The Bjälbo heritage (Bjälboarvet) - Verner von Heidenstam

Art. no. 216584065 24 Apr 2025

Bjälboarvet is a novel by the Swedish author Verner von Heidenstam, published in 1907. This work is the second part of a series of novels called Folkungaträdet, which depicts the history of the Folkung dynasty in the Middle Ages. In this book, Heidenstam focuses on the battles between Birger Jarl's sons, Valdemar Birgersson and Magnus Ladulås, in the 13th century.

In Bjälboarvet, Valdemar is portrayed as a child of the sun, loved by everyone for his kindness and open manner. For him, life is a party. Magnus, on the other hand, is more marked by his Finnish blood. He is quiet, but also a deeper nature, filled with the desire for power but at the same time plagued by remorse. Everything that stands in his way must be crushed. At the same time, he suffers from his own hardness. However, this power-hungry character softens and humbles in success and ends up as a true knight of the cross.

The novel explores themes of power, inheritance and family ties, and provides an insight into medieval Sweden through Heidenstam's poetic and epic style. The work is part of a planned trilogy, the first part of which, Folke Filbyter, was published in 1905. A third planned novel was to have revolved around the Nyköping Feast, but was never realized.