Kristin Lavransdatter

by Sigrid Undset

  “Sister,” said the nun, “you mustn’t sleep yet. Ulf has gone to bring the priest to you.”

  Kristin woke up with a start and fixed her eyes on her hand. The gold ring was gone; that was certain enough. There was a shiny, worn mark where it had sat on her middle finger. On the brown, rough flesh it was quite clear—like a scar of thin white skin. She thought she could even make out two round circles from the rubies on either side and a tiny scratch, an M from the center of the ring where the holy symbol of the Virgin Mary had been etched into the gold.

  The last clear thought that took shape in her mind was that she was going to die before the mark had time to fade, and it made her happy. It seemed to her a mystery that she could not comprehend, but she was certain that God had held her firmly in a pact which had been made for her, without her knowing it, from a love that had been poured over her—and in spite of her willfulness, in spite of her melancholy, earthbound heart, some of that love had stayed inside her, had worked on her like sun on the earth, had driven forth a crop that neither the fiercest fire of passion nor its stormi est anger could completely destroy. She had been a servant of God—a stubborn, defiant maid, most often an eye-servant in her prayers and unfaithful in her heart, indolent and neglectful, impatient toward admonishments, inconstant in her deeds. And yet He had held her firmly in His service, and under the glittering gold ring a mark had been secretly impressed upon her, showing that she was His servant, owned by the Lord and King who would now come, borne on the consecrated hands of the priest, to give her release and salvation.

  As soon as Sira Eiliv had anointed her with the last oil and viaticum, Kristin Lavransdatter again lost consciousness. She lay there, violently vomiting blood, with a blazing fever, and the priest who was sitting with her told the nuns that the end would come quickly.

  Several times the dying woman’s mind cleared enough that she could recognize one face or another: Sira Eiliv or the sisters. Fru Ragnhild herself was there once, and she saw Ulf. She struggled to show that she knew them and that it was good they were with her and wished her well. But for those who stood at her bedside, it merely looked as if she were flailing her hands in the throes of death.

  Once she saw Munan’s face; her little son was peeking at her through a crack in the door. Then he pulled back his head, and his mother lay there, staring at the door to see if the boy would look through it again. Instead Fru Ragnhild appeared and wiped her face with a damp cloth, and that too felt good. Then everything disappeared in a dark red haze and a roar, which at first grew fearfully loud, but then the din gradually died away, and the red fog became thinner and lighter, and at last it was like a fine morning mist before the sun breaks through, and there was not a sound, and she knew that now she was dying.

  Sira Eiliv and Ulf Haldorssøn left the deathbed together. In the doorway leading out to the convent courtyard, they stopped.

  Snow had fallen. None of them had noticed this as they sat with her and she struggled with death. The white sheen was strangely dazzling on the steep slant of the church roof opposite them; the tower was pale against the murky gray sky. The snow lay so fine and white on all the window frames and all the jutting gray stones of the church walls. And the two men seemed to hesitate, not wanting to mar the new snow in the courtyard with their footprints.

  They breathed in the air. After the suffocating smell that always surrounded someone stricken with the plague, it tasted sweet and cool, a little empty and thin, but as if this snowfall had washed sickness and contagion out of the air; it was as good as fresh water.

  The bell in the tower began ringing again; the two men looked up to the movement behind the sound holes. Tiny snowflakes were shaken loose, rolling down to become little balls; some of the black shingles could be seen underneath.

  “This snow won’t last,” said Ulf.

  “No, it will melt away before evening,” replied the priest. There were pale golden rifts in the clouds, and a faint, tentative ray of sunshine fell across the snow.

  The men stayed where they were. Then Ulf Haldorssøn said quietly, “I’ve been thinking, Sira Eiliv . . . I want to give some land to this church . . . and a goblet she gave me that once belonged to Lavrans Bjørgulfsøn . . . to establish a mass for her . . . and my foster sons . . . and for him, Erlend, my kinsman.”

