Dear Christopher and others,
As a Norwegian, I am indeed well acquainted with Sigrid Undset and her
novels, although I must admit that it was a long time ago that I read
'Kristin Lavransdatter', and I hadn't thought of re-reading it for this
purpose. Thank you for the suggestion!
As you say, her knowledge and descriptions of the Middle Ages are very good,
and, yes, her father was a distinguished Norwegian archaeologist, Ingvald
Undset, who, unfortunately, died very young, at only 40 (in 1893).
I can't resist telling you that a geologist friend of mine in Norway also
used Undset's landscape descriptions in 'Kristin Lavransdatter' as a basis
for her own description of the medieval landscape along the pilgrim trail
from Oslo to Trondheim, which Kristin followed in the book. This trail, as
well as others, have recently been marked for modern pilgrims and tourists
to follow, and a short book describing its background and setting was
published a couple of years ago, including my friend's article. She tells
me that not only was Sigrid Undset well versed in medieval history and
psychology, but she was also a very perceptive observer of the landscape and
its characteristics and impact.
I have also been fascinated by the discussion of 'the seamless robe' on the
list, as this, as far as I can make out, is supposed to have been woven by
the Virgin Mary. Weaving and spinning are among the traits that Davidson
claims were transferred to Mary from the pagan goddesses, where they are
usually associated with destiny. Is there any such association with 'the
seamless robe'?
Ingegerd Holand
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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