St. Ansgar Begins Scandinavian Missions

The oars bit into the gray water and the hull lifted, then settled again with a long groan. Salt stung my eyes as I gripped the rail. Ansgar stood at the prow, cloak drawn tight against the wind, watching the Danish coast rise out of the mist. He had said little since we left the Frankish shore two days earlier, only that the king there had asked for a teacher and that we would answer. I carried the small chest that held the books and the letters from the emperor. The other monks huddled farther back, their faces pale.

We made land at Hedeby on the third morning. The settlement sat between two arms of water, its longhouses roofed with turf and its market stalls already busy with traders from farther east. Men in fur caps and wool tunics stopped to stare as we stepped onto the planks. Ansgar walked straight to the hall where King Horik’s men waited. He spoke through an interpreter who knew both tongues, explaining that he had come to tell of the one God and to live among them if they would allow it. The king’s men listened without answer. They gave us a small timber building at the edge of the settlement and told us to wait.

Each day Ansgar went into the market square. He stood on an upturned crate and spoke while the interpreter repeated his words. Most people kept moving, but a few stopped. An old woman brought bread one morning. A boy with a scarred arm came every afternoon and listened without speaking. I stayed near the edge of the crowd, watching faces for any sign of trouble. One afternoon a man spat at Ansgar’s feet and walked away. Ansgar only nodded and continued.

Winter came early that year. Ice formed along the shore and the wind carried bits of frozen spray into the houses. We had little food beyond what the king’s men allowed. Ansgar fasted on most days and gave his portion to anyone who asked. He grew thinner, but his voice stayed steady when he spoke in the square. The boy with the scarred arm began to sit closer. One evening he brought his father, a trader who had lost a ship the year before. The father asked whether the new God could keep a vessel afloat. Ansgar answered that the God he served cared more for the soul than for cargo. The trader returned the next day and the day after.

Spring brought new ships and new rumors. Some said the Swedish king wanted a teacher as well. Ansgar listened to every report without hurry. He wrote a letter to the emperor asking whether we should cross the sea again. The answer came in late summer: go if the way opens. We packed the chest once more and found passage on a merchant vessel bound for Birka.

The crossing took four days. The sea stayed flat, but the crew muttered about spirits in the water. Ansgar slept little and prayed aloud at dawn and dusk. When we reached Birka the town lay on an island ringed by low hills. Its harbor held more ships than Hedeby. The Swedish king’s hall stood on the highest ground. Ansgar presented the same request he had made in Denmark. The king granted permission to preach but warned that the people here followed their own gods and would not easily change.

Ansgar chose a spot near the harbor where traders gathered. He spoke each morning as the boats unloaded. The interpreter struggled with some words, especially those for sin and forgiveness. Still, listeners came. A merchant from the east asked whether this God had power over the sun and the seasons. Ansgar said the God who made all things ruled them still. The merchant brought his wife the next day. She listened and then asked for a blessing for her child who had been born weak. Ansgar placed his hand on the infant’s head and prayed. The mother returned every morning after that.

Not every day was quiet. One afternoon a group of men from the northern forests arrived. They listened for a while, then began to shout that the old gods would be angry. Stones were thrown. One struck the interpreter on the shoulder. Ansgar stepped in front of him and kept speaking until the men left. That night we moved our belongings farther from the harbor. Ansgar told us to keep the doors barred after dark.

The following spring a small group asked to be taught more. Ansgar met them at sunrise in a clearing outside the town. He explained the prayers and the meaning of the cross. Several asked to be marked with water in the new way. Ansgar performed the rite carefully, his hands steady even though his voice shook once when he spoke the name of the Trinity. I stood beside him and held the bowl. When it was done the new believers returned to their work without ceremony.