Case file · Cosmic event
The sun darkens at Stiklestad
Snorri Sturluson's saga of St Olaf says the sun darkened during the Battle of Stiklestad, where King Olaf fell on 29 July 1030.
1030 CE · 63.80, 11.56 · status: disputed
The account
The darkness became part of the miracle story around Olaf, who was soon venerated as Norway's patron saint.
The sceptical view
A real solar eclipse crossed Norway on 31 August 1030, a month after the battle; the saga writers, two centuries later, probably merged the two events.