Editing Saint Olaf

{{Short description|King of Norway from 1015 to 1028}}
{{Redirect|St. Olaf}}
{{Redirect|Olaf the Stout|the video game character|The Lost Vikings}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = Olav der Heilige07.jpg
| caption      = Coin of Olaf dated 1023–28
| succession   = [[List of Norwegian monarchs|King of Norway]]
| reign        = 1015–1028
| predecessor  = [[Sweyn Forkbeard]]
| successor    = [[Cnut the Great]]
| issue        = [[Wulfhild of Norway|Wulfhild, Duchess of Saxony]]<br />[[Magnus I of Norway]] (ill.)
| full name    = Olaf "Leif" Haraldsson
| birth_date   = {{circa| 995}}
| birth_place  = [[Ringerike (traditional district)|Ringerike]], [[Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)|Norway]]
| death_date   = 29 July 1030 (aged around 35)
| death_place  = [[Stiklestad]], Norway
| place of burial = 
| spouse       = [[Astrid Olofsdotter of Sweden]]
| house        = [[House of St. Olaf|St. Olaf]]
| father       = [[Harald Grenske]]
| mother       = [[Åsta Gudbrandsdatter]]
| Siblings      = [[Halfdan Sigurdsson]], [[Harald hardrada]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church|Catholic Christianity]]
}}

'''Saint Olaf''' ({{circa|995}} – 29 July 1030), also called '''Olaf the Holy''', '''Olaf II''', '''Olaf Haraldsson''', and '''Olaf the Stout''',<ref>His name is also spelled as Olav in some sources.</ref> was [[List of Norwegian monarchs|King of Norway]] from 1015 to 1028. Son of [[Harald Grenske]], a [[petty king]] in [[Vestfold]], Norway,<ref name=nyg>{{Cite web |url=http://nygaard.howards.net/files/189.htm |title=''Harald Grenske'' (Family Links) |access-date=2010-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031104404/http://nygaard.howards.net/files/189.htm |archive-date=2010-10-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> he was posthumously given the title ''[[Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae]]'' ({{langx|en|Eternal/Perpetual King of Norway}}) and [[canonised]] at [[Nidaros]] ([[Trondheim]]) by Bishop [[Grimketel]], one year after his death in the [[Battle of Stiklestad]] on 29 July 1030. His remains were enshrined in [[Nidaros Cathedral]], built over his burial site. His sainthood encouraged the widespread adoption of [[Christianity]] by [[Scandinavia]]'s [[Vikings]]/[[Norsemen]].

[[Pope Alexander III]] confirmed Olaf's local canonisation in 1164, making him a recognised saint of the [[Catholic Church]], and Olaf started to be known as ''Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae'' – ''eternal king of Norway''.<!-- The following is sourced only from self-published sources: His sainthood is also recognized by [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] (feast day 29 July), where he is considered a "Passion-Bearer" for the Holy Orthodox and Catholic faith and has been commemorated as early as 1031.<ref>{{Cite web|script-title=ru:Мученик Олаф Святой|url=https://azbyka.ru/days/sv-olaf-svjatoj|access-date=2021-05-31|website=azbyka.ru|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://uspenie-ladoga.ru/olaf_norveg/ | title=Святой Олаф II Харальдссон король Норвегии }}</ref> He is one of the last famous saints before the [[East-West Schism|Great Schism]].<ref name="orthonet">{{cite web |url=http://www.orthodox.net/western-saints/olaf-martyr-king-of-norway.html |title=Martyr-King Olaf of Norway – A Holy Orthodox Saint of Norway |author=Vladimir Moss | website=orthodox.net |access-date=14 December 2015|author-link=Vladimir Moss }}</ref>--> Following the [[Reformation]], he was a commemorated historical figure among some members of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] and Anglican Communions.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/calendar/ |title=The Calendar |date=16 October 2013 |newspaper=The Prayer Book Society of Canada |access-date=12 January 2017 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022221459/http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/calendar/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The saga of Olav Haraldsson and the legend of Olaf the Saint became central to a national identity. Especially during the period of [[Norwegian romantic nationalism|romantic nationalism]], Olaf was a symbol of Norwegian independence and pride. Saint Olaf is symbolised by the axe in [[Coat of arms of Norway|Norway's coat of arms]] and [[Olsok]] (29 July) is still his day of celebration. Many Christian institutions with Scandinavian links as well as Norway's [[Order of St. Olav]] are named after him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://virksommeord.uib.no/taler?id=2442 |title=Olav Haraldsson |publisher=Den norske kirkes 900-årsjubileum |author=Fredrik Paasche |date=29 July 1930 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>

== Name ==
Olaf's [[Old Norse]] name is ''Óláfr Haraldsson'' {{IPA|non|ˈoːlɑːvz̠ ˈhɑrɑldsˌson|}} (Etymology: ''Anu-'' "forefather", -laibaR ''—''"heir"). ''Olav'' is the modern equivalent in [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], formerly often spelt ''Olaf''. His name in [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] is ''Ólafur'' {{IPA|is|ˈouːlaːvʏr̥|}}, in [[Faroese language|Faroese]] ''Ólavur'', in [[Danish language|Danish]] ''Olav'', in [[Swedish language|Swedish]] ''Olof'', and in [[Finnish language|Finnish]] ''Olavi''. Olave was the traditional spelling in England, preserved in the name of medieval churches dedicated to him. Other names, such as ''Óláfr hinn helgi'', ''Olavus rex'', and Olaf are used interchangeably (see the ''[[Heimskringla]]'' of [[Snorri Sturluson]]). He is sometimes called ''[[Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae]]'' ({{langx|en|"Norway's Eternal King"}}), a designation which goes back to the 13th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://snl.no/Olav_den_hellige |title=Olav den hellige |publisher=Store norske leksikon |author=Leif Inge Ree Petersen |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>

During his lifetime he was known as Olaf "the stout"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG112993 |title=St Olaf II, King of Norway |publisher=[[British Museum]]}}</ref> or simply as Olaf "the big" (''Ólafr digri'' {{IPA|non|ˈdiɣre|}}; Modern Norwegian ''Olav Digre'').<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DnotAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA117 |editor=[[Guðbrandur Vigfússon]] and [[Frederick York Powell|York Powell, Frederick]] | title=Court Poetry |series=Corpus Poeticum Boreale |volume=2 |year=1883 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford-Clarendon |oclc=60479029 |page=117}}</ref> In modern Norway he is commonly called ''Olav den hellige'' ([[Bokmål]]; Olaf the Holy) or ''Heilag-Olav'' ([[Nynorsk]]; the Holy Olaf) in recognition of his sainthood.

