Christian Identity in the North
The Cult of St Olaf across Space and Time
Hardback (Forthcoming)
(February 2027)
ISBN: 9782503622637
Price: $182.00
According to tradition, in 1024 the Norwegian King Olaf Haraldsson introduced Christian laws to Norway at the assembly, or thing, held at Moster. That year is often regarded as an emblematic moment marking the beginning of a major cultural transformation in the country, facilitated by the new faith. Olaf died six years later, at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, but a cult quickly grew up around him, and as a royal saint, he was widely venerated, acquiring the status of ‘Eternal King’. As a saint, his cult also spread far beyond his own dominion, shaping the religious life of many other societies in Northern Europe in the centuries before the Reformation. The recently celebrated 1000th anniversary of the Moster thing, combined with the millennium since Olaf’s death, provide an occasion to present fresh insights into the many issues surrounding the veneration of St Olaf and to summarize our current knowledge of the topic. Drawing together diverse aspects of his cult, this volume explores the importance of St Olaf across both different regions and different time periods to offer a truly comparative approach to our understanding of this royal saint.
According to tradition, in 1024 the Norwegian King Olaf Haraldsson introduced Christian laws to Norway at the assembly, or thing, held at Moster. That year is often regarded as an emblematic moment marking the beginning of a major cultural transformation in the country, facilitated by the new faith. Olaf died six years later, at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, but a cult quickly grew up around him, and as a royal saint, he was widely venerated, acquiring the status of ‘Eternal King’. As a saint, his cult also spread far beyond his own dominion, shaping the religious life of many other societies in Northern Europe in the centuries before the Reformation. The recently celebrated 1000th anniversary of the Moster thing, combined with the millennium since Olaf’s death, provide an occasion to present fresh insights into the many issues surrounding the veneration of St Olaf and to summarize our current knowledge of the topic. Drawing together diverse aspects of his cult, this volume explores the importance of St Olaf across both different regions and different time periods to offer a truly comparative approach to our understanding of this royal saint.
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