmic order and the intricate web of fate. [6]
In Old Norse, the names of the Norns translate to Urd (What Once Was), Verdandi (What Is Becoming), and Skuld (What Shall Be). While their names suggest a connection to the past, present, and future, this interpretation assumes a linear concept of time, more characteristic of modern perspectives than ancient Norse beliefs. In the Germanic-Nordic worldview, time was seen as cyclical rather than linear, with events recurring in cycles. Thus, a more nuanced reading of their roles might align Urd with the past, Verdandi with the present, and Skuld with necessity, or the inevitable - a force dictating that which must unfold within the natural order. Together, the Norns symbolize a profound embodiment of fate, intricately tied to the cyclical flow of time, shaping destinies within this enduring framework of inevitability. [7]
Figure 04. The Norns Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld under the World-tree Yggdrasil, by Ludwig Burger, 1882.
The myths of the Norns and Valkyries converge in local traditions associated with Sysa Hillock, where archetypal figures from Norse cosmology are reflected in the tale of 12 giant Valkyries weaving a web of fate, and foretelling the death of both King Brian and the Earl of Caithness at the 1014 Battle of Clontarf in Ireland. This mythological connection appears in the alignment of the Well of Urd with the Sysa healing spring, located on the hillock's eastern slope.
Just as the Norns influenced destiny by weaving a “web of fate,” so too did the twelve giant Valkyries inside the Sysa hillock. These parallels underscore how Norse cosmological beliefs were embedded within natural landmarks, suggesting that sacred geography was used to map cosmological beliefs onto the landscape itself. Thus, Sysa Hillock represents a nexus where local folklore merges with mythological archetypes of destiny, power, and the cyclical nature of time that permeated Norse spirituality.
The Viking concept of time diverged significantly from our modern understanding based on absolute chronology. Rather than marking years by a solar calendar, Norse cultures measured time in relation to notable events. For instance, a Viking might recount an event as occurring “seven winters after the Battle of Clontarf” or refer to a person’s age as the number of full moons they had lived. This relative dating reflects a worldview where the passage of time is contextual, anchored in collective memory rather than in fixed dates. [8]
When exploring Celtic perceptions of time, in the previous article, I observed that ancient myths connected to Sysa reveal allegories of the sun’s annual cycle, suggesting that Sysa may have been a significant site for solar worship within Caithness’s agriculturally rich landscape. Could this Norse myth associated with Sysa hold deeper layers of meaning, perhaps indicating an astronomical event, a landscape alignment, or a practical purpose grounded in the physical world?
Viking Cosmology and Sacred Geography
Between 1100 and 1150 AD, Oddi Helgason, known as Star Oddi, made significant contributions to the field of astronomy by developing precise tables for calculating solstices, equinoxes, and the sun's azimuths, thus advancing Viking calendrical systems. This development was grounded in the Vikings’ already sophisticated knowledge of celestial navigation. In The Astronomical Knowledge of the Vikings (2021) it is explained that long before the advent of these tables, Norse seafarers were adept at navigating vast, open seas using an understanding of solar days, lunar months, and stellar years that transcended the terrestrial, linking the heavens with realms such as Asgard, Midgard, and Niflheim in their mythology. [9]
Figure 05. 1847 depiction of the Norse tree of life, Yggdrasil, as described in the Icelandic Prose Edda by Oluf Olufsen Bagge. CC By SA 3.1
Asgard, the upper world where the gods resided, was divided into twelve realms, each governed by a chief. This division mirrors structures found in other mythologies, such as the Greek Mount Olympus and Mount Meru in Khmer tradition, and it suggests a deep-seated symbolic connection between the number twelve and the cosmic order. The Prose Edda emphasizes that Asgard contained a temple for the twelve gods (Gladsheim) and another for the twelve goddesses (Vingólf), reinforcing the prominence of the number twelve in the Norse worldview [10]. I hypothesize that the twelve Valkyries at Sysa, each represented by a segment of the "web of fate," may correspond to these ancient numerical structures tied to the mythological domains of Valhalla and beyond. However, further investigation has revealed other potential interpretations that warrant consideration.
Viking agricultural territories were organized into units such as ouncelands, pennylands, and marklands, reflecting a distinct approach to land measurement. The term pennyland endures in many Caithness place names, and ounceland (Scottish Gaelic: unga), was a unit of Norse origin, primarily used in the West Highlands and Hebrides. In these areas, eight ouncelands were equivalent to 12 marklands, a system that facilitated the organization and division of land. [11]
In investigating the potential application of this system in the region around Sysa, I utilized a 19th-century map to plot its location and marked twelve north-south and east-west alignments, dividing the landscape into 12 equal sections, each corresponding to 30 degrees. This method opens the possibility for identifying corresponding structures in the field, such as boundaries, ditches, and stone dykes, that may reflect these ancient spatial practices. By superimposing this grid of 12 marklands onto the landscape, it becomes possible to investigate whether remnants of Viking territorial divisions still shape the land today.