== Background ==
Olaf Haraldsson is attested having been born in [[Ringerike (traditional district)|Ringerike]],<ref name="socc">[http://saintolaf.org/about-us/st-olaf-patron-saint-of-norway/ "St. Olaf, Patron Saint of Norway", St. Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306232712/http://saintolaf.org/about-us/st-olaf-patron-saint-of-norway/ |date=6 March 2014 }}</ref> yet Ringerike must not be conflated with the modern notion of the district named after the legendary Ringerike of [[Ivar Vidfamne]] and Sigurd Hring, which may be regarded as the confederation of five petty kingdoms conferring with the five kings that established Olaf Haraldson as their High King at Hringsakri according to Saint Olafs Saga, King Hrœrekr, King Guðrøðr, King Hring and two others of less certain identity. Olaf Haraldsson did not become King of Norway until the [[Battle of Nesjar]]. 

Olaf Haraldsson was the son of [[Åsta Gudbrandsdatter]] and [[Harald Grenske]], a [[petty king]] in [[Vestfold]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bartleby.com/210/7/294.html |title=''St. Olaus, or Olave, King of Norway, Martyr'' (Butler's Lives of the Saints) |publisher=Bartleby.com |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref> According to later Icelandic sagas, Harald Grenske was the son of [[Gudrød Bjørnsson]], son of King [[Bjørn Farmann]] in Vestfold, who was in turn son of King [[Harald Fairhair|Harald I Fairhair Halvdansson]]. The latter had unified Norway as one Kingdom, establishing a feudalist structure with the kingship far less dependent on local rulers. Thus, according to the sagas, Olaf was a great-great-grandson in the male line of the founder of the Norwegian kingdom. Harald Grenske died when Åsta Gudbrandsdatter was pregnant with Olaf. Åsta later married [[Sigurd Syr]], with whom she had other children, including [[Harald Hardrada]], who later reigned as king of Norway.<ref name="SNL">{{Cite web|url=http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Harald_3_Hardr%C3%A5de/utdypning|title=Harald 3 Hardråde|language=no|author=Krag, Claus|access-date=30 July 2012|work=[[Norsk biografisk leksikon]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020001633/http://snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Harald_3_Hardr%C3%A5de/utdypning|archive-date=20 October 2012}}</ref> 

The petty kings of Ringerike seem to have had some claims to the High Kingship of the Commonwealth of Uppsala posing a possible threat to the royal [[House of Munsö]] under King Olof Skötkonung. The [[Earls of Lade|Earls of Hlaðir]] and the petty kings of Hringerike had been in conflict since at least King Harald Fairhair assumed power of all of Norway.

== Saga sources for Olaf Haraldsson ==
Many texts have information about Olaf Haraldsson.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bagge |first=Sverre |date=2010 |title=Warrior, King, and Saint: The Medieval Histories about St. Óláfr Haraldsson |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.3.0281 |journal=The Journal of English and Germanic Philology |volume=109 |issue=3 |pages=281–321 |doi=10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.3.0281 |jstor=10.5406/jenglgermphil.109.3.0281 |issn=0363-6941}}</ref> The oldest is the ''Glælognskviða'' or "Sea-Calm Poem", composed by [[Þórarinn loftunga]], an Icelander. It praises Olaf and mentions some of the famous miracles attributed to him. The Norwegian synoptic histories also mention Olaf. These include the {{Lang|is|[[Ágrip af Nóregskonungasögum]]}} ({{Circa|1190}}), the ''[[Historia Norwegiae]]'' ({{Circa|1160}}–1175) and a Latin text, ''Historia de Antiquitate Regum Norwagiensium'' by [[Theodoric the Monk]] ({{Circa|1177}}–1188).<ref name="autogenerated1">Lindow, John. "St. Olaf and the Skalds." In: DuBois, Thomas A., ed. ''Sanctity in the North''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 103–27.</ref>

Icelanders also wrote extensively about Olaf and there are several Icelandic sagas about him, including ''[[Fagrskinna]]'' ({{Circa|1220}}) and ''[[Morkinskinna]]'' ({{Circa|1225–1235}}). ''[[Heimskringla]]'' ({{Circa|1225}}), by [[Snorri Sturluson]], largely bases its account of Olaf on the earlier ''[[Fagrskinna]]''. The sources seem to say that he had been raised in the Norse pagan religion, but converted to Christ early in his adulthood.  The ''[[Oldest Saga of St. Olaf]]'' ({{Circa|1200}}) is important to scholars for its constant use of [[skald]]ic verses, many of which are attributed to Olaf himself.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

Finally, many [[hagiographic]] sources describe St. Olaf, but these focus mostly on miracles attributed to him and cannot be used to accurately recreate his life. A notable one is ''[[Passio Olavi|The Passion and the Miracles of the Blessed Olafr]]''.<ref>Kunin, Devra, trans. ''A History of Norway and The Passion and Miracles of the Blessed Olafr''. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, 2011.</ref>

== Reign ==

A widely used account of Olaf's life is found in ''[[Heimskringla]]'' from {{Circa|1225}}. Although its facts are dubious, the saga recounts Olaf's deeds as follows:
[[File:Norway 1020 AD.png|thumb|upright|Norway in 1020]] In 1008, Olaf landed on the [[Estonia]]n island of [[Saaremaa]] (Osilia). The [[Osilians]], taken by surprise, had at first agreed to Olaf's demands, but then gathered an army during the negotiations and attacked the Norwegians. Olaf nevertheless won the battle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saaremaa.ee/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=306&lang=en#viking |title=Saaremaa in written source |publisher=Saaremaa.ee |access-date=21 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122122432/http://www.saaremaa.ee/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=306&lang=en#viking |archive-date=22 January 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

It is said that Olaf participated alongside fellow Viking [[Thorkell the Tall]] in the [[siege of Canterbury]] in 1011.<ref>{{cite book |author=Gabriel Turville-Petre |title=The Heroic Age of Scandinavia |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0-8371-8128-3 |page=142|year=1976 }}</ref>

