''Passio Olavi'', more correctly ''Passio a miracule beati Olavi'' (The Passion and miracles of the Blessed Olaf) is a collection of

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s about the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

national saint Olaf II the Holy. The text was probably collected while

Eysteinn Erlendsson Eysteinn Erlendsson (Modern Norwegian ''Øystein Erlendsson'', Latin ''Augustinus Nidrosiensis'') (died 26 January 1188) was Archbishop of Nidaros from 1161 to his death in 1188. Background His family came from Trøndelag, and he was related to m ...

was Archbishop of Nidaros (1159-1188), and is possibly written by Eysteinn himself.

Egil Kraggerud Egil Kraggerud (born 7 July 1939) is a Norwegian philologist. He was born in Hemnes as a son of dentist John Kraggerud (1903–1991) and teacher Borghild Johanne Westeren (1904–1988). He took the examen artium at Oslo Cathedral School in 1957, a ...

dated the Passio Olavi to ca. 1150–1160.Egil Kraggerud. "Hellig-Olavs dåp hos Theoricus Monachus og i hans kilder". In: '' Collegium Mediviale'', 2012, P. 107. The text is available in two versions, the more familiar long version is an

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

version of an

Old Norwegian Homily Book The Old Norwegian Homily Book (AM 619 4to) is one of two main collections of Old West Norse sermons. The manuscript was written around 1200, contemporary with the other principal collection of sermons, the Old Icelandic Homily Book; together they ...

, read on St Olaf's feast day (

Olsok Olsok ("Olaf's Wake" or "Olaf's Vigil") is a national day of celebration on July 29 in the Nordic countries of Norway and the Faroe Islands, and also in the provinces of Härjedalen in Sweden and Savonlinna in Finland. Background King Olaf II H ...

).Gro Steinsland i innledningen til teksten i antologien '' Draumkvedet, og tekster fra norrøn middelalder'', 2004. A shorter version in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

had wide distribution and is found in several places in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

including :

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The long version is also known in an English

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

from

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...

near

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, which was the parent monastery of

Lyse Abbey Lyse Abbey or Saint Mary's Abbey, Lyse ( no, Lyse kloster, Lyse Mariakloster) is a now-ruined Cistercian monastery in Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county in south-western Norway. The name "Lyse" is derived from Lysefjorden near w ...

in Norway.

Editions

* * * ** 2nd ed., Det Norske samlaget, 1970 ** Facsimile edition. (with foreword by Arne Bakken). Det Norske samlaget, 1995. * - shorter version

References

{{authority control Olaf II of Norway Old Norse literature Christian hagiography