Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1997, Page 205

Saint Olafs Dream House
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3) Correspondence with the legendary palace of Hugon of Constantinople,
which has been identified as an “Abode of the Sun”.
Consistent with this evidence are the observations that (1) Rauðúlfr’s name
can also be associated with the sun and that (2) in a theocentric cosmos the
spiritual sun would have a central position.
The hypotheses that King Olaf was being equated with the sun and that the
house was a replica of the cosmos have some implications: 1) They equate King
Olaf with Christ as a “Sun of Salvation” and as a “Sun of Righteousness”, hence
confirming the holiness of Olaf and thus explaining the purpose of the author;73
2) They make the house a tool for meditation because of the ethical and spiritual
wisdom linked with a cosmogram and the daily and annual cycles of the sun and
also because of the correspondence believed to exist between the human soul and
the cosmos; 3) They suggest that the six brothers in the service of Olaf are
personifications of the planets, and represent at the same time the six ages of the
world and the six days of creation.
The author manages to bring together the essence of the 12th-century cosmo-
logy. He presents a Platonic cosmos which contains both time and eternity and
expresses the polarity between heaven and earth, unity and diversity,7'1 mind and
matter. A tripartite society reflects this polarity. The threefold division of man
into body, soul and spirit can be discerned, and also the Platonic tripartite soul
and its corresponding parts of the human body. The dream-figure shows man
(and Christ) as a link between heaven and earth, and the relationship between
the sun, mind and divinity is evident. The reader is also reminded of the creation
and redemption of the world. All these aspects were firmly established in the
philosophy/theologyofthe 12th century. By beingplaced on the mostsacred spot
within this complex King Olafis granted full (albeit veiled) apotheosis. Toachieve
this the author apparently makes use of established traditions of allegorical houses,
including the one visited by Charlemagne in Constantinople but also relying on
scriptural models such as the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
When King Olaf came to Rauðúlfr’s place “he saw high walls forming a strong
enclosure. But when he and his retinue came to the entrance, they found it open,
and it was excellently constructed; there was a gate turning on iron hinges, and
once it was locked, it would be no easy matter to get in”.75 This description in
Rauðúlfiþáttr becomes almost transparent when the allegorical aspect is kept in
mind. The gate is open to the initiates but locked to the profane reader.
In this paper a rather cautious approach has been taken when interpreting the
allegory, using only concepts that seemed commonplace in learned circles in
73 See Wiirth (1991, pp. 142-3). For solar mysticism associated with Christianity see Rahner
(1957).
7 | Cf. Bernard Silvestris Cosmographia: Microcosmos 13 (p. 118 in Wetherbee ed. and tr. 1990)
and Proclus The Elements ofTheology.
75 See Johnsen and Helgason, p. 656, II. 10-12.