Olaf sailed to the southern coast of [[Finland]] sometime in 1008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/heim/08stolaf.htm |title=Saga of Olaf Haraldson |website=sacred-texts.com |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Länsieurooppalaiset ja skandinaaviset Suomen esihistoriaa koskevat lähteet. Suomen väestön esihistorialliset juuret. |last=Gallen |first=Jarl |year=1984 |pages=255–256}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Fibula, Fabula, Fact: The Viking Age in Finland |editor-last1=Ahola|editor-first1=Joonas|editor-last2=Frog|editor-last3=Tolley|editor-first3=Clive|publisher=Studia Fennica |year=2014 |page=422}}</ref> The journey resulted in the [[Battle at Herdaler]], where Olaf and his men were ambushed by the [[Finns]] in the woods. Olaf lost many men but made it back to his boats. He ordered his ships to depart despite a rising storm. The Finns pursued them and made the same progress on land as Olaf and his men made on water. Despite these events they survived. The exact location of the battle is uncertain and the Finnish equivalent of Herdaler is unknown, but it has been suggested that it could be in [[Uusimaa (historical province)|Uusimaa]], probably near present-day [[Ingå]].<ref>Suomen museo 2002 ({{ISBN|951-9057-47-1}}), p. 78.</ref>

As a teenager Olaf went to the [[Baltic region|Baltic]], then to [[Denmark]] and later to [[England]]. Skaldic poetry suggests he led a successful seaborne attack that took down [[London Bridge]], though Anglo-Saxon sources do not confirm this. This may have been in 1014, restoring London and the English throne to [[Æthelred the Unready]] and removing Cnut.<ref>J. R. Hagland and B. Watson, [http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-457-1/dissemination/pdf/vol10/vol10_12/10_12_328_333.pdf 'Fact or folklore: the Viking attack on London Bridge'], ''London Archaeologist'', 12 (2005), pp. 328–333.</ref> According to Snorri's [[Heimskringla]], the attack happened soon after the death of [[Sweyn Forkbeard]] with the city being held by Danish forces. Snorri's account claims that Olaf assisted Æthelred in driving the Danes out of England. Olaf is also said by Snorri to have aided the sons of Æthelred after his death. Olaf is said to have won battles but been unable to assist Æthelred's sons in driving Cnut out. After this, he set his sights on Norway.

Olaf saw it as his calling to unite Norway into one kingdom, as [[Harald Fairhair]] had largely succeeded in doing. On the way home he wintered with Duke [[Richard II of Normandy]]. Marauding [[Vikings]] had conquered this region in 881. Richard was himself an ardent Christian, and the [[Normans]] had also previously converted to Christianity. Before leaving, Olaf was baptised in [[Rouen]]<ref name="socc" /> in the pre-Romanesque [[Rouen Cathedral|Notre-Dame Cathedral]] by Richard's brother [[Robert II (archbishop of Rouen)|Robert the Dane]], archbishop of Normandy.

Olaf returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five [[petty kingdom|petty kings]] of the [[Uplands, Norway|Norwegian Uplands]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=62}} In 1016 at the [[Battle of Nesjar]] he defeated [[Sveinn Hákonarson|Earl Sweyn]], one of the [[earls of Lade]] and hitherto the ''de facto'' ruler of Norway. He founded the town of Borg, later known as [[Sarpsborg]], by the waterfall [[Sarpsfossen]] in [[Østfold]] county. Within a few years he had won more power than any of his predecessors on the throne had enjoyed.

Olaf annihilated the petty kings of the south, subdued the aristocracy, asserted his [[suzerainty]] in the [[Orkney Islands]], and conducted a successful raid on Denmark.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=62}}  He made peace with King [[Olof Skötkonung]] of [[Sweden]] through [[Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker]], and was for some time engaged to Olof's daughter, [[Ingegerd Olofsdotter|Ingegerd]], though without Olof's approval. In 1019 Olaf married [[Astrid Olofsdotter of Sweden|Astrid Olofsdotter]], King Olof's illegitimate daughter and the half-sister of his former fiancée. The union produced a daughter, [[Wulfhild of Norway|Wulfhild]], who married [[Ordulf, Duke of Saxony]] in 1042.<ref>{{cite book |title=All the King's Women: Polygyny and Politics in Europe, 900–1250 |first=Jan |last=Rudiger |translator-first=Tim |translator-last=Barnwell |publisher=Brill |year=2020 |page=252}}</ref>

In 1026 he participated in the [[Battle of the Helgeå]]. In 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, supported [[Cnut's Invasion of Norway|the invasion]] of King [[Cnut the Great]] of Denmark. Olaf was driven into exile in [[Kievan Rus]].{{sfn|Chisholm |1911|p=62}}<ref name="socc" /> He stayed for some time in the Swedish province of [[history of Nericia|Nerike]], where, according to local legend, he baptised many locals. In 1029, King Cnut's Norwegian regent, Jarl [[Håkon Eiriksson]], was lost at sea and Olaf seized the opportunity to win back the kingdom. Given military and logistical support by the Swedish king [[Anund Jacob]] he tried to bypass the formidable "Øresundfleet" of the Danish king by traveling across the [[Jämtland]]-mountains to take Nidaros, the Norwegian capital at the time, in 1030. However, Olaf was killed in [[Battle of Stiklestad]] on 29 July 1030,<ref>{{cite book |title=On Heroes, Hero Worship, and the Heroic in History |first=Thomas |last=Carlyle |editor-first1=David R. |editor-last1=Sorenson |editor-first2=Brent E. |editor-last2=Kinser |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2013  |page=306 }}</ref> where some of his own subjects from central and northern Norway took arms against him. The exact position of Saint Olaf's grave in Nidaros has been unknown since 1568, due to the effects of the [[Reformation in Denmark–Norway and Holstein|Lutheran iconoclasm]] in 1536–37.

King Cnut, though distracted by the task of governing England, ruled Norway for five years after Stiklestad, with his son [[Svein Knutsson|Svein]] and Svein's mother [[Ælfgifu of Northampton|Ælfgifu]] (known as ''Álfífa'' in Old Norse sources) as regents. But their regency was unpopular, and when Olaf's illegitimate son [[Magnus I of Norway|Magnus]] ('the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Svein and Ælfgifu were forced to flee.

