Kristin becomes pregnant before their wedding day, hiding it from Erlend and the rest of her family. Lavrans discovers her affair but, failing to stop her, he reluctantly allows her to marry Erlend. Kristin and Erlend begin a secret affair.

Erlend is a social outcast due to a past adulterous relationship, which led to his excommunication from the Catholic Church. She falls in love with a man from the Husaby estate in Trondelag, Erlend Nikulausson, but is tragically wedded to Simon Darre, the son of a nearby estate owner. She has several frightening experiences as a child, particularly an experience with attempted sexual assault, that led some people in Sel to shame her. Kristin is portrayed as strong-headed but sensitive, often rebelling in subtle ways against her family. She is the daughter of Lavrans, a wealthy and well-liked farmer, and Ragnfrid, who suffers from severe depression after losing three sons in infancy. The first novel in the trilogy, The Wreath, introduces Kristin Lavransdatter.

The trilogy is generally considered Undset’s magnum opus. She comes into conflict with her family and eventual husband but learns to find refuge and consolation in Catholicism. Kristin, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, comes of age in the town of Sel nestled in the Gubrand Valley. They follow the eponymous protagonist, Kristin Lavransdatter, a woman living in 1300s Norway. The novels chronicle Scandinavian life during the Middle Ages. Published between 19, the trilogy consists of The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross, in order. Kristin Lavransdatter is a trilogy of historical novels by Norwegian author and Nobel award-winner Sigrid Undset.

The wife sigrid undset