The Wreath: Kristin Lavransdatter #1

Lavrans Bjorgulfson and Ragnfrid Ivansdatter live in the Norwegian village of Jørundgaard at Sil. Married at a young age and pious Catholics, they are well-respected affluent members of their community. Lavrans “was known as a strong and courageous man, but a peaceful soul” (4) while Ragnfrid suffered from depression due to stress and grief over losing her first three children, all boys, in early infancy. Their next child, a girl, lived and was named Kristin.

Kristin grows up beautiful and strong, and at the age of seven accompanies her father on a journey into the mountains. Kristin’s childhood best friend, Arne Gyrdsøn, goes with them. There, they meet many people who are associates and tenants of Kristin’s father, who owns much land, and on this journey, Kristin first begins to think both of her own beauty—one of the women they meet calls her a lily—and about the expansive of the world outside her little village. Staring at the mountains at the top of a cliff, she realizes that “never had she imagined that the world was so huge or so vast” (12). This moment is the beginning of her exploration of relationships outside her small family circle.

The next day, fascinated by the beauty of a local river, Kristin wanders off and encounters a mysterious woman who offers her a golden wreath and beckons her to follow. Kristin is frightened, screams, and is rescued by her father, who believes the woman is an elf maiden. They travel home later that day.

As a landowner, Lavrans contemplates exchanging some of the more remote land under his ownership for property closer to his current home on the slopes of Sil, owned by Sir Andres Gudmundsøn. Before he does so, he takes Kristin to Skog to see the land that belonged to her ancestors, and along the way they stop in Hamar, where Kristin is able to see the great Cathedral, “a pale gray building as huge as a mountain” (25). She also meets Brother Edvin, who shows her around the Cathedral and the monastery, and shows her the magnificent stained-glass windows that remain a core memory for Kristin as one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. As she finishes her time with Brother Edvin, they speak of ways to please God, including the possibility of entering a convent when she is older.

The next spring, after Kristin’s journey to Skog, her mother gives birth to another girl, whom they name Ulvhild. Ulvhild is “an exceedingly pretty child, healthy, good-natured, happy, and serene” (38), giving Ragnfrid a renewed joy for life that Kristin had never seen before. Three years’ time passes, but tragedy strikes when a wild ox gets loose and knocks over a large stack of timbers on top of Ulvhild, injuring her almost to death. Attempting to stop the bull, Lavrans is also gravely injured, breaking his ribs and puncturing a lung in the process—but not before killing the bull with an ax.

With her husband and youngest daughter lying injured and with no medical help, Ragnfrid sends for Fru Aashild, a local woman infamous for both her wisdom and reputed ties to witchcraft. Clearly desperate—as Kristin notes that her mother had never once wanted to associate with the woman, “not even when she herself was near death when she gave birth to Ulvhild” (41)—Ragnfrid is at a complete loss on how to handle her grief. Kristin also is wracked with sorrow and regret, praying to Saint Olav and gathering up all the toys for her little sister to play with that she had previously been to jealous to share. Once Fru Aashild arrives, she enlists Kristin to help her tend to Ulvhild.

Fru Aashild ends remains at Jørundgaard the entire summer, with Kristin staying close by as her companion. While Ragnfrid still questions Kristin about speaking with Fru Aashild and about the songs that she has been taught, Ragnfrid warms to the woman, and her suspicions largely fall by the wayside: Fru Aashild proves to be a capable nurse and pleasant acquaintance. Kristin spends much time talking with Fru Aashild and even tells her of the time she encountered the dwarf maiden in the woods. Fru Aashild speaks of her home and family, telling Kristin of her nephew, a boy by the name of Erlend Nikulausson.

At the end of the summer, Fru Aashild returns home. She visits often and even becomes good friends with the priest, Sira Eirik. After many months of visiting and helping the family, Fru Aashild gains approval in the community, and Sira Eirik even gives her his approval and offers a theory for her reputation: “[I]gnorant people often spoke of witchcraft as soon as a woman showed herself to be wiser than the councilmen” (56). One evening, the house priest of Tron Gjesling, Sira Sigurd, arrives at Kristin’s house to invite the family to Sundbu to visit their relatives. Once there, however, he gets into a heated argument with Fru Aashild and has a violent encounter with Sira Eirik as they come to blows: "Shut your filthy trap, you damned priest!” (58), Sira Eirik yells, and the two have to be separated.