== Christianising ==
[[File:Bischofstab Norwegen 1375-1400.JPG|thumb|upright|St. Olaf with his ax on a [[Crozier|bishop's crozier]], walrus ivory, Norway c. 1375–1400 |alt=St. Olaf with his ax, depicted on an ivory crozier]]

Olaf has traditionally been seen as leading the [[Christianization of Scandinavia|Christianisation]] of Norway, but most scholars of the period now believe that Olaf had little to do with the process. Olaf brought with him [[Grimketel]], who is usually credited with helping him create episcopal sees and further organising the Norwegian church, but Grimketel was only a member of Olaf's household and no permanent sees were created until c.&nbsp;1100. Also, Olaf and Grimketel most likely did not introduce new ecclesiastical laws to Norway; these were ascribed to Olaf at a later date. Olaf most likely did try to bring Christianity to the interior of Norway, where it was less prevalent.<ref>Lund, Niels. "Scandinavia, c. 700–1066." ''The New Cambridge Medieval History''. Ed. [[Rosamond McKitterick]]. Cambridge University Press, 1995.</ref>

Questions have also been raised about the nature of Olaf's Christianity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dead Man Converting {{!}} Christian History Magazine |url=https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/dead-man-converting |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=Christian History Institute |language=en}}</ref> Modern historians generally agree<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bagge |first=Sverre |title=From Viking stronghold to Christian kingdom: state formation in Norway, c. 900–1350 |date=2010 |publisher=Museum Tusculanum Press, Univ. of Copenhagen |isbn=978-87-635-0791-2 |location=Copenhagen}}</ref> that Olaf was inclined to violence and brutality, and note that earlier scholars often neglected this side of his character. It seems that, like many Scandinavian kings, Olaf used his Christianity to gain more power for the monarchy and centralise control in Norway. The skaldic verses attributed to Olaf do not speak of Christianity at all, but use [[Norse paganism|pagan]] references to describe romantic relationships.<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref name="Sadism">{{Cite news |url=http://www.nrk.no/trondelag/_-olav-den-hellige-var-en-sadist-1.11844595 |title=Olav den Hellige var en sadist |last=NRK |publisher=NRK |access-date=12 January 2017}}</ref>

In his book ''The Conversion of Scandinavia'', Anders Winroth argues that there was a "long process of assimilation, in which the Scandinavians adopted, one by one and over time, individual Christian practices."<ref name="autogenerated2">Winroth, Anders. ''The Conversion of Scandinavia''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.</ref> Winroth does not claim that Olaf was not Christian, but argues that we cannot think of any Scandinavians as fully converting as portrayed in the later hagiographies or sagas. Olaf himself is portrayed in later sources as a saintly miracle-working figure to help support this quick view of conversion for Norway, but the historical Olaf did not act this way, as seen especially in the skaldic verses attributed to him.

== Sainthood ==
{{Infobox saint
| honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
| name             = Olaf
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = NorvegiaeRex.jpg
| imagesize        = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = Saint Olaf of Norway, by Pius Welonsky (1893) in [[Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso]], Rome.
| titles           = [[Martyr]] and [[Perpetual King of Norway]]
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = 
| birth_place      = 
| home_town        = 
| residence        = 
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| venerated_in     = [[Catholic Church]], [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Anglicanism]]
| beatified_date   = 1031
| beatified_place  = 
| beatified_by     = [[Grimketel]]
| canonized_date   = 1164
| canonized_place  = 
| canonized_by     = [[Pope Alexander III]]
| major_shrine     = [[St. Olav's shrine]], [[Nidaros Cathedral]], [[Trondheim]], [[Norway]]
| feast_day        = 29 July
| attributes       = Axe<br>Crown
| patronage        = [[Norway]], [[Faroe Islands]], [[Normans]]
| issues           = 
| suppressed_date  = 
| suppressed_by    = 
| influences       = 
| influenced       = 
| tradition        = 
| major_works      = 
| module           = 
}}
Olaf swiftly became Norway's patron saint; Bishop [[Grimketel]] performed his canonisation only a year after his death.{{efn|name=beat|Grimketel initiated the beatification of Olaf on 3 August 1031. This was before the time of the formal canonization process now in use.{{sfn|Delehaye|1911|p=192}}}} The cult of Olaf unified the country and consolidated the Christianisation of Norway. He is also recognized as the patron saint of the [[Faroe Islands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://weeklyword.eu/en/no-island-is-an-island/ |title=Weekly Word |website=weeklyword.eu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.com/2011/08/eco-warriors-join-whalers-festival.html |title=Eco-Warriors Join Whalers' Festival |date=14 August 2011 }}</ref>

Owing to Olaf's later status as Norway's patron saint, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the historical Olaf's character. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears to have been a fairly unsuccessful ruler, whose power was based on an alliance with the much more powerful King [[Cnut the Great]]; who was driven into exile when he claimed power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.

This calls for an explanation of the status he gained after his death. Three factors are important: the later myth surrounding his role in the Christianisation of Norway, the various dynastic relationships among the ruling families, and the need for legitimisation in a later period.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.viking.no/e/people/st.olav/index.html |title=''Olav Haraldsson – Olav the Stout – Olav the Saint'' (Viking Network) |publisher=Viking.no |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref>

=== Conversion of Norway ===
Olaf Haraldsson and [[Olaf Tryggvason]] (Olaf Haraldsson's [[Godparent|godfather]]) are both traditionally regarded as the driving forces behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity.<ref>Karen Larsen, ''A History of Norway'' (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1948) pp. 95–101.</ref> But large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least Norway's coastal areas were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olaf's time; with one exception, all of Norway's rulers since [[Haakon I of Norway|Håkon the Good]] (c. 920–961) were Christians, as was Olaf's main opponent, [[Cnut the Great]]. What seems clear is that Olaf made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from [[England]], [[Normandy]] and [[Germany]], and that he tried to enforce Christianity in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult was stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of Norway.

Many believe Olaf introduced Christian law into Norway in 1024, based upon the [[Kuli stone]], but this stone is hard to interpret.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> The codification of Christianity as the legal religion of Norway was attributed to Olaf, and his legal arrangements for the Church of Norway came to stand so high in the Norwegian people's and clergy's eyes that when [[Pope Gregory VII]] made clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074–75, However, Olaf's legal code for the church made no mention of clerical celibacy. Only after Norway was made a metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1153 — making the Norwegian church more independent of its king and more directly responsible to the Pope — did [[Canon law (Catholic Church)|canon law]] gain a greater prominence in the life and jurisdiction of the Norwegian church.

