The last time we were in our category entitled “The Story,” I offered you the award–winning post of January 29, 2008… “Vi–king: (n.) a sea–roving bandit; pirate.”

Okay, it hasn’t actually won any awards quite yet.  Patience…

But now — as promised — let’s take a further peek into how the gospel brought an end to the Age of the Vikings.  Note well that what I’m about to report is certainly not commendable or praiseworthy in all of its particulars. 

Yet this is also part of the story of the church… God sovereignly working good — not only through the wickedness of the church’s enemies (as we saw last time) — but the story of God even working good through the misguided foolishness of the church itself.

Meet Olaf Trygvesson.  Olaf was a Viking’s Viking.  It was said that he could out–swim, out–climb, out–leap, and out–fight anyone.  He could juggle five daggers in the air, always catching them by the handle.  In all measures of Viking–ness, he was unmatched.

He was a far–traveling warrior, terrorizing Holland, France, Jutland, England, Northumberland, Scotland, the Hebrides, other Vikings on the Isle of Man, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, etc.  History records that everywhere he went, he would leave “in his wake a great harvest for the ravens and wolves.” People fled at his name.  He was infamous for slaughtering his victims with a savage cruelty, “sparing neither the women nor children of tender age.”

On one occasion he returned to England, “burning villages, laying waste the lands, putting numbers of people to death by fire and sword, without regard to sex, and sweeping off an immense booty.”

But after an interesting encounter with a fortuneteller who claimed to have the gift of prophecy from the Christian God, Olaf was baptized… promising never again to visit war upon England.

Sometime after his conversion Olaf was alarmed to hear of the actions of a fellow Viking, Earl Hakon.  It seems that Earl Hakon had recently begun seizing whatever women he wanted, keeping them for a week or two, and then discarding them.  Also, in a recent battle Hakon had prayed to his personal heathen goddess for victory… and he even offered his youngest son as sacrifice to this goddess.  The boy had been given to a slave, who broke the boy’s back on the sacrifice rock in “the usual manner.”

Hakon was ruling Norway at this time, having previously murdered several of the “kings” of Norway in order to consolidate his power over the land.  Olaf Trygvesson was the son of one of those dead kings.  And he decided that now was the time to reclaim his father’s kingship and rid Norway of its pagan temples, human sacrifice, and woman–stealing.

So Olaf at last returned to Norway, intent on avenging his father’s death, his mother’s exile, and to free his homeland from the darkness of paganism.  That was his greatest goal — to convert all of Norway to Christianity.

Accordingly, as soon as he and his soldiers landed on the beach of Norway, the first thing they did was hold a communion service.

As Olaf and his forces advanced throughout the land, Earl Hakon went into hiding.  In good Saddam Hussein style, he dug a large pit beneath a pigsty and had logs and manure placed over the hole.  But in the end he was killed by one of his own slaves who brought the Earl’s head to Olaf.

A national assembly was then held, in which Olaf Trygvesson was pronounced King of all Norway.  King Olaf then began to Christianize the land.  There wasn’t much difficulty at first; people were eager to convert.

Sometimes Olaf proved to be a merry evangelist.  He might challenge the pagans to a swimming race or a shooting contest.  “To the winner’s faith goes the loser.”

But when he did meet serious resistance, his policy was rather brutal.  “All Norway will be Christian or die.” This was wrong.  In his zeal to rid his homeland of pagan darkness, King Olaf sinned.  But this is also part of the story of the church, and we should learn from it… distasteful as it is.

The holdouts were treated without mercy.  In his battles for a Christianized nation, Olaf left many Norwegians killed, mutilated, or banished. 

The pagan gods were proclaimed to be evil spirits.  Anyone having any dealings with them whatsoever would be banished.  More than once pagan wizards and high priests who refused to repent were forced and locked into their temples right before these buildings were burnt to the ground. 

Once Olaf took prominent local leaders hostage until the entire region was baptized. 

In the midst of all of this there are several stories of witchcraft and hexing by the pagan leaders being met with prayer and reputed miracles performed on behalf of the Christians.  It was said that by merely reading the gospels out loud (the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John), the power of witchcraft was often broken.

This kind of thing is especially said of Olaf’s battles with Raud.  Raud the Strong he was called.  After a long battle between their armies, Olaf ordered Raud to accept baptism: “I will not take your property from you but instead will be your friend, if you make yourself worthy to be so.”

Raud responded by mocking and blaspheming Christ.  This was a mistake.

Enraged, Olaf “bound the blasphemer to a wooden beam, his mouth was forced open with a wooden pin, and the king’s henchmen tried to force an adder down his throat.  But Raud’s breath came from the pits of hell, and the adder recoiled at the first whiff.  So the king took a horn, placed it in Raud’s mouth, stuffed the reluctant adder in again, and put a hot iron to the snake’s tail.”

History records that the region quickly came to Christ.

Thus, Olaf Trygvesson conquered all of Norway for Christ.  This is why he has been called “Christ’s supreme hatchet man.”

Yes, it was a violent beginning.  Inexcusably and shamefully so.  But in the end, God brought much good, even out of the likes of Olaf Trygvesson.  The Age of the Vikings was ending.  Sons were not sacrificed to pagan goddesses anymore.  Women were not stolen, used up, and thrown back.  Bloody and cruel Viking piracy and slaughter was coming to an end.

See the January 29, 2008 post for the big–picture overview of how Christ was gradually discipling the nations.  Even the cold–blooded, pitiless nations of the Vikings.  A severe salvation indeed…