Background
He was a son of Harald IV Gille of Norway by an unknown concubine. Magnus was born sometime after 1130, when his father arrived in Norway.
He was a son of Harald IV Gille of Norway by an unknown concubine. Magnus was born sometime after 1130, when his father arrived in Norway.
He was raised by the chieftain Kyrpinga-Orm at Støle in Sunnhordland. He first appears in the sagas in 1142, when Harald"s oldest son, Eystein, came from Scotland an became king, together with Magnus. In a poem by the skald Einar Skuleson, all the four are counted as kings at the same time.
According to the sagas, Magnus had poor feet, and he became sick and died at a young age.
He has later generally not been listed in Norwegian regnal lists. He appears in some lists, however.