  The priest’s voice was equally quiet, and he did not look at the man. “I think you might also mean that you want to show Him your gratitude for leading you here last night. You must be grateful that you were allowed to help her through this night.”

  “Yes, that was what I meant,” said Ulf Haldorssøn. Then he laughed a little. “And now I almost regret, priest, that I have been such a pious man—toward her.”

  “It’s useless to waste your time over such futile regrets,” replied the priest.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that it’s only a man’s sins that it does any good for him to regret.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because no one is good without God. And we can do nothing good without Him. So it’s futile to regret a good deed, Ulf, for the good you have done cannot be taken back; even if all the mountains should fall, it would still stand.”

  “Well, well. That’s not how I see things, my Sira. I’m tired . . .”

  “Yes . . . and you must be hungry too. Come with me over to the cookhouse, Ulf,” said the priest.

  “Thank you, but I have no wish to eat anything,” said Ulf Hal dorssøn.

  “All the same, you must come with me and have some food,” said Sira Eiliv, placing his hand on Ulf’s sleeve and pulling him along. They headed across the courtyard and over toward the cookhouse. Without thinking, they both walked as lightly and carefully as they could in the new snow.

  EXPLANATORY NOTES

  References Used

  Blangstrup, Chr., ed. Salmonsens Konversations Leksikon. 2nd ed. Copenhagen: J.H. Schultz Forlagsboghandel, 1928.

  Knudsen, Trygve, and Alf Sommerfelt, eds. Norsk Riksmåls Ordbok. Oslo: Det Norske Academi for Sprog og Litteratur og Kunnskaps forlaget, 1983.

  Mørkhagen, Sverre. Kristins Verden: Om norsk middelalder på Kristin Lavransdatters tid. Oslo: J. W. Cappelens Forlag, 1995.

  Pulsiano, Phillip. ed. Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing Co., 1993.

  Sawyer, Birgit, and Peter Sawyer. Medieval Scandinavia: From Conversion to Reformation, circa 800 -1500. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.

  I: THE WREATH PART I CHAPTER 1

  1 Nidaros: One of five episcopal seats in Norway during the Middle Ages; now the city of Trondheim. The cathedral in Nidaros housed the famous shrine of Saint Olav and was the destination of thousands of pilgrims every year, particularly during the Feast of Saint Olav in late July. The main road between Oslo and Nidaros passed through Gudbrandsdal, the valley where most of Undset’s novel takes place.

  2 vigil nights: Festive celebrations, called “vigils,” were held on the night before many religious holidays.

  3 courtyard: The multiple buildings of Norwegian farms were laid out around two courtyards: an “inner” courtyard surrounded by the various living quarters, storehouses, and cookhouse; and next to it an “outer” courtyard (or farmyard) surrounded by the stables, cowshed, barn, and other outbuildings. All of the buildings were constructed of wood, and most consisted of a single room that served a specific function on the farm. None of the buildings was more than two stories high. Many had an external gallery (a type of balcony) and stairway along one side. Lofts built above the storerooms were used as bedchambers for both family members and guests. At Jørundgaard, the high loft in the main house was the finest room on the manor and the one used for feasts and celebrations. Hearth fires in the center of the room (or corner fireplaces on the finer estates) provided the only heat in the living quarters.

  4 his daughter: Christianity was introduced in Norway in the 11th century, but it wasn’t until 1270 that celibacy for priests became part of Norwegi
an Church law. Even then, it was not strictly enforced, particularly in the countryside.

  5 village: Unlike villages in the rest of Europe, rural villages in medieval Norway consisted of little more than hamletlike clusters of several large farm-estates, each surrounded by smaller leaseholdings. A settlement of at least three farms constituted a village. Many of them also included a small parish church. Norwegian villages were situated in remote valleys, separated from other settlements by rugged mountains.

