The Snake Pit

The Master of Hestviken #2

by Sigrid Undset

Set in medieval Norway, the books follow Olav and Ingunn, who, though raised as brother and sister, have become lovers in a world caught between the fading sphere of pagan worship and vendettas and the expansion of Christianity.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Medieval, Literature, Historical, 13th Century

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1925

About the author

Sigrid Undset was a Norwegian novelist whose powerful, psychologically rich works made her one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century. Best known for her medieval sagas Kristin Lavransdatter and The Master of Hestviken, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928 for her vivid portrayals of life in the Middle Ages, written with remarkable historical detail and emotional depth.

Born in Denmark to Norwegian parents, Undset spent most of her life in Norway. After her father's early death, she had to forgo formal education and worked as a secretary while writing in her spare time. Her debut novel Fru Marta Oulie (1907) shocked readers with its opening confession of adultery and established her bold, realist style. In early works like ,i>Jenny (1911), she explored modern women's struggles with love, freedom, and morality, often critiquing romantic idealism and social expectations.

Though she gained recognition for her contemporary novels, Undset felt increasingly drawn to historical fiction. This shift led to her masterwork Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy published from 1920 to 1922, which follows the life of a woman in 14th-century Norway as she navigates love, faith, motherhood, and spiritual growth. With its intricate character development and deep moral themes, the trilogy brought her international acclaim and remains a cornerstone of Scandinavian literature.

In 1924, Undset converted to Roman Catholicism, a profound personal decision that shaped her later writing. Her tetralogy,i>The Master of Hestviken (1925–1927) centers on a man burdened by unconfessed guilt, offering a deeply spiritual and psychological portrait of sin and redemption. Her Catholic faith and concern with ethical questions became central to her work and public life.

A vocal critic of both communism and fascism, Undset fled Norway after the Nazi invasion in 1940. Her books were banned by the occupying regime, and she lived in exile in the United States during the war, advocating for Norway and the Allied cause. The loss of her son in the war deeply affected her, and although she returned home after the war, she published little in her final years.

Undset’s legacy rests not only on her historical novels but also on her fearless exploration of conscience, duty, and the human condition. Her characters—especially her women—are fully realized, flawed, and emotionally complex. Her writing combines psychological insight with stylistic clarity and spiritual depth, making her work enduringly relevant and widely read.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the talk about misfortune plaguing certain estates and families. . .I’m willing to accept it may have been true in heathen times. But you are surely wise enough to place your life and fate in the hands of God the Almighty and not believe such things. May God have mercy on you, my Olav. I wish you both happiness and bliss in your marriage. And may your lineage be known as fortunate men from now on!

The second volume in Sigrid Undset’s Olav Audunssøn series, Providence shows how the title character suffers the consequences of his unrepented actions from the first volume, Vows; and suffer he does (“Providence” is an appropriate title for the theme of this volume [and is a direct translation of Undset’s original] but I find it interesting that the first translation into English in 1925 named this novel “The Snake Pit”; also metaphorically appropriate, if melodramatic). Once again, Unset’s writing is immersively informative on time and place (Fourteenth Century Norway on the Oslo Fjord) without being didactic, and the pressures she puts her characters under allow for an organic exploration of the laws and customs of the day. As a middle volume (there are four in this series), I didn’t find Providence to be quite as fascinating as the premise-building in Vows — and as most of the struggle in this book is between Olav and his conscience, there is a corresponding drop in action — but I still enjoyed this very much and am looking forward to the next in the series; I’m rounding down to three stars only in comparison to Vows. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms. Spoilers from here on.)

By now he’d given so much thought to every aspect of the matter that he could hardly remember anymore what he was thinking when he chose to remain silent and erase all trace of the deed, but he’d fooled himself into believing that the shame could be concealed. No one must know that he had gotten rid of Teit Hallssøn; then no one would find out that Ingunn had been disgraced by Teit. It seemed to Olav incomprehensible that he could have imagined anything so utterly foolhardy.

