The Story of Oslo's Patron Saint: St. Hallvard

Hello everyone, welcome to a new episode of the podcast. In this episode, we'll hear the story of the official saint of Oslo, Saint Halvard. You might have seen him if you've been to Oslo. He's the motive of Oslo's seal. I've based the story on the original telling, but changed some details and simplified it quite a bit to make it more suitable for people learning Norwegian. Before we start, I just want to quickly mention my book Learn Norwegian with Norse mythology. It contains 10 engaging myths, rewritten and told for people like you, learning Norwegian. It contains a vocabulary list, a bonus text about Norse mythology today, and of course an audiobook read by myself. Links in the description below. Halvard was born on a farm in Liger in 1020. Liger is not so far from Oslo. Halvard came from a wealthy family. His father was called Vébjörn, and his mother was called Torni. She was in a relationship with King Olaf the Holy. Halvard was therefore Christian since he was small. He had traveled a lot with his father, because he was in another country. There he had seen great and beautiful cathedrals. Halvard became a businessman. He traveled around to sell goods. One day he traveled to the village to sell some goods. He had a part of fish that he wanted to sell in the village. The village is about 40 km west of Oslo. When Halvard was finished with selling goods, he got ready to go back to his boat. But suddenly a lady ran towards him. The lady had a big belly. She was pregnant. She saw Halvard with big eyes. "Help me! Be so kind and help me!" said the lady to Halvard. She screamed since she was so scared. "What happened, woman? Tell me what I could do, so Halvard to the woman." "There are three men who follow me. They run after me. They say that I have stolen a brother, but it is not true. I have not stolen anything at all." Halvard trusted the woman and allowed her to stay with him in the boat. Halvard began to cry out in the evening. But it did not take long before Halvard saw three men who called and ran towards them. "Oluf! Find the woman! Halvard! Stay with me and take out the boat! We have to take them back! She has stolen something! We cannot let her come down with that! Come back, men!" Halvard cried as soon as he finished. He cried as soon as he could. But he could not calm down more than three men. The men took Halvard and the woman again. The men ran towards Halvard. "Yes, woman! She has stolen something and is going to get her punishment. We are going to kill her because she has stolen something!" But Halvard did not want to. It was unfair to kill someone without evidence. I will not give you the woman. If she actually did something wrong, then let me pay. Let me pay because this woman is going to get the punishment. The men did not like the answer to Halvard. "How dare you! Give us the woman now!" The men called after Halvard. But Halvard refused to give them the woman. The men were sad. He, called Oluf, took off his bow and fired a arrow at Halvard. The arrow hit Halvard in the chest. The woman screamed while Halvard's body fell into the water. Oluf took off his bow and fired at the woman. He also hit her in the chest. The woman fell into the water, just like Halvard. Halvard and the woman were dead. The men did not know who Halvard was. But they thought it was best to remove all evidence for what they had done. Just like Halvard fled into the water. It was up in the water. The men tied stones to Halvard, so that he could sink. They rode back to the dream. But that is not the end of the story. Later, the woman saw a body that fled into the water. "Mom, mom, look over there! There is something in the water!" It was Halvard's body that fled. Even if it had a big and heavy stone attached to it. People understood that Halvard had done something good since he fled. Even though it had a big and heavy stone attached to it. They thought he was a hero. He became Oslo's hero, Oslo's hero. And just like you can see him today in Oslo's commune weapon. He has a stone in one hand and three batteries in the other. To remind people how he died. Under him lies a naked woman. She is the same woman that Halvard tried to save. A short English summary. The story of St Halvard tells of a man born in 1020 in Lille, Norway, to a wealthy family with royal connections. Raised as a Christian, he became a trader and traveled extensively. One day, while in drama to sell fish, a frightened pregnant woman ran to him for help, claiming she was falsely accused of theft by three men. Halvard believed her and attempted to escape with her by boat, but the men pursued them. When Halvard refused to hand over the woman, they shot him with an arrow and killed both of them. To cover their crime, the man tied a stone to Halvard's body and threw it into the water. However, his body miraculously floated despite the weight. This was seen as a sign of his righteousness, and he was later declared the patron saint of Oslo. Today, he is depicted in Oslo's city seal, holding a stone and three arrows, symbolising his death and sacrifice. Under him lies the woman he tried to save. you