In 1150 the Orkneyingers' Saga tells us of a great expedition made by Earl Rognvald of Orkney to the Mediterranean and Palestine. The expedition started first from Bergen, and then picked up a number of Orkney ships, sailing rather late in the summer with fifteen vessels in all. They voyaged by Scotland, Northumberland, England, and France, and came without further incident to Nerbon (probably Bilbao). There they were entertained by Queen Ermingerd, whose husband was dead; the earl took her hand and set her on his knee, as she poured out wine for him, and her folk wished him to marry her, but he would not till he had done his voyage. So he sailed west to Galicialand, in the winter before Yule, and meant to tarry there for Yuletide. And in that place was the castle of a stranger lord, which the townsmen besought him to take. This he presently assailed, heaping wood round the walls and kindling it. Then the walls of the castle yielded before the fire, and Rognvald sent for water to cool the rubble, and they cooled it and rushed in and took the castle. After this they departed from Galicialand and held on west, harrying the heathen who dwelt thereabouts. And when off Spain a great storm smote them and they lay three days at anchor, so that they shipped much water and all but lost their ships.
Anon they hoisted sail and beat out to Njörfa Sound (Gut of Gibraltar) with a cross wind, and sailed through Njörfa Sound, when the weather mended; but six ships parted company from the earl and sailed to Marseilles. Then they came to the south of Sarkland, and near Sardinia, yet they knew not that they were near land. The weather was calm, and the sea smooth, but mists hung over it though the nights were light, so that they saw scarcely at all from their ships. Now it came to pass that one morning the mist lifted, and they stood up and looked eagerly, and then saw two small islets narrow and steep; and looking again one islet had gone. Then said the earl: "Needs must these be ships which they call dromons; they are big as islands to look upon." And then he called together the bishop and his captains, and said: "I call you together for this: see ye any chance that we may win victory over those of the dromon?" And the bishop answered: "A dromon is hard to grapple with a longship; and they can pour brimstone and burning pitch under your feet and over your heads." Then said a captain, Erling: "There will be little hope in rowing against them. Yet somehow it seemeth to me that should we run under
