Kristin Lavransdatter read-along | 2025

I thought thé conversation between Erland’s relatives was interesting. One of them complains about the effort they have had to make asking Lavrans’ permission to the marriage given the previous assignations between Kristin and Erland. The other blames Erland for the assignations and hopes that Lavrans does not find out about the assignations as it would be better for Erland to get on well with Lavrans.

I thought thé conversation between Erland’s relatives was interesting. One of them complains about the effort they have had to make asking Lavrans’ permission to the marriage given the previous assignations between Kristin and Erland. The other blames Erland for the assignations and hopes that Lavrans does not find out about the assignations as it would be better for Erland to get on well with Lavrans.

About chs 4-6:

Ch 4. Kristin doesn't feel entirely at ease about what she has done; the death of her sister Ulvhild makes her feel guilty.

Ch 5. Lavrans thinks Kristin 'has not been raised to manage properties and riches herself.' Is he underestimating his daughter here? Lavrans thinks she needs to marry a man who will take the lead. Hmm.

Lavrans is very sceptical of romantic love. Yes, that sort of thing sounds so beautiful when we hear it in a courtly tale from the southern lands. But we are not in Bretland, and surely you would demand more of a man you intend to take as a son-in-law than that he had made your daughter swoon with love before everyone's eyes. Again, there's a lot of ambiguity here: is he right or wrong? On the one hand, he's right in saying that sexual desire on its own isn't enough to guarantee a good relationship. On the other hand, we know that he himself doesn't seem to appreciate the power of sexual desire ...

Ch 6. Kristin's dad has said yes, but she has misgivings. Interesting. She's starting to intuit at some deep level that Erlend isn't worthy of her?

The final scenes between Kristin and Brother Edvin are moving. In an era that precedes modern therapy/psychology, it seems like religion and Kristin's conversations with Edvin fill this void.

The last sentence of Ch 6 says, She was now quite cut off from the person she had been - the time when she was a maiden.

Is the wreath a symbol of maidenhood? if so Kristin is now out of the innocent sphere of the virginal wreath, and in a more complicated world.

I fell behind but then I finished Book 1!

Loads of great comments, thank you everyone.

Initially I thought @AgualusasLover 's comment about Lady Macbeth was extreme, but actually, when I thought about it further, it makes a lot of sense. Erlend is the weaker one and Kristin is the one who is committed to following through. When I first read the scene of Eline's death, I didn't see Kristin as implicated, but when I reread it, I could see the significance of Kristin's role:
Then Kristin stepped forward and grabbed the horn. "One of us must drink - you can't keep both of us."

I agree that Kristin is not coming off well here, but part of me admires her determination to stand by the decision she has made. She refuses to shift the blame; she insists on her own agency. There's something feminist in that, even though her willingness to destroy another woman is strongly antifeminist.

The info about how Ragnfrid felt sexually frustrated in her marriage to Lavrans was almost painful to me (as though it were TMI!). @MotherOfCatBoy I find this comment of yours so insightful:
If Lavrans doesn’t have it in him to understand that kind of bond, it illuminates how he could arrange a marriage for Kristin with someone she doesn’t desire, and why he doesn’t understand what’s driving her now. It also means the mother and daughter have something in their nature in common.
Ragnfrid and Kristin are very attuned to erotic love; Lavrans (and maybe also Simon?) aren't.

When it comes to modern morality, I agree that Kristin is making a lot of dubious ethical decisions. But I'm still trying to distinguish somehow between decisions that involve poor judgement (because Erlend is not a great guy) and the idea that extramarital sex is de facto sinful.

There is only 40 or so pages until end of book 1.

I’ll reserve full thoughts for when we’ve finished The Wreath, but I am very on the fence about the book, the characters and everything. I will definitely carry on though, I am committed now.

I am up to date but also had to read on a bit until the end of the volume. Interesting developments with Kristin's parents but have gone off Erland even more.

Re @cassandre’s point about not doing anything wrong by modern standards, I do think Kristin would still be judged for her behaviour today because she has been so reckless for basing the relationship on her first impressions when had she waited a little longer & thought about it, she might have made a different choice. I’m not sure whether she would have been put off by the previous relationship but I think she might have been put off by the mismanagement of his estate (and as soon as I typed the words “first impressions” I immediately began to think about characters like Willoughby from Jane Austen as Erland is definitely in that vein rather than a medieval style courtly lover). I also think the sheer sordidness of their meetings would be held against her - I suspect if this happened today, her family & friends would be deeply worried for her whereas less fond acquaintances would be very critical.

I also think the lack of safeguarding from the nuns & from her uncle is worrying & would still be so today. Both must have been aware of Erland’s reputation yet no-one put Kristin on her guard or supervised them even though she was so young & naive.

I also thought the conversation between Kristin & Erland about Fru Aashild & Bjorn was very telling where Erland’s memories how Bjorn’s earlier beauty was contrasted with Kristin’s less flattering opinion of him now. When I read it I wondered if it prefigured Erland’s future except that we now know that Bjorn is much braver than Erland.

Finally, I also thought that Simon improved as the reader got to know him. There are several signs that suggest that his relationship with Kristin could have gone very differently - there’s the bit after Arne’s death where she thinks about embracing him but doesn’t. Then there’s the later bit where she realises that she is not indifferent to him but she is too tied by then to Erland to break with Erland.