  6 river sprite: In medieval Norway a clear demarcation was made between inside and outside, between the protective circle of human habitation and the dark forces of the wilderness beyond. People believed that the forests and mountains were populated by many types of supernatural beings, which were both unpredictable and menacing.

  7 tar-burners: Men who produced wood tar, a distilled liquid used for caulking and for preserving wood and rope.

  8 hawk hunters: Hawks rather than falcons were generally used for hunting in Norway, due to the mountainous, forested terrain. Hawks follow the prey from behind and have an astonishing ability to steer around trees and bushes.

  9 lefse: A thin pancake of rolled-out dough, folded and served with butter.

  CHAPTER 2

  1 allodial property: Land held in absolute ownership, without obligation or service to any feudal overlord. In Norway this was an ancient institution in which a man’s inherited allodial rights depended on proof that the land had been possessed continuously by his family or kin group for at least four generations. If there was no male heir, the land could be passed down to a female family member.

  2 canons’ house: Canon was an ecclesiastical title for a member of a group of priests who served in a cathedral and who were usually expected to live a communal life.

  3 Minorite: A widespread order of friars founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223. The monastic movement in Norway began at Selje, outside Bergen, where a Benedictine monastery was dedicated to Saint Alban in the early 12th century. Cistercians later settled on Hovedø, an island in the Oslo fjord. During the 13th century mendicant orders of Dominican and Franciscan monks established cloisters in the Norwegian bishoprics and trading centers.

  4 windowpane: The introduction of Christianity brought the art of making stained-glass windows to Scandinavia. Most 14th-century Norwegian manors and farmhouses, however, did not have windows of any kind. Light came into the room from the smoke vent in the roof and from the doorway. In some cases small openings might be cut in the wall and then covered either with horn or with a translucent membrane, usually made from a cow’s stomach.

  5 Selje men: According to legend, Sunniva (a Christian princess of Irish blood) found it necessary to flee England in the 10th century along with her entourage. They sought refuge on the Norwegian island of Selje and took up residence in the caves, where a rock slide eventually buried them. Rumors of a strange light over the island brought the authorities to investigate, and the body of Sunniva was discovered, completely unmarked.

  CHAPTER 3

  1 Saint Olav: During his reign from 1015 to 1030, King Olav Har aldssøn firmly established Christianity in Norway. Churches were built, priests were appointed, and Nidaros regained its stature as a spiritual center after years of neglect. The king also unified the country under a single monarchy by driving out the noblemen pretenders who had risen up against him. When King Olav died a hero’s death in battle, rumors began to circulate that he was a holy man and that miracles had occurred at his grave in Nidaros. Pilgrims began streaming to the cathedral, and the cult of Saint Olav grew rapidly. Olav churches and altars were built throughout Norway, and cloisters were dedicated to the holy man. Although never officially canonized, Olav became the most popular of Norwegian saints and was recognized as the patron saint of the country.

  2 medical things: The parish priest was often the only one in an isolated settlement who could offer some type of medical skill, based on what he had been taught of the principles of monastic medicine from southern Europe. Otherwise the community had to rely on local people with special knowledge of traditional remedies and curative herbs.

  CHAPTER 4

  1 King Sverre: Sverre Sigurdssøn asserted his right to the Norwegian throne in 1177 by ousting King Magnus Erlingssøn with the help of the “Birch-Leg” party (see chapter 7, note 2). King Sverre’s reign, which lasted until 1202, was marked by a continuous struggle to maintain his right to succession. This period of strife was just the beginning of years of civil war in Norway.

  2 high seat: The place of honor at the dining table, reserved for the male head of the family or an honored guest. The high seat was in the middle of the table, on the side against the wall.

  CHAPTER 5

  1 ting: A meeting of free, adult men (women rarely attended) which took place at regular intervals to discuss matters of concern to a particular community. On the local level, the ting might consider such issues as pasture rights, fencing, bridge and road construction, taxes, and the maintenance of the local warship. A regional ting, attended by chieftains or appointed deputies, would address such issues as defense and legal jurisdiction. The regional ting also functioned as a court, although its authority diminished as the power of the king grew. In addition to its regular meetings, a ting could be called for a specific purpose, such as the acclamation of a new king.