Providence picks up where Vows ended: After killing the man, in self defense, who raped Ingunn (his betrothed since childhood), Olav Audunssøn returns to his “allodial estate” of Hestviken to become its new Master. When Olav goes to retrieve Ingunn from where she had been staying with kinfolk, he learns that she had given birth to a son by her rapist and had sent the boy off to live with a foster family. Although these events had brought Ingunn much shame up in the north, Olav was able to offer her a fresh start as the Mistress of Hestviken, where no one knew of the unwed pregnancy or the “wayside bastard” that resulted. The pair is young, beautiful, finally living together as they had expected to their entire lives, and although their future seems assured of happiness, the past insists on holding them back. Anxious to continue the family line (of which Olav himself is the last living member), Ingunn suffers a series of stillbirths and miscarriages, and when Olav realises that Ingunn is pining for her missing son, he retrieves the boy and claims him as his own. Olav eventually believes that because he had killed the rapist Teit without making a confession to the priest (and risking the priest forcing him to make a public confession as well and opening himself up to legal repercussions), God was punishing him. But when Olav suggests to Ingunn that he should finally clear his conscience, the weak and wasted woman fears what consequences would befall her and her son Eirik if her husband were jailed or exiled; Ingunn makes Olav promise to never make that confession and he agrees to live with a burdened soul, watching his beloved wife slowly fade away.

It felt like he was swimming with a drowning companion clinging to his neck, and to be deemed worthy of calling himself a man, he would either have to save the other person or drown as well. Yet it was possible to feel a certain failure of courage at the thought that the end was inevitable; he would be dragged under, no matter how hard he strove to do his utmost, because a man could do no less.

While most of the action in this book takes place at Hestviken — and most of that inside the smoke-filled, sparsely-furnished main hall that served as the living quarters for this rich family of landowners — there are a few scenes of Olav fulfilling his duty to join in a leiðangr against the Danes; much history and social custom was relayed in this way, but I wish there had been a bit more about the supernatural beliefs of the people: the nøkk, the hulder, Ættarfylgja (Olav’s axe that sang before a killing), the ghost story that Olav’s aged kinsman Olav Ingolfssøn told about how he ruined his leg and which had caused another relative, Dirt Beard, to go mad. For the most part, however, the characters are trying to forget their pagan pasts and follow the teachings of the Church; and it is the disconnect between Olav’s religious beliefs and the accepted code of honour of the community that causes him so much unhappiness (that and his beloved wife wasting away in her bed with frequent bouts of diarrhea and suppurating bedsores). I am very much looking forward to the third volume (Crossroads) and hope that poor Olav finds some happiness there.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous- much deeper, richer, and more complex than Book one. So much to ponder. I can't begin to do this book or any book by Sigrid Undset justice in a "book review."

Oh! And I really enjoyed the meeting of Olav and Lavrans & Ragnfrid from "Kristin Lavransdatter."

A favorite quote: "The sin of all sins is to despair of God's Mercy. "

One caveat: I am reading the Kindle version of these books and I did not notice it as much with book one but with this book, I did notice a few flub ups with spelling and word confusion-- it must have happened in the transfer to the e-form but it does not in any way take away from the beauty of the book.

[Dax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book two of this tetralogy grapples with faith and humanity’s tendency to grapple with our conscience. While the plot does move along somewhat, most of the book centers around Olav and Ingunn’s internal torment from past mistakes. Undset’s terse prose style fits the tone of the novel. The three star rating really stems from the fact that this portion of Olav’s tale didn’t need to be this long. It’s only a 260 page book, but it does seem to be an excessive amount of pages given the content. I liked it, it’s a solid three stars, but I’m expecting a little more out of the remaining two books.

[Sookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Providence picks up right after Vows. Providence is a study in virtues and morals of 14th century Norway. The titular character Olav struggles with the happenings of Vows where he killed his wife's rapist and ends up confessing his sins to a priest. Undset here toys with the idea of morality, religiosity, and law of the land by letting Olav stew in panic about consequences of his confession. In the meantime, his wife, Ingunn falls into depressive state unable to get out of room or her bed, severely ailing physically and undergoing the pregnancy and childbirth - the child of her rapist who she had to give away to a foster family. Olav adopts the son of his wife's rapist and brings into his home to reunite the child with his mother - Ingunn.

Olav slowly takes over his legacy, being the last in the line, as he and Ingunn start their lives together as married couple like they were intended to. But the doom of Olav's sin looms close and Ingunn's declining health, miscarriages hold their happiness back.

Thank you University of Minnesota Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, this story is heavy. There is not a happy moment in it. But I am still struck by how powerful both the characters and situations are. The family in this book has some big problems, but their struggles and attempts at love are moving. And I still love the Christian themes throughout--although these people have a warped relationship with penance and honor. But that's medieval Norway for you. I definitely want to read the next two volumes, but maybe when winter is over . . .