Figure 06. 12 marklands radiating from Sysa Hillock,
The summer of 2012 was spent field walking on Olrig Hill, aimed at identifying linear manmade features that might correspond with the 12 marklands of my theoretical geographical system, but no direct correspondences were noted. However, the research was redirected to a more astronomical perspective, considering Sysa Hillock and the myth of the twelve Valkyries riding north and south.
Viking Lunar Astronomy
Viking calendars were closely tied to the seasons, with the height of the sun dictating agricultural cycles, animal breeding, and military campaigns. William Charles Livingston, in Fundamentals of Solar Astronomy (2005), emphasizes the sun's role in Viking cosmology, noting its symbolic significance in Norse mythology. For instance, the epic of Sigurd mentions the sun’s magic sword, Blaming, symbolizing the sunbeam. This connection to solar events persists today, as Scandinavians gather at solstice celebrations to watch the sunset, a tradition rooted in ancient Viking practices. [12]
From the few wooden navigational and calendrical devices that have been recovered across the Viking's nordic empire we know they had 2 seasons: summer and winter, consisting of 6 dark months named “Skammdegí” (the Dark Days) and 6 light months called “Nóttleysa” which translates to “insomnia”. The 6 winter moon phases (months) were named: Gormánuður, Ýlir, Mörsugur, Þorri, Goa and Einmánuður and the 6 summer months were; Harpa, Skerpla, Sólmánuður, Heyannir, Tvímánuður and Haustmánuður. [13]
The 12 Sysa Valkyries, spun a web of fate divided by 12 sections, then rode 6 to the north and 6 to the south, possibly reflecting the structure of the Viking lunar calendar. If so, the southern riders could symbolize the 6 winter months, Skammdegí (the Dark Days), while the northern riders would represent the 6 summer months, Nóttleysa (Insomnia). This interpretation suggests a symbolic connection between the mythic structure of the 12 Valkyries at Sysa, and the seasonal cycles of the Viking year,
Figure 07. Twelve divisions of the lunar year in the Old Icelandic calendar, overlayed on Sysa.
In my previous article, I identified Sysa as the center of a Neolithic wheat-growing region, aligned with the summer solstice sunrise over Olrig Hill (Figure 08). This alignment underscores Sysa's role in solar observation and worship. However, it is also worth considering whether Sysa could have served as a site for lunar observation. Its prominent location and the importance of lunar cycles in both Neolithic and later Norse agricultural and ritual practices warrant further investigation.
The Norse Poetic Edda describes Sol (the sun) and Mani (the moon) as divine siblings riding through the sky on horse-drawn chariots, a concept shared by other Germanic peoples, as evidenced by Bronze Age artifacts and rock carvings. Given the solar and lunar astronomical evidence explored in my earlier articles, it seems plausible that Sysa was a site revered for both solar and lunar observation and worship in ancient Caithness, from the Neolithic through the Norse period.
Figure 08. Standing at Sysa during the summer solstice sunrise, the sun rises directly above Windy Ha' and Olrig Hill.
Conclusions
Sysa emerges as a multi-functional astronomical platform, likely serving both as an observatory and a center for solar and lunar worship. Its astronomical significance dates back to the Neolithic period, with its legacy continuing into the Viking Age, embedded in myths such as the tale of the twelve Valkyries and their web of 12 sections. This enduring connection to the celestial realms suggests that Sysa’s heritage, centered on the observation and reverence of both the sun and the moon, persists even in modern folklore, such as the myth of the Piper of Windy Ha.
References
The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards, Penguin Classics, 1991.
Pálsson, Hermann, and Paul Edwards, translators. The Orkneyinga Saga. Penguin Classics, 1991.
Njáls Saga. Translated by Carl F. Bayerschmidt and Lee M. Hollander, New York University Press, 1955.
Orchard, Andy. Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell, 1997.
Mundal, Else. Norse Mythology and Religion. University Press of Southern Denmark, 2013.
Byock, Jesse L., translator. The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. University of California Press, 1990.
Simek, Rudolf. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Translated by Angela Hall, D.S. Brewer, 2007.
Mundal, Else, 1992.
Hansen, P. "The Astronomical Knowledge of the Vikings." Scandinavian Journal of Archaeology, vol. 78, no. 3, 2021, pp. 150-164.
Snorri Sturluson. The Prose Edda. Translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1916.
Oram, Richard. "Ouncelands, Quarterlands and Pennylands in the Western Isles, Man and Galloway: Tribute Payments and Military Levies in the Norse West." Taxes, Tributes and Tributary Lands in the Making of the Scandinavian Kingdoms in the Middle Ages, edited by Sverre Imsen, Tapir Academic Press, 2011, pp. 81-102.
Livingston, William Charles. Fundamentals of Solar Astronomy. 2005.
Livingston, William Charles, 2005.