Although definitive records do not exist, Einar is believed to be the son of a farmer, Snorra Sveinssonar, and born in Miklaholtshrepur in northwest Iceland.
It is recorded that in 1497 Einar was ordained as a priest and settled at Stað á Ölduhrygg.
[1][a] Einar's companion was Guðrún Oddsdóttir, the niece of Sveinn spaki Pétursson [is], the Bishop of Skálholt.
Their son, Marteinn Einarsson, became the second Lutheran bishop of Iceland, while their daughter, Guðrún, married wealthy landowner Daði Guðmundsson.
[3] Einar's sons and son-in-law all clashed with Catholic Bishop Jón Arason during the Icelandic Reformation, culminating with Daði capturing Jón and his sons at the Battle of Sauðafell.