What eventful chapters! I’m surprised at Fru Aashild going along with it, she’s suffered from having been shunned by society and is not doing much to try to stop Kristin having the same fate. She’ll be burning her bridges with Lavrans. Also interested by Kristin’s saying that she might have behaved the same as Eline in her position. I agree Elaine’s new baby was what pushed him over the edge.

I suppose if we are being sympathetic to Erlend we could say he thought he was protecting Kristin but it is a bit of a stretch. I think he did it because of the new baby. He comes across as very weak and selfish though rather than purposefully evil. Am very suprised Kristin isn't more shocked herself at his violence.

I think so, Time. I think she came to do damage in one way or another. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of killing her either. A proud woman!

I think Fru Aashild managed the situation as best she could. Bjorn got roped into the get-away plan. He had more courage than Erlend. No surprise there.

I thought that Eline brought the poison for Erlend ('for all the times you betrayed me') but then changed her mind and tried to give it to Kristin. But I could be wrong. I agree that this episode was unexpected and shocking and also that we will consider Kristin very differently from now on.

Actually, another thought, this reminded me very much of Therese Raquin - but eventually the stress of murder (this was or was very close to that) gets her. Now I think about it we also have it with Lady Macbeth. I can’t envisage the marriage being a happy one and I wonder if we might see a descent into a sort of madness for Kristin.

Just finished chapter 3. Oh my goodness, that scene with Eline. I have to say Kristin has gone down in my estimation hugely, she seems to show very little remorse regarding her own role in Elaine’s demise or shock at the way Erlend behaved. She isn’t even behaving like a naive 17 year old. She is calm, accepts she wanted her dead anyway and is only concerned with marrying Erlend, in spite of what she has just heard and seen. I’m quite floored and I have an intense dislike for the pair of them.

Given the title of book 2, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Erlend.

@MotherOfCatBoy I made the same point upthread about Lavran's attitude to marriage - he did his duty by marrying a woman he wasn't in love with, he has gone out of his way to find a nice husband for Kristin and is annoyed that she's behaved so badly. The detail from Ragnfrid about their sex life was a very interesting addition to that backstory though.

Although there's quite a lot of talking and discussion, these are still exciting and interesting chapters. Shocking too! It throws an interesting light on the role of women. Clearly they are expected to do what their men tell them, but Elaine and Aashild have both gone against that and done their own thing. However, they have both made a big sacrifice to do so - especially Éline, as her 'disgrace' affects her children too.

I think that Aashild is frustrated that Kristin won't listen to any sense on the matter and is determined to throw herself away on Erlend. I was struck by the part where she says that Kristin will always be viewed as his mistress unless her father agrees to the marriage, and K doesn't believe her.

Im very concerned that Erlend is a man who enjoys the chase more than the capture, and K is just going to be left at home, in a half life, while he goes on his next adventure.

I can’t believe how deep in Kristin is! I only hope she doesn’t have children with this man but suspect she will…
I can imagine a girl that age defying her parents even after they have patiently explained all their reasons to her. It’s harder to see her coldness to Éline and her complicity in her death. Two children now without a mother (albeit an unstable one).

Rangfrid was interesting. There’s a suggestion she has been happy with Lavrans because he has been kind to her, but that she’s sexually frustrated because he won’t give her more than his « married rights. » Seems as though she wanted more passion. If Lavrans doesn’t have it in him to understand that kind of bond, it illuminates how he could arrange a marriage for Kristin with someone she doesn’t desire, and why he doesn’t understand what’s driving her now. It also means the mother and daughter have something in their nature in common.

I really liked the line 'Fru Aashild said acidly, "Anyone might think you have eloped before." ' Very snarky. Ha!

I'm surprised by how self-assured Kristin is for such a young girl. The scene with her mother when she is so defiant struck me as quite contemporary in its tone and her choice of words is meant to shock and hurt her. The breakdown between the two of them is sad but you would wonder why her mother was so distant with her growing up. It's like the mother in 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses' who didn't parent her daughter and it led to all sorts of trouble.

There's lots to say about chapter three. I'll just mention the violence with which Erlend wrestled with his mistress to get her drink the poison. Very shocking. Also, Kristin's declaration that both of them killed her (again, standing with Erlend) and Eline's declaration that Erlend betrayed her on a few occasions is another black mark against him. That's if we choose to believe her which I'm inclined to do!

I am fully up to date with the book and the thread. We seem to have come full circle with our ‘fallen’ women theme.

I would agree that there is some very clever writing here and as a whole I quite like it. Kristin is bloody infuriating though. Though @cassandre by modern standards they are still doing something wrong since she is technically betrothed and he has a current mistress and children. Erlend is reprehensible. It’s one thing to sleep with her, many more people in the medieval period were sleeping together outside of marriage than we think, but it’s the way he goes about it, with the house of ill repute and taking the chance that she will be seen. Given the next book‘s title, I am deeply worried for Kristin.

I really like Lavrans. He behaved more reasonably than my own father would in this situation!

Thanks! I didn't realise it.

Chapter three has a lot going on😯
I think that Kristin's parents had another child? I thought they only had two girls.