Kristin Lavransdatter (170 page)

4
Gandvik Sea:
Medieval name for the White Sea, near present-day Arkhangel’sk, Russia. During the Middle Ages the area surrounding the White Sea was called Bjarmeland. It was separated from Finnmark, which was under the Norwegian Crown, by a great river and promontory. The Norwegians discovered the passage to Bjarmeland around the North Cape in the ninth century, and frequent raids were made in subsequent centuries. The Russians were also interested in the area because it was an important fur-trading center, and by the thirteenth century it had come under the rule of Novgorod.

CHAPTER 3

1
Karelians:
Inhabitants of eastern Finland and the Russian territory around the White Sea. Karelia was the stage for a centuries-long border dispute between Sweden and Russia that was not settled until a treaty was signed in 1323.

2
Santiago de Compostela:
Town in Galicia in northwestern Spain which became the third most important Christian pilgrimage site (after Jerusalem and Rome) during the Middle Ages. According to legend, the bones of Saint James the Apostle were taken there, and his tomb was purportedly discovered in A.D. 813.

CHAPTER 4

1
Sami woman from Kola:
The nomadic people called the Samis (formerly known as Lapps) today still inhabit the vast region of northern Europe which extends above the Arctic Circle. The Kola peninsula stretches northeast from Finland, between the Arctic Ocean and the White Sea.

2
Saint Sunniva:
According to legend, Sunniva (a Christian princess of Irish blood) was driven from England in the tenth century along with a large entourage. They set sail in three ships that had neither oars nor sails, but they miraculously made it safely to the Norwegian island of Selje, where they sought refuge in the caves. Eventually a rock slide buried them all. Rumors of a strange light over the island brought both the king and bishop to investigate, and the bodies of the Selje men and Sunniva were discovered, hers completely unscathed by injury or decay. In the twelfth century her body was taken to Bjørgvin (Bergen) and buried in the cathedral there.

3
prebends:
Stipends received by clergymen which were provided by a special endowment or derived from the revenues of their cathedral or church.

CHAPTER 5

1
the inheritance had been settled:
Simon Andressøn was not entitled to inherit Mandvik, the estate of his deceased wife, because their child died before she did. If the infant had survived the mother by even a brief time, the property would have passed on to the father.

2
dispensation:
In 1215 the laws of the Church were changed to allow marriage between third cousins (considered kinship to the fourth degree), although only with special dispensation. Before that time marriage was not allowed up to the seventh degree, which covered such a wide group of kinsmen that it proved impractical in medieval society.

CHAPTER 7

1
Venite ad me . . . :
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28.

CHAPTER 8

1
Soten:
The Norwegian word for “soot.”

2
weapons-
ting: Assembly called to ensure that each man had in his possession the weapons prescribed by law.

3
Summer Day:
April 14, considered the beginning of the summer half-year.

4
campaign against Duke Eirik:
Duke Eirik Magnussön of Sweden attempted to extend his power by attacking Oslo in 1308 and again in 1310. Both incursions were fought back, but after the second one the Norwegian king launched a retaliatory campaign, in which Lavrans apparently participated during Kristin’s childhood.

5
Exsurrexi, et adhuc . . . :
When I awake, I am still with thee. Psalms 139:18.

PART III CHAPTER 1

1
allowed to remain in the country:
The king could grant permission for a man to remain in Norway even though he had either been sentenced to banishment, or had committed acts punishable by banishment.

2
Frosta
ting: One of the four independent law assemblies in Norway during the Middle Ages. Founded by King Haakon the Good in the tenth century, the Frosta
ting
was usually held in the summer on the Frosta peninsula in Trondheim Fjord, although Sigrid Undset has moved the setting to Nidaros in her novel.

3
cote-hardi:
A lined outer garment with sleeves and hood, worn by both men and women; it fit snugly to the body and was buttoned down the front.

4
Skaane:
A rich agricultural region in the southernmost section of present-day Sweden that belonged to Denmark during the Middle Ages. The great demand for salt herring made the Öresund coast a key trading area, and the Skaane Fair was one of the foremost fairs in medieval Europe. Every year merchants would arrive overland and by sea to trade their wares when the market opened on August 15. In 1289 the Norwegians unsuccessfully attempted to seize Skaane. King Magnus Eirikssøn tried again in 1332 and subsequently held the area for nearly thirty years.

CHAPTER 2

1
letter-breaching:
The punishable offense of breaking the seal on letters addressed to someone else. In medieval Norway letters were often safeguarded and conveyed in carved wooden boxes that could be securely closed.

III: THE CROSS PART I CHAPTER 1

1
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.

