ORIGINS OF THE NAME ‘SCARBOROUGH’
A medieval Icelandic saga tells how two Icelandic Viking brothers called Kormak and Thorgils were the first men to "establish the fort called Skardaborg". The fort was named after one of its founder’s nickname, for Thorgils was call Skardi, meaning hare-lipped, by his brother. It is now generally accepted that the name Skardaborg, which has come down to us as Scarborough, means "the fort belonging to Skardi".
Kormakssaga tells more about these brothers. Kormak was a talented poet, described as a wild man with black curly hair while Thorgils on the other hand was taciturn and easygoing. Both men had a taste for adventure and plundering around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. About the year 966 they decided to make the sheltered waters of the south bay their base and built the fort. They may even have reused the ruins of the Roman Signal Station. Kormak was killed while raiding in Scotland.