The Wreath: Kristin Lavransdatter #1

While back at Nonneseter, Kristin is convinced that she is pregnant with Erlend’s child. Both captivated and terrified at the thought, she imagines what it would be like to die in childbirth as she begins to realize that she has made many mistakes: “One day she would have to answer for what she had done, and she felt as if her heart had stopped in terror” (152). After some time passes, however, she realizes that she is not pregnant and begins to feel resentful of her situation, purposefully looking for faults in the other sisters.

One day, she visits Brother Edvin at the king’s castle, where he was currently living, and she asks him to hear her confession. He tells her that he has been forbidden to hear confessions, but Kristin insists on telling him the events of her situation. He attempts to tell Kristin about the gravity of her situation—"don’t you realize how badly things stand with you now?” (160)—and advises her to do penance and not let Erlend tempt her into sin again.

After her conversation with Brother Edvin, Kristin feels a sense of peace and clarity: She realizes that she must take responsibility for her actions, and she realizes that she has now become a woman.