Summary

In Chapter 1, the year is 1000: the supposed year of Christ’s return and the end of the world. Orm worries for Toke since he is not baptized. Ylva, Torgunn, and several other women at Gröning are pregnant. That fall, foreigners journey across the border lands. They are Christian and are overjoyed when they discover Gröning. Orm welcomes them but is annoyed that they will reveal nothing about themselves.

After mass on Sunday, the foreigners finally tell their story. Their king, Olaf Tryggvasson of Norway, died in a battle against the Danes and Swedes. The foreigners were captured by the Swedes and taken on a ship to Sweden. One night, they fought the ship masters and freed themselves. They are now homeward bound to tell everyone their king is dead. They believe the prophecy about Christ returning, since they...