  CHAPTER 7

  1 prebendary: A clergyman who received a stipend provided by a special endowment or derived from the revenues of his cathedral or church.

  2 “Birch-Leg” followers: A political group formed in 1174 in south-eastern Norway during the conflict over the rightful successor to the throne. They gained their name from the birchbark they tied to their feet because many were too poor to own shoes. The Birch-Legs supported Sverre in his successful bid to become king in 1177, and many of them were later rewarded by being allowed to marry into distinguished families and enter the higher circles of society.

  PART II CHAPTER 1

  1 corrodians: People who donated land or property to a cloister in exchange for a pension or allowance (called a corrody), which permitted the holder to retire into the cloister as a boarder. Some corrodians took their meals at the cloister but lived outside unless they were ill. They were often clothed by the cloister as well.

  CHAPTER 2

  1 townyard: A plot of land in an urban area where several wooden buildings, each serving a specific function, were clustered around a central courtyard. A townyard might have one or more owners, or it could be subdivided into tenements or other types of property.

  2 ørtug: A coin equal in value to one-third of an øre or 10 penninger. One øre was equal to one-eighth of a mark.

  3 silver spurs: Golden spurs, not silver, were a sign of knighthood.

  CHAPTER 4

  1 campaign: The support of war campaigns initiated by the king was based on a defense system which divided Norway first into counties and then into parishes. Each county was required to supply and equip a warship, and each parish had to provide a member of the ship’s crew. In addition, taxes were levied to finance the campaigns. Wealthy landowners, who had both horses and weapons needed for the war, were required to do military service and were thus exempted from these taxes.

  2 Duke Eirik’s devastating incursion: Duke Eirik Magnussön of Sweden attempted to extend his power by attacking Oslo in 1308 and again in 1310. Both incursions were repelled, but after the second one the Norwegian king launched a retaliatory campaign, which was a great drain on the country’s resources.

  CHAPTER 5

  1 against the orders of the bishop: Duke Haakon Magnussøn provided land for a Franciscan monastery to be built in Oslo, but bitter opposition from the bishop led to a prohibition against the building project. The monks, however, were not subject to the bishop’s authority and proceeded with their plans. The bishop then refused them permission to preach in his dioceses, which rankled the Franciscans but did not stop them. Infuriated, the local ecclesiastical officials finally ordered armed men to
attack and destroy the building site. The friars complained to the Pope, who interceded on their behalf in 1291, and the monastery in Oslo was finally built.

  PART III CHAPTER 5

  1 Bretland: Old Norwegian name for Wales.

  CHAPTER 8

  1 escorted to bed: A pre-Christian wedding ritual, still prevalent in medieval times, which required that six people witness the couple openly going to bed; only then would the marriage be considered legally binding.

  2 lur horn: A trumpetlike wind instrument without a mouthpiece, made from a hollow piece of wood wrapped with bark.

  II: THE WIFE PART I CHAPTER 1

  1 courtyard: The multiple buildings of Norwegian farms were laid out around two courtyards: an “inner” courtyard surrounded by the various living quarters, storehouses, and cookhouse; and next to it an “outer” courtyard (or farmyard) surrounded by the stables, cowshed, barn, and other outbuildings. All of the buildings were constructed of wood, and most consisted of a single room that served a specific function on the farm. The buildings were usually no more than two stories high, although Husaby, once a particularly magnificent estate, had an armory with a third story. Many buildings had an external gallery and stairway along one side. Lofts built above the storerooms were used as bedchambers for both family members and guests.

  2 high seat: The place of honor, reserved for the male head of the family or an honored guest. The high seat was usually in the middle of the table, on the side against the wall. Servants often sat on the opposite bench.