King Olaf II Haraldsson is a famous Norwegian Viking. He was born around 995 and died 1030. As a twelve-year-old he travelled to Europe and spent the next eight years fighting in battles from Norway to Gibraltar.
Olaf Haraldsson was baptized in northern France during wintertime 1013-1014. After that he sailed south. As OlafHaraldsson approached the Mediterranean, he started thinking about going to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Once they camped not far from today's Portugal, the king got a vision. A great man came to him in a dream and said to him, “Return to your waist, for you will be king over Norway forever.”
He then left the Portuguese coast and travelled back to Norway with Christianity and Iberian wine in the luggage. Fifteen years later, the king dies defending Catholic Christianity in Norway. He is declared saint the year after and became Norway's patron saint. His Memorial Day is July 29th.
The picture shows a part of the stone where the king got killedduring the battle of Stiklestad, July 29th, 1030.