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Snake Pit" probably deserves 5 stars, but I found it so excruciating to read...I'd forgotten how Undset can really skewer a mother's heart, especially. I can't think of another book I've read in which despair is so tangible -- and has affected me so much. That said, the darkness only makes the theme of redemption all the more powerful. As I told a friend who'd read "The Axe" with me but couldn't finish this second book -- I'll press on, but the payoff had better be good!

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olav and Inguun continue to battle with their feelings. Undset shows a beautiful picture of a couple who are bound to each other but have such difficulty expressing themselves. The background of religion and paganism in 13th century Norway becomes more apparent in this book. This series feels like a travel book in a way (a genre which I love). It's both a beautiful portrait of a couple and a portrait of Norway at the time.

[Alli Shoemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an Undset, this is a 3.5. For a book in the context of every other author, it’s a 5. She is SO good about connecting a person’s inner world to their actions, and despite the plot being slow… I can’t deny that that’s the kind of book I absolutely adore.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So heart wrenching; I’m not sure I could continue with the series if I didn’t know with Sigrid Undset there has to be a beautiful redemption at the end.

[Elsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd of the Master of Hestviken books. Olav and Ingunn move to Hestviken and start their married life together. This story like Kristen Lavransdatter is set in medieval Norway. Hestviken is on the Oslo fjord. They farm, hunt, fish, harvest seal. They plant corn using fish offal to fertilize them. This is about the day to day life of this estate but the story through it is that Olav and Ingunn love each other so deeply. Yet that love is absolutely destroyed by the shame and guilt their actions, culture and beliefs impose on them. There is so much passion and pain in this story.
Undset is amazing writing about the natural setting, I'm going to say better than Tolkein, ya I went there. Her detail of life at that time is fully and accurately immersive of 13th century Scandinavia.

The Snake Pit refers to a scene in the Volsunga Saga where the hero Gunnar is thrown into a snake pit. He's almost saved by a harp which charms the snakes except one that bites him in his heart. That's the metaphor for Olav's love for Ingunn. And ya now I have to read the Volsunga Saga...
There are beautiful passages like this:
Ingunn could see that a change had come over him and he was not as she had seen him for a long, long time -- his face was still as a rock, his lips pale, his eyes veiled, unseeing. He spoke as though in his sleep:
"Will you promise me one thing? Should it go with you as -- as you said -- should it cost your life this time -- will you give me your promise that you will come back to me?" He looked at her, bending slightly toward her. "You must promise me, Ingunn -- if it is so that the dead may come back to the living --- then you must come to me!"
"Yes."
The man bent down hastily, touching her breast with his forehead an instant.
"You are the only friend I have had," he whispered quickly and shyly.

Love, tragedy, passion, medieval Norway.

[Shelby Arnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the second volume much more than the first. I wish these books came published as one volume like Kristin Lavransdatter. I’m tempted to view the volumes as separate stories when they’re published separately. But it’s obvious Undset has a rich theological understanding of maleness and femaleness, and how the grace of Jesus pertains to both. She may be my favorite author now? Anyhow, I love these books and highly recommend them!!

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a painful part of the whole story. Looking forward to finding light in the next two books of the series.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got the book because of the title is the same as a 1948 Olivia de Haviland movie that my wife and I enjoyed (and related to). My wife came across it while packing things out of the house her mother no longer occupies. The book was originally owned by her grandfather, a Smith College professor, and then her father, so it's something of a family heirloom.

As for the book itself, I didn't realize till I started reading it that it has no connection to the movie, and it is part 2 of a 4 part series. I feel much more knowledgeable now about 13th century Norway, but I can't imagine reading books 1, 3 or 4. The writing is drudgery to work through, perhaps on purpose because it matches the lives lived by the main characters. The pace is mostly very slow and the story tends to be dark and murky, with spradic embers briefly glowing into dim light before fading again into cold darkness.

A man rapes a betrothed woman. She is too shamed to admit she has been raped and instead pretends the sex was consensual. Due to her family's shame, the boy conceived is sent to a foster family. The rapist is then travelling with her fiance and while alone attacks him. The fiance kills the rapist while defending himself, but because he gains revenge in the process he considers himself a murderer. He covers up the killing and carries guilt thereafter. Marries his betrothed and takes her to his inherited estate far away where no one knows either of them or their history. He eventually brings the boy home and publicly claiams to be the father. For some reason he cannot adopt the boy as his own, so must lie to make him his heir. The man is distinctly aware that Christ bore his sin in His scourging and redeemed him in His death, but due to Catholic policies of the time he cannot confess his sin to a priest without accepting some form of public pennance which will bring shame on his wife and cost her son the inheritance. He would have to buy absolution for his sin, as though the payment by Christ was insufficient. This theme cycles over and over through 300 pages like a cow chewing its cud.