=== Olaf's dynasty ===
For various reasons, most importantly the death of King Cnut the Great in 1035 but perhaps also a certain discontent among Norwegian nobles with Danish rule in the years after Olaf's death in 1030, Olaf's illegitimate son with the concubine Alvhild, [[Magnus I of Norway|Magnus the Good]], assumed power in Norway, and eventually also in Denmark. Numerous Danish churches were dedicated to Olaf during his reign, and the sagas give glimpses of the young king's efforts to promote the cult of his deceased father. This became typical of Scandinavian monarchies. In pagan times, Scandinavian kings derived their right to rule from their claims of descent from the Norse god [[Odin]], or in the case of the kings of the Swedes at [[Old Uppsala]], from [[Freyr]]. In Christian times this legitimation of a dynasty's right to rule and its national prestige was based on its descent from a saintly king. Thus the kings of Norway promoted the cult of St. Olaf, the kings of Sweden the cult of [[St. Erik]] and the kings of Denmark the cult of [[Saint Canute]], just as in England the Norman and [[Plantagenet]] kings promoted the cult of [[St. Edward the Confessor]] at [[Westminster Abbey]], their coronation church.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nbl.snl.no/Olav_2_Haraldsson_Den_Hellige |title=Olav 2 Haraldsson Den Hellige, Konge |publisher=Norsk biografisk leksikon |author=Claus Krag |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>

=== Saint Olaf ===
==== Liturgical cult ====
[[File:Olav fra Austevold kirke.jpg|upright|thumb|Statue of St. Olav from [[Austevoll Church]], Norway.]]
[[File:St Olave, Seething Lane, London EC3 - East window - geograph.org.uk - 1077535.jpg|thumb|upright|St. Olaf in stained-glass window at [[St Olave's Church, Hart Street]] in London]]
[[File:Sankt Olof i Sankt Olof.jpg|thumb|upright|Medieval depictions of Saint Olaf adopted features from Thor. This wooden statue is from Sankt Olofs kyrka in [[Scania]], southern Sweden.]]
[[File:Ulvila.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright|Saint Olaf in the coat of arms of [[Ulvila]], a medieval town in [[Satakunta]], [[Finland]].]]
[[Sigrid Undset]] noted that Olaf was baptised in [[Rouen]], the capital of [[Normandy]], and suggested that Olaf may have used priests of Norman descent for his missionaries. Normans were somewhat familiar with the culture of the people they were to convert and in some cases may have been able to understand the language. Among the bishops Olaf is known to have brought with him from England was [[Grimketel]] ({{langx|la|Grimcillus}}). He was probably the only one of the missionary bishops left in the country at the time of Olaf's death, and he stood behind the [[translation]] and [[beatification]] of Olaf on 3 August 1031.{{efn|name=beat}} Grimketel later became the first bishop of [[Sigtuna]] in Sweden.

At this time, local bishops and their people recognised and proclaimed a person a saint, and a formal [[canonisation]] procedure through the papal [[curia]] was not customary; in Olaf's case, this did not happen until 1888. But Olaf II died before the [[East-West Schism]] and a strict [[Roman Rite]] was not well-established in Scandinavia at the time. He is also venerated in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Grimketel was later appointed bishop in the [[Bishop of Selsey|diocese of Selsey]] in southeastern England. This is probably why the earliest traces of a liturgical cult of Olaf are found in England. An [[Liturgy of the Hours|office]], or prayer service, for Olaf is found in the so-called ''[[Leofric, Earl of Mercia|Leofric collectar]]'' (c. 1050), which Bishop [[Leofric (bishop)|Leofric]] of [[Exeter]] bequeathed in his last will and testament to [[Exeter Cathedral]]. This English cult seems to have been short-lived.

Writing around 1070, [[Adam of Bremen]] mentions pilgrimage to [[St. Olav's shrine|St. Olaf's shrine]] in [[Nidaros]], but this is the only firm trace we have of a cult of St. Olaf in Norway before the mid-12th century. By this time he was also being called ''Norway's Eternal King''. In 1152/3, Nidaros was separated from Lund as the [[archbishopric of Nidaros]]. It is likely that whatever formal or informal veneration of Olaf as a saint may have existed in Nidaros before that was emphasised and formalised on this occasion.

Miracles performed by St. Olaf appear for the first time in [[Þórarinn loftunga]]'s skaldic poem ''Glælognskviða'', or "Sea-Calm Poem", from about 1030–34.<ref>Margaret Clunies Ross, {{'}}''Reginnaglar''{{'}}, in ''News from Other Worlds/''Tíðendi ór ǫðrum heimum'': Studies in Nordic Folklore, Mythology and Culture in Honor of John F. Lindow'', ed. by Merrill Kaplan and Timothy R. Tangherlini, Wildcat Canyon Advanced Seminars Occasional Monographs, 1 (Berkeley, CA: North Pinehurst Press, 2012), pp. 3–21 (p. 4); {{ISBN|0578101742}}.</ref> One is the killing and throwing onto a mountain of a sea serpent still visible on the cliffside.<ref>[http://kulturminneatlas.avinet.no/object/dbarticle_preview.aspx?id=745 Serpent image] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320143322/http://kulturminneatlas.avinet.no/object/dbarticle_preview.aspx?id=745 |date=20 March 2017 }}</ref> Another took place on the day of his death, when a blind man regained his sight after rubbing his eyes with hands stained with Olaf's blood.

The texts used for the liturgical celebration of St. Olaf during most of the Middle Ages were probably compiled or written by [[Eystein Erlendsson]], the second [[Archbishop of Nidaros]] (1161–1189).{{efn|Eysteinn Erlendsson is commonly believed to have written [[Passio Olavi|''Et Miracula Beati Olaui'']]. This Latin hagiographical work is about the history and work of St. Olaf, with particular emphasis on his missionary work.<ref>Eysteinn Erlendsson, Archbishop of Nidaros</ref>}} The nine miracles reported in ''Glælognskviða'' form the core of the catalogue of miracles in this office.

St. Olaf was widely popular throughout Scandinavia. Numerous churches in Norway, Sweden, and Iceland were dedicated to him. His presence was even felt in Finland and many travelled from all over the Norse world in order to visit his shrine.<ref>Orrman, Eljas. "Church and society". In: ''Prehistory to 1520''. Ed. Knut Helle. Cambridge University Press, 2003.</ref> Apart from the early traces of a cult in England, there are only scattered references to him outside the Nordic area.

Several churches in England were dedicated to him (often as ''St Olave''); the name was presumably popular with Scandinavian immigrants. [[St Olave's Church, York]], is referred to in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' for 1055<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/1053-55.html |title=The AngloSaxon Chronicle |publisher=Britannia |access-date=21 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193223/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/1053-55.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as the place of burial of its founder, [[Earl Siward]]. This is generally accepted to be the earliest datable church foundation dedicated to Olaf and is further evidence of a cult of St. Olaf in the early 1050s in England. [[St Olave Hart Street]] in the [[City of London]] is the burial place of [[Samuel Pepys]] and his wife. [[St Olave's Church, Southwark|Another St. Olave's Church]] south of [[London Bridge]] gave its name to [[Tooley Street]] and to the ''St Olave's [[Poor Law]] Union'', later the [[Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey]]: its workhouse in [[Rotherhithe]] became [[St Olave's Hospital]] and then an old people's home a few hundred metres from ''St Olav's Church'', which is the [[Scandinavian churches in London|Norwegian Church in London]]. It also led to the naming of [[St Olave's Grammar School]], which was established in 1571 and was in Tooley Street until 1968, when it moved to [[Orpington]], Kent. The village of [[St Olaves]] in Norfolk bears the name as it is the location of the remains of a 13th-century Augustinian priory dedicated to Olaf.

