The Cross

Sigrid Undset

Description

In this heart-wrenching novel by Sigrid Undset, The Cross brings Kristin’s story to a close as the final years of her life are consumed by the Black Death, in the final installment in the well-known Norwegian trilogy, Kristin Lavransdatter.

Kristin Lavransdatter has lost almost everything she loves. As the Black Death rapidly approaches Norway, she once again has to decide what is most important to her. Kristin grapples with her failing marriage and wavering faith while attempting to support eight sons. The once charmingly reckless characters are now facing their greatest challenge yet: the inevitability of their diminishing lives.

Completing the trilogy, Sigrid Undset’s third Kristin Lavransdatter book was originally published in 1922. The author’s colourful depiction of 14th century Norway is continued in this final volume as she provides a fascinatingly accurate insight into medieval Scandinavia.

Proudly republished by Read & Co. Books, this new edition of The Cross features an excerpt from Six Scandinavian Novelists by Alrik Gustafrom. An essential addition to the bookshelves of Kristen Lavransdatter fans, this volume is the perfect end to the classic Norwegian series.

Sujets

• Medieval
• Historical
• Romance
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 31 janvier 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781447482208
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

SIGRID UNDSET
KRISTIN LAVRANSDATTER
TRANSLATED FROM THE NORWEGIAN BY
CHARLES ARCHER J. S. SCOTT

1930
TRANSLATORS FOREWORD
F OR the comfort of those readers of this volume who like to know, approximately, how the names of new acquaintance, whether places or people, are pronounced, it may be well to say that in Norwegian aa = broad o , while the rest of the vowels, including final e , may for practical purposes be sounded much as in German; that j always = y , and that final d is usually silent. Thus J rundgaard = Y rungoar, Arne = Arn , Aashild = Oas-hil.
Oslo was the ancient city occupying the eastern portion of the site of the modern capital; Nidaros the old northern capital, now called Trondhjem, the modern name having originally been that of the surrounding district (Trondheim in this book).
The main route from Oslo to Nidaros ran past the great lake, Mj sen, and up Gudbrandsdal to Dovre Church; proceeding thence either (1) down Romsdal to N s on the Romsdalsfjord, and thence by sea to Nidaros, or (2) over the Dovrefjeld and down Opdal and Suldal.
A few notes have been appended in explanation of words or passages in the text, which seem to require elucidation to make them fully intelligible to English readers.
The plates attached show (1) plans of a typical manor farm of the period, and of the aarestue or hearth-room house, which was the usual form of dwelling-house before wall fireplaces were introduced; and (2) a sketch of a typical stavkirke or stave-church.
At the period of this book, and, indeed, for long after it, surnames were little used in Norway; men and women being called by their Christian names, with the addition of a patronymic formed by adding the suffix s n (son), or datter (daughter) to the father s Christian name; e.g . Simon Andress n (Simon Andrew s son), Kristin Lavrans-datter (= Kristin Laurence s daughter). Rudimentary surnames, however, had already begun to appear. Thus the heroine s mother, though always spoken of as Ragnfrid Ivarsdatter, belongs to a family known as the Gjeslings; while Simon Andress n is sometimes called Darre, from the nickname given to the founder of his family several generations back.
CONTENTS
THE CROSS
I .
KINSHIP S DUES

I

II

III

IV

V

VI
II .
DEBTORS

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII
III .
THE CROSS

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

NOTES
THE CROSS
Part One
KINSHIP S DUES
I
T HE second year Erlend Nikulauss n and Kristin Lavransdatter dwelt on J rundgaard, the mistress was minded to go herself and lie the summer over at the s ter.
She had thought upon this ever since the winter. At Skjenne it was the use from of old for the wife herself to pass the summer at the out-farm, for once a daughter of that house had been carried off by the mountain folk, and afterwards naught would serve the mother but she must herself lie on the mountain every summer. But in so many things they had their own ways down at Skjenne-and folk in the parish were used to this and thought it was but as it should be.
But elsewhere in the Dale twas not the use for the master s womenfolk of the great manors to abide themselves at the s ters. Kristin knew that if she did it, there would be talk and wonderment among the folks.
--In God s name, then, they must even talk. Sure it was that they gossiped about her and hers whether or no.
--Audin Torbergss n had owned no more than his weapons and the clothes he stood up in when he was wed with Ingebj rg Nikulaus-datter of Loptsgaard. He had been henchman to the Bishop of Hamar; twas the time when the Bishop was in the north here to hallow the new church that Ingebj rg fell into trouble. Nikulaus Sigurdss n took it hardly at first, swore to God and all men that a horse-boy never should be son-in-law of his. But Ingebj rg was brought to bed of twins; and, said folks, laughing, Nikulaus maybe deemed their bringing up too hard a matter to tackle single-handed. However that might be, he gave Audin his daughter in marriage.
This had happed two years after Kristin s wedding. Twas not forgotten; folk still bore in mind that Audun was a stranger in the parish-he was a Hallander, of good kin, but his folk had fallen into great poverty. And the man himself was not over well liked in Sil; he was stiff-necked and hard, slow to forget either good or ill; yet was he a notable farmer, and had good knowledge of the laws-so in some ways Audun Torbergss n was a man of standing now in the parish, and a man that folk were little willing to fall at odds with.
Kristin thought of farmer Audun s broad, brown face set in its curly red hair and beard; of his sharp little blue eyes. He was like more men than one that she had seen-she had seen such faces amongst their serving-folk at Husaby-Erlend s house-carls and ship-folk.
The mistress sighed. It must be easier for such a man to hold his own, even though twas his wife s lands he lived on. He had never been master of aught before--
Throughout the winter and spring Kristin talked much with Frida Styrkaarsdatter, who had come with them from the Trondheim country and was the chief of her serving-women. Over and over again she would say to the girl that they were wont to have things so and so in the Dale here in summer, the harvest-folk were used to get this, and that was how they did in the fields in autumn-Frida must bear in mind how she, Kristin, had done last year. For it was her will that all things here on the farm should go as they had gone in Ragnfrid Ivarsdatter s time--
But to say outright that she herself would not be there on the farm that summer-this she found hard. She had lived at J rundgaard two winters and a summer now as mistress, and she knew well that if she went to the s ter and abode there this year, twere much as though she ran away.
--She saw well that Erlend s lot was no easy one. From the time he sat upon his foster-mother s knee, he had known naught save that he was born to bid and rule over all and everything around him. And if so be he had let himself be ruled and bidden by others, at least the man himself had never known it.
T was impossible he could be within as outwardly he seemed. He must needs be unhappy here. She herself--Her father s manor on the floor of the still, shut-in valley, the flat fields looped in by the river bends shining through the alder woods, the farmsteads on the low ploughed lands at the foot of the fells, and the headlong hill-sides above, with grey scaurs high up against the sky, pale-hued screes below, and pine woods and leaf woods scrambling up and over the slopes from the valley-bottom-no, this no longer seemed to her the fairest and safest home in the world. T was so hemmed in. Surely this must seem to Erlend ugly and cramped and unkindly.
But none could mark aught on him but that he was well content--
At last, the day they let the cattle out on J rundgaard, she got it said-in the evening, as they sat at supper. As she spoke, Erlend was groping in the fish-platter for a titbit-he sat stark still in wonderment, his fingers still in the dish, gazing at his wife. Then Kristin said quickly- twas most because of that throat evil that was ever about among the young children in the Dale; Munan was so weakly; she would take him and Lavrans with her up to the mountains.
Ay, said Erlend. Then twould mayhap be best that Ivar and Skule should go with her too.
The twins jumped with joy on their bench. Through the rest of the meal each tried to out-chatter the other. They would go with Erling, they said, who was to lie away to the north among the Graah fells, with the sheep. Three years ago shepherds from Sil had chased a sheep-stealer and killed him by his own hut in among the Boar-fells-he was an outlaw from the sterdal. As soon as the house-folk had risen from the board, Ivar and Skule bore into the hall all the weapons they owned and set to work on them.
A little later in the evening Kristin went southward, with Simon Andress n s daughters and her sons Gaute and Lavrans. Arngjerd Simons-datter had been at J rundgaard the most of this winter. The maid was fifteen years old now; and one day in Yule, at Formo, Simon had said somewhat of how twas time that Arngjerd should learn something more than what she could pick up at her home; she knew already as much as the serving-women did. At that Kristin proffered to take the girl home with her and teach her as well as she could, for she knew that Simon held this daughter very dear and thought much on what was to come of her. And the child might well have need to learn other ways than those she saw at Formo. Now that his wife s father and mother were both dead, Simon Andress n was one of the richest men in the country-side. He guided his estates well and heedfully, and was a stirring and skilful farmer on his Formo lands. But within the house things went as best they might-the serving-women ruled and guided all things, and when Simon marked that disorder and waste went beyond all bounds, he would get him one or two serving-wenches more; but he never spoke of such things to his wife, and seemed not to look, nor yet to wish, that she should charge herself more with the house-mistress s work. Almost it was as though he did not deem her full-grown yet-but he was most kind and easy with Ramborg, and poured out gifts upon her and the children in season and out of season.
Kristin grew fond of Arngjerd when she came to know her. Fair the maid was not, but she was of a good wit, and was gentle, good-hearted, quick with her hands, and diligent. As the young girl went about with her in the house, or sat by her side in the weaving-house of an evening, Kristin often thought she could wish now that one of her children had been a daughter. A daughter must be with her mother more--
She was thinking the like this evening, as she walked, leading Lavrans by the hand, and looking on the two, Gaute and Arngjerd, who were on the path before her.