Kristin Lavransdatter

Kristin Lavransdatter is a trilogy of historical novels by Norwegian author and Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset. Published between 1920 and 1922, the trilogy consists of The Wreath (see the comprehensive SuperSummary guide to The Wreath here), The Wife, and The Cross. The novels chronicle Scandinavian life during the Middle Ages. They follow the eponymous protagonist, Kristin Lavransdatter, a woman living in 1300s Norway. The trilogy is generally considered Undset’s magnum opus.

This guide is based on the 2005 Penguin Books edition, translated by Tiina Nunnally.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of attempted sexual assault, misogyny, and child loss.

Plot Summary

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 is betrothed to Simon Darre, the son of a nearby estate owner, but falls in love with a man from the Husaby estate in Trondelag, Erlend Nikulausson. Erlend is a social outcast due to a past adulterous relationship with a married woman named Eline, with whom he has two children.

Kristin and Erlend begin a secret affair while she is staying in a convent away from home. Simon learns of the affair and agrees to end his betrothal to Kristin, allowing her to marry Erlend. Simon Darre is close to Kristin’s father, Lavrans; however, he does not want to lose Lavrans’s respect. Lavrans reluctantly allows Kristin to marry Erlend. Kristin becomes pregnant before their wedding day, hiding it from Erlend and the rest of her family as she fears the stigma associated with premarital sex. 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 his estate, Husaby. Erlend’s reputation may be low, but he comes from an aristocratic and wealthy family who possesses many lands, even though these have been poorly managed by Erlend. Kristin worries about the fate of her unborn child since it was conceived through sin. Her perspective on Erlend also changes as the excitement of their early romance fades. She gives birth to a healthy son, naming him Naakkve. 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 her baby son’s health, and leaves her golden wreath at the cathedral as a donation, making her confession to the bishop. She has six more sons with Erlend—naming them Bjørgulf, Gaute, Ivar, Skule, Lavrans, and Munan—and becomes the head of the estate while working through lingering problems caused by the death of Erlend’s former lover, Eline. After Kristin’s parents pass away, her only surviving sister, Ramborg, marries Simon Darre, though he continues to love Kristin and never truly loves Ramborg. Erlend commits a series of political mistakes by involving himself in a conspiracy against the king. As a result of his headstrong and reckless actions, he is caught when he leaves an incriminating letter in the home of his mistress during a brief affair. Erlend is thrown in prison, where he is tortured for the names of his fellow conspirators. Simon arranges for his freedom, in spite of the enmity he bears toward Erlend, but the kingdom claims Erlend’s property as payment. Kristin is forced to move back to her parents’ farm, Jørundgaard.

The final novel, The Cross, starts with the return to Jørundgaard. Erlend and Kristin, now considered sinners due to Erlend’s imprisonment, are not welcomed by the community. Their estrangement from the local people 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 unfavorably to her father. Erlend leaves her for Haugen, the estate of his deceased aunt. Simon is stabbed in a tavern brawl, and he slowly dies from infection, but before dying he urges Kristin to reconcile with Erlend. Erlend and Kristin are both too proud to reconcile, though Kristin travels briefly to visit Erlend, during which time she becomes pregnant. Back in Jørundgaard, Kristin gives birth to another son. She expects Erlend to come to her before the child is born, but instead he sends word that he wants her to come to him, pregnant as she is. Angry at this, she names the child Erlend, intentionally violating a superstitious belief that boys should only be given their fathers’ names if the father is dead. The boy soon sickens and dies. The townspeople, unaware that Kristin became pregnant while visiting Erlend, accuse her of adultery and contributing to the death of her son. Erlend rushes to the farm to talk to Kristin, but he is killed in a fight.

Following Erlend’s death, Gaute takes over Jørundgaard. Kristin moves back to Trondheim and pledges herself to a convent. Gaute marries and takes over Jørundgaard, while Ivar, Skule, and Lavrans leave to seek their fortunes elsewhere. Naakkve and Bjørgulf become monks, only to die during an outbreak of the black death. Kristin is also killed by this plague, but not before she saves a child from being sacrificed by the desperate locals.