St. Olaf was also, together with the [[Virgin Mary|Mother of God]], the patron saint of the chapel of the [[Varangians]], the Scandinavian warriors who served as the bodyguard of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperor. This church is believed to have been near the church of [[Hagia Irene]] in Constantinople. The icon of the [[Madonna Nicopeia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umbc.edu/MA/index/number1/fenl1/fe1_8.htm |title=The invention of tradition |publisher=Umbc.edu |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref> presently in [[St. Mark's Basilica]] in Venice, which is believed to have been traditionally carried into combat by the Byzantine military forces, is believed to have been kept in this chapel in times of peace. Thus St. Olaf was also the last saint venerated by both the Western and Eastern churches before the [[East–West Schism|Great Schism]].

The basilica of [[Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso]] in Rome has a Chapel of St Olav. Its altarpiece contains a painting of the saint, shown as a martyr king defeating a dragon, representing victory over his pagan past. It was originally a gift presented to Pope [[Leo XIII]] in 1893 for the golden jubilee of his ordination as a bishop by Norwegian nobleman and [[Papal Gentlemen|papal chamberlain]] Baron [[Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg]]. The chapel was restored in 1980 and reinaugurated by Bishop [[John Willem Gran]], bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgran.html |title=Bishop John Willem Nicolaysen Gran, O.C.S.O. Deceased |publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy |author=David M. Cheney |date=22 August 2015 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref>

In [[Germany]], there used to be a shrine of St. Olaf in [[Koblenz]]. It was founded in 1463 or 1464 by [[Henrik Kalteisen|Heinrich Kalteisen]] at his retirement home, the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] Monastery in the ''Altstadt'' ("Old City") neighborhood of Koblenz. He was the [[Archdiocese of Nidaros|Archbishop of Nidaros]] in Norway from 1452 to 1458. When he died in 1464, he was buried in front of the shrine's altar.<ref>{{in lang|no}} Audun Dybdahl, "[http://nbl.snl.no/Henrik_Kalteisen Henrik Kalteisen]", in: ''Norsk biografisk leksikon'' [''Norwegian Biographical Dictionary'']. Retrieved 24 October 2011.</ref> However, the shrine did not last: the Dominican Monastery was secularized in 1802 and bulldozed in 1955. Only the ''Rokokoportal'' ("[[Rococo]] Portal"), built in 1754, remains to mark the spot.<ref>See Harald Rausch, "''[http://www.weissergasse-koblenz.de/index.php?menuid=22&reporeid=40 Das Ende der Weißergasse]''", ''PAPOO'', posted 2 February 2011 {{in lang|de}}, and Reinhard Schmid, "''[http://www.klosterlexikon-rlp.de/mittelrhein-lahn-taunus/koblenz-dominikanerkloster.html Koblenz – Dominikanerkloster]''", ''Klöster und Stifte in Rheinland-Pfalz'' [''Monasteries and Churches in Rhineland-Palatinate''  {{in lang|de}} for more details.</ref>

In the [[Faroe Islands]], the day of St. Olaf's death is celebrated as [[Ólavsøka]], a nation-wide holiday.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11234a.htm |title=''St. Olaf Haraldson'' (Catholic Encyclopedia) |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1 February 1911 |access-date=21 May 2012}}</ref>

Recently the [[pilgrimage]] route to [[Nidaros Cathedral]], the site of St. Olaf's tomb, has been reinstated. The route is known as The Pilgrim's Way (''Pilegrimsleden''). The main route, approximately 640&nbsp;km long, starts in the ancient part of [[Oslo]] and heads north, along [[Lake Mjosa]], up the [[Gudbrandsdal]] Valley, over [[Dovrefjell]] and down the [[Orkdalen]] Valley, ending at Nidaros Cathedral in [[Trondheim (city)|Trondheim]]. A Pilgrim's Office in Oslo gives advice to pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, awards certificates to pilgrims when they complete their journeys. However, the relics are no longer exposed in the cathedral, and it is not sure where exactly in the cathedral crypt his remains are buried.

==== Folklore ====
For centuries, Olaf figured in folk traditions as a slayer of [[troll]]s and giants, and as a protector against malicious forces. He was said to have healing power, which attracted people to his shrine, and various springs were claimed to have sprung forth where he or his body had been.<ref>{{cite book |last=Astås |first=Reidar |year=1993 |chapter=Óláfr, St. |title=Medieval Scandinavia, an Encyclopedia |editor-last=Pulsiano |editor-first=Phillip |location=NY and London |publisher=Garland |isbn=0-8240-4787-7 |page=446}}</ref> Around the 12th century, folk traditions and iconography of Olaf absorbed elements of the gods [[Thor]] and [[Freyr]] from [[Norse mythology]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dumézil|first=Georges|author-link=Georges Dumézil|year=1973|title=Gods of the Ancient Northmen|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=0-520-02044-8|page=125}}</ref> Like Freyr, he became associated with fertility, which led to his adoption as a [[patron saint]] by farmers, fishermen, sailors and merchants of the [[Hanseatic League]], who turned to him for good yield and protection. From Thor, he inherited the quick temper, physical strength and merits of a giant-slayer.<ref name="medievalfolklore">{{cite book |year=2002 |chapter=Olaf, Saint |editor1-last=Lindahl |editor1-first=Carl |editor2-last=McNamara |editor2-first=John |editor3-last=Lindow |editor3-first=John |title=Medieval Folklore: A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195147711 |page=299}}</ref>

Popular tradition also made marks in the ecclesiastical material. Early depictions of Olaf portray him as clean-shaven, but after 1200 he appears with a red beard, which may have been absorbed from Thor. The ''[[Passio Olavi|Passio a miracule beati Olavi]]'', the official record of Olaf's miracles, contains an episode where Olaf helps a man escape from the ''[[Hulder|huldrefolk]]'', the "hidden people" of [[Scandinavian folklore|Norwegian folklore]].<ref name="medievalfolklore" />

==== In Normandy ====
In [[Normandy]], Saint Olaf represents an important figure and was chosen unofficially as the [[patron saint]] of the [[Normans]], this term mainly designating the inhabitants of continental Normandy and of the [[Channel Islands]], but also on a larger scale the inhabitants of the former [[Vikings|Viking]] territories, namely the Scandinavian countries and, even more so, [[Norway]]. This choice can be explained by the time in which Olaf lived and when the exchanges between Normandy and the Scandinavian countries were common. There were also many kinships between the inhabitants of the brand new Norman state, as illustrated by the choice of Archbishop [[Robert II (archbishop of Rouen)|Robert II]] for the baptism of Olaf.

