Oslo unveils monument to Elisiv of Kyiv — daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, known in Scandinavia as Elisiv, queen of Norway. This year, Norway marks 1,000 years since her birth.
Elisiv married Harald Hardrada, who later became king of Norway. According to Scandinavian sagas, before returning home to claim the throne, Harald spent some time at Yaroslav the Wise’s court in Kyiv and served in the Varangian Guard in Constantinople. Poems he composed in honor of his fiancée have been preserved in the chronicles.
The monument, titled Guardian of the Golden Ring, draws its theme from the sagas. The sculpture is a granite stone with a conical opening filled with onyx. When the sun aligns with Kyiv (azimuth 121.5°), a “golden ring” of light appears in the opening.
The monument was created by Danish artist Sidsel Bonde, who won an open competition. The selection criteria required the work to harmonize with the square, be no taller than one metre, and use materials durable enough for Norway’s climate.
Preparation for the installation took several years.
Norway celebrates the millennium of Elisiv’s birth this year, while Ukraine already marked it in 2022, when the National Bank issued a commemorative coin. The exact date of Yaroslav the Wise’s daughter’s birth is unknown, but Norwegian historians estimate it around 1025, based on her marriage to Harald Hardrada. Elisiv of Kyiv represents a shared chapter in Ukrainian–Norwegian and European history, offering historians from both countries a point of consensus for joint commemoration.