CHAPTER 2

1
try to lure her inside:
In medieval Norway people believed that the forests and mountains were populated by many types of supernatural beings, which were both unpredicatable and menacing.

2
the transparent hide:
Both window openings and smoke vents were often covered with a transparent membrane, usually made from a cow’s stomach.

CHAPTER 3

1
His two motherless daughters had been taken in:
An arrangement by which a number of neighboring estates agreed to provide a certain amount of food for the poor. Each manor fulfilled its obligations either by distributing food to needy individuals or by taking in charity cases for a specified length of time.

2
Convertere, Domine . . . :
Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. Psalms 30:13. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. Isaiah 64:9.

CHAPTER 4

1
ting:
A meeting of free, adult men (women rarely attended) which met 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 5

1
Duke Skule when he rallied the forces:
In 1238 the Norwegian Duke Skule Baardssøn challenged King Haakon Haakonssøn’s right to the throne by having himself proclaimed king at the Øre
ting.
He and his army of followers waged war in several parts of Norway, but after losing a battle in Oslo, he fled to Nidaros. Skule was eventually slain at Elgeseter Cloister. His death brought to an end the century-long strife over succession to the throne.

2
offering the land to the heirs
: In accordance with the laws of the time, ancestral land had to be offered for sale to the descendants of the original owners before it could be sold to anyone else.

3
his father had acknowledged him as his own:
Not until 1270 did celibacy for priests become part of Norwegian Church law. Even then, it was not strictly enforced, particularly in the countryside.

4
the murder of the dukes
:
In 1318 the Swedish dukes Eirik and Valdemar were murdered by their older brother, King Birger Magnussön, after a long-standing power struggle.

5
a letter of reprieve
: Permission, granted by the king, for a man to remain in Norway even though he either had been sentenced to banishment or had committed acts punishable by banishment.

CHAPTER 6

1
merchants of Bjørgvin:
Medieval name for Bergen, which was the royal and ecclesiastical center of West Norway. In the twelfth century it became the first port in Scandinavia to have international commercial importance, and it was the main market for the export of dried cod, or stockfish. By the fourteenth century Bjørgvin was the largest Norwegian town.

2
woodpile dance:
Dance often performed around a large woodpile on the day after a wedding. First the bride and groom and then other couples, by turn, would share a piece of bread and drink from the same cup and then dance around the woodpile.

3
Abishag the Shunammite:
A beautiful young woman who came under David’s care when he was an old man. Adonijah sought in vain to make her his wife.

PART II CHAPTER 1

1
the Gandvik coast:
The Gandvik Sea was the medieval name for the White Sea, near present-day Arkhangel’sk, Russia.

2
mare:
A supernatural female creature which, according to folk belief, torments people in their sleep by perching heavily on their chests.

CHAPTER 2

1
prime:
The second of the seven canonical hours, usually about 6 A.M. According to Church law, specific prayers were to be recited at seven prescribed times of the day.

2
chapter
: An assembly of the canons of a cathedral. 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.

CHAPTER 3

1
Venite: revertamur . . . :
Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. . . . Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. Hosea 6:1 and 3.

2
Salvator mundi . . .
: Savior of the world, save us all.

3
turnover day
: The day on which tenants and servants were allowed to give up their positions and move to new ones. The exact day varied by area, but was often Summer Day (April 14) and Winter Day (October 14) of each year.

CHAPTER 7

1
with either five or eleven others:
Two types of oath could exonerate a person from a charge brought against him. One required five people to swear to the person’s veracity; the other required eleven people. In the case of an accused woman all the others had to be women.

2
King David and Bathsheba:
Old Testament story about the beautiful Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite. She was seduced by King David and conceived a child who later died. After the death of Uriah, Bathsheba married David and gave birth to Solomon.

PART III CHAPTER 1

1
the farmer in the mound:
A commonly held pagan belief that the spirit of the original owner of an estate continued to offer protection from the grave.

2
Quid mihi . . . :
Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. John 2:4.

CHAPTER 2

1
Winter Day:
October 14, considered the beginning of the winter half year.

2
an unredeemable offense:
A crime that could not be absolved through the payment of fines; a crime punishable by unconditional banishment.

CHAPTER 4

1
Jesus Kristus Soter . . . :
Jesus Christ the Savior. The lion of the tribe of Judah is victorious.

CHAPTER 5

1
corrody:
A pension or allowance granted by a cloister in exchange for donated land or property; it permitted the holder to retire into the cloister as a boarder.

2
nona hora:
The fifth of the seven canonical hours set aside for prayer, usually the ninth hour after sunrise.

LIST OF HOLY DAYS