The [[:fr:Drapeau normand#Drapeaux à croix scandinave (ou croix de Saint Olaf)|normand flag]] with a Scandinavian cross, which recalls the Scandinavian origins of Normandy, has been baptized "Cross of Saint Olav" (or "Cross of Saint Olaf") in honor of the saint.

Baptized in [[Rouen]] by the brother of a Duke of Normandy, a church in Rouen is dedicated to Saint-Olaf.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Eglise Norvégienne|url=http://www.rouen-histoire.com/Eglises_Rouen/Eglise_Norvegienne.htm|access-date=2021-05-02|website=www.rouen-histoire.com}}</ref> The Norwegian Saint-Olaf Church was built in 1926, rue Duguay-Trouin, near the home of the Scandinavian sailors. The Norwegian Seamen's Mission wanted to build a Lutheran place of worship for visiting sailors.

A bone from Saint Olaf's arm is kept as a relic in the crypt of [[Rouen Cathedral]].<ref name="france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr">{{Cite web|title=Le millénaire du baptême de Saint-Olav à la cathédrale de Rouen|url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/normandie/2014/10/19/le-millenaire-du-bapteme-de-saint-olav-la-cathedrale-de-rouen-574612.html|access-date=2021-05-02|website=France 3 Normandie|date=19 October 2014 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

In 2014 the city and the diocese of Rouen celebrated the millennium of the baptism of Saint Olav with the Norwegian representatives of the [[Catholic Church]] and the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway]].<ref name="france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr"/>

In Normandy, July 29 is the occasion of local cultural festivals which generally highlight the Norse heritage of [[Normandy]]. In some Norman parishes, [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] is celebrated on this day in honor of the saint and to mark the historical links that unite [[Normandy]] and [[Scandinavia]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=GChapdelaine|title=Saint Olaf – Fraternité de l'Abbaye de La Lucerne|url=https://www.coutances.catholique.fr/pres-de-chez-vous/fraternite-de-l-abbaye-de-la-lucerne/spiritualite/saint-olaf|access-date=2021-05-02|website=www.coutances.catholique.fr|date=4 June 2017|language=fr|archive-date=17 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217122400/https://www.coutances.catholique.fr/pres-de-chez-vous/fraternite-de-l-abbaye-de-la-lucerne/spiritualite/saint-olaf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== In Epcot ====
A statue of a young Olaf Haraldsson can be found erected in front of the [[Stave Church]] replica in the [[Norway Pavilion at Epcot|Norway Pavilion]] in [[Walt Disney World]]'s [[Epcot]].

==== Other references to St. Olaf ====
{{Further|List of churches dedicated to St Olav|label1=List of churches dedicated to St. Olav}}
[[File:Jomala.vapen.svg|thumb|upright|Saint Olaf in the coat of arms of [[Jomala]], [[Åland]]]]
* [[File:StOlaf.jpg|alt=Saint Olaf in Orkney Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland|thumb|Saint Olaf in Orkney Cathedral, Kirkwall, Scotland]][[St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo]], the main cathedral of the [[Roman Catholic Church in Norway]]
* St. Olav's Chapel, in Covarrubias, Spain<ref>{{cite web|title=Saint Olav's chapel in Spain|website=pilgrim.info|url=http://www.pilgrim.info/en/index.aspx?id=714273|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102084629/http://www.pilgrim.info/en/index.aspx?id=714273|archive-date=2008-01-02}}</ref>
* [[Olavshallen Concert Hall]] in Trondheim
* [[St. Olaf's Church, Balestrand]] in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
* [[Sankt Olof]] situated in [[Simrishamn Municipality]], [[Skåne County]], [[Sweden]]
* St. Oluf's Church, now [[St. Oluf's Cemetery]] in [[Aarhus]], Denmark, originates from before 1203, but has been in ruins since 1548.
* [[St. Olaf's Church, Jomala|St. Olaf's Church]] in [[Jomala]], [[Åland]]
* [[St. Olaf's Church, Tallinn|St. Olaf's Church]], the tallest and possibly oldest church in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]
* St. Olaf's Church in [[Nõva, Lääne County|Nõva]], Estonia
* St. Olaf's Church in [[Vormsi]], Estonia
* St. Olaf's Church ruins in [[Väike-Pakri]], Estonia
* St. Olaf's Chapel ruins in [[Suur-Pakri]], Estonia
* [[Saint Olav's Church, Kirkjubøur|Saint Olav's Church]] in [[Kirkjubøur]], [[Faroe Islands]]
* [[St. Olaf's Church, Tyrvää]] in [[Sastamala]], [[Finland]]
* [[St. Olaf's Castle]] (''Olavinlinna'') in [[Savonlinna]], Finland
* [[St. Olaf College]] was founded by Norwegian-American immigrant [[Bernt Julius Muus]] in [[Northfield, Minnesota]] during 1874.
* Saint Olaf Catholic Church in downtown [[Minneapolis]]<ref>[http://saintolaf.org/ Church website]; [http://saintolaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2.jpg Statue of the saint from the sanctuary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727232741/http://saintolaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2.jpg |date=27 July 2011 }}</ref>
* Saint Olaf Catholic Church in [[Norge, Virginia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stolaf.cc/ |title=St. Olaf Church, Patron of Norway Catholic Church |website=stolaf.cc |access-date=12 January 2017}}</ref>
* Saint Olaf Catholic Church and School in [[Bountiful, UT]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stolafut.org/home.html |title=St Olaf Home Page |website=Saint Olaf Catholic Church}}</ref>
* St. Olave's Anglican Church, Toronto, ON, Canada<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://stolaves.ca/ |title=St. Olave's Anglican Church – Beauty and Tradition in Toronto's Bloor West Village  |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref>
* The primary school and GAA club in Balally, Dublin, Ireland, both named for St. Olaf<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stolafs.ie/ |title=St. Olaf's National School |website=St. Olaf's National School}}</ref>
* [[Tower of St. Olav]], the only remaining tower of [[Vyborg Castle]]
* The [[coat of arms]] of the [[Church of Norway]] contains two axes, the instruments of St. Olaf's martyrdom.
* The oldest picture of St. Olaf is painted on a column in the [[Church of the Nativity]] in Bethlehem.
* [[The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav]] was founded in 1847 by [[Oscar I of Sweden|Oscar I]], king of Norway and Sweden, in memory of the king.{{sfn|Chisholm |1911|p=62}}
* {{ill|T.S.C. Sint Olof|nl}}, a Dutch student organisation with St. Olaf as its patron.
* St Olaf St a secondary street in Lerwick, Shetland
* St Olaf is a character in the Norwegian TV series Beforeigners.
* St Olaf’s Church in Wasdale which is England’s smallest parish church. [https://wasdalehead.church/]
* St Olaf Hotel in [[Cruden Bay]], [[Scotland]] (near site of 1012 battle)

