''Marias barn'' ("''Maria's Child''") was the

Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar ''Swedish Television's Christmas calendar'' ( sv, Sveriges Televisions julkalender) or ''Swedish Television's Advent calendar'' ( sv, Sveriges Televisions adventskalender) is a Christmas calendar TV series mainly for children, broadcast by Sver ...

in 1987. It was an animated series based on the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

stories of Virgin Mary's son,

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Plot

Accademia - Madonna col Bambino benedicente e cherubin - Jacopo Bellini

The stories are based on Danish writer

Cecil Bødker Cecil Bødker (27 March 1927 – 19 April 2020) was a Danish writer and poet, most known for young adult fiction books about the character "Silas". For her "lasting contribution to children's literature" she received the international Hans Chr ...

's two novels, who in turn are based on the

and other older stories about Jesus, as Cecil Bødker tried to reflect life in Ancient Egypt and Palestine upon the time Jesus was born. It follows the story all the way from the birth of Jesus to his

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

. It was narrated by

Ulla Sjöblom Ulla Sjöblom (11 May 1927 – 3 August 1989) was a Swedish film actress. She appeared in 50 films between 1952 and 1988. Selected filmography * ''House of Women'' (1953) * ''Karin Månsdotter'' (1954) * ''Simon the Sinner'' (1954) * ''Our ...

and featured drawings by Bengt Arne Runnerström. The series was made in response to pressure for the Christmas calendar to feature more Christian content. However, its portrayal of the children of Bethlehem being murdered on the order of

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renov ...

was criticized for being too graphic.

References

External links

* 1987 Swedish television series debuts 1987 Swedish television series endings Bible in popular culture Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar Swedish animated television series 1980s animated television series Television series set in the Roman Empire {{animation-tv-prog-stub