ABSTRACT
Early thirteenth century Norwegian ballad. This dream of the otherworld lasts from Christmas Eve to the Epiphany. The dreamer, Olav Asteson, “a lad so brave and strong,” visits the realm of the dead and views a preliminary judgment of sins by St. Michael. He sees the retribution for evil deeds and the reward for good deeds in a landscape that includes the Gjallar Bridge an important feature of this otherworld, is protected by a dog, a serpent, and a bull. He has no guide, but he does meet his “god mother, ” the only person he recognized there, and she does direct his wanderings in the otherworld. This “godmother” has been associated with the Mother of God.
