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7- PAPAL SYSTEM IN SWEDEN. 105
who lived, I suppose, about 1000 A.D., and wrote of Thor
as well as of Christ, thus speaks of the latter :
"They say Christ sits upon a mountain throne
Far to the south beside the well of Fate :
So closely has the Lord whom angels own
With Rome and Roman lands entwined His state."
Another, a little later, writes :
"
The Lord of monks has greater might than all.
Who can put any limits to God s powers?
Christ has not only formed this world of ours,
But for Himself has reared Rome s glorious hall."
3
No doubt the pilgrimage of the Danish king, Erik Eie-
god, tended to keep up this feeling of sanctity and majesty
of the city, where Christ, in the person of His vicar, was
throned on the seven hills and sent out his emissaries bear
ing the decrees of Fate from the banks of the Tiber.
At first, however, this great southern power approached
Sweden cautiously and tentatively. Hildebrand did little
more than ask for information. After his death, Urban
II. and Clement III. divided the allegiance of Christen
dom as pope and anti-pope, and strong action was not
to be looked for. The establishment of the Archbishopric
of Lund, which was a move against the pretensions of
Clement, who was supported in Germany, was not backed
up by strong action as regards Sweden. All that we can
say is that after the time of its establishment by Urban II.
greater regularity of succession to bishoprics seems to
prevail in Sweden. They ceased to be missionary and
gradually became territorial. But as yet there was no
acceptance in Sweden of the papal system, which was
3
See Corpus Poeticum Boreale, Vol. ii., pp. 22 and 115.
A more literal translation is :
"
They say that He sits on a
mountain throne in the south at the well of the Fates, so has
the mighty Lord of the Powers bound Himself to the lands of
Rome"; and: "The might of the Lord of monks is the
greatest. God is able to do most things. Christ created the
world and reared the hall of Rome."
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