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Historical person
c. 13th century–1290
Alv Erlingsson was a Norwegian nobleman and privateer active in the late thirteenth century. After conflict with the Norwegian crown and regional rivals, he operated in the North Sea and was eventually captured and executed in Denmark.
Alv Erlingsson was born in Ringerike. After inheriting Sarpsborg in 1283 he served as governor of Borgarsyssel, but conflict with Danish interests and the Norwegian crown pushed him into raiding and outlawry; he was captured and executed in Denmark in 1290.
In Sigrid Undset’s The Axe, Olav kills Einar Kolbeinsson during a feud and is outlawed, forcing him into exile and service under the powerful noble Alv Erlingsson. Bishop Thorfinn of Hamar becomes one of the few authorities willing to treat the young couple with justice and compassion. Years of separation leave Ingunn vulnerable, and she becomes pregnant by the Icelandic clerk Teit Hallsson. Further fictional perspectives on Alv Erlingsson can be found in Sigrid Undset’s In the Wilderness.
Series
The Master of Hestviken follows Olav Audunsson from youth to old age in Norway during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Betrothed to Ingunn Steinfinnsdatter as a child, Olav spends years fighting her relatives for recognition of their bond. Violence, outlawry and service to the rebel noble…
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