Moddan Moddansson of Dalr, Mórmaer of Caithness - Probably Fictional

I imagine you're right but I hope we can work without all the speculation. Let's see if we can find actual sources, shall we?

https://books.google.com/books?id=QNxLUoinbAsC&pg=PA136&dq=...

"Angus" the Generous has been identified (by other scholars) as an error for the more believable "Magnus". Blame that one on Snorre having a brain fart. :-)

So it looks as though Mrs. Moddan is the one through whom any significant connections ran - and unfortunately we don't even have a name for her, let alone any real hints as to her ancestry.

Point noted that "more Danico" seems to have hung on in the fringe areas (Orkney, Caithness, etc.) long after it was abandoned on the mainland. Icelanders in particular don't seem to have been bothered overmuch by any distinction between wives and concubines, as long as trouble didn't come of it - though granted Iceland was a frontier society and couldn't *afford* to be too fussy. (Olaf the Peacock, a prominent character in early Iceland, was the son of Hoskuld Dala-Kolsson by an Irish concubine. Trouble did come of it, but was settled by moving her and her son(s) out of his wife's house and reach.)

I agree with the point made that this Moddan is well-established to have been a farmer, not nobility and yet he has the title Mormaer of Caithness attached to him.

Mormaer = In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a Taoiseach (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continental counts,

So I doubt that if he had been an actual titled member of nobility he'd have been known just as a farmer. The About section says not to confuse him with any titled Moddan by any variation of the name. And yet he has a title attached to his profile.

Also, since his parents are not known, why does he have unproven parents attached who give false ancestral pathways and kinships here on Geni? It's always best not to speculate about parentage, best to leave them off until such time as any might can be proven so we don't have speculative Geni pathways.

Máel Muire of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl at the beginning of the 12th century, until sometime perhaps in the 1130s. According to the Orkneyinga Saga, Máel Muire was a son of king Donnchad I and a younger brother of King Máel Coluim III.

Son of Duncan and Sibylla/Suthen.

Father of Moddan.

A Malmori d' Athótla is mentioned in a charter relating to a year after 1130, contained within the Book of Deer. If the first part is true, and the second part refers to the same Máel Muire, then this Máel Muire lived for more than 90 years, between the death of King Donnchad I in 1040 and the 1130s. It seems likely that his paternal grandfather Crínán was also Mormaer of Atholl. Máel Muire then probably inherited the Mormaerdom in compensation for not inheriting the Kingship.

Karl Hundason

The Orkneyinga Saga says that a dispute between Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney, and Karl Hundason began when Karl Hundason became "King of Scots" and claimed Caithness. The identity of Karl Hundason, unknown to Scots and Irish sources, has long been a matter of dispute, and it is far from clear that the matter is settled. The most common assumption is that Karl Hundason was an insulting byname (Old Norse for "Churl, son of a Dog") given to Macbeth by his enemies. William Forbes Skene's suggestion that he was Duncan I of Scotland has been revived in recent years. Lastly, the idea that the whole affair is a poetic invention has been raised.

According to the Orkneyinga Saga, in the war which followed, Thorfinn defeated Karl in a sea-battle off Deerness at the east end of the Orkney Mainland. Then Karl's nephew Mutatan or Muddan, appointed to rule Caithness for him, was killed at Thurso by Thorkel the Fosterer. Finally, a great battle at Tarbat Ness on the south side of the Dornoch Firth ended with Karl defeated and fugitive or dead. Thorfinn, the saga says, then marched south through Scotland as far as Fife, burning and plundering as he passed. A later note in the saga claims that Thorfinn won nine Scottish earldoms.

Whoever Karl Hundason may have been, it appears that the saga is reporting a local conflict with a Scots ruler of Moray or Ross:

he whole narrative is consistent with the idea that the struggle of Thorfinn and Karl is a continuation of that which had been waged since the ninth century by the Orkney earls, notably Sigurd Rognvald's son, Ljot, and Sigurd the Stout, against the princes or mormaers of Moray, Sutherland, Ross, and Argyll, and that, in fine, Malcolm and Karl were mormaers of one of these four provinces.

From the book of Deer

VII
David king of Scots, to all his good men, greetings. You are to know that the clergy of Deer are to be quit and immune from all lay service and improper exaction, as is written in their book, and as they proved by argument at Banff and swore at Aberdeen. Wherefore I strictly enjoin that no-one shall dare to do any harm to them or to their goods. Witness, Gregory bishop of Dunkeld. Witness, Andrew bishop of Caithness. Witness, Samson bishop of Brechin. Witness, Donnchad earl of Fife and Mal-Moire of Atholl and Gille-Brigte earl of Angus, and Gille-Coimded son of Aed, and Bróiccín, and Cormac of Turriff, and Adam son of Ferdomnach, and Gille-Aindrias son of Maitne; at Aberdeen.

when taking the Family tree of Thorfinn (father & mother side) & his wives Ingibjörg down to their grandson Hákon 'the Imperious' Pálsson, jarl of Orkney + his wives Ragnhildr Hákonardóttir, it would be pretty presumptuous to state that Moddan was "just an farmer".

The quotation from the Book of Deer supports the *existence* of Mael-Muire of Atholl, but says nothing about his relationship (or not) to anyone else. (And by the time of David I of Scotland we are two or three generations removed from the situation.)

Considering how thoroughly the Orkneyinga Saga fictioned up the story of Thorfinn the Black vs. (whoever-the-heck) on the Scottish mainland, it shouldn't be considered all that trustworthy.

What makes you assumes that Thorfinnur is made up?

Karl Hundason is "made up", at least his name is. The experts can't agree on which of Thorfinn's Scottish adversaries he actually represents, or whether he is a composite figure representing all of them.

Some say that Karl hundason which translates “man son of dog” was perhaps an nickname given as an insult to him,he could have been Malcolm MacKenneth or Dunca I, perhaps he could have been Macbeth who was son of “jarl Hundi according to Njálssaga. It fictional I would not go as far as calling him.

Jarl Hundi had an brother called melsnati, snati is also a word for dog in Icelandic, so both brothers where called dogs

Could jalr Melsnati be Dubh mac Máel Coluim, King of Scots and jarl Hundi be his brother Malcom II? That seems to fit chronologically or what?

Landnámabôk & eyrbyggjasaga

That was an response to Margarete and her sister, I wrote the reply in the wrong thread.

On karl hundason

https://books.google.dk/books?id=C8k_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR83&lpg=P...