Chapter 19. Archbishop Absalon

In Lund, Denmark, there once lived the archbishop Absalon, an exceptional and outstanding though power-hungry man, as the following tale shows:

Out of an inheritance from his father, Absalon founded a Benedictine monastery named Sorø Abbey that he outfitted with rich appointments.

Half of the church in Lund was to be on a very prosperous estate while the other half was to be on the property of a farmer who, in spite of much haggling on the part of the bishop, refused to part with it. Each year, the full harvest from the property was divided between the two parties, who together bore the advantages or damages.

As the farmer refused to sell his portion of the property, the archbishop became enraged and demanded that the property be divided. The farmer, burdened by the tiresome slogging from the co-owner, immediately agreed. The day of the process of division came, by which the dividing line would be set by a stretched line.

Absalon insisted on holding one end of the line; the farmer held the other end. As the line disappeared into a cut in the ground so that its full length couldn’t be seen, the archbishop called to the farmer to pull harder. The farmer had to use all his strength, resulting in such a powerful jerk that the archbishop fell forward onto a stone, causing him an injury from which blood flowed.

He threw down the line, declared that the farmer maliciously caused him to fall and that there would be a pope’s ban to be announced over all the province unless the farmer subjected himself to the judgment of the church. To avoid losing the church’s blessing the farmer relented. The bishop’s verdict was that through his actions the farmer had lost his right to the property, which he must surrender to the church. The farmer accepted the unjust decision quietly and continued as before to show obedience to the bishop.

Not long after, the farmer became ill and seeing the end, asked for his father confessor. After confessing and receiving the last rites he told the priest that he wanted to give him his best horse and bridle if the priest would promise to carry out a take a request. It was to take message to Archbishop Absalon: “Go,” he said, “to Absalon right after my death and tell him that I invite him to stand before God’s seat of judgment regarding the misappropriation of the land.”

The priest agreed to the request, and went to the archbishop as soon as the farmer had died. He met him at the table and presented the invitation; Absalon slumped lifeless back into the cushions²⁸. On the same evening as the death of the archbishop a sad voice was heard from behind the altar at Sorø, speaking the words, “Sora, Sora, pro me supplex ora! (Sister, sister, pray for me!)” The monks had not heard of their leader’s departure, and when it became known some days later along with the circumstances of that day, they had no doubt that God had granted the archbishop help by the acceptance of his prayer.

Soon thereafter, a criminal was caught and imprisoned by the responsible authorities. The villain had heard how Absalon died and decided to make use of the fear that his death had spread. He let the man who was holding him prisoner be told that he would bring his captor before not the heavenly but rather the judge from hell who never makes a good verdict over anyone. The judge was so terrified by this message that he let the culprit go.

²⁸ (Translator’s note: Contemporary history shows that Sorø Abbey was founded by Absalon’s father Asser Ri, and that Absalon became archbishop. Absalon died in 1201, 60 years afterhis father founded the abbey.)