The Wreath: Kristin Lavransdatter #1

When spring arrives, Sir Munan Baardsøn and Sir Baard Petersøn come to pay Lavrans a visit. Sir Munan presents a letter from Erlend that stipulates that he is asking for Kristin’s hand in marriage and offering a very generous wedding endowment along with property, responsibilities, and any other request that Lavrans might make. During the conversation, Lavrans and his guests are aware of their dislike for one another, and Lavrans is clear about his feelings towards Erlend. However, in the end Lavrans gives his consent, and they come to terms, with Lavrans demanding that the time of their betrothal last for a whole year.

For numerous reasons, the betrothal is postponed, but Lavrans agrees that the wedding need not be postponed. As the wedding date approaches, Kristin begins to feel anxious about the future, wondering if “it might be difficult for them when they were finally married, because they had been too close to each other in the beginning and then had been separated for far too long” (253-54). Later that spring, Brother Edvin comes to stay with the family after falling ill on a long journey. He eventually leaves Jørundgaard but dies shortly afterwards in a Dominican monastery. Kristin takes his loss especially hard.