#AdventReading Day-4: The Christmas Mystery: Joshua the Shepherd

 

Credit: Flora Waycott

The fourth door on the Advent calendar reveals to Joachim a picture of a shepherd. Our four time-travelers: Elisabet, Ephiriel the angel, lamb, and sheep is now in Sweden, 1891. They are walking along the side of River Göta, and soon reach a field. Three they meet a shepherd "wearing a blue tunic and holding a tall staff curved at the top", called Joshua. Turns out he will be coming along to Betlehem with them.

River Göta

Then Elisabet gets a bright idea. Since she hasn't been able to stroke the lamb's soft fleece since the journey began, she asks Joshua, he being a shepherd, to herd the lamb to her direction. And Joshua's reply is: "That's not difficult for a good shepherd." - do you see it again, how Gaarder managed to slip bits of bible reference (and history/geography) in every chapter? What a way of educating young people with an engaging story! 

Ephiriel also mentions about a Sigurd Jorsalfar - King of Norway - whose real name is Sigurd I Magnusson, but he was given the name Jorsalfar due to his pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Jorsalfar means "the pilgrimage to Jerusalem").

Their journey on this fourth day ends in Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden, in 1816.

Gothenburg - today

The missing driver's license is finally found! Joachim's father left it at the book store (where they bought the Advent calendar), and the kind bookseller returned it to Joachim's. Is that it? Hmm... knowing Gaarder, I suspect it's not the end.

But that's it for today, see you tomorrow, with more interesting bits to learn/reflect!

Previous posts:

- Day-1
- Day-2
- Day-3