Kristin Lavransdatter

Kristin Lavransdatter is a trilogy of historical novels by Norwegian author and Nobel award-winner Sigrid Undset. Published between 1920 and 1922, the trilogy consists of The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross, in order. The novels chronicle Scandinavian life during the Middle Ages. They follow the eponymous protagonist, Kristin Lavransdatter, a woman living in 1300s Norway. Kristin, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, comes of age in the town of Sel nestled in the Gubrand Valley. She comes into conflict with her family and eventual husband but learns to find refuge and consolation in Catholicism. The trilogy is generally considered Undset’s magnum opus.

The first novel in the trilogy, The Wreath, introduces Kristin Lavransdatter. She is the daughter of Lavrans, a wealthy and well-liked farmer, and Ragnfrid, who suffers from severe depression after losing three sons in infancy. Kristin is portrayed as strong-headed but sensitive, often rebelling in subtle ways against her family. She has several frightening experiences as a child, particularly an experience with attempted sexual assault, that led some people in Sel to shame her. She falls in love with a man from the Husaby estate in Trondelag, Erlend Nikulausson, but is tragically wedded to Simon Darre, the son of a nearby estate owner. Erlend is a social outcast due to a past adulterous relationship, which led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church. Kristin and Erlend begin a secret affair. Lavrans discovers her affair but, failing to stop her, he reluctantly allows her to marry Erlend. Kristin becomes pregnant before their wedding day, hiding it from Erlend and the rest of her family. At her wedding, she wears a golden wreath, symbolizing her lost innocence.

The second novel, The Wife, begins as Kristin moves in with Erlend at Husaby. She worries about the fate of her unborn child since it was conceived through sin. Her perspective of Erlend also changes as the excitement of their early romance fades. She gives birth to a healthy son, naming him Nikulaus. Kristin tries to absolve herself of her sins by delivering a confession to a priest. She goes on a pilgrimage to Trondheim to thank God for Niklaus’s health, and leaves her golden wreath at the shrine. She has six more sons with Erlend, and becomes the head of the estate, while working through lingering problems with Erlend’s former lover. After her parents pass away, her only surviving sister, Ramborg, marries Simon Darre. Erlend commits a series of political mistakes and is thrown in prison. Simon arranges for his freedom, but the kingdom claims Erlend’s property as payment. At the end of the novel, Kristin is forced to move back to her parents’ farm, Jorundgard.



The final novel, The Cross, starts with the return to Jorundgard. Erlend and Kristin, now considered casual sinners, are not welcomed by the community. Their estrangement from the people of Sel brings them closer together, and Kristin redoubles her commitment to Erlend. Discovering that Simon still loves Kristin, Erlend cuts ties with him. Kristin is troubled by their family’s lost financial and social status; in a particularly bad argument with Erlend over the matter, she compares him to her father. Erlend leaves her for Haugen, the estate of his deceased aunt. He and Kristin get back together after Simon, from his deathbed, asks Kristin to apologize for their bitter history. Kristin conceives an eighth son with Erlend just as they cut ties again. She names him Erlend, intentionally violating a superstitious belief that it is bad fortune to name a child after a living relative. The boy soon sickens and dies, confirming the superstition. The townspeople accuse Kristin of being involved with her foreman and contributing to the death of her son. Erlend rushes to the farm to talk to Kristin, but locals kill him as he approaches, proclaiming her innocence to the mob. At the trilogy’s conclusion, Kristin moves back to Trondheim and becomes a layperson at Rein Abbey. In 1349, she decides to spend the remainder of her life taking care of the sick. Two of her sons die in the plague, and it claims her own life shortly after. She dies in peace, having redeemed herself through service to others. Kristin Lavransdatter is highly sympathetic to the obstacles and injustices that faced women during the Middle Ages while illuminating the richness of their inner lives.