A powerful clan had their seat by the Eidsfjord. Both women and men were buried in the large burial mounds here at Myklebust farm. Impressive mounds symbolised power.

The Viking age was a time of political consolidation and a struggle for power. The local king Audbjorn of the Firda County fell in battle against King Harald Fairhair. Fairhair would later become the first king of Norway. Audbjorn was buried in his Viking ship in the burial mound Rundehogjen. The family had its seat here even after the death of Audbjorn.

According to custom, the clan’s heads of household would be buried close to the farmyard. In earlier times there were at least 5 large burial mounds here. The large mounds were clearly visible from the fjord and the land. Rundehogjen is the only mound left today. The burial mound Skjoratippen was located on the edge of the terrace, opposite Rundehogjen. Most of the information we have today is based on findings from these two mounds. The graves are dated to different times in the Viking Age.

The burial mound Skjoratippen contains six graves from 700-950 AD and must have been an important memorial for the clan. So many graves in one mound are uncommon. Skjoratippen was excavated in 1902-03 by archaeologist Haakon Schetelig.

Four to five generations, twelve men and women were laid to rest in the burial mound. In accordance with Norse faith, women and men were equipped for their next life. The women were given kitchen utensils and tools for textile work. Their clothes were adorned with fine jewellery. The men were buried with their weapons, and several had been given tools for woodworking and smithing. The shape and style of jewellery and weapons changed according to fashion, but the tools stayed the same.

After the Christianisation of the region, a church was built near the Myklebust farmyard in Early Middle Age. It was no longer permitted to erect burial mounds, and knowledge of the powerful Myklebust clan disappeared with the new burial customs.