You should know that some Norwegians do not accept the theories presented by Birger Kirkeby in his book about Gråtopp. Many different theories about him have been presented through the decades in Norwegian articles and books. This book is the most extensively researched one that has been published about that historic person and it is my opinion that the research done by Kirkeby is superior and his conclusions estimable. He is a university-trained historian and has been writing bygdebøker since 1952.
To be sure, there are few records that document any information about Gråtopp. In the absence of specific documentation about Gråtopp, Kirkeby has drawn upon his historian's knowledge of the customs and politics of this era to build his theory. Through the use of collateral documents about the events and families involved, he is able to construct a comprehensive picture of the man and his achievements. Many people object to the use of such intellectual tools in writing history.
I am reminded of a prominent Swedish historian who refused to write about anything that is not documented in writing. His account of a certain period in the history of a province in Sweden included only information about how much herring had been caught and sold in the Oslo Fjord during that time. On the other hand, the widely acclaimed novelist Vilhelm Moberg was willing -- as an amateur -- to undertake the writing of a magnificent "history" of Sweden in the two volumes he was able to complete before his death. He wrote with great imagination and produced a fantastic saga! They are even more unusual because they are written from the perspective of the citizens of Sweden rather than from the point of view of kings and warriors!
The story is told of an American author who became impatient with the joy and love with which the Nordics approached the Norse Sagas. In response, a professor at Oslo contended that sagas of all ages were indeed history "but not in the modern sense".
The translator of Kirkeby's book about Gråtopp invites you -- indeed challenges you -- to follow this scholarly presentation of who Gråtopp might have been with an open mind. Creative imagination and a sense of perspective will be needed to appreciate it.
I have translated two other books about Gråtopp. Stian Henneseid grew up in Drangedal and was a teacher at a school in Telemark. He was steeped in the local traditions about who Gråtopp was and these legends are recounted in his book and reflected in his interpretations of history. Rein Borgersen -- who is not a university-trained historian -- wrote a book that contains views similar to Kirkeby's in some respects. However, Borgersen is fanciful and imaginative when he traces Gråtopp's ancestry back to the pre-historic ancestors of Harald Hårfagre.
If you are gifted with a sense of adventure and imagination, you will enjoy Kirkeby's book!
Many historians translate the word bonde with the English word "peasant". This is an error and is emblematic of a problem connected with the fact that feudalism did not exist in Norway as it did in other European countries -- even Denmark.
Because I was not fully aware of these facts at the time, throughout the translation I made the mistake of translating words like lensmenn and lensherre as "feudal lords". I should have retained the Norwegian words instead -- as was done in other cases when no English word was adequate. Without providing an extensive historical treatise about this problem, let it be known that the status of the nobility and of official governmental positions were very much in flux in Norway during the 1300s and 1400s. The author discusses these dynamics in two consecutive sections that are entitled as follows: The High Nobility and the Low Nobility and The High Nobility and Royal Power.
Because it was not feasible to make the changes in the translation that would be needed, the reader should take cognizance of these matters and remember that every time references to "feudal lords", "fiefs", etc. are encountered in this translation that these words should not be interpreted to mean that a feudalistic system existed in Norway. Even though Norwegians were oppressed in many ways during the 400 years of dominance by Denmark from the time of Erik of Pomerania until 1814, the bønder in Norway never lost their freedom.
Midt-Telemark Bok og Papir A.s.
SANDÅKERGÅRDEN
N-3800 Bø i Telemark
NORWAY
A good web site for learning more about the history and customs of Medieval
Norway