Saint Hallvard: Patron Saint of Oslo Quiz

Answer: Hallvard Vebjørnsson

While few details are known of his life, it is thought that he was born to a farmer named Vebjørn in the district now known as Lier, slightly north of Oslofjord, the inlet that has Oslo situated at its northeast tip. There are references to his father as Vebjørn of Husaby or Huseby - but it is unclear whether that is the name of their farm, or a nearby village.

Answer: 11th century

While little is known about his life, the stories that are told allow scholars to place his life in the first half of the 11th century. He is thought to have been born about 1020, and died about 1043. This makes him a young man at the time of his death, and images often show him as even younger, almost adolescent.

By the 14th century he was firmly associated with the city of Oslo as its patron.

Answer: False

On the contrary, his father was a wealthy farmer, as mentioned in an earlier question. His mother, Torny Gudbrandsdatter, was reported to be related to Saint Olaf (the patron saint of Norway). According to Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century saga 'Heimskringla', Åsta Gudbrandsdatter (note the same patronymic name) was the mother of Saint Olaf and his younger brother Harald Hardrada, whose defeat by the English king Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge in 1066 is usually considered to mark the end of the Viking Age. So young Hallvard had royal connections, and is often depicted as a prince.

The lions which form the throne on which he sits in the Seal of Oslo suggest the royal connection, as they were a common symbol of Norwegian royalty at the time.

Answer: theft

The story of Hallvard's death explains a number of the symbols you can see on the Seal of Oslo used as a cover photo for this quiz. In particular, the naked lady lying at his feet is rather unusual for a heraldic image, but it was his effort to save her that created his legend. Apparently he was about to cross the Drammenfjord (an inlet off the Oslofjord) when a pregnant woman sought his assistance. She claimed to have been falsely accused of theft, and needed protection from the men who were pursuing her.

Hallvard believed her, and offered to take her to safety in his boat. Unfortunately, the pursuit arrived before they were safely away, and refused to let them go, despite his offer to reimburse them for the value of whatever she was accused of taking. (Details are a bit vague, but his compassion and chivalry are emphasized in the stories.)

Answer: shot by arrows

The seal of Oslo depicts Hallvard holding three arrows in his left hand, symbols of his martyrdom. The outraged men pursuing the woman whose escape he was trying to facilitate shot both of them dead, after refusing to consider any kind of bargain. Their anger may have been increased by the possibility that she was a slave belonging to one of them, hence her departure represented the loss of her as an asset, it was not just what she had allegedly stolen.

Answer: his body could not be sunk even with heavy weights attached

While the woman he was trying to save was buried on the beach, the men tried to sink Hallvard's body in the Drammensfjord, after weighting it down with a millstone (hence the millstone in his right hand on the Seal of Oslo). It should have sunk and disappeared, covering all traces of the violent events, but it stubbornly resurfaced, despite several attempts.

It is not clear how his body came to be buried properly, in a nearby village. Presumably some more reasonable people came across the scene and worked out the sequence of events. In any event, the story gained wide currency.

Answer: innocence

The miracle of the unsubmerged body quickly led to Hallvard's death being labelled martyrdom, and a reverential cult began. Unlike most of the worshipful cults at the time in Northern Europe, his followers did not emphasise his links to royalty or his position in any ecclesiastical hierarchy, but rather focused on the fact that he was an ordinary (if relatively privileged) person whose actions led to a state of grace demonstrated by the miracle.

Not only did he die trying to save an innocent (or ostensibly innocent) woman, but he himself was innocent, guileless, honourable, etc.

Answer: True

While Saint Hallvard was originally buried in the town cemetery near the site of his martyrdom, the developing cult led to the construction of a cathedral in Oslo, specifically to be dedicated to him. When it was finished in 1130, his remains were moved from their original interment site to the cathedral. This was the first of many burials in the church's graveyard for prominent people, both ecclesiastical and civil, including several kings: Sigurd the Crusader (ruled 1103-1130), Magnus the Blind (ruled 1130-1135 and 1137-1139) and Inge I (also known as Inge the Hunchback, who ruled from 1136 until 1161, but never had uncontested rule, as the country was in a state of civil war as can be seen by the fact that Magnus and Inge both claimed to rule during Magnus's second reign).

The cathedral was the city's most important church for nearly 500 years, until about 1655. It subsequently fell into ruins, and was demolished in 1780. Excavation of the ruins between 1865 and 1879 have led to a clear outline of the site, which is now part of the Memorial Park in Oslo's Old Town that opened in 1932. St. Hallvard's Church and Monastery, dedicated in 1966, is located nearby, and is the largest Roman Catholic parish in Norway.

Answer: May 15

This is also the day when Oslo officially celebrates their patron saint, although the Orthodox Church has set May 14 as his feast day. The reason for selecting this date is not clear - the common practice of celebrating the date of a martyr's death could be the explanation, but we have absolutely no firm historical date for his death.

Answer: 1956

The city of Oslo decided in 1950 to establish this award as the city's highest recognition for service in the public and civic interest. The medal for the award was designed by a Norwegian goldsmith named Jacob Prytz, and shows an image of the saint somewhat like the image on the Seal of Oslo, but with less detail, and the the arrows and millstone hands reversed. The word Oslo is on a white band across the top, with the rest of the medallion blue. The first award was made in 1956, to 14 people; in subsequent years the number of recipients has ranged from 0 to 10.

Most of the recipients of this medal have been civic officials and prominent businessmen, as it is his patronage of the city that is being invoked, not the innocent. Their names will not be familiar to many from outside the city, but one name does stand out from the list: Thor Heyerdahl (of Kon-Tiki fame) was awarded the Medal of Saint Hallvard in 1997.