This is journal entry 11, our 12th day of adventure in Trondheim, Norway in which we explore the Nidaros Cathedral in the City of Kings.

My six-year-old son and I have embarked upon a 14-day Eurail trip from Oslo, Norway to Bodo in the Arctic Circle. We started in Oslo for 2 days then to Stavanger where we had a city break and explored Vikings, then explored Haugesund, the homeland of the Viking Kings, Bergen and Flam! 


 

Trondheim Norway
a beautiful scape of the old wooden buildings along the water.

 

A Little About Trondheim, Norway the City of Kings

Trondheim, Norway is truly a city of Viking sagas. Wrapped in hills and holding a seat to the vast Trondeimsfjord (and all its troll folklore), it’s a place many call home. It stretches its royal lineage from the Viking Age into present day, and until the 17th century, was the capital of Norway. Home to traditional Norwegian wooden architecture and boasting one of the most spectacular cathedrals in Norway, it’s seen its share of culture and kings. In fact, since the time when Viking King Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfarge) unified Norway into one realm at the end of the 9th century, it has been known as ‘the city of Kings’.

Now I’m not here to bore you to death on a history lesson, but if you really want to appreciate this cultured city for all its saga tendencies then check out these facts:

  • In 997 the city was founded by King Olaf I Tryggvason (then as the Village of Kaupangr)
  • The location drew in a lot of attention as legend had it, the body of King Olaf II Haraldsson (St. Olaf and descendant of Viking King Harald Fairhair) had been preserved there, and buried beneath what is now Nidaros Cathedral in 1075
  • King Olaf II Haraldsson was a Viking Chieftain turned King then Saint. He was killed in battle on July 29th 1030 near Trondheim

You must understand, both these men have significance in Norse Sagas and existed during a time when pagan beliefs of Norse Gods were being banished and converted into mythology. Thus, the birth of ‘Norse Mythology’ begins in this time and leads directly to St. Olaf, as he is widely recognized as the father of the Christian dawn of Norway….and so many kings would follow.

Snorre Sturlasson, Icelandic poet and historian (1179-1241) once said,

No King in Norway could rule in peace if he failed to have the people of Trøndelag on his side,”

Trondheim was so important that kings were brought from all over Norway to be buried there. This significance is resembled today in places like the Nidaros Cathedral, the Royal Residence and displayed by two important statues; the statue of St. Olaf and the statue of Leiv Eiriksson.