I am curious what my father-in-law thought while he was reading this, and what his father thought. Neither was involved in raising their children.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Snake Pit is not so eventful as The Axe, the series' first installment, but it is in a way more emotional and tragic, dealing with Olav's and Ingunn's life together at Hestviken, trying to live the peaceful, happy life they have always dreamed of but constantly encountering disappointment. Ingunn's son from the previous book, Eirik, becomes a character in his own right, a strange and unique boy who gives a slightly skewed but still valuable and moving view of his parents and their lives together. Another major plot element is Olav's lingering guilt over his crime at the end of the previous book, and his desire to atone for it, as well as struggle to allow himself to. I would prefer to read this book translated by someone like Tiina Nunnally, rather than Arthur Chater, whose translations I usually enjoy. The intentional medieval-esque phrasings start to get a little old, especially after one has had a taste of Sigrid Undset's actual writing style (see Nunnally's clear, refreshing translation of Kristin Lavransdatter), but as always Undset is a good enough writer to overcome such limitations as bad translation.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
It is difficult to comment on this second of the four Olav Audunsson novels without giving spoilers, and the work is so eventful and emotional that spoiling a clean read would be criminal. While equally engaging, Providence is quite different from book 1: There is less chaos created by external conflict and the consequential changes in locations, but much more domestic drama.
A couple points of criticism: some of the physical descriptions of the women are fairly harsh. I’m not sure if this is from the culture, the time period, or both. Also, the ending drags out a bit. Still, I am absolutely lost in Olav’s world and look forward to Book 3.
Thank you to the estate of Sigrid Undset, University of Minnesota Press, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tom Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sigrid Undset is a writer for the ages - her themes cover the most basic of human needs - I finished the first 2 books of KL but could only start the third - MoH I find far more interesting - one gets a sense as to why SU converted to Catholicism - the Lutheran Church (as I remember from my youth) has no Latin liturgy and no Mary worship - from this tetralogy I sense SU found both to add much to her religious experience and she made me feel the same - I'm not religious in the sense of church going and am somewhat surprised how fascinating I find the books - of course her detailed knowledge of Norwegian medieval history does much to enrich the books.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drama and the darkness continue. Amazing to consider this was written by a sheltered young woman in her 20's which led to her winning a Nobel Prize for Literature. Undset's writing "combines a supreme identification on the author's part with the manners, the morals, the feelings of the Middle Ages, and an understanding and creative grasp of fundamental human character. The characters are created wholly from within." That said, it is exhausting for me to read because I struggle WITH the characters.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating series. Sights, sounds, smells...the setting becomes immediate. The people become known. I'm going to read the next two books.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story--detailing the way sin slowly works its poison through the lives of the characters--is difficult to read.

[Isabella Leake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book -- Book 2 of the Master of Hestviken tetralogy or (as it was originally published) the concluding half of the first of two volumes -- was quite different from what I expected. I had thought it would pick up loose ends from the first book and deal largely in the vengeance and blood feuds that threatened the promise of equanimity at its conclusion. I braced myself for a wild ride.

But actually, this book is concerned with more internal themes like the nature of guilt and forgiveness, divine judgment and human responsibility, marital fidelity and chronic illness. Although it isn't exactly a cakewalk, it is most definitely a good read.

A special little bright spot is that Kristin Lavransdatter's parents (and possibly Kristin herself) make a cameo appearance toward the end of the book.

The way this volume played out has given me an inkling as to Undset's strategy in crafting her serial novels. She has a way of drawing the reader closer and closer to the characters as the book progresses and excitement builds, until by the end we fully share their perspective and sentiments. And then another volume begins, and we're back to feeling alienated from the characters until, by degrees, we come to know them better. It seems like a clever solution when you need to continue a story but want to give each volume an internal consistency, its own heartbeat if you will. For the reader being strung along in this fashion, it's only *slightly* maddening to feel so close to characters at the end of one volume but so distant from the same characters as the next begins, and it certainly keeps one turning the pages!

[Tommy Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The sin of all sins is to despair of God’s mercy.”

This one will sit with me for a while. Olav deeply struggles with the enormous weight of unconfessed sin slowly bearing down upon him, yet he still strives to do his best by everyone. As a Christian man, he knows he cannot atone for his own sins but tries anyway, and his attempts to do so lead him further into misery.

4.75 / 5

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started making note of a few quotes here and there as I read through the first two thirds of the book; then there was just too much in the last third. I have so many pages dog-eared; there is so much to reflect on. Plus, meeting Kristen's father, Lavrans, was pretty great. Lots to discuss at bookclub!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

It pulled me along into the pit.

[Kevin Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why isn’t this tetralogy more widely read? Incredible so far.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gutting depiction of pride as the worst of all sins.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received the second volume of Olav Audunssøn as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

Olav Audunssøn has everything he thought he'd ever wanted: he has control of his family estate, Hestviken, and Ingunn, the foster-sister-turned-bride whose legitimacy he'd fought so hard for, is by his side. Yet their life together is plagued by sadness: Eirik, the illegitimate child Ingunn gave up, is living far from his mother, Olav and Ingunn's own attempts to bear a healthy child are unsuccessful and lead to her prolonged illness, and Olav is widely distrusted by the larger community. Olav attempts to make amends for his past sins, convinced that doing so is the only way to peace, but finds it difficult, and with his wife--the only person to whom he'd ever felt a meaningful connection--weak and ailing, his isolation and despair grows to terrifying new heights.

After reading the first volume, it was nice to continue Olav and Ingunn's story, though this volume is rather dark (and the first isn't a walk in the park). It's a beautifully written, complicated relationship--their bond forged in childhood, the mixed feelings they both feel about the other and their union, and the tragedies that continue to befall them--all making for a tragic but moving tale. We left Olav in a rather dark place, literally and figuratively, and I'm interested to see where life takes him.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, Providence did not quite have the magic of Vows (the first book in the series). I think this was partly because a lot happened in Vows, whereas this second volume was more about the aftermath of those earlier actions, without a huge amount of new action taking place. It therefore felt a little plodding at times and I found myself flicking the pages, waiting for something interesting to happen. It didn't help either that, while I remembered the general events of book one, it had been a while since I read that first volume, and it therefore took me a few chapters of book two to really get back on track with what was going on, as the story launched us straight in without much in the way of a recap. This was not a bad book; it simply lacked the excitement of its predecessor. Therefore, I am giving it 3 stars. Providence didn't leave me super excited for book three in the series; however, if given the opportunity, I would read on, in the hope that things will pick up again in the next volume.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slower and more melancholy than part 1. I love these, but may need a break before diving in to pt 3.

"Olav lay awake most of the night. He realized that he now understood one thing: a battle had been raging in Heaven between God and His Enemy since the dawn of time, and everything that possessed life, soul, or spirit had joined in the fight in one phalanx or another, whether they knew it or not--angels and supernatural creatures, humans here on earth and in the world after death. And it was most often a man's fear that allowed the Devil to tempt him into his fold. This happened when a man feared that God would demand too much of him--that he must speak a truth that was difficult to utter, or that he must renounce a coveted desire that he didn't think he was strong enough to live without, such as rewards or prosperity, sensual pleasures, or the approval of other people. Then the ancient Father of Lies would appear to capture the man's soul with his old assertion that he demanded less of those who sided with him and rewarded them better--for as long as it lasted, that is. Now Olav had to make his own choice regarding which army he wished to serve."

[Mark Werderitsch]

The Snake Pit is essentially a sudser describing the trials and tribulations of a couple fostered together who, while they love each other, have a joyless marriage during which each has an adulterous liason and an out of wedlock child in late thirteenth and early fourteenth century Norway. The details of everyday life are more interesting than the story. The Norwegian version was published in the late twenties and this translation dates from 1930. It badly needs to be redone. The English used is very archaic and is in some places unreadable, and in others so confusing as to make no sense. A rendering into modern English is badly needed.

[Morena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The poor, weak Ingunn became somewhat reasonable on her deathbed, Olav, however, drove me crazy. I don't understand why he mops and flagellates himself over the killing (IN SELF DEFENSE) of that disgusting scum, Teit. In hands of hacks who get published today, this would make for a frustrating plot, but Undset pulls off this madness, and I am going to suffer this to its bitter end. I am guessing right now that Olav will end up just like his mad great uncle. There were plenty hints, so we'll see.