Publisher's Synopsis
Jorgen Haagen's mother died when he was born, early in the eighth century in the southwestern settlement of Ribe, Denmark. Six years later, his father disappeared while on a hunting trip. Having no close kin, Jorgen was shuffled from one kin to another, made to earn his keep, and shunned by the villagers.
Life was hard, and tragedy seemed to follow him. The only tokens he had from his father, small wooden carvings of animals and such, were stolen by his cousins, but he remembered them and yearned to have a knife of his own. Perhaps he had inherited his father's talent for carving.
When an older boy in Ribe is orphaned, he befriends Jorgen and introduces him to an almost-blind man, Seig Lather, who is the only Christian in the area. Seig introduces Jorgen to God, Jesus Christ, and the book. This is the beginning of the Viking era and pagan worship rules in Denmark.
The Saga of Jorgen chronicles the coming of Ribe into a thriving seaport, Christianity coming to Denmark, and, most importantly, Jorgen's salvation. He becomes famous as a carver of ships' figureheads, and his legacy lives for many generations.
