Yksisarvinen
Encyclopedia
Yksisarvinen is a historical novel by Finnish author Kaari Utrio
.
cover picture
The teenage twins Geir and Ivar, sons of a Viking
chieftain Inge Ragvaldson jarl and his wife Ulvhild Svendsdatter in Newfoundland, America, in a Norse
colony started by Leif the Lucky, find the carcass of a whale
, narwhal
, and they take its big horn-like tooth, tusk
, to their luggage. The colony
fares badly, and the family decides to emigrate to Scandinavia
. After seeing the martyr
death of their maternal uncle king Canute IV of Denmark
, they end up to Germany
with their travel companions, a missionary bishop and his family. Their whale tooth -protected in a big sack- becomes a magic item
, the unicorn
, whose material is believed to have some magical powers. They get paid for both touches of the tusk, and for amulet
s made of it. Geir, who becomes count
Gero, marries Sigberta, the heiress of the bishop's family's German county
of Berga, but is restless and decides to embark to the first crusade
, after his young wife died leaving an only heiress
, baby named Beatrix.
Meanwhile, in Italy
, Juvalos Gerakis, the Finnish- or Greek-born Count
of Sinetra in Calabria
and his current wife, countess Aurelia, another Finno
-Byzantine
noble, rescue Aurelia's daughter Constanzia -heiress of Montecaldo- from a bad marriage in Rome
, acquire a Roman fortified tower
in the process, and marry her to her stepbrother Roger, son of count Juvalos and his first wife the late countess Adela, who is heir to the county of Sinetra. Then the count sends his son and heir to the crusade. Constanzia and her first husband, the knight Ferro Furni from Rome, had already some years earlier met Geir and Ivar in Hamburg
and Berga when they were as envoys in Germany.
The count Geir, his brother Ivar and their retinue
travel and adventure with the crusade, meeting the troop from the Calabrian county of Sinetra. Also Constanzia de Montecaldo is with the troop. A love affair
develops between Geir and Constanzia. A portion of the retinue get abducted by Armenia
n mountain robbers, but after winter spent in Armeno-Cilician fortress, they flee. After Jerusalem is conquered by the crusader army
, Roger dies in the warfaring. The paramours now have one another, and they marry, embarking towards southern Italy with Constanzia's young daughter Maria, who is an heiress of the old Count of Sinetra (although Maria's uncle, Arnulf, son of the old count's second marriage, will be a rival heir). And Constanzia has also inherited
Montecaldo.
The young girl, Maria, is great-granddaughter of Terhen of "Vaskilintu
" from Finland, and granddaughter of Aure from Finland.
On the other hand, she is granddaughter of the Italian Norman Fulberto and granddaughter of the French Norman Adela.
Her great-grandfather had been the Swedish Varangian Eirik.
People think that she has two ancestresses (Terhen 'Theodora' and Aure 'Aurelia') who were Byzantine noblewomen, so in this series of plots, Byzantine is the codeword masking Finnish. Her great-grandfather spatharokandidatos
Eirik and great-uncle droungarios Leo were officers in service of Constantinople
, in Varangian guard
.
Her both parents were born in Italy.
:
Kaari Utrio
Kaari Marjatta Utrio is a Finnish writer. She has written tens of historical novels and many non-fiction books on historical topics...
.
cover picture
Plot summary
The general pattern follows one of Utrio's usual arrangements: a young woman and a young man encounter one another several different times, even if they come from very remote origins, like fate draws them together, and in the end they get each other.The teenage twins Geir and Ivar, sons of a Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
chieftain Inge Ragvaldson jarl and his wife Ulvhild Svendsdatter in Newfoundland, America, in a Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
colony started by Leif the Lucky, find the carcass of a whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
, narwhal
Narwhal
The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their...
, and they take its big horn-like tooth, tusk
Tusk
Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...
, to their luggage. The colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
fares badly, and the family decides to emigrate to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. After seeing the martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
death of their maternal uncle king Canute IV of Denmark
Canute IV of Denmark
Canute IV, later known as Canute the Holy or Canute the Saint , was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy, devotedly supported the Roman Catholic Church, and had designs on the English throne. Slain by rebels in 1086, he was...
, they end up to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with their travel companions, a missionary bishop and his family. Their whale tooth -protected in a big sack- becomes a magic item
Magic item
A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy...
, the unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
, whose material is believed to have some magical powers. They get paid for both touches of the tusk, and for amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s made of it. Geir, who becomes count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Gero, marries Sigberta, the heiress of the bishop's family's German county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Berga, but is restless and decides to embark to the first crusade
First Crusade
The First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
, after his young wife died leaving an only heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
, baby named Beatrix.
Meanwhile, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Juvalos Gerakis, the Finnish- or Greek-born Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
of Sinetra in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
and his current wife, countess Aurelia, another Finno
Finno
Finno is a settlement in Kenya's North Eastern Province....
-Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
noble, rescue Aurelia's daughter Constanzia -heiress of Montecaldo- from a bad marriage in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, acquire a Roman fortified tower
Fortified tower
A fortified tower is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls...
in the process, and marry her to her stepbrother Roger, son of count Juvalos and his first wife the late countess Adela, who is heir to the county of Sinetra. Then the count sends his son and heir to the crusade. Constanzia and her first husband, the knight Ferro Furni from Rome, had already some years earlier met Geir and Ivar in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Berga when they were as envoys in Germany.
The count Geir, his brother Ivar and their retinue
Retinue
A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble or royal personage, a suite of "retainers".-Etymology:...
travel and adventure with the crusade, meeting the troop from the Calabrian county of Sinetra. Also Constanzia de Montecaldo is with the troop. A love affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
develops between Geir and Constanzia. A portion of the retinue get abducted by Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n mountain robbers, but after winter spent in Armeno-Cilician fortress, they flee. After Jerusalem is conquered by the crusader army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, Roger dies in the warfaring. The paramours now have one another, and they marry, embarking towards southern Italy with Constanzia's young daughter Maria, who is an heiress of the old Count of Sinetra (although Maria's uncle, Arnulf, son of the old count's second marriage, will be a rival heir). And Constanzia has also inherited
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
Montecaldo.
The young girl, Maria, is great-granddaughter of Terhen of "Vaskilintu
Vaskilintu
Vaskilintu is a historical novel by Finnish author Kaari Utrio.There exists an English translation of the book.Plot summary:...
" from Finland, and granddaughter of Aure from Finland.
On the other hand, she is granddaughter of the Italian Norman Fulberto and granddaughter of the French Norman Adela.
Her great-grandfather had been the Swedish Varangian Eirik.
People think that she has two ancestresses (Terhen 'Theodora' and Aure 'Aurelia') who were Byzantine noblewomen, so in this series of plots, Byzantine is the codeword masking Finnish. Her great-grandfather spatharokandidatos
Spatharokandidatos
Spatharokandidatos , Latinized as spatharocandidatus, was a mid-ranking Byzantine court dignity used in the 7th–11th centuries.-History:...
Eirik and great-uncle droungarios Leo were officers in service of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, in Varangian guard
Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army in 10th to the 14th centuries, whose members served as personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperors....
.
Her both parents were born in Italy.
External links
Book reviews, in FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
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