The Tree of the Folkungs: Analysis of Setting
"The Tree of the Folkungs: Analysis of Setting" delves into the intricate interplay of settings that shape the narrative surrounding the Folkung family in medieval Sweden. Central to the tale is Folketuna farm, symbolizing the morally ambiguous rise of the Folkung lineage, contrasting sharply with the aristocratic Ulv Ulvsson's estate, which embodies noble traditions and the clash between materialism and moral integrity. The Bellbo estate, home to Earl Birger, represents a significant intersection of Christian and pagan customs, with events like the Bellbo tournament highlighting the cultural tensions of the era. Uppsala serves as a battleground for conflicting ideologies, where the remnants of Nordic paganism confront the burgeoning influence of Christianity, reflecting the broader struggle between good and evil within the narrative. Furthermore, East Gothland and Svealand emerge as vital regions that connect Sweden's medieval identity to its modern sovereignty, emphasizing themes of loyalty and heroism that resonate throughout the story. This exploration of settings not only enriches the character dynamics but also delves into Sweden's cultural nationalism, illustrating the significance of its past in shaping its present. Overall, the analysis presents a multifaceted view of how geographical and cultural landscapes influence the unfolding drama of the Folkung saga.
The Tree of the Folkungs: Analysis of Setting
First published:Folkungaträdet, 1905-1907 (English translation, 1925)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical
Time of work: Eleventh and thirteenth centuries
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
Folketuna farm
Folketuna farm (FOL-keh-too-nah). Fictional farm in East Gothland that is associated with the eleventh century origins of the powerful Folkung family—a bleak union between the Swedish peasant, former Viking, and greedy robber Folke Filbyter and the daughter of Jorgrimme, a Finnish dwarf and magician. Although the richest farm in the region, Folketuna’s appearance, a symbolic reflection of its owner’s crude and ignoble character, presents a stark contrast to the noble and well-kept farm of Ulv Ulvsson that is the seat of an old aristocratic Swedish family, whose symbol is a centuries-old linden tree. Representative of the clash between the desire for material profit and questionable morality on one hand, and pure Swedish blood and respectable wisdom on the other, the opposition between the two farms turns also into the spiritual battleground on which Christianity meets and defeats Nordic paganism.
Bellbo estate
Bellbo estate. Seat of Earl Birger, the most powerful of the Folkungs, each of whose sons, Valdemar and Magnus, becomes a ruler of Sweden in the thirteenth century. This locale stands out as a portrayal of a peculiar merger in space and time of medieval Christianity. The second part of the novel, “The Bellbo Heritage,” opens on a Wednesday during Holy Week when pagan spring customs were still practiced. This is further elaborated on by the symbolic fusion between native and foreign traditions, between Sweden’s ancient heroic past, signaled by the sacred sword Gråne, and the Christian chivalric code. The sword of the saga hero Holmger, previously preserved at the convent of Sko, is the prize for the winner of the Bellbo tournament, which is arranged in the “foreign fashion,” as the narrative points out.
*Uppsala
*Uppsala (oop-SAH-lah). Sweden’s medieval capital that is the stage upon which pagan Nordic religion and state government, supported by Blot Sven, clash violently with the Christianity of King Inge. As Uppsala is the site of both the temple of the Nordic gods, with the sacrificial grove, and the Thing-mound, where the King, Lawmen, and franklins (freeholders) meet annually to discuss and pass laws and elect, if necessary, a new king, Uppsala gives expression of Heidenstam’s ethic of heroic resignation. This ethic is most noticeably felt in the author’s realization that good and evil must necessarily coexist as well as in the paradox, which heavily underlies both parts of the novel, that evil is the frequent outcome of a genuine desire to do good. Thus, in the second part of the novel, Uppsala finds its symbolic parallel in the great forest of Tiveden, the realm of the god of strife Ti, where Magnus Ladulås defeats the army of his brother Valdemar, the rightful king, and takes the throne of Sweden in an effort to restore law and order to the country.
*East Gothland
*East Gothland and Svealand. Regions in southeastern and eastern Sweden that, on one hand, help delineate an image of medieval Europe and Sweden’s important position within it and, on the other hand, mark the core of Sweden as a modern sovereign Nordic nation. East Gothland and Svealand represent “home” and “native land” and are compared in the narrative with Micklegarth, or Constantinople, the seat of the Byzantine emperor. Courageous and loyal, Folke Filbyter’s two elder sons are among the emperor’s body guards (upon their return home, they join King Inge’s guards).
Two centuries later, heroism and loyalty again underscore a chivalric devotion to earthly and divine peace and order and earn Sweden a distinguished place among Scandinavian and European Christian nations. These qualities are in unison with Heidenstam’s cultural nationalism, based on his conviction that Sweden’s living past is indispensable for Sweden’s living present, for the natural growth of the nation and its culture.
Bibliography
Gustafson, Alrik. Six Scandinavian Novelists. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. A chapter on Heidenstam provides biographical information, including the origins of Heidenstam’s ideas about depicting the beginnings of his nation.
Zuck, Virpi, ed. Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1990. Entry on Heidenstam places the poet and writer in his historical and literary contexts. Discusses Heidenstam’s nationalistic enthusiasms.