Holy Passion-Bearer King Olaf II of Norway
There were many royal Olavs in Scandinavia, but none so glorious and holy as Olav Haraldson, successor to Olav Tryggvason (King Olav I of Norway). Both became Christians, but while Tryggvason was inordinately cruel in his forcible conversion of stubbornly pagan chieftains, Olav Haraldson sought to aid already Christian kings.
Olav was born in 995, the son of Earl Harald Grenske. His early youth was spent as a pirate—among those wild Vikings who made raids and fought battles against the Anglo-Saxons. There in England Olav became interested in Christianity, and in 1010 he was baptized in Rouen, France. In 1013, Olav helped the pious Anglo-Saxon King Ethelred in his fight against the raiding Danes. In 1015 he succeeded to the throne of Norway.
In his efforts to unify Norway and bring all to Christianity, Olav brought many bishops and priests from England. Some of these are known by name, such as Grimkel, Sigfrid, Rudolf, and Bernhard. Thus, Olav attempted to form the ecclesiastical order in Norway after the Anglo-Saxon model.
Clan rule and its pagan inspiration were too strong, however, and with the help of still pagan Danish and Anglo-Saxon kings, the Norwegian clans expelled Olav. He fled to Kievan Rus’, where he was propably given hospitality by Yaroslav, the son of Grand Prince Vladimir, now known as Equal-to-the-Apostles and Baptizer of Rus’. On his way to Kiev, Olav spent some time in the Nerike Province of Sweden, where tradition has it that he baptized many locals.
Two years after his expulsion, Olav returned to Norway with an army, but was mortally wounded in the battle, dying with the prayer, “God help me.”
Clan rule was very strong in Norway, and it prevailed over Olav and his nascent Christianity. But as the ultimate unifier and tamer beyond the grave of these barbaric, brutally pagan Viking chieftains, he is honored today even by a Lutheran Norway as its patron saint andRex Perpetuum Norvegiæ—eternal king of Norway.
Belief in Olfav’s sanctity spread very quickly, as there were many miracles associated with his death and translation of relics a year later. In 1075 his incorrupt body was enshrined in what became the cathedral of St. Clement in Nidaros (now Trondheim), and became a pilgrimage site. He was especially venerated during the reign in Norway of his son Magnus, and his feast was celebrated throughout Scandinavia. His relics were reburied after the Protestant Reformation.
St. Olav is now venerated by Orthodox Christians as one of the pre-Schism saints. The translator of Church Slavonic texts Reader Isaac Lambertson has composed a service to St. Olav, which we are posting here from the website
Orthodox England.