== See also ==
* ''[[Oldest Saga of St. Olaf]]''
* ''[[Legendary Saga of St. Olaf]]''
* ''[[Separate Saga of St. Olaf]]''
* ''[[Óláfs saga helga]]''
* ''[[Rauðúlfs þáttr]]'', short allegorical story involving St. Olaf
* ''[[The Saint Olav Drama]]''
* [[Ny-Hellesund|Olavsund]] in [[Ny-Hellesund]]
* [[Olavinlinna]] (medieval castle in [[Savonlinna]])
* [[St Olave's Grammar School]]
* [[St Olaves]], village in Norfolk, England
* [[St. Olave's Church (disambiguation)]]
* [[St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo]]
* [[Helmet and spurs of Saint Olaf]]
* [[St. Olav's shrine]]
* [[Shrine of Manchan]], with early representation of St. Olaf
* [[Portal:Catholicism/Patron Archive/July 29|Saint Olaf, patron saint archive]]
* [[List of churches dedicated to St Olav|List of churches dedicated to St. Olav]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==Sources ==
{{Reflist}}


== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Olaf (kings of Norway) |volume= 20 |last= |first= |author-link= | page= 82 | date = 1911 |short= }}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Canonization |volume= 5 |last= Delehaye |first= Hippolyte |author-link= Hippolyte Delehaye | pages= 192-193 | date = 1911 |short= }}

{{refend}}

==Further reading==

* Ekrem, Inger; Lars Boje Mortensen; Karen Skovgaard-Petersen (2000) ''Olavslegenden og den Latinske Historieskrivning i 1100-tallets Norge''  (Museum Tusculanum Press) {{ISBN|978-87-7289-616-8}}
* Hoftun, Oddgeir (2008) ''Kristningsprosessens og herskermaktens ikonografi i nordisk middelalder'' (Oslo)  {{ISBN|978-82-560-1619-8}}
* Hoftun, Oddgeir (200)  ''Stavkirkene – og det norske middelaldersamfunnet'' (Copenhagen; Borgens Forlag)  {{ISBN|87-21-01977-0}}
* Langslet, Lars Roar; Ødegård, Knut (2011) ''Olav den hellige. Spor etter helgenkongen'' (Oslo: Forlaget Press) {{ISBN|82-7547-402-7}}
* Lidén, Anne (1999) ''Olav den helige i medeltida bildkonst. Legendmotiv och attribut'' (Stockholm) {{ISBN|91-7402-298-9}}
* Myklebus, Morten (1997) ''Olaf Viking & Saint'' (Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs) {{ISBN|978-82-7876-004-8}}
* Passio Olavi (1970)  ''Lidingssoga og undergjerningane åt den Heilage Olav'' (Oslo)  {{ISBN|82-521-4397-0}}
* Rumar, Lars (1997) ''Helgonet i Nidaros: Olavskult och kristnande i Norden'' (Stockhol)  {{ISBN|91-88366-31-6}}
* Le Clerk, JM (2024) ''Path of Ravens: The Last Varangian'' (Printed in France by Amazon) {{ISBN|97-98307122136}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Olaf II of Norway}}
* {{Cite NIE |wstitle=Olaf II. |short=x}}
* [http://www.kongehuset.no/c27047/artikkel/vis.html?tid=27216 St. Olavs Orden] {{in lang|no}}
* [http://ortodoks.org/Kirkeside/NO/sider/TEMA13/Tema13M.htm Olav den Hellige – Norges evige konge]
* [https://archive.today/20130104205521/http://www.st-olavsloppet.com/portal/en/ St. Olavsloppet]
* [http://www.vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Text%20Series/Historia%26Passio.pdf A History of Norway and The Miracles of the Blessed Olafr]
* [http://forskning.no/historie-middelalderen-kunst-og-litteratur/2008/02/ny-viten-om-olav-den-hellige Ny viten om Olav den hellige] (Jørgen Haavardsholm. University of Oslo)
* [https://www.academia.edu/35920363/Saint_Olave_-_King_of_Norway_Olav_den_Hellige_-_is_his_raids_to_England_based_on_a_1200s_poem Saint Olave – King of Norway, Olav den Hellige (Karsten Krambs 2018)]

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Fairhair dynasty#Sub-dynasties of Fairhair dynasty|Vestfold branch]] || 995|July 29|1030|[[Fairhair dynasty]] | name=Olaf the Saint}}
{{S-reg}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[Sweyn I of Denmark|Sweyn Forkbeard]] | reason=Regency held by<br />[[Sveinn Hákonarson]]<br />& [[Håkon Eiriksson|Hákon Eiríksson]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Norwegian monarchs|King of Norway]] | years=1015–1028}}
{{S-vac|next=[[Cnut the Great]] | reason=Regency held by<br />[[Håkon Eiriksson|Hákon Eiríksson]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Monarchs of Norway|state=collapsed}}
{{Portalbar|Saints|Biography|Catholicism|Norway}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olaf, Saint}}
[[Category:Saint Olaf| ]]
[[Category:990s births]]
[[Category:1030 deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century Norwegian monarchs]]
[[Category:11th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Burials at Nidaros Cathedral]]
[[Category:11th-century Christian martyrs]]
[[Category:Monarchs killed in action]]
[[Category:Pre-Reformation saints of the Lutheran liturgical calendar]]
[[Category:Catholic martyrs]]
[[Category:Christian royal saints]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic royal saints]]
[[Category:Norwegian Roman Catholic saints]]
[[Category:Norwegian exiles]]
[[Category:Norwegian Christians]]
[[Category:Fairhair dynasty]]
[[Category:Vikings killed in battle]]
[[Category:11th-century Vikings]]
[[Category:Lutheran saints]]