medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Mea culpa. You are absolutely right!
This will teach me to do posts at midnight when I am feeling lucid. I
clearly turned over 2 pages in my notes.
Both Olaf I Tryggvesson and Olaf II Haraldsson returned from exile in
England to claim power in Norway, and both attempted large-scale conversion
at the point of the sword.
However, Maldon, Ethelred, Andover &c relate to Olaf I;
but the "rex perpetuum norvegiae" is Olaf II.
Brenda M. C.
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 11:38 AM
Subject: Re: [M-R] st olaf, Ethelred the Unready and the Battle of Maldon
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Dear Brenda,
> WHile Olaf Tryggvason undoubtedly deserved to be better
> known, he is not St. Olaf, Olaf Haraldsson, who lived about
> a generation later (995-1030.) some traditions have the
> former olaf baptize the latter, but this is probably
> wishful thinking. Olaf Tryggvason was, however, indirectly
> responsible for converting the Icelanders (as one story has
> it, he held the sons of several noble families hostage until
> the faith was adopted at the national assembly).
> However, the earliest and most reliable account of this
> event can be found in the Book of The Icelanders by
> Ari Thorgilsson, Islandica 20 Ithaca: Cornell University Press 1930.
> the accounts in Njals saga and Laxdaela saga, to say
> nothing of Kristni saga, are late and unreliable.
> Back to Olaf Tryggvason, although the means he used
> to obtain the conversion of the various atlantic
> islands were dubious, to say the least (my favorite
> episode - in a saga which, like those above, must
> be taken with several grains of salt - has him
> holding the son of the jarl of orkney over the
> gunwale of the boat with a sword at his throat,
> asking his father whether he doesnt think it
> would be a good idea to hve the boy (and
> everyone else) baptized -
> Icelanders appear to have thought a lot of him for
> bringing about their "conversion" a good 25 years
> BEFORE St. Olaf (haraldsson) did the same for norwway.
> it has been proposed that they wanted him as
> their patron saint, but were never able to
> get a cultus off the ground. (he died at sea -
> no relics!)